MENASHA - Who can build the biggest brick wall, with the fewest number of errors, in one hour?

That question will be answered Wednesday when 10 teams of professional masons compete in the 2019 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Wisconsin Regional that will be held at Miron Construction Co.'s facility at 1737 Racine Road.

The winning team will advance to the 2020 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 World Championship at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas on Feb. 5. The event has a purse of $125,000 in cash and prizes.

"Industry is facing a shortage of skilled labor," Todd Higgins, general superintendent of masonry for Miron Construction, told The Post-Crescent. "This SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 competition helps demonstrate that the masonry trade is an exciting and lucrative field."

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The teams consist of a mason and a mason tender. They are charged with building as tall of a 26-foot-long brick wall as possible within 60 minutes, minus any deductions for mistakes. The one with the highest brick count will be crowned "Wisconsin's Best Bricklayer."

Last year Mike Schlund of Kowalski Masonry in Wausau and his mason tender Joe Sautner took first place with net count of 407 bricks.

The 2018 top craftsman award went to Roman Graebel of Miron Construction and his mason tender Greg Korslin. They weren't the fastest, but they had the fewest deductions.

Miron Construction has invited more than 250 high school and post-secondary students to attend the event to expose them to the trade. A select few will have the opportunity to participate in the Junior SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 contest.

The participating schools include Ashwaubenon, D.C. Everest, Fond du Lac, Kimberly, Marathon, Waupaca, Wausau East, Wausau West, West De Pere and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

Higgins said the students chosen for the contest will be mentored by the professional teams.

"This event allows us to highlight the craftsmanship, give back to the masonry trade and help strengthen its future," Higgins said.

The competition for professionals will begin at 11 a.m. The competition for students will start at 12:30 p.m. The awards ceremony will follow at 1:30 p.m.

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.