​The Masonry Association of Florida BLOCK-toberfest event was on Friday, October 26, 2018 at the Maschmeyer Concrete Company of Florida Debary block plant with Block Strong as a sponsor. Troy Maschmeyer, Steve Bishop, Donna Hinson and Matt Sitter are pictured alongside legislators Rene Plasencia and Stockton Reeves.

September 8, 2018 - Orlando, FL
The Masonry Association of Florida (MAF) held its annual Masonry Apprentice competition and Fastest Trowel on the Block competition on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at the Florida’s Best Block plant in Orlando, Florida.
The following apprentices were found to be the best in the state:
1st Year Apprentice Winners:
·        3rd Place - Dominic Lindsey – MCAF - K & D Construction
·        2nd Place - Tyler Austin - Central FL - Trinity Contractors, Inc.
·        1st Place - Ruddy Alvarez - Central FL - Trinity Contractors, Inc.
2nd Year Apprentice Winners:
·        3rd Place - Wildy Lozandier - SE Chapter - Coastal Masonry
·        2nd Place - Ruben Ramirez - SWFL MAF - Westcoast Structural
·        1st Place - Randall Pepevnik - MCAF - Pardue Masonry
3rd Place Apprentice Winners:
·        3rd Place - Jabari Francis - SE Chapter -Coastal Masonry
·        2nd Place - Jake Franklin - MCAF - E.L. Shearer C & M
·        1st Place - Kenny Tilghman - MCAF - Billy G & L Masonry
In addition to bragging rights, the winners were awarded cash prizes and our generous sponsors donated tool bags full of masonry tools to the winners.  

The MAF's Fastest Trowel on the Block, with six Florida teams competing, was also held on Saturday, September 8 at Florida's Best Block in Orlando.  

The team from Pascal Robertson Masonry, Inc.,  Irvin Willoughby (Mason) and Lawrence Singleton (Tender) took home the grand prize and the opportunity to represent Florida at the MCAA's Fastest Trowel on the Block national competition held in Las Vegas in early 2019.

The other winning teams were:

• 2nd Place - Chris Carlton (Mason) and Germaine Velasquez (Tender) - Capital Concrete & Masonry Solutions, Inc. 
• 3rd Place - Victor Leal (Mason) and Jonathon Smith (Tender) - Victory Masonry, Inc.

All of the winners were honored at the Saturday night MAF Masonry Excellence Banquet.  Congratulations to all who participated and thank you to all of our very generous sponsors!

Understanding the role of each of the team players involved with a masonry project is imperative. That’s why this one-of-a-kind workshop was developed. Unique in its big-picture approach to masonry it offers the latest information on all aspects of Design, Workmanship and Materials. Members from the entire masonry family, from building inspectors and architects to masons and engineers, are in attendance at each class. The course instructors are 5 distinguished members of our industry each with a lifetime of “on the job” experience. Instructors present both basic and up-to-date issues in their field while focusing on how each discipline works with the others to ensure quality masonry.

NEW CODES & STANDARDS
Workshop covers all the new codes and standards used in masonry: 2016 TMS 402/602 (Formally ACI 530/530.1); Updated ASTM Standards referenced by the 6th Edition Florida Building Code; Updated BIA and NCMA Tech Notes; changes to the Florida 6th Edition masonry chapter and much more!

Masonry Testing Protocols
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope everyone had a great 2017. I am believing that it will be a better than ever year for the masonry industry in 2018. As I began to think about starting a new year, I looked at it similar to starting a new building project. As you review the specifications for the materials you will submit for approval you see the section on quality assurance. If it is a small project you will probably take care of it with paper work in your submittal. But if the project is a large project, it will probably include onsite testing. Serious thought and planning should be put into the testing procedures to be used. Chapter 3 of the TMS 402 Code says that “Masonry design requirements in this Code are valid when the quality of the masonry construction meets or exceeds that described in the Specification.” The designer will set up the QA (Quality Assurance) Program based on one of three requirement levels. The program will also describe the procedure for reporting and review as well as resolution of non-compliance. The QA Program will also state the qualifications of the testing laboratory and inspection provider. You will notice the last three sentences had mandatory language, such as “will” in them. This is not optional. If this is not provided, you should...

Masonry's Greatest Strength
Long time South Florida residents who have weathered a severe hurricane often express a heartfelt thankfulness that they were in a concrete masonry structure. Structures built of many lesser products have weathered hurricanes but block homes provide the secure comfort of rock solid construction. This is not just antidotal – its common sense. After reading this article perhaps you will have a better understanding of concrete masonry’s built in strength.

It’s all about the “safety factor”. Simply stated the “safety factor” is the difference between what engineers expect will be the largest wind load a structure will ever be exposed to --- and the wind load that they calculate would rip the structure apart. Structural engineers always like a good safety factor – usually around 3 times or 300%. Poor construction and material deficiencies erode safety factors but if you have sufficient safety factor there is some room for error.

Understanding Wood Frame Connection Problems
Wood frame residential structures have performed poorly in every wind event I have had the opportunity to do wind damage assessment on. The problem is not in the wood itself but in the connectors. A tree branch can be very strong – but if you saw it off you will have a real problem on your hands to nail it back on to its original strength.
The lumber industry is extremely sophisticated in their design procedures. Nails and connections are assigned industry accepted load carrying capacities and safety factors based on extensive testing. All of this is proper engineering. There is, however, a number of factors which explain why Hurricane Irma left dozens of modern wood structures in ruins and zero concrete masonry structures in ruins.

These are:

• Product Weight and Stability
• Natural Safety Factors in Design
• Complexity in Design
• Complexity in Connections

Read More: "Brick, Block & Beers" Volume I, Issue IV (December 2017)
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