Adopting Masonry Advancements

Words: Matt Oklevitch

As a teenager growing up in a small town, I started my first job working as a laborer for a local mason. I rode my bike or hitched a ride to the shop before sunup every morning, where I would load up scaffolding, deck planks, and countless bags of mortar and pallets of brick, stone, or block for the day. Then I sat on those bags of mortar in the back of a work van and rode to the job (don’t tell OSHA). I continued working in masonry during the summer and weekends while attending college and eventually learned to lay brick and stone, becoming acquainted with the local materials suppliers in our area. During this time, I also developed a special bond with my great-grandfather.

Grandpa was of the old breed of mason, shorter in stature (hunched from years in the trade), but still as strong as an ox, with hands like a baseball glove. He was a tough man with a full-hearted belly laugh and a firm handshake. He was a Journeyman Bricklayer out of our Local 3 and was skilled in brick and block laying, stone masonry, and plastering; a true artist with the trowel. He ran his own company and led crews for others and was well-respected by his men. He took pride in his work and in the homes and commercial buildings he helped construct in our community. Grandpa was proud that I was “doing honest work," even though he chided me about many of the new tools (gimmicks, he called them) that my crew was adopting. He was a master chemist when it came to mixing up the perfect batch of mortar from scratch with cement, sand, and lime, and said my generation was “lazy” for using pre batched mortars. We debated this at length one time in his living room by the gorgeous stone fireplace that he built and was skeptical of corner poles, though I considered both to be timesavers. (Consider restructuring for better flow.)

Today, as the masonry industry continues to evolve with a renewed emphasis on efficiency, safety, and worker well-being in the midst of economic uncertainties and increasingly tight margins, I would love to revisit some of those conversations with my grandfather if he were still alive. I can’t help but wonder, with his incredible work ethic, craftsmanship, and passion for the trade, what he would have been able to accomplish in the field if he had the tools and technology available today and the willingness to embrace them.

Change is inevitable. But change is also necessary to advance and grow as an industry. It is up to us, whether bricklayers, laborers, business owners, materials suppliers, equipment manufacturers, or teachers of the trade, to be advocates for the advancement of masonry.

This requires an openness to new ideas, new practices, new tools, and new technology. It also requires a certain respect, honor, and desire to preserve the legacy that was laid by those before us. Perhaps we need more of those “fireside conversations with Grandpa," the old and new together, challenging, discussing, and rethinking, iron sharpening iron with a willingness to learn, grow, and adapt as today’s masonry landscape continues to evolve.
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