This year the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers' and International Masonry Institutes' International Apprentice Contest will take place September 23-24 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center. This contest draws the BAC's top apprentices from the U.S. and Canada to compete for the title of International Champion in each of the BAC's trades: brick, cement, tile, marble, terrazzo, plaster, pointing-cleaning-caulking/restoration, and stone. Local 1 MN/ND/SD is proud to be represented by two of our soon-to-be 2nd-year brick apprentices: Riley Strate and Keanan Carlson.
Riley Strate 
Riley is a 19-year-old, 2nd-year brick apprentice from a small city in southwest Minnesota called Sleepy Eye. His father, a bricklayer with nearly 30 years of experience, introduced him to the trade and what the BAC had to offer. When he decided to become a bricklayer, he began his career with no experience through the 6-week pre-apprenticeship program at the Training Center in New Hope. After completing his pre-apprenticeship in 2021, he was hired by J and K Masonry.
Riley has found his short time as an apprentice to be a very positive experience. The journeyworkers he's been working with at J and K Masonry have taught him a lot and provided him with opportunities to grow his skills. He is proud of the buildings he's built and loves to see the work he's done. Going forward, he's excited to learn more about all the aspects of the trade and hopes that he'll become a foreman in the future.
In April, the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Minnesota and North Dakota Apprentice Training Center hosted its 2022, Local 1 Apprentice Contest. First-year apprentices made up three of the nine competitors in this event. Going into the contest, Riley was focused on having fun and showing off his skills as a first-year apprentice. He felt confident that he could perform well and place high, even though he didn't have the same level of experience as most competitors. He tied for second in this contest!
In June, Riley traveled to Addison, Illinois, to compete in the Regional Apprentice contest. He was thrilled about the opportunity to travel and to take on the challenge of building a new project. He placed third overall in this event and is very excited to travel to Boston this September to face-off with the top brick apprentices representing their locals from around the U.S. and Canada.
Keanan Carlson 
Keanan is a 28-year-old, 2nd-year brick apprentice from Lindstrom, Minnesota. Growing up, trade work was never a foreign topic in his household; his father was a union carpenter and spent a lot of time helping him with projects. Before becoming a bricklayer, he had many other experiences, from food service to retail to private sector construction and a year in a state university. After laboring for a year with a union masonry contractor, he realized that his love of the detail in brick and stonework was pointing him toward a new career path.
Keanan's experience as an apprentice with John Foley Masonry has been wonderful. His colleagues and forepersons are dedicated to teaching him the right way. They have allowed him the opportunity to exceed expectations on every project. He is confident that he is learning from some of the best in the trade.
Keanan aspires to become a foreman for John Foley Masonry and to continue to take on any new additional challenges and responsibilities. He hopes to learn more about natural stone laying: in his opinion, nothing looks better. He loves when the scaffold comes down at the end of the job, and you get to see the big picture of what you spend your days, weeks, and months working on.
In April, the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Minnesota and North Dakota Apprentice Training Center hosted its 2022, Local 1 Apprentice Contest. First-year apprentices made up three of the nine competitors in this event. Going into the local contest, Keanan was nervous but confident that if he did his best, he could do just as well as anyone there. Many of his colleagues had told him that he would do well, which helped him maintain his confidence heading into the competition. He took first overall in this contest!
In June, Keanan traveled to Addison, Illinois, to compete in the Regional Apprentice contest. He had the pleasure of building rapport with Union President Doug Schroeder, Riley Strate and his family, and Matt Hopkins, Sr. and his wife. Overall, it was a great experience. He says, "it's always fun to get out of the house for the weekend, and it's even better when you get to do what you love and represent your company and Local."
Ahead of the International Apprentice Contest, Keanan is feeling great. He did not do as well in the Regional Apprentice Contest, taking tenth place, but plans to make the necessary changes so he can compete at a higher level this time around. Win or lose, he will remember this experience for the rest of his life, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime event for his career.
Please join the us, The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Minnesota and North Dakota Apprentice Training Center and The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1, in congratulating Riley and Keanan on making it to the International Apprentice Contest and wishing them the best of luck as they head into this final round of competition!
