Chairman's Message: While We Are Still Here

Words: Jeff Buczkiewicz, Dick Dentinger

I truly value my days working on construction sites during the summers of my high school and college days. Some moments in our youth are so clearly meaningful that we file them away in our subconscious to be recalled when life events require inspiration. One of those memories is some advice an old bricklayer gave me. We were working on a church addition just after my high school graduation. I was young and felt invincible. I had my diploma, a girlfriend, and was soon heading on a new adventure at college. I loved working with the crew. Many were Vietnam, Korean, or WWII vets. I worked hard, and the crew accepted me. We joked around in our banter as we sweated through the day. An old bricklayer, named Bob, called me over at break time and with a smile dropped a gem of wisdom worth a year’s college tuition. He was a good-natured old-timer just months from retirement. Unlike me, when he was my age, he wasn’t a free spirit heading off to college. Rather, when he was my age, he was storming beaches in historically significant WWII battles. The odds were against him and seeing the stats to prove it occur in front of his own eyes during those horrific battles. Still, Bob somehow survived. As it turns out, coming-of-age happens to us all at different volumes.

The old bricklayer said he was glad I was upbeat and confident. Then he reached into his toolbox and pulled out his wooden mason’s spacing ruler. He unfolded the ruler and explained to me that when outstretched it opened up to its full 72 inches. He explained the average life expectancy of a man (at that time) was 72 years. He slid his callused finger down the ruler and pointed to the 18-inch mark and said “that’s how old you are now”. Next, he slid his hand all the way back up near the last fold in the ruler and pointed to the near mid 60’s number that represented his age. The simple visual he presented was clear and heavy. The good-natured co-worker and friend in front of me was so close to the end of the ruler in his journey, while my place was just cruising along decades of spaces behind with no end in sight. He encouraged me to never lose the attitude I had. He said, “we all have one ruler to live and should make the most of it while we’re still here”.

I recalled this advice when I received word a few weeks back that Brian Carney, a friend to us all in our industry, had passed away. Brian Carney was a marketing heavyweight. We were blessed he chose to make his mark in masonry. Proof of that was acknowledged a few years ago when Brian was inducted into the Masonry Hall of Fame.

He worked as a mason tender during summers while in college before beginning his career as one of the earliest employees at Spec-Mix. He spent his entire career there and played a role in the brand building, marketing and explosive growth of Spec-Mix. Brian and his wife Shelly were regulars at MCAA conventions and brightened every event with their always upbeat and friendly energy. Brian wasn’t merely immersed in his goals for his products, he also wanted contractors to trust him, trust his company, and to do well. Those who knew him on a personal level also knew he lived his personal life similarly. He was dedicated to his wife, his family, friends and always having fun along the way.

An underlying mission Brian had throughout his career was to have an impact on workforce development and recruitment for the masonry industry. Brian believed masonry was an honorable career choice. He used his marketing skills to build the brand of a career in masonry. Years ago, at an MCAA committee meeting, Brian pitched his idea to start a contest to see who could claim to be the world’s fastest bricklayer. Brian knew young people would be excited by the drama and it would organically create more interest in our trade. The Spec-Mix Bricklayer 500 idea took hold and blossomed exactly as Brian Carney promised. The annual competition is now a major draw each year at World of Concrete and on social media and has inspired a similar competition for mason tending and a Junior Bricklaying competition. Somehow, in his spare time, Brian and Shelly also launched their own mortar board company. Gatorback mortar boards are a hit used by masons all over the country.

Early in his career, Brian had his first battle with cancer. Not surprisingly, he beat it and charged ahead. Unfairly, cancer laid in the weeds and would come back several more times. Each time Brian fought it like a heavyweight champion and knocked the cancer into retreat. Through it all, he kept working and volunteering in the industry. When you saw Brian at industry events, he always asked how you were doing, and how your life was, when it was often obvious, he was facing bigger challenges. This past January, just days before the World of Concrete, Brian Carney had to cancel his flight as he couldn’t turn down a last-minute opening for a procedure to relieve pain he was enduring. It was the first time the Spec-Mix Bricklayer 500 national competition took place without Brian running the event.

Yes, getting word that Brian’s life was cut short caused me to recall that advice from an old bricklayer in my youth reminding us how important it is to intently live our lives… while we are still here. Brian Carney certainly can declare mission accomplished in his shortened life here on earth. We were fortunate that he shared it with us.

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President's Note

Jeff Buczkiewicz, MCAA President

I wanted to take a quick moment to recognize the passing of an Industry Giant. Most people who read this magazine will have been touched at one point in time or another by Brian Carney of Spec Mix who gave back so much to the industry. We send our Best Wishes and Condolences to his wife Shelly and his family. The industry will always remember him fondly and will forever be in debt for his service.

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