For 28-year-old mason Steve Thibault of Point-Calumet, Quebec, bricklaying was a natural fit. He gave masonry a shot, and realized he loved it. His favorite thing about his occupation is working outside and seeing all the projects he’s helped build.

This is the second year in a row Thibault and his tender, Mathieu Robert, have qualified for the World Championship. Last year they came into the regionals with the mindset that watching videos would be enough to compete. They qualified with a brick count of 428, but didn’t make the leader board in Vegas. This year, their regional qualifying brick count was 524 brick, improving by nearly 100, proving experience in the competition is valuable.

Thibault enjoys the idea of the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500, saying, “It is very satisfying to prove you’re the best at what you do for a living so I think it’s a good thing having the occasion to measure yourself to the best guys around.”