Design and building professionals cannot stop raving about the 2010 Chicagoland Masonry Expo held last week at the District Council Training Center in Addison.  

More than 400 attendees, ranging from local architects to GSA, swarmed the place to learn about masonry systems old and new, from restoration to rain screen walls. They also got to see firsthand the quality difference that comes from comprehensive training programs that cover all masonry crafts and adapt easily to new applications.

“The main thing is to keep everybody aware of the different applications that we do,” says BAC Illinois District Council Director Jim Allen. “This really accomplished a lot.”

Most appreciative were area designers and builders, who took advantage of a very full slate of workshops and hands-on experiences.

“This is a fantastic venue to stay current with the changing and emerging technologies. You do our professional community a great service by providing the opportunity to immerse ourselves with the right people and the right place.”          - John Halleran,The Architects Partnership, LTD.

“The event was excellent and beneficial to a better understanding of trends and resources in the industry.”   - Sean Gallagher, Gallagher & Associates

 “The sessions put a real life spin on how and what goes on in the construction industry.”  

 - Richard Olszewski

“I… am impressed with how the industry is able to change with the times and take on more aspects of the built wall.”

“This is a must-see show.”

 – Jack Svaicer, Globetrotters Engineering Corp.

 More IMI Education events

It doesn’t matter if you’re just learning how to handle a trowel, or you’ve been running work for years. The people who come to The Flynn Center know that it helps to learn all you can, from the experts.

“I’m ready for work“      

Zach Jamison comes from a family of masons, but to learn his trade, he came here. His home local, BAC 3NY, uses the center to start their apprentices off right with an intensive pre-job program where they live and breathe bricklaying for eight weeks. “You learn a lot,” says Zach, who has one week to go. “I’m ready for work.”

“A chance to do new things”    

Sergio Viamont has been working in stone since 2004, first as a helper and then apprentice with BAC Local 1MVD. With his apprenticeship nearly over, Sergio wants to upgrade his skills to make himself as marketable as possible, so he spent a couple of weeks here learning rubble stone. He is optimistic that his new training will “give me a chance to do new things.”

“Quality is the big issue”    

 As general manager for the masonry division of a general contractor, Chuck Applegate has plenty of experience. But when the company started having callbacks and quality concerns, he knew it was time to learn more. To protect and polish their reputation, he and four journeymen from BAC Local 15MOK traveled from Springfield, Missouri and spent a week learning Jahn restoration mortars and caulking. “The biggest thing for us was quality,” says Applegate. “This helps our reputation and gives a big advantage in scheduling, because we can provide that skill easier. This has been really good for us.”

“It’s good to know more”     

Bruce Drennan from BAC Local 8IL has worked as a mason for more than two decades, but as part of a small masonry staff at Eastern Illinois University, he keeps on returning to The Flynn Center to learn more, including tile, terrazzo and now pointing/cleaning/caulking. It helps him handle any problems that arise, and makes him a valuable employee. “It’s worked out very well,” he says.