Masonry Magazine April 1998 Page. 21
Marks
After the luncheon the exhibit floor was alive with demonstrations, new products and advanced technologies. Many comments overheard characterized the Expo as an opportunity to make buying decisions in a cost effective, informative atmosphere. One attendee stated, "not only are all your questions answered, but you have the advantage of creating face-to-face relationships with the source." Shopping competing products and making buying decisions is a growing trend for many of the attendees at the Masonry Expo. To make the decisions a bit easier, many exhibitors offered special rebates and show specials that saved contractors quite a bit of expense.
The floor exhibits were complimented with two competitions taking place: the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) and the Fastest Trowel on the Block. The VICA contest pits high school students against one another for the right to represent North Carolina at the national finals in Kansas City. Last year's national VICA winner was from North Carolina, so you can imagine the heat of this year's battle. Mr. Chad Smith of Mt. Pleasant High School beat out the other 124 students to earn first place and continue to the National VICA Finals held in June in Kansas City. Mr. Smith's instructor, Mr. Doug Drye, has had several national champions who currently work for the McGee Brothers out of North Carolina.
The Fastest Trowel on the Block competition is even more intense. Here the best of the best compete to be the fastest and most accurate mason in the U.S. The 1998 Fastest Trowel on the Block Champion is Mr. Art Canez of Top Quality Masonry Co. located in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Canez accurately laid a concrete block every 10 seconds for 20 minutes!! On every account, he deserves the first place award of $2500.
Saturday, February 21 began with the 5th Annual Excellence in Masonry Awards Breakfast. The 39 entries submitted were categorized into 5 separate classifications. The following lists the winners, both general contractor and architect, along with the category in which they were judged. First Honorable Mention Doug Nichols Masonry and Tim Busse for the Whitaker Residence; Second Honorable Mention Grant Masonry and Environmental Planning Design for Boxwood Gardens; Second Place in Industrial/Commercial category - Leonard Masonry and Chiodin Association Architects for LDS Temple; First Place-Spilker Masonry and Curtis Green for the Cyan Corporate Offices; Second Place in Education/Government category - Mortenson and KDM Associates for Harborview Medical Center; First Place-Lucia Contractors and Hammon, Beeby and Babka for the James A. Baker Institute of Public