On Tuesday night,  July 14, 2015 at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center,   Al Herndon from the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Educational Foundation was inducted into the National Masonry Instructor Association Hall of Fame as an Industry Member. Al has worked with NMIA for over 13 years conducting Masonry Workshops,  Masonry judge certification, the MCAA Masonry Challenges and Skills USA National Masonry Contest.

Al told the NMIA conference attendees that the masonry industry  is grateful to have such a dedicated group of instructors who are passing on the skills of masonry to the next generations of young masons.

Al Joins other Notable Hall of Fame Industry inductees: Sam McGee, McGee Masonry  and Bryan Light  Brick Industries of America

Louisville, KY. – Companies and organizations of the masonry industry joined together to support the 51st annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference and the National Masonry Contest on June 25, 2015. After being held in Kansas City, Missouri for decades, the SkillsUSA Conference has returned to the Bluegrass state where it will be held for the next several years.

The 43 young masons from 32 states were allotted a maximum of six hours to construct a project composed of brick and block, set on a concrete block base. Each contestant received a detailed drawing to which they were expected to adhere to closely.

The 2015 winner of the secondary/high school division of the competition was Luke Dutton from West Rowan High School in Mount Ulla, North Carolina. The winner of the post-secondary/college division was Alex Ossowski from Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, North Carolina. Congrats to North Carolina.

The masonry programs or schools of each first-place winner received a $1,500 scholarship from Spec Mix. All six medal winners (three in each division) were awarded tools from Bon Tool and the Marshalltown Company, I-Pads, construction calculators, Lowes & Carhartt vouchers, as well as various other items donated by loyal supporters and sponsors of this event. Full Story