2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Ohio Regional Qualifier Results

Words: Dan Kamys2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Ohio Regional Qualifier Results

The Eighth Annual 2013 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Ohio Regional brought several new and exciting developments to the competition. St.Mary’s Cement hosted this year’s event. Located in the heart of Cleveland, St Mary’s Cement hosted competitors, sponsors and spectators on a beautiful Saturday in August.   

The day was full of fun, food, prizes, entertainment and, most important, competitive bricklaying. Fan support for this event was at an all-time high, with more than 100 attendees. Attendees and competitors alike competed in a game of bag toss and “Heads and Tails,” in which competitors attempted to get a corn filled bag through a hole on a board or be the last person standing after calling heads or tails in a game of chance. All in attendance were eligible to participate in the games to win prizes, including two 51-inch plasma televisions.   

The competition featured two of the event’s front runners and former world place winners: Justin Jakubisin with Foti Contracting LLC in Wickliffe, Ohio, and Jeff Burton with Steady Pace Construction in Germantown, Ohio. There were a couple of first-time competitors at the Regional event this year.

Ten solid walls were built and, yet again, it came down to the two seasoned vets. Justin edged out Jeff to win the event and a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the 2014 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National in January 2014, by finishing with a 588 final brick count. Jeff Burton took second place and the Ohio Top Craftsmanship award. This event united the entire Ohio masonry industry and featured many national SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Sponsors, including HydroMobile, Multiquip, IQ Power Tools and Marshalltown Trowel, which supplied tool bags and engraved trowels for the place winners. 

Local Ford Commercial Dealer Valley Ford showcased the latest in jobsite work truck solutions for the local contractors in attendance. St. Mary’s Cement hosted the event and already has expressed interest in hosting in the future.   

More than 20 local masonry industry suppliers also supported this event through generous donations of prizes and funds for the event. SPEC MIX, once again, wants to thank all of the sponsors for making this the best Ohio SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 regional event to date.

For more information on the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER Regional Program, call 888-SPECMIX or 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

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

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

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