Just* Mason Around

The first podcast from the National Concrete Masonry Association. Tune in to hear from industry leaders, technical experts, and the next generation in our Young Professionals Group. Join us for Just* Mason Around.

Episode 15

Craig Finch, RCP Block and Brick and YPG member, interviews architect and general contractor Dominique Houriet. Dominique has delivered beautiful designs that utilize concrete masonry for both the commercial and residential realms. In 2008, he designed and built great works of architecture for income-generating development of commercial and residential projects. Understanding the building blocks, risk and cost that are associated with developing housing, Dominique seeks to create architectural products which encompass the surrounding natural elements and the end user’s needs.

Episode 14

Pat Dubbert, former CEO of Midwest Block and Brick and Scott Weber former President of Basalite talk about the great times and adventures they have had in the industry. And they reveal the challenges and opportunities that they have faced in being the Chair of the Board for National Concrete Masonry Association.

Episode 13

Hear Blockhead Stephen Nelson of KVM/ Mixer Systems speak with Darvin Siebert of Mixer Systems about colors and pigments.

Episode 12

It is that time again to learn more about manufactured stone veneer (MSV). In this episode you will hear from Alex Gillespie with Creative Mines and Josh Hessell of Norse Building Products talk about their experiences and knowledge of MSV and the industry.

Episode 11

Tom Young, long time Executive Director at Northwest Concrete Masonry Association is retiring fall of 2021. In this episode Tom will share his knowledge of the masonry construction industry with over 40 years of experience. Tom is interviewed by Adam Hutchinson Executive Director at Northwest Concrete Masonry Association and member of NCMA Young Professionals Group.

Episode 10

This episode is Part 3 of the Family Business/Small Business Forum discussion. In this episode, you will hear more from Mike and Tom Finch of RCP Block and Brick, Rocky Fizzano of Fizzano Brothers, and Rich Solomon of Solomon Colors delving into the topics of company leadership, generational transitions, and planning for succession.

Episode 9

This episode is Part 2 of the Family Business/Small Business Forum discussion. In this episode, you will hear more from Mike Finch of RCP Block and Brick, Rocky Fizzano of Fizzano Brothers, and Rich Solomon of Solomon Colors. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of this conversation (Episode 8), you should go back and start there.

Episode 8

Family Business/Small Business Forum Part 1 – In this episode, you will hear Mike Finch of RCP Block and Brick, Rocky Fizzano of Fizzano Brothers, and Rich Solomon of Solomon colors share stories of their companies origins in this fascinating discussion.

Episode 7

Larry Hilldore, CEO of Pathfinder Company, is interviewed by his son, Travis. They discuss Larry’s impressive career, including founding of Pathfinder through a partnership with Tiger Machinery in 1998.

Episode 6

Time to learn about Manufactured Stone Veneer. In this episode we will learn about the benefits, history and evolution of MSV with an interview from Alex Gillespie with Creative Mines.  And check out a new segment of “Rocky’s Rants” with Rocky Fizzano.

Episode 5

Another technical topic discussion with Nick Lang, NCMA VP of Business Development. This time he and the Blockheads discuss testing of concrete masonry units, including information that producers can use to ask the right questions for labs when results are not what is expected.

Episode 4

Kevin Curtis has been the CEO of the Besser Company since 2004. He has learned many lessons in his navigation of this company. On this episode Kevin is interviewed by Chandramouli Nagarajan, Applications Engineer & Product Manager, also with of Besser, and he shares his thoughts and observations on his long-time career within our masonry industry.

Episode 3

Nick Lang, Vice President of Business Development at NCMA discusses with the BlockHeads energy efficient and energy code compliance. This is one of the top frequently asked questions by architects and designers.

Episode 2

In this episode, Kendall Andregg, President and CEO of Mutual Materials is interviewed by Amy Pierce of LANXESS, the chair of NCMA’s Concrete Women Connect.

Episode 1

On the inaugural episode, NCMA Young Professionals Group Chair Starling Johnson of Johnson Concrete Products in North Carolina interviews NCMA Hall of Famer Charles Newsome. They discuss Charles’ notable career as well as the importance of establishing the Concrete Masonry Checkoff Program.