Fort Worth, Texas –
Acme Brick Company
is providing funding for the new Brick Block
Masonry Certificate course offered through the
University of Texas at Arlington, at facilities in
Grand Prairie and Houston.
Acme Brick has donated $50,000 to start the
schools. Additionally Acme has offered to match
another $10,000 for scholarships that the
university hopes to raise from other businesses and
corporations. Contractors and manufacturers from
across the state, along with the Waco-based Texas
Masonry Council, have donated money and in-kind
contributions including Acme’s investment totaling
more than $225,000 to kick-start the schools
The Brick & Block Masonry Certificate course
is the first comprehensive, hands-on training
program to be offered by the new UT Arlington
Trade Education Center. The Brick & Block
Certificate course consists of a single, 8-week
course that runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Courses are now underway. Brick
& Block courses will run in both Houston and
Grand Prairie simultaneously and are taught by
bilingual instructors.
The curriculum was developed with the assistance
of the Texas Masonry Council to address a critical
shortage of skilled masons that now exists in
the industry. With only 11 students per course,
masons-in-training will receive personalized help
with course tasks and projects from a mason
instructor with years of contracting, construction,
and teaching experience.
In recent years the lack of skilled masons and
other builder trades workers has become an
acute problem as these workers have left the
construction industry during the severe housing
downturn. Dennis Knautz, President and CEO
of Acme Brick Company said, “as the industry
leader, Acme believed it needed to help initiate a
program to provide the training necessary to move
interested job-seekers into a career in masonry.
The staff at UT Arlington has been extraordinarily
receptive, helpful and creative in putting together
this program that should help ease our industry’s
shortage of masons by developing candidates
who will be qualified for these good-paying jobs.
We are excited about partnering with UTA, and
we hope others in our industry will follow our
lead and help support this effort.”
Students who successfully complete the program
will graduate as Level 1 Masons accredited by
the Texas Masonry Council. “Graduates of this
program should have no trouble finding a number
of companies eager to put their skills to work”,
said Knautz. The TMC has also collected letters
from industry members and potential employers
confirming starting wages of $14-$16 per hour
for students that complete the course.
Acme Brick Company, founded in 1891, is the
nation’s largest brickmaker. Acme owns 26 brick
plants and has 70 company-owned sales offices
across 15 states, plus a nationwide network of
independent distributors. Other Acme operations
include American Tile & Stone; Featherlite Building
Products; Innovative Building Products; and Texas
Quarries. Acme Brick Company has been a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. since
2000. For more information visit
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Acme Brick Company Backs New Masonry Schools in Grand Prairie and Houston
