Marble Winners
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| From left, third place winner Michael Ward of Lcoal 5 OH, OADC, first place winner Steve Hasek, Jr. of Local 13 NV, and second place winner Raymond Gudehus of Local 7 NY/NJ. |
The marble competition on September 21st required the finalists to incorporate the application of vertical and horizontal marble through paving and a wall application. They also had to finish a piece of marble by providing a quirk miter on one of the edges, as well as putting together a lace anchor behind the stone.
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| First place winner Steve Hasek, Jr. of Local 13 NV. |
Steve Hasek, Jr. of Local 13 Nevada took first place in this competition. He began working for a tile contractor when he was still in high school, but said, “Honestly, I cannot say I learned much until I joined the Union.” He switched to a BAC marble apprenticeship with classroom instruction and plenty of hands-on time with “some really good setters.” Hasek was also one of only a few apprentices who got a sneak peek at the International Training Center during IMI’s Masonry Camp for apprentices and young architects in August. “When I found out that you can come back and learn new skills, I thought, I will definitely take them up on that,” said Hasek. He described the Contest as “nerve-wracking” and was intimidated when he saw all the “fancy tools and techniques of his competitors.” In the future, he aspires to be a superintendent and teach at the Union-level.
“Hasek has been a great addition to the Local,” said Local 13 President Carlos Aquin. “We are really proud of him.”
Local 7 New York/New Jersey member and second place winner Raymond Gudehus credits his father-in-law with teaching him what it means to be a BAC member. After completing the IMI 12-week pre-job tile program, he immediately began working with marble. Gudehus is particularly proud of the work he and others have done at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where he has been working for the past few years. “Being able to step back and see the work you’ve done is especially rewarding,” he said.
Michael Ward of Local 5 Ohio could not be happier with his third place win. A former non-union ‘jack of all trades,’ he had some experience with stone on residential projects. Since joining BAC, however, he has been given the opportunity to focus on a career in marble. The first-time contestant was brimming with emotion at the event and said the experience “left a lasting impression.” He is currently working at the Cleveland Museum of Art and eventually hopes to move into a supervisory role.
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