Rudy Menke Wins Missouri’s SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 Regional Competition!

Rudy Menke claims “Missouri’s Best Bricklayer & Top Craftsman” titles!

On August 16th, 2023, at Midwest Block & Brick in Bridgeton, MO, mason Rudy Menke and tender Steve Braswell with John J. Smith Masonry Company took first place at the Missouri Regional Competition. Rudy is no stranger to the world of masonry, as he has been in the trade for 23 years! This win has secured the Menke-Braswell team a spot at the SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500® Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the World of Concrete Tradeshow!

Laying 553 bricks in 60 minutes with zero deductions, this team had just under a 100-brick margin against the second-place competitors. This team’s speed and skill won them the “Missouri’s Best Bricklayer” and “Spec Mix Top Craftsman” awards. Your wall must be perfect to receive the Top Craftsman title, and this team was deemed by the judges to have the most sellable wall. Their zero-deduction wall landed them their tickets to Vegas next January 2024. For their efforts, this duo won $600 for first place, and $300 for Top Craftsman, for a total of $900 in cold hard cash! They also walked away with plenty of masonry tools, gift cards, and a 2-foot Stabila Level.

The 2023 Regional Series includes 23 events throughout the United States and Canada. To qualify for the SMBL500 event in Las Vegas, teams will compete at one of the 23 individual regionals and battle for first place to secure their spot in the national competition. The teams consist of one mason and one tender; working on a 26-foot-wide wall, they have 60 minutes to lay as much brick as possible with the fewest craftsmanship errors. These teams are only allowed to compete once at one regional event throughout the year, and each duo that wins first place will advance to what is known as the “Superbowl of Masonry.” At the World Championship, they will compete to win part of $125,000 in cash in prizes, including a Kubota RTV-X1140, Essick Pro12 mixer, and of course, the title, “World’s Best Bricklayer.”

The second-place winner at the Missouri Regional event was mason Javier Chacon and tender Braden Palmer also with John J. Smith Masonry Company. Laying 459 bricks in 60 minutes, this team walked away with $400, a Marshalltown Tool Bag, and a 2-foot Stabila Level. Javier has been in the trade for 23 years and is a second-generation bricklayer, keeping the trade strong! Lastly, in third place, was mason Shane Bradensteiner and tender David Hayes with Leonard Masonry. This team was close behind laying 419 bricks in 60 minutes, winning them $300, a Marshalltown Tool Bag, and a 2-foot Stabila Level. 

Disclosures:

In 2019, the SPEC MIX organization partnered with other masonry associations to create the JR. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Competition. In 2023, of the 23 Regional Series competitions, 15 will also hold a JR. BRICKLAYER 500 contest to allow high schoolers and masonry apprentices to compete for top honors and prizes. 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/.

2024 World Championship: If you are interested in becoming a fan, the 22nd annual SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship will take place on January 24th, 2024, at the World of Concrete tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Las Vegas Convention Center Bronze Lot. At this competition, 25 world-class masons lay it all on the line to claim their portion of the total purse valued at more than $125,000. Prizes include a Kubota RTV-X1140, Multiquip Pro 12 Mortar Mixer. Additionally, there will be other prizes from Hilti, Hydromobile, IQ Power Tools, QUIKRETE Companies, Razor-Back Tools, Stabila, Marshalltown, STIHL, Hohmann & Barnard, and Belden Brick. 

2023 JOURNEYMEN SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 WISCONSIN REGIONAL RESULTS