Wriston McGee Wins the 2021 North Carolina Regional Series

Earns title, “Best Bricklayer in North Carolina”

Gold Hill, NC – He laid 745 brick in only one hour! Mason Wriston McGee and mason tender Haren McGee with McGee Brothers in Monroe, NC teamed up to earn the title, “Best Bricklayer in North Carolina.” McGee and McGee beat out 12 other local teams, officially winning their shot to compete on the biggest stage in masonry, the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500, in Las Vegas at the World of Concrete Expo in January 2022.

To qualify for the World Championship, hundreds of teams from across North America will battle to win one of 20 individual regional series events, proving they belong on the national stage. Each team, consisting of one mason and one mason tender, will be given an hour to build the tallest and best 26-foot-long brick wall they can, with as few errors as possible. One winning team from each region will advance to compete for over $125,000 in cash and prizes (including a new Ford F-250 4×4 Truck, Kubota RTV-X1140) and the title, “World’s Best Bricklayer.”

This marks Wriston’s third time qualifying for the World Championship, and he did so with the second highest brick total of the 2021 regional season. North Carolina has a long tradition of sending strong competitors to Las Vegas, and Wriston knows he has his work cut out for him if he wants to take home a new Ford F250 4×4 Truck. He said, “I think our strategy today worked, we just need to build a few more walls just like it before Vegas.”

The coveted SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN award, which goes. to the mason with the “most sellable” wall, went to mason David Kelly and mason tender Nick Campbell with Kelly Masonry in Pendleton, SC. For their efforts, the masonry team took home $350, a loaded Marshalltown tool bag and ceremonial trowel, a 4′ Stabila level and a gift bag from Belden Brick.

Second place went to mason Zach McGee and mason tender Grayson McGee, with McGee Brothers with 598 total brick. For their efforts, the team took home $400, a 4′ Stabila level and a Marshalltown tool bag.

Third place went to mason Grant Helms and mason tender Justice Isenhour of Helms Masonry in Mt. Pleasant, SC with a brick count of 571, for their efforts, the team took home $200, a 4′ Stabila level and a Marshalltown tool bag.

Preceding the journeyman competition, area high school masonry students had a chance to showcase their skills in the JR. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500. Designed to be an abbreviated version of the main event, the junior bricklayer showcases the future of masonry. Each apprentice leaves with a prize in hand, but only one is named the region’s best apprentice, a title which could go a long way when being considered by contractors for future employment.

Mason Anderson Pruitt and mason tender O’Conner Leonard from West Rowan High School won the JR event with a brick count of 247, taking home $200 cash and a $150 gift certificate from Blaklader.

As workforce development becomes the primary battle cry for the skilled trades, the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 is a tool designed to create interest from a new generation of masons in the rewards and opportunities possible in masonry and construction.
The 20th annual SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship will be held January 19th, 2022 at the World of Concrete expo in Las Vegas. Prizes total more than $125,000 and include a new Ford F-250 4×4 Super Duty truck, Kubota RTV-X1140, Multiquip Mortar Mixer, and other prizes from IQ Power Tools, Stabila, Marshalltown, STIHL, Blaklader, Iron Age Footwear and Belden Brick

2021 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 NORTH CAROLINA REGIONAL RESULTS

2021 JR SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 NORTH CAROLINA REGIONAL RESULTS