Douglas Veldman wins Alberta’s SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 Regional Competition!

Douglas Veldman claims the “Alberta’s Best Bricklayer” title.

On July 26th, 2024, at Scoripo Masonry in Calgary, Alberta, mason Douglas Veldman and tender Daniel Veldman with Veldman Masonry took the first-place position at the SMBL500 Alberta Regional event. Now they will move forward to compete in the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the World of Concrete Tradeshow!

Laying 580 bricks in 60 minutes, the Veldman duo topped the competition with a 70+ brick margin above the second-place competitors. This team’s skills and speed won them the “Alberta’s Best Bricklayer” award, $600 for first place, and secured their tickets to Vegas.

The 2024 Regional Series includes 22 events throughout the United States and Canada. To qualify for the SMBL500 event in Las Vegas, teams will compete at one of the 22 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 Chevrolet Silverado 4 x 4 Truck, Kubota RTV-X1130, an Essick Pro12 mixer, and of course, the title, “World’s Best Bricklayer.”

Second Place and the Top Craftsman Award went to mason Dan Kozey and tender Alfredo Marin Serna with Scorpio Masonry with 504 bricks laid. This team won $400 for second place, and $300 for the Top Craftsman award. In third place at the Alberta Regional, was mason Adam Prummel and tender Marinus Verduijn with Prumstone Masonry. This team finished with a 421-brick count, winning them $250 in cash.

Disclosures:

In 2019, the SPEC MIX organization partnered with other masonry associations to create the JR. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Competition. In 2024, of the 22 Regional Series competitions, 20 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/.

2025 World Championship: If you are interested in becoming a fan, the 23rd annual SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship will take place in January 2025, at the World of Concrete tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Las Vegas Convention Center Bronze Lot. At this competition, world-class masons lay it all on the line to claim their portion of the total purse valued at more than $125,000.

2024 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 ALBERTA REGIONAL RESULTS