RMMI News and Events

Words: Ann WolterThe Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute (RMMI) and Front Range Community College are in the process of interviewing potential instructors for the associate degree in masonry that the community college will begin offering this fall. The degree program is fully accredited and, if their employers do not provide tuition reimbursement, eligible students will qualify for federal financial aid programs, grants and scholarships. Classes begin in late August.

To further assist the college's masonry students, RMMI's non-profit foundation, the Rocky Mountain Masonry Foundation, is sponsoring a 5k race in September to raise funds for scholarships. The "Run Around the Block" is a 3.2-mile race along a USA Track & Field-certified course. Runners can register for the race at www.GetMeRegistered.com.

Ever in pursuit of new opportunities to disseminate information about masonry wall systems, RMMI is finalizing its "Masonry Sound Wall Guide" and has begun work on an updated "Masonry Cost Guide." Both publications are slated for completion this summer.

Also, Technical Director Diane Travis will be touring Wyoming and Montana in August and September, taking a STICK presentation on "Using Masonry for LEED Points" to architects, engineers and masons. Travis will be presenting in the following locations:

  • Cheyenne, Wyo., Aug. 27
  • Sheridan, Wyo., Aug. 28
  • Bozeman, Mont., Aug. 29
  • Helena, Mont., Aug. 30
  • Great Falls, Mont., Aug. 31.
  • Kalispell, Mont., Sept. 10
  • Missoula, Mont., Sept. 11
  • Billings, Mont., Sept. 12
  • Casper, Wyo., Sept. 13
For more information and exact presentation addresses, e-mail dianet@rmmi.org.

Plans for summer social activities to entertain RMMI's membership include the annual Summer Retreat at the Lodge at Vail August 10-11. For more information, contact admin@rmmi.org.

On a sad note, Carl Scheisser of Tucson, Ariz., passed on June 12. Scheisser, former owner of Permanent Builders, was a founding member of the Colorado Masonry Institute, which later became the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute. He served on the board of directors and many committees in the 1970s and 1980s. He also was the mayor of Glenwood Springs, Colo., 1984-1985 and served on the city council from 1982-1985.

For more information about the RMMI, please visit www.rmmi.org.
Managing the Mysterious Job Site Slowdown
August 2026

Every contractor knows the feeling. A job looks good on paper. The schedule makes sense. The crews are lined up. The material is supposed to be there. Then, for no obvious reason, the whole job starts crawling. That is what makes it so frustrating. Nobod

Damian Lang
Contractor Tip of the Month
Read More
Sainte-Cécile Cathedral
August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach
August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

Robert Melgaard
Outreach Outlook
Read More
The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More