Cement Winners

Cement contestants built their projects on September 22nd beginning with the construction of a 10-foot octagonal floor slab with various finishes. Requirements included floating specified portions of the project, applying a trowel finish and a stamp finish to certain sections, and completing a basic stair form with careful attention to the height and depth of the risers and treads and the application of specific finishes.

First place winner Jason McMahon of Local 9 Michigan began a career as a hospital operating room technician before he realized the pay didn’t reflect the job’s responsibilities or stress. So when he saw an ad for BAC in the local paper, he signed on. During his first day on the job he worked on a 30,000 square foot cement pour. “I had to learn fast,” he recalls. He credits Local 9 MI instructor Greg Lobdozinski and President Nelson McMath for his win. “They have always been there for me,” said McMahon. He described winning as an enormous honor. “When I heard my name called, I almost couldn’t stand up,” he said.

Second place winner Lawrence “Dan” Heller of Local 16 Ohio became involved in the cement trade through a friend who was a Local apprentice coordinator. He learned his craft both on the job and through classes, and quickly excelled to the level of competition. The plan for this winner’s future? “Just working.”

Local 5 New York member and third place winner Justin Tagliamonte also joined BAC and the cement trade on the advice of a friend. He said, “I gave it a shot, and it turned out I liked it a lot.” This Contest was his first, and he went into it to “have a good time and see what [he] could do.” Tagliamonte expressed appreciation for BAC’s web coverage because it allowed him to show his family exactly what he does. He hopes to be a foreman some day and says, “I see myself being a Union member for a long time.”