Presented by Masonry Construction magazine.

Wednesday, January 25 • 12:00 pm
Gold Lot, front of North Hall
TOUGHEST TENDER COMPETITION
Held immediately preceding the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500®, watch as the winners of regional competitions race to set up their work zones.
Wednesday, January 25 • 10:30 am

Celebrating its 10th anniversary on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at the World of Concrete / World of Masonry trade show, the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® National bricklaying championship decides, “Who is the World’s Best Bricklayer?” The SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National is a 60-minute bricklaying competition comprised of the best bricklayers in the world, where competitors travel from all over the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and even as far as Australia to test the level of skill, speed and stamina.

The event positions 21, 2-person teams made up of a mason and mason tender who compete to lay the most brick while meeting strictly defined quality standards to win a new FORD F-250 4x4 truck loaded with options and several thousand dollars in cash and prizes. The competition has the largest winner’s purse of any masonry competition, with well over $100,000 in cash and prizes. World of Concrete/World of Masonry (WOC/WOM) attendees set their schedules around the event and the bricklayers give the  crowd of 3,000 spectators an unbelievable show by laying as many as 900 or more brick in one hour. Considering the WOC/WOM is the largest annual construction trade show in the world that takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the exhibition and the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 is an experience you don’t want to miss. As a matter of fact, in 2010 and 2011 show attendees voted the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 as, “The #1 thing to see at the WOC/WOM.”

What Is the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500? Established to showcase the skill and craftsmanship of masons around the world, this bricklaying competition requires all masons to meet strict quality standards during the 60-minute time frame allowed to complete a 26 foot, 8 inch, double wythe brick wall. The competition has four awards; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are based on the highest brick count meeting the quality standards. The 4th award, and arguably considered the most coveted price, is the SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN, which is judged as the most sellable wall with over 500 bricks. The walls are closely evaluated by 25 carefully selected masonry officials averaging 20 years of bricklaying experience. Many of the competitors feel winning the SPEC MIX TOP CRAFTSMAN award is their main goal, and it has the second highest award purse including $5,000 and an EZ Grout MUD HOG MH-10 mortar mixer plus thousands in additional prizes.

The final award given at National Event is the SPEC MIX TOUGHEST TENDER® which pays the winning mason tender $2,500. Truly an ironman style event that separates the men from the boys, the SPEC MIX TOUGHEST TENDER is a preliminary event held just before the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 contest. In this event the tenders race the clock to set up a predefined work area for the mason while following strict instructions to ensure accuracy. Although the typical time to complete the contest is 20 minutes, the record winning time in this event was set in 2005 by Felipe Reyes of Connecticut with a time of 11 min. 7 sec.; a feat many masonry trade enthusiasts find utterly amazing. 

The SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER500® event started in 2003 at the World of Concrete tradeshow in the Silver Lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center to showcase the craftsmanship of America’s best bricklayers. Since that time the SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 has crowned a total of nine champions over the years and awarded a total of nearly $750,000 in cash and prizes to some of the world’s best bricklayers. The 2012 World of Concrete will host the 10th annual Event in the Gold Lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center where 21 two-man teams will compete for a new 2012 FORD F-250 4x4 XLT Crew Cab truck and thousands of dollars in cash and prizes totaling approximately $100,000. Additionally, the 2012 SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 competition will have four international teams; one from Australia, one from United Kingdom and two from Canada.

The field of competitors for the 2012 National competition is determined by the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Regional Event schedule consisting of 16 contests in North America. Each winners of a regional competition is granted a spot to compete at the National Event along with the 2010 returning Champion, TOP CRAFTSMAN and the international entrants.

For more information about the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 event go to www.specmixbricklayer500.com  or call SPEC MIX Inc at 888-773-2649. 
 
Watch a regional competition, leading up to the final event at WOC 2012!