NYS Concrete Masonry Association Donates to Alfred State Masonry Program

Words: Dan Kamys

NYS Concrete Masonry Association Donates to Alfred State Masonry Program

Alfred State College student masons and instructor Stephen Richard were busy late last semester, unloading and unpacking two truckloads of paver bricks, fire bricks, fireplace and pizza oven parts, refractory mortars, blocks, bricks and cavity wall flashing components. All of these masonry materials will be used as students build mock ups of masonry wall systems, fireplaces and working pizza ovens. All of the donated masonry products are green and recyclable. When used in building projects, they add to the LEED credits, which many builders and owners strive to achieve for more efficient energy use and low maintenance over the building’s life. The materials were donated by: Southern Tier Concrete Products of Alfred; CMS Industries, Superior Clay Corp., Whitacre Greer, Brick Corp., (Alliance, Ohio); Glen Gery Brick, (Reading, Pa.); Sandell Inc., (Schenectady, N.Y.); and Hohmann & Barnard Inc., (Hauppauge, N.Y.).

GEN NXT: Mason Paolini
May 2026

This month, the MCAA got to talk with Mason Paolini, a mason who has a clear passion and talent for the trade he has such high praise for. Read about Mason’s story and why he sees a future in this industry. Mason Paolini’s career began with a simple desi

Marvelous Masonry: Tianjin Zhongshuge Library
May 2026

It is not unusual today for masonry to be treated as a surface decision rather than a structural one. Too often, brick enters a project late in the process, trimmed back by budgets or reduced to a veneer once the “real” building work is finished. The Tian

Fechino Files: Concrete Pavers around a Pool
May 2026

Many folks over the years have placed concrete pavers around their pool as a nice form of decorative pool deck. Early in the 2000’s, I took a class held by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, then known as the ICPI. At the time I attended the class

Chairman's Message: Staying the Course
May 2026

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. There’s energy in the air. Jobs are picking up. Crews are hitting their rhythm. Schedules are filling up. You can feel momentum building again. And every year around this time, I find myself thinking about con