See the Best Bricklayer in Illinois Crowned

Words: Jeff FarmakesThe SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® Regional — Illinois bricklaying competition is being held in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday, October 6th, 2016 at 12:00 PM.

Bricklayers and Masons will be competing to represent Illinois at the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® World Championship competition held on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2016 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional — Illinois

  • Date: Thursday, October 6th, 2016
  • Location: Illinois Brick Corp, 2217 S. Loomis, Chicago, IL 60608
  • Contact: Matt Pfotenhauer (630) 707-8200 or Luke Kisielewski (630) 557-8252
  • Time: 12:00 Noon

This amazing display of bricklaying highlights one of the oldest skilled trades in the world. Many of these skills are critical to building and maintaining the aesthetic appeal of our country’s infrastructure. This fun and fast-paced event demonstrates the incredible skill of a bricklayer and can provide awareness and education on masonry to viewers/readers of all ages as well as to anyone who aspires to be a Bricklayer or Mason.

For more details about this event go to www.specmixbricklayer500.com.
The Enduring Power of Structural Masonry
July 2025

Masonry has been holding its ground for millennia — literally. And thanks to the simple brilliance of arching action, it continues to do so with strength, style, and surprising efficiency. In an era of advanced modeling and fast-moving schedules, one time

Shayne Sanders
Read More
Outreach Outlook: Momentum in Motion
July 2025

As we move into the heart of summer, the masonry industry continues to thrive—fueled by innovation, partnership, and a growing commitment to excellence in education and workforce advancement. June has been a remarkable month, marked by events that not onl

Conner Birdsong
Read More
Building More: Slow, Fast, or Consistent. What is Tempo?
July 2025

It was a drizzly midweek day when I rolled up to the project we were working on just outside of town. The foreman paced the scaffolding, rain hood half-zipped, barking at two laborers who were sprinting bricks like they were late for a flight. Forty feet

Corey Adams
Building More
Read More
Marvelous Masonry: Belém Tower
July 2025

The Belém Tower in Lisbon, Portugal, stands as a testament to stone construction's enduring artistry and technical prowess. Erected between 1514 and 1519, this iconic structure served as a defensive bastion at the mouth of the Tagus River and as a ceremon

Cass Stern
Marvelous Masonry
Read More