Manuel Hernandez wins East Tennessee’s SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 Regional Competition!

Manuel Hernandez claims the “East Tennessee’s Best Bricklayer” title.

On September 11^th, 2024, at the Appalachian Fair Grounds in Gray TN, mason Manuel Hernandez and tender Luis Perez with A.D. Masonry took first place at the SMBL500 East Tennessee 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 601 bricks in 60 minutes, the duo topped the competition with an 80-brick margin above the second-place competitors. This team’s skills and speed won them the “East Tennessee’s Best Bricklayer” award and secured their tickets to Vegas. Winning $350 in cold hard cash.

 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 and 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.”

 In Second Place was mason Logan Lane and tender Daniel Abraham with Creative Masonry laying a total of 521 bricks winning them $300. Third place and the Top Craftsman award went to Piotr Ceremuga and tender Junior Morales with Gentry and Painter Masonry. With 484 bricks laid in the competition, the team won $250 for third place and $300 for the Top Craftsman award, giving them a combined winning total of $550!

 The Winner of the JR Bricklayer event with 196 bricks laid was son and father duo of Booker Steffey from Lebanon High School and tender Keith Steffey winning them a prize of $100. The Jr Bricklayer event is for high school students and apprentices pursuing a career in masonry. The JR. SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® competitions give masonry’s up and coming bricklayers a chance to showcase their drive and skills against their peers.

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 EASTERN TENNESSEE REGIONAL RESULTS