Mark Saksa wins Illinois’ SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 Regional Competition!

Mark Saksa  claims “Illinois’ Best Bricklayer” title.

On September 4th, 2025, in Chicago, IL mason Mark Saksa and tender Graddin Wachter with Adams Masonry took first-place and won Top Craftsman at the SMBL500 Illinois 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 550 bricks in 60 minutes, the duo topped the competition with an impressive  87-brick margin above the second-place competitors. This team’s skills and speed won them the “Illinois’ Best Bricklayer” award as well as the Top Craftsman award for a total of 550$ in prize money while securing their tickets to Vegas.

The 2025 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, an Essick Pro12 mixer, and of course, the title, “World’s Best Bricklayer.”

Second Place went to mason Todd Adams and Tender Mike Keith with Adams Masonry with  481 bricks laid. The team won $350 for second place. Winning third place and the Top Craftsman award at the Illinois Regional, was mason Rob Battleday and tender Ray Thomas with Adams Masonry. This team finished with a 463-brick count, winning them a combined total of $950 in cash for both awards.

The Winner of the JR. Bricklayer event was mason James Coleman with the Chicago Training Center brick count of 168! James won $100 for his victory. 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 2025, 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/.

2026 World Championship: If you are interested in becoming a fan, the 24th annual SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship will take place in January 2026, 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 $150,000.

2025 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 ILLINOIS REGIONAL RESULTS