Dave Sontag Wins the 2022 Alberta, Canada Bricklayer 500

Sontag Earns, “Alberta’s Best Bricklayer & Top Craftsman” Titles!

Calgary, AB – It was a great day for Dave Sontag, that laid 557 bricks in just one hour and did so without any workmanship deductions! Bricklayer Dave Sontag and his mason tender Sunny Harvey with Bearstone Ex Inc., in Calgary battled five other teams for 60-minutes on Friday, August 7th to win the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® masonry competition. Sontag’s skills and speed not only earned him the title “Alberta’s Best Bricklayer,” he also claimed the “SPEC MIX Top Craftsman” award, which goes to the mason with the most-sellable wall. The cash prize for each award earned the super mason $500 and $400, respectively. In addition to the cash and prizes, including a Blaklader Workwear $200 certificate, Stabila level and Marshalltown engraved trowel, Sontag and Sunny secured their shot to compete at the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship in Las Vegas at the World of Concrete tradeshow on January 18th, 2023.

 To qualify for the World Championship, hundreds of teams from across North America will battle to win one of 22 individual regional series events, proving they have what it takes to step in the arena and battle at what is known as the “Super Bowl of Masonry.” Each team, consisting of one mason and one mason tender, is given 1-hour to build the tallest, best 26-foot-long brick wall they can, with as few errors as possible. One winning team from each regional qualifying event will advance to compete in Las Vegas for over $125,000 in cash and prizes, including a new Ford F-250 4×4 Truck, Kubota RTV-X1140, Essick Pro12 mortar mixer and the title “World’s Best Bricklayer!”

 This competition was Sontag’s ninth time competing in a regional contest, and Friday’s victory makes it the fourth time he’s advanced to the Championship round. Next January, when Sontag gets to the big show, the competition will be tough. To put his regional win in perspective, last year’s World Champion, Cole Stamper from Lexington, Kentucky, won with a brick count of 760. And like all the competitors, Sontag will undoubtably repeatedly practice before the ultimate showdown in Vegas to put together the best performance of his life. 

 Sontag is already preparing for his next challenge. “My goal and game plan for the World Championship is to lay 650 perfect brick to win the Top Craftsman title. For me, it’s not about speed and brick count. It is about craftsmanship and being proud of my work. So, before Vegas, I’ll practice at least 20 times on building the two leads of my wall—that’s the starting point for a winning wall. And having a great mason tender like Sunny is a huge asset and will definitely play a big role in our success—we’re excited for Las Vegas!”

 Second place at the Alberta event went to mason Dan Kozy, and his mason tender Louis St. Laurent of Scorpio Masonry in Edmonton, Alberta, with a brick count of 488. The team earned $300 and a loaded Marshalltown tool bag for their skills and effort. 

 Third place went to mason Mickey Cardinal and mason tender Dustin Arndt, also members of the Scorpio Masonry team, with a brick count of 399. The team took home $200 and a loaded Marshalltown tool bag for their award-winning efforts.

 The masonry industry’s future depends on incoming new, young talent. For this reason, the value and importance the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional Series and World Championship competitions play a significant role in the promotion of the masonry craft to new audiences. In addition to building a sense of pride and passion with masons, the events also serve as an incredible workforce development initiative to create interest among high school students, young adults entering the workforce to consider a career in masonry. 

In 2019, the SPEC MIX organization partnered with other masonry associations to create the Junior SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Competition. This year of the 22 Regional Series competitions, 12 will also hold Junior BRICKLAYER 500 contests that give high school and masonry apprentices the chance to compete for their state title. The program has proven remarkably successful and highly supported by the Mason Contractors Association of America, school administrators and numerous masonry supply manufacturers and dealers. To learn more, visit https://www.specmix.com/jr-spec-mix-bricklayer-500/.

The 21st annual SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship will be held January 18th, 2023, at the World of Concrete tradeshow in Las Vegas in the Las Vegas Convention Center Bronze Lot. Prizes total more than $125,000 and include a new Ford F-250 4×4 Super Duty truck, Kubota RTV-X1140, Multiquip Pro 12 Mortar Mixer, and other prizes from Hilti, IQ Power Tools, Stabila, Marshalltown, STIHL, Blaklader Workwear, and Belden Brick.

If you have any questions, or would like to set up an interview with any of the competitors, please contact Brian Carney at 612-859-4505 or by email at Brian.Carney@specmix.com

SPEC MIX is your North American source for high quality, factory produced cement-based building materials that are preblended for the construction industry. SPEC MIX products are precisely engineered to meet ASTM and building code requirements. Projects designed for the installation of brick, CMU, stone, stucco or building repair and restoration, SPEC MIX offers a full line of products packaged in 80 & 3,000-pound bags produced with state-of-the-art batching equipment to ensure quality and consistency from start to finish. For optimal jobsite efficiency, safety, and productivity, we provide contractors with numerous silo material mixing systems that maximize a contractor’s cost savings, safety and profitability. For more information, visit www.specmix.com.

2022 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 ALBERTA REGIONAL RESULTS