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AS SEEN
ON NJN…. Sponsored by the Association, together with the Bricklayers ADC of NJ, the Bricklayers Labor Management Committee and the IMI MASONRY THE ONLY CHOICE!! |
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Phone: (609) 324-1140 |
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ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT A SHINING SUCCESS  Our 16th Annual Golf Tournament was held on May 12, 2009 at Sea Oaks Golf Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. We enjoyed another fabulous turnout and the weather couldn’t have been better! The generous support of our wonderful sponsors and participants continues to make this a popular and successful tournament. The event proved to be a fun time for everyone, providing a venue for networking as well as an opportunity for a little friendly competition.After a full day of golf, guests enjoyed dining on a delicious assortment of appetizers, a fantastic buffet dinner and an extensive dessert table. We were thrilled to have legendary Philadelphia Flyers goalie Bernie Parent as one of our guests, and delighted that he was kind enough to provide us with several autographed photos which we were then able to hand out as door prizes. Additional prizes were given for categories such as Closest to the Pin, Putting Contest, Longest Drive and Straightest Drive. The First-Place team honors went to the foursome of Lester Bailey, John Dickinson, Patrick Tuttle and Bill Watts with an impressive score of 59. NJIT MASONRY DESIGN/BUILD COMPETITION Architecture students at the New Jersey Institute of Technology School of Architecture in Newark, New Jersey took part in the latest Masonry Design/Build Competition which was held the weekend of April 18th and 19th, 2009. Sponsored by the Masonry Contractors of New Jersey, in cooperation with the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers of New Jersey Labor Management Fund, and the International Masonry Institute, the competition is now part of the curriculum for NJIT undergraduate second-year architecture students. It affords the students a unique opportunity to explore a wide assortment of masonry materials and collaborate with professionals from the masonry trade. Eight design teams competed this year, aided by BAC craftworkers who constructed the designs during a two-day period. This year's project required the design of a branch library in Hoboken, New Jersey. As the dominant structure in the neighborhood, the students were instructed that the branch library must make a significant educational and architectural contribution to the neighborhood. With the design of this facility the students were required to take into account the civic function within the community which the library would serve, as well as interpreting the spatial environment for a contemporary definition to this specific building type. The best designs from each team were selected, and students and members of the BAC Administrative District Council of New Jersey spent the weekend building a critical masonry element of each design. The competition awards dinner was held the following Monday, culminating in awards being given in several categories, for prize money that totaled $30,000.00.  The competition boasted a jury of leading industry professionals including Urs Gauchat, Dean of the NJIT School of Architecture; Michael Schmerbeck, President of Masonry Contractors of New Jersey; Alan Chimacoff, Principal of ikon.5 Architects; Carlos Jimenez, Principal/Designer of Carlos Jimenez Studio; Kimberly Light, Project Architect/Designer of Gensler; and Maria Viteri, Director of Sustainability & Program Development of the International Masonry Institute. "These students are learning that architecture is about building and not just about making pictures on paper or having digital models," said Dean Gauchat. "This is the real thing." First place honors went to Professor Phillip Speranza's "Team Black", mentored by Charlie Shea of Speranza Brickwork (no relation to Professor Speranza of NJIT!). Professor Susan Bristol's "Team Red", mentored by John Fajnor of Speranza Brickwork, followed in 2nd place, with 3rd place honors going to Professor Lorenzina Laera's "Team Orange", mentored by Ron Atzert and Dave Anton of American Masonry Corporation. There were also awards given for "Best Teamwork" (Team Brown; Prof. Henry Grosman), "Best Presentation" (Team Black; Prof. Phillip Speranza), "Best Presenter" (Nicholas Haby from Prof. Luigi Nappi's Team Purple) and "Best Mock-Up" (Team Black; Prof. Phillip Speranza). 
DANCING WITH THE STARS AT THE CHRISTMAS DINNER DANCE On December 12, 2008, members and guests who attended our Christmas Dinner Dance were treated to the swinging sounds of "Frank Sinatra" (A.K.A. Sebastian Anzaldo) during the cocktail reception. Once inside the main banquet room, the Association President, Mike Schmerbeck, was treated to a surprise of his own - a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday Mr. President" sung to him by "Marilyn Monroe" in recognition of his 50th birthday this year. One of the most unique duets Frank Sinatra has ever performed turned out to be a highlight of the evening's festivities...an energetic rendition of "New York, New York" with Joe Acchione of Speranza Brickwork. We were happy to share good food and fellowship with everyone who attended, and wish all of our members, associates and their families a happy holiday and a healthy and prosperous New Year. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2009 Christmas Dinner Dance which will once again be held at Bally's Atlantic City on Friday, December 11th. TRADE EXPO DRAWS HUGE CROWD FOR 2008 A huge crowd of over 300 architects, engineers and contractors attended our 2008 Annual Trade Expo which was held on November 18, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick. The attendees were pleased to have the opportunity to take advantage of informative AIA/CES accredited educational programs conducted directly on the expo floor in addition to being able to view table-top displays showcasing masonry supplies and accessories. Several new topics were introduced this year, as well as IMI Contractor College accredited courses, and the response was very positive. One highly-attended seminar gave an overview of exciting new software that makes masonry even more versatile and easy to use. It was developed by Bentley Systems, Inc. in collaboration with IMI, the National Concrete Masonry Association and Ryan Biggs Associates, a leading structural engineering firm. The software uses a whole building approach that leads to easier and faster engineering design of masonry buildings, including irregular configurations, openings, multi-story structures and more. One of the expo attendees had this to say: "I have attended this Trade Expo for several years at the Hyatt. Every time, the Masonry Contractors of New Jersey outdo themselves in the quality of the programs, the exhibits and their kindness to the attendees." This continues to be a highly successful event in our calendar, and we are looking forward to the 2009 Expo which will be held once again at the Hyatt in New Brunswick on Monday, November 2nd.
NJ SCHOOL BOARDS SHOW On October 29, 2008, together with the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Administrative District Council of NJ, the Bricklayers Labor Management Fund and the IMI, the Association hosted a Martini Night during the New Jersey School Boards Show. We took this opportunity to promote the use of masonry in school construction to approximately 175 school board members. By emphasizing the ties between environment and school performance, as well as issues like durability and safety, we hoped to encourage the school board officials to use their construction budgets wisely by using masonry. We would like to extend special thanks to Jirair Youssefian of Vitetta who did such an excellent job designing our masonry booth and Clayton Block Co. Inc. for donating the block that was used in the booth. NEW JERSEY GOLDEN TROWEL AWARDS
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On October 22, 2007, Masonry Contractors of New Jersey co-sponsored the biennial Golden Trowel Awards program along with the International Masonry Institute (IMI) and the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers ADC of New Jersey. The New Jersey Golden Trowel Awards recognize outstanding achievements in masonry design and construction. Winners are chosen by a jury of architects, contractors, and craftworkers on the basis of architectural quality, particularly the way masonry is used to improve the built environment. Awards are presented for design in various building markets and in all of the trowel trades including brick and block, restoration, tile, marble and terrazzo, mosaic work, and more. We had much to show off this year because our contractor members had fifty submissions, including eight of the twelve winning projects as well as the Grand Award - Science Park High School in Newark, New Jersey by Speranza Brickwork, Inc.