Riel Voigt wins British Columbia’s SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 Regional Competition!

Riel Voigt claims the “British Columbia’s Best Bricklayer” title.

On August 18th, 2023, at BC Brick in Richmond, British Columbia, mason Riel Voigt and tender Glen Potter with Voigt Masonry took the first-place position at the SMBL500 British Columbia Regional event. Now, for the second year in a row, they will move forward to compete in the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the World of Concrete Tradeshow!

Laying 576 bricks in 60 minutes, the Voigt/Potter duo topped the competition with a 100+ brick margin above the second-place competitors. This team’s skills and speed won them the “British Columbia’s Best Bricklayer” award and secured their tickets to Vegas. Winning $700 in cold hard cash, they also received a Marshalltown Tool Bag, 2-Foot Stabila Level, and Marshalltown Trowel.

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 Top Craftsman Award went to mason Scott Arthurs and tender Derek Melo with Ledgeview Masonry. With 445 bricks laid, and a no-deduction wall, this team claimed the Top Craftsman title and took second place in the overall competition. This team won a combined total of $900, a Marshalltown Tool Bag, and a 2-Foot Stabila Level. In third place at the British Columbia Regional, was mason Josh Shelley and tender Dave Potter with S&S Masonry. This team finished with a 353-brick count, winning them $300 in cash, 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 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.

2023 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 BRITISH COLUMBIA REGIONAL RESULTS