Congratulations to NCMCA Past President Calvin Brodie who was  inducted into the MCAA Masonry Hall of Fame in Hershey, PA on   September 20, 2023

On September 20, 2023, Calvin Brodie was inducted into MCAA Masonry Hall of Fame in Hershey, PA.  Prior to his induction, Lynn Nash submitted a nomination for Calvin Brodie with the help of Debra Brodie and family, Danks Burton, Doug Burton, Ryan Shaver and Macy Williams.  Mr. Brodie is the founder and president of Brodie Contractors in Raleigh, North Carolina.  He has, and continues to be, a major figure and influencer in the masonry community both in the Carolina and across the country.  Mr. Brodie will make a worthy addition to the honor roll of Hall-of-Fame members.  In preparing this nomination, I invited Calvin’s wife Debra to send me information I could incorporate into this submittal.  As it happens, what Debra sent to me thoroughly summarizes Calvin’s biological and career résumé.  It follows.

The Beginning:  An idea that started with two bricklayer, high school buddies has become one of the largest black-owned masonry companies in North Carolina.  Calvin R. Brodie, graduated from Bunn High School (BHS) in the class of 1973.  He was a member of the football team, ran track and was a participant in the trades program.  In trades he was taught to lay bricks by instructor Mr. David Turner, whom he is still in contact with today.  While in high school he and a classmate built the school’s name sign that remained until recent renovation of the campus. Without funds to attend college, he knew he would have to use those skills and his hands to make a living for himself and a future family. After graduation, he worked as a bricklayer in the industry but in 1978 he and that classmate, Aubry Vines formed Brodie and Vines Masonry. Their first project was the K-Mart on Capital Blvd. in Raleigh.  Calvin became a general contractor in 1985, but in 1989, Brodie and Vines partnership dissolved and Brodie Construction was formed.  During those early years, Calvin’s office was his home basement and his secretary was his wife.  He managed time to take a blueprint reading class through Wake Tech. Other than the class at Wake Tech, he has not received any other post high school education.  Calvin performed in every facet of his company; bricklayer, estimator, project manager, mechanic, superintendent, but his most daunting task was making financial decisions and facing bankers, vendors and creditors on behalf of his company.  He often said “Brodie Construction was a baby” and it needed his attention daily.   Often he would leave a project after laying brick, go into the nearest men’s room, change into business attire to meet with a banker or vendor to transact business.  He credits Tick Clancy for giving him those early opportunities that undoubtedly was a key to the success of his company.  Clancy & Theys General Contractors continues to be one of his most sought after GC’s for projects today.  In 1992, Brodie Construction became Brodie Contractors, Inc., (BCI) and currently has over 300 employees, including masons, laborers, estimators, project managers, safety inspector, construction office staff, truck drivers, welders, and mechanics.

Masonry projects completed throughout NC:

Beltline sound barriers on US-64 in Raleigh

Sound barriers on I-85 Durham

Wake Medical Center

City of Raleigh Parking Deck

several dormitories at NC State University

St. Matthew Baptist Church

Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, Bunn, NC

Mitchell Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, Louisburg, NC

Central Prison Medical Center

NCSU Engineering Building

University of North Carolina Parking Deck

UNC Wilmington Hospital Addition

Nash General Hospital Addition

North Carolina A&T University Science Building

Cape Fear Regional Hospital

Camp Lejeune Military Base

Fort Bragg Military Base

Garner Senior High School

Pine Holly Middle School

Abbott Creek Elementary School

Scott Ridge Elementary School

Veterans Administration Medical Center Fayetteville

UNC Charlotte dormitories

UNC Greensboro Student Recreation Center

NC A&T Football Stadium press box

Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh

Bryan Rd. Elementary School

Beaver Dam Elementary School

River Bend Middle School

Green Level High School

and many other Wake County Public Schools

Professional Life:  Through the years, Calvin has used the resources of his company to help with the building of the current Bunn High School (BHS) football field complex, BHS baseball field wall; and Bunn Elementary School concession stand for the recreation league. He has employed many young men, given advice and opportunities, paid tuition to truck driving school, and college tuition to deserving young people, with only one request “go make us proud!”  Calvin became a member of the Raleigh Chapter of the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association in 1985, serving as the Chapter President in 1990.  He then served as the State Vice-President, Regional Vice-President, State Secretary-Treasurer, and the NCMCA President 1993-1995.   He is also a member of the Association General Contractors of America (AGC) and the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA.)  He has served as North Carolina MCAA state representative.  Calvin has been recognized by Engineer News and Record, Masonry, and Black Enterprise magazines.  He has Co-Chaired the Annual Masonry Apprenticeship Skills Contest at the NC State Fair for more some thirty-five years and has sponsored many top journeyman masons as apprentice participants.  In 2008, Calvin was among the first to earn Certified Masonry Executive (CME) status in the NCMCA Masonry Contractor Certification Program.  BCI was among the first firms to become a Certified Masonry Contractor in the NCMCA Certification Program.  He is a member of the National Masonry Instructors Association’s “Hall-of-Fame.”  In 2017 he began serving on the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&TSU) Board of Trustees and the University of North Carolina – Greensboro (UNCG) Governance Board.  In 2019 he was inducted into Bunn High School Hall of Fame.   Calvin has served on the NCMCA Certification Board of Governors.  BCI is among the firms that have produced and maintained the most NCMCA certified employees.  He was instrumental in creating the Workforce Development Initiative that NCMCA Executive Vice President Ryan Shaver conducts today, and was on the 1997 committee that hired NCMCA’s previous and first Executive Vice President, Lynn Nash.  In 2021, and in other years, BCI was ranked “First” by number of employees on the list of minority-owned businesses in the Triangle area by The Triangle Business Journal.  In 2022, Business North Carolina magazine, BCI was among the twenty-five excelling minority owned companies in the state.

Family Life:  Calvin is the fourth of ten children of the late Granderson and Martha Brodie.  He married his wife Debra, a NCA&TSU, graduate in 1985. They are the parents of:  Toby (Kim) Brodie; Imani (Chris) Surratt;  Ilicia Brodie;  Jasmine (Reggie) Washington  and “CB” Calvin Brodie; seven  grandchildren, Alexandria, Jordan, Josh, Kendall, Hope, Tre’ and Hazel.  In his spare time Calvin enjoys caring for his cows, chickens, hunting, a collection of deer, elk and duck displays, ocean fishing, bike riding, watching sports, traveling to a NFL Dallas Cowboys game, and playing golf, which now that he is slowly, slowing down working in the business, he plays frequently.  But his most favorite time of golfing is the annual “Murdell” golf trip to Myrtle Beach, SC with about forty of his closest friends in the business.  They are his competitors and colleagues, but more importantly, his friends.  In recent years he has participated in several American Heart Association bike rides, but the most challenging was the “Double Bypass Bike Ride” 68 miles over two passes in the Colorado mountains in 2022.  He is a life member Mt. Moriah Baptist Church where he serves as deacon, church treasurer and usher.  “We are contractors, not minority contractors.  I want to compete, and if my stuff isn’t any good, I’m out of here. The fact that I’m a minority, I don’t want to live on that. Legislation brought that in and legislature can take it out.  But if I show up with a good product, a good crew of men, and my company performs well, the market is going to reward me.  ‘Always has.” – Calvin Brodie, quoted in the February 2022 issue of North Carolina Business Journal

(From Debra Brodie, April 21, 2023)

In addition to Mrs. Brodie’s detailed introduction of our nominee, I invited several of Calvin’s business associates to provide quotes and thoughts for this    nomination:  “Calvin Brodie came from humble beginnings. Growing up plowing farm ground with a hand plow behind a mule with his father, he took a liking to the outdoors and hard work.

“After deciding to leave the farm to start his masonry contracting business, he was denied by the banks to provide seed money for his start up as they never believed in him.  That never stopped Brodie as he had his own beliefs.  Those beliefs were in himself, so he started a masonry business anyway on a shoestring budget.

“Working day and night, Brodie was adamant that he would not fail. In fact, when his former partner thought he was crazy going all-in on big masonry projects, he ask Brodie, ‘What if your big plan does not work?’  In his famous one-line way he replied, ‘What if it does?’

“Against all odds, Brodie grew the little masonry business into one of the largest masonry contracting firms in the country and still is today.

“If there is anyone deserving to be inducted into the Masonry Hall-of-Fame, it is Calvin Brodie.” – Damian L. Lang, CEO, Lang Masonry Contractors, Inc., EZG Manufacturing, a division of EZ Grout Corporation

 “Calvin Brodie has been a profound leader and mentor to many in the masonry industry.  I will be forever grateful for the positive impact that he has made in my life.”   – Macy Williams, Executive Vice President, Brodie Contractors, Inc.

“It was my great honor and privilege to be asked by friends and colleagues to prepare Calvin’s Hall-of-Fame nomination on their behalf.  Calvin is a valued and trusted personal friend.  He is a gentleman’s gentleman.  We believe Calvin Brodie exemplifies what the Mason Contractors Association of America Masonry Hall-of-Fame is all about.”

Thanks to Lynn Nash for a wonderful nomination letter he submitted to MCAA.  Much credit to you for a wonderful letter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

GOOD LUCK LYNN NASH ON YOUR RETIREMENT!

Lynn Nash – North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association Executive Vice President 1997 – 2023

The board of NCMCA, which was founded in 1974, decided in the mid-90’s that there was a need for a full time executive to advance our mission and Lynn was hired in 1997. He replaced our part time association director, Eleanor Upton. Lynn came from a background of concrete block and ready mix concrete not to mention radio.

Lynn has pushed, prodded, persevered and ultimately survived 14 presidents during his tenure. Half of those beat him to retirement.   NCMCA is strong and unified with all of our contractors and associate members.

Lynn was instrumental in getting our certification program started which is now in its 16th year and is the envy of the nation. We have had 750+ people attend the classes. He saw the need and was very involved in pushing us towards hiring a workforce development person and was part of the process to find, hire and train Ryan who turned out to be his successor.

He did his best to keep Kodak in business as well as the floppy disc industry – we are well documented with bountiful archives.

He was apolitical – staying above and out of the fray that industry associations experience and kept it at bay. He was a strong proponent and voice for masonry and contractors.

He ran a tight ship – his conventions were well done, enlightening and enjoyed by all. He advanced our association and our industry and represented us well at the national level. He had the longest tenure of a masonry association executive in the US when he retired after 26 years.

In a vibrant masonry state, NCMCA has evolved to be the constant with the brick and block associations going from local, state affiliated groups to now regional and national groups. We have remained focused and funded strictly in state and maintain close relationships with our national partners.

Lynn retired after our April 2023 convention and has left us in great shape with strong programs in place and a firm direction for the future. We count on him and Katie to show up at our future events to watch and surely admire our advances and progress knowing he was the catalyst for our success. We wish him well.  Lynn Nash told many of us numerous times that he had the best job in the country which is a blessing we all can wish for.

Written by Doug Burton

 

“NCMCA Kingston Plantation 2023 Convention”

The NCMCA annual convention was a huge success at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, SC! We had over 225 people in attendance with 67 member companies represented! Kingston Plantation has been a popular destination for past conventions and this year was great as anticipated! The line-up of events was slightly different and hopefully everyone enjoyed their time with other members of the association. We were honored to have Lynn’s son, Bill, on hand to help celebrate and honor his Dad upon retirement. Friday morning’s Speed Dating     session was a huge success and allowed groups of masonry contractors to engage associate members together in a fast-paced format. The auction at lunch was a huge success, raising $77,300.00 for Workforce Development. The auctioneering skills of Hall of Fame Member, Mackie Bounds was definitely a treat to be a part of. Thank you to all who contributed and bid on the items!

Saturday morning’s membership board meeting was very informative and lots of new things were agreed and voted on. One item was the new membership dues  will have everyone in the NCMCA membership dues due on  July 1^st yearly. NCMCA have prorated the state dues and sent out all membership invoices.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  The prorated dues will bring everyone’s membership current, through June 30, 2024. Another thing highlighted at the board meeting was the local chapter plan and each Chapter was represented at the board meeting. We also discussed a lot of our current programs such as certification, foreman in the field, apprenticeship, and adopt a school program to name a few.

The annual golf tournament at the convention was a huge hit with the team of Larry Vacala, Tyler Vacala, Jim O’Connor and Gary Joyner winning the tournament. The team of Patrick Jones, Brenden McWilliams, Clay Wheeler, and Scott Taylor came in second with the team of Dwayne Bryant, Calvin Brodie, Jon Steep, and Dan Hurley finishing third. Huge thanks to all that participated and to the golf committee for making this another great tournament!

The convention ended Saturday evening with the closing dinner that was set up to honor two great masonry giants that have pioneered the NCMCA to what it is currently today, Gary Joyner and Lynn Nash! A slide show was put together for folks to enjoy the years past of both and to pay tribute to the sacrifices and work that both Joyner and Nash have contributed to the NCMCA. The stories that were told and memories that were shared will forever be with each person present. We would like to thank each person that attended the convention and especially the sponsors for making it one of the largest conventions in recent years! Please mark your calendars for next years convention which will be held in Williamsburg VA at the Colonial Williamsburg Resorts, Williamsburg Lodge, April 11-14, 2024. Thank You again to all that participated, and we look forward to seeing everyone in Williamsburg!

 

“The Super Bowl of Apprentice    Contest”

KINSTON—Colson Childers of Griffin Masonry is the 2023 Champion of the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Associations Annual    Samuel A. McGee Memorial Masonry Apprentice Skills Contest and takes home the “David R. Sigmon Award” for “top-score” in the     competition.  His win also earned a thousand-dollar cash prize and a large selection of masonry tools.  The win qualifies him to compete in the Mason Contractors Association of America Skills Challenge in Las Vegas.  The event took place at EastWest Products in Kinston, NC.  EastWest Products provided everyone with a delicious lunch from   Mission BBQ and Sunset Slush Italian Ice.  The Eastern Chapter sponsored and provided all the man-power involved in prepping and  tearing down for the contest.

The Sam McGee Memorial has been referred to by many across the State as the Super Bowl of masonry contest. This contest is for working apprentices that have less than 3 years or 6000 hours in their apprenticeship cycle. A new project is drawn each year so that it always challenges the contestants. Most contests have 3 hours to build a project, but this contest is very challenging because contestants only have 2 hours.  The apprentices are judged on nine different criteria.  The field of contestants are always so competitive that the top 5 will always be within points of each other.

This year’s contest was a great show of what our apprentices have to offer, and the skill set that they have! We were hosted by EastWest Products in Kinston, NC.  It was a beautiful day for a masonry contest! We had 43 apprentices from 14 companies competing.  EastWest had     t-shirts made for all the contestants and observers. The contestants also received a NCMCA hat to wear during the contest. The Eastern Chapter went out of their way to setup, tend, and clean up after the contest! We had 47 total sponsors that donated just over $20,000.00 to make this contest happen! Each apprentice received a tool bag full of tools along with a new 4′ Stabila level.

After the judging was complete, Griffin Masonry’s, Colson Childers was crowned the champ! There were 6 companies represented in the top 10 with only 9 points separating 1^st place from 10^th place! This was truly one of the best contests that showed talent and skillset that North Carolina has in our young apprentices. This definitely shows that North Carolina is leading the charge for our future workforce in the Nation. We also had a first-year contest for new apprentices that have just picked up a trowel.  The contest had 7 contestants competing and Mason Ridenhour from Ridenhour Masonry claimed the top prize.

Next year’s contest will be hosted by Adams, an Oldcastle Co. in  Asheville, NC on May 18th, 2024.  NCMCA encourages every member to come and witness the “Super Bowl of Apprentice Contest” in person and let’s keep our young people going in the right direction for our industry! Thank you to all that help each year with this contest and all the other events we have across the State!!