Shaver And Spencer Are 2026's Masonry Hall Of Fame Inductees

Words: Dan Kamys

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MASONRY HALL OF FAME

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2026 MIDYEAR MEETING

After a record-breaking 27 nominations, the MCAA is pleased to announce that the selection committee has chosen Ryan Shaver and John Spencer to enter the Masonry Hall Of Fame. They will be formally inducted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2026 during the MCAA Midyear Meeting at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, TX.

The Masonry Hall of Fame was created to recognize and award those individuals who have dedicated their lives to the masonry industry. Each year, nominations are accepted to recognize individuals who have been a part of the masonry industry for 25 years or more and have had a major impact on the trade.

All inductees are nominated by their peers and carefully reviewed by the Hall Of Fame's previous inductees. Nominees must receive two-thirds of the eligible votes in order to be accepted into the Hall of Fame.

For the first time in the program's history, both inductees will sit down for in-depth, on-camera interviews at the MCAA's new MASONRY STRONG Network studio prior to being honored at the closing Hall of Fame Reception and Dinner. The conversations will capture each inductee's career, perspective, and contributions to the trade in their own words, becoming a permanent part of the MASONRY STRONG Network.

Ryan Shaver, North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association (NCMCA)

Ryan Shaver has spent his career building the systems that bring the next generation into masonry. He is widely regarded as one of the most impactful leaders in masonry education and workforce development in the United States, shaping how young people enter the trade and how associations across the country structure their training programs.

Ryan is the driving force behind SkillsUSA masonry competitions, where his energy, planning, and commitment elevate the experience for every student, instructor, and contractor involved. He treats SkillsUSA not as just a competition but as a gateway into the industry, and he runs it that way year after year.

He has also become the country's go-to leader on apprenticeships. When the MCAA, a state association, or a local chapter needs help launching or improving a program, Ryan is the first to respond, providing curriculum, paperwork, structure, and guidance with a servant's mindset. He coordinated and led the effort to rewrite the NCCER masonry apprenticeship curriculum, reshaping it to be more hands-on, more practical, and more aligned with what the trade actually needs. His work expanding masonry education at the high school level has brought apprenticeship-style training into 103 schools in North Carolina alone.

Ryan's work ethic is as visible at major industry events as it is in policy and curriculum. Months before World of Concrete, he is already planning the apprenticeship competitions, and he personally builds the starter walls for the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500. Within the industry, Ryan is a household name, respected by contractors, educators, and students alike, and the systems he has built will carry the trade forward for generations.

John Spencer, Spencer Brickwork

John Spencer began his career in the masonry trade working alongside his father and uncles before founding Spencer Brickwork in 1979. Over more than four decades, he built the company into a residential masonry powerhouse, running 13 to 14 crews, employing more than 100 people, and generating $11 to $13 million in annual revenue based entirely on residential work. Many of the homes Spencer Brickwork built earned Excellence in Masonry awards.

Spencer's record of association leadership runs from the local level to the national level. With the Mason Contractors Association of St. Louis, he served as Trustee, Treasurer, Secretary, Vice President, President from 1998 to 1999, and on the Arbitration Board. He chaired the Masonry Institute of St. Louis, served as a Trustee on the Construction Laborers' Welfare Board, and sat on the PRIDE St. Louis Board. Until his retirement, Spencer Brickwork was a member of the MCA St. Louis / OSHA Safety & Health Partnership. At the national level, John served the MCAA as State Chairman and as Region "E" Vice President.

His honors reflect both the craftsmanship and the safety culture he built into his company. In 2014, Spencer Brickwork won 1st Place in the MCAA Safety Advantage Award for the under 100,000 hours category. That same year, John won two MCAA TEAM Awards: one for his "Cotswold" project in the Residential Single Family category, and a second in the Landscape Hardscape category for his curved brick courtyard wall. In 2017, he received the C. DeWitt Brown Leadman Award.

Beyond the business, Spencer is known for a generosity that has become part of his legacy. After a hole-in-one on a $10,000 hole at a charity tournament, he donated half of the prize back to the organization hosting the event and the other half to his church. Colleagues across the trade describe him as a leader in both business and personal ethics, with a positive attitude and a willingness to help that have been hallmarks of his career.

The MCAA would like to sincerely congratulate the inductees, and continues to encourage the nomination of worthy individuals in future years.

Shaver And Spencer Are 2026's Masonry Hall Of Fame Inductees

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MASONRY HALL OF FAME

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2026 MIDYEAR MEETING

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