Masonry Magazine July 2012 Page. 24
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
On Saturday mornings, we would hit the old tennis courts of the local vo-tech school to practice our projects with lime mortar. Ed Shea, an old Irish bricklayer who joined us on those Saturdays, often amazed us with the way the trowel appeared to be an extension of his hand as he demonstrated the skills we were learning. I'll never forget one frosty morning as we crowded around the fire in one of our water barrels trying to squeeze on another set of gloves to keep our hands warm. Ed walked by, carrying a trowel in his ungloved hand, chuckled and muttered through his cigarette, "Welcome to the trade boys."
Another one of our companions on those Saturdays, Mike Canez III, definitely was one of the boys. A third-generation mason, the trade was in his blood, and he was always eager to coach us along and push us to pick up the pace when he saw us lagging. It was Mike who I chased around brick columns back then, as I prepared to travel to Las Vegas to compete in my first international masonry skills competition. And it was during those chases that he taught me to trust my hands and my eyes - to use my level to check my work, not build it.
My sponsor throughout all those apprenticeship years and competitions, Bob Ahlers, is a mason contractor who cut his teeth on stone fireplaces in Ohio but had become one of the more
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influential men in the industry in Arizona. Bob and his wife, Judy, gave me my first job at Rhino Masonry, and quietly supported me in the background as my career path unfolded. They taught me to be a businessman of principle and integrity, to be generous with my time, and that the men we worked with were our family and much more than our most important business asset.
The gallery of faces goes on as does the list of lessons I've learned at the side of those willing to teach me. Truth is, I've tried to learn something from every interaction I've had within this industry. These interactions have taken place with everyone from mason tenders and students to the executive board of the MCAA and our current congressmen. While these interactions may have
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