Masonry Magazine December 2010 Page. 30
MIXERS, PUMPS & DELIVERY SYSTEMS
BY SCOTT KNIGHTON
Team Effort
Companies team up to create a revolutionary new product for the masonry industry
Imagine a conversation about racecars between NASCAR's Richard Petty and Henry Ford, airplanes between Orville Wright and Howard Hughes, or computers with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Two bright minds that eat, sleep and breathe their industries would, no doubt, share exciting ideas and possibly invent something new for the future.
In September 2006, a real conversation and exchange of ideas took place between two thought leaders in the concrete and masonry industries, Blastcrete Equipment Co.'s president, Jim Farrell, and Jollay Masonry owner, Dave Jollay. While that conversation may not seemingly compare to those aforementioned, it did result in the design of a machine that could help revolutionize the masonry industry: Blastcrete's Mason Mate.
Initial discussions
Farrell and Jollay, along with Blastcrete's Craig Maddox, originally sat down to help resolve material handling issues for masonry grout in specific job applications. It was then that Jollay, whose company resume as mason contactor includes such projects as Turner Field, Phillips Arena, and the Georgia World Congress Center (all in Atlanta), really got Farrell's attention with one powerful comment: "Even with all the equipment and material improvements over the last 50 years, many of the basic installation and logistic challenges have remained the same," Jollay said.