McGee Wins NCMCA Sigmon Award

Words: Dan Kamys McGee Wins NCMCA Sigmon Award

Seventeen-year-old Wristen McGee, an apprentice with McGee Brothers Co. in Monroe, N.C., has won the David R. Sigmon Award and is the champion of the 2011 North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association Masonry (NCMCA) Apprentice Skills Contest. Wristen, the son of Chris and Lori McGee of Monroe, joined 15 other NCMCA working apprentices in the May 21 competition at Custom Brick and Supply Co. in Raleigh. Wristen is enjoying a good run as a competitive apprentice and won the championship at the 57th Annual N.C. Department of Labor State Fair Masonry Apprentice Skills Completion in October. NCMCA member firms provided some $10,000 in cash, materials, equipment and tools for the event held annually the third Saturday of May.

Britt Stokes, Acme Brick’s Director of Marketing, Retires.
August 2026

Fort Worth, Texas – After faithfully serving Acme Brick Company for 40 years, Britt has chosen to retire – although he will still be involved with Acme on various projects. Britt began his career with Acme as staff photographer and through dedicati

Sainte-Cécile Cathedral
August 2026

Imagine being handed a set of plans calling for the largest brick cathedral in the world. Now imagine building it without modern cranes, engineered scaffolding, forklifts, power tools, or structural analysis software. That was the challenge facing medie

Why SkillsUSA is the Keystone to MCAA’s Outreach
August 2026

When I stepped into the role of the MCAA’s first Director of Youth Outreach and Education, I knew we had a massive job ahead of us. I am a fourth-generation brick mason, and I have spent over two decades teaching the trade, from working with apprentices a

The First Paycheck
August 2026

Several years ago, Huntley Brothers hired a young apprentice. It was his first real job, and he had never had a paycheck before. Friday rolled around, and he got paid just like everyone else. Later that day, one of the guys told me something I have never