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.
GEN NXT: Mason Paolini
May 2026

This month, the MCAA got to talk with Mason Paolini, a mason who has a clear passion and talent for the trade he has such high praise for. Read about Mason’s story and why he sees a future in this industry. Mason Paolini’s career began with a simple desi

Justin Stengel
GEN NXT
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Tianjin Zhongshuge Library
May 2026

It is not unusual today for masonry to be treated as a surface decision rather than a structural one. Too often, brick enters a project late in the process, trimmed back by budgets or reduced to a veneer once the “real” building work is finished. The Tian

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More
Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Steven Fechino
Fechino Files
Read More
Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con

Kent Huntley
Chairman’s Message
Read More