Masonry Magazine June 1992 Page. 32
JEFF VOSS OF VALLANCE Masonry, Fontana, California, was once again crowned the nation's "Fastest Trowel on the Block" at the contest finals in Orlando, repeating his win last year in Houston. They are judged on craftsmanship, accuracy and speed. The two time champ will return to California with a 1992 Ford pickup truck and a guaranteed spot in next year's finals. "I'm very happy to win again this year. It's an honor," Voss said after the tournament. "I want to stress that the purpose of the contest is to show that masonry is an excellent trade. It's an opportunity to make a good living, and more than 7,000 new masons are estimated to be needed each year to keep up with demand. Vocational schools should start looking at it more carefully."
Competition judges were: Lenny Pardue, L. C. Pardue, Inc., Tualatin, Oregon; Richard Felice, Forrest and Associates, Des Moines, Iowa; Donald Grant, Grant Bricklaying Company, St. Louis, Missouri; and Richard Matthews, KMCO, Incorporated, Miamis- burg, Ohio. Runner-up in the competition was Wayne Ayres, Ashford, Connecticut, Region I champion, sponsored by Jolly Block, Danielson, Connecticut. Other contestants were: Scott Hartley, Ponte Verda, Florida; Eddie Green- well, Louisville, Kentucky; Francis Thornton, Marshfield, Missouri; and Bill McDonald, Phoenix, Arizona. Voss and a partner own and operate two companies, Vallance Masonry Construction, Fontana, and Voss Masonry, Alta Loma, California, which he said are doing well despite the sour economy. "We're booked up for the next two months," he said.
Six Champion Masons Erect Habitat House in Orlando
Fastest Trowel competitors erect block walls of 1100 square foot Habitat House for Humanity in Orlando in less than four hours.
ON A SMALL vacant lot in a modest suburban Orlando, Florida neighborhood, Donna Crawford, a single mother of two stood and watched a house go up in record time. It took less than four hours for the six Fastest Trowel on the Block contend- ers at Masonry Expo '92 being held in the Orlando convention center, to erect the walls of the 1,200 square foot house which would soon become home for Ms. Crawford, her son Davon, 13, and daughter Shayla, 3. The Habitat for Humanity house raising was organized by the Florida Concrete Products Association. Block was contributed by Florida's Rinker Corporation, mortar came from Mega Mix and other supplies were donated by a long list of local firms. It was a classic win-win situation.
THE SIX FASTEST TROWEL competitors took less than three hours to build the walls of the 1,200 square foot house, which would soon become home to Donna Crawford, a single mother, and her son and daughter.
32 MASONRY-MAY/JUNE, 1992