Masonry Contractors of New Jersey turn to Stokes each year to “put on the show” for the Masonry Design/Build Competition at NJIT College of 
Architecture and Design. The annual event is a major undertaking for Executive Director Carol Ciesielski and her team. We have been fortunate enough to help make the event fun and exciting since its inception in 2003 – yes, 13 years ago!
The initial contest was so successful that the school has made it part of their curriculum. Teams of students compete to design challenging and unique masonry designs. Over a weekend in April they get a chance to work with the best hands in the business – the union masons of New Jersey – to create a 10- foot mockup of their designs.
Every year, Stokes captures the challenges the students face and the excitement of the program by filming each team’s progress over the weekend as they work to bring their designs to life. This video becomes the centerpiece of the annual awards banquet, all orchestrated by Stokes. The awards banquet is eagerly awaited by all participants each year – jokes are told, speeches are given and a panel of esteemed judges gives the teams invaluable critiques of their projects. The event culminates in the crowning of the winners of the Master Mason Award. Former students that are now professionals in the industry still proudly display their awards and talk excitedly about the event. We are thankful to Carol and the team at Masonry for allowing us to be part of this exciting event every year with youth who are the future of the industry.
Stokes’ full facilitation of the event includes:
- Video filming and post-production editing
- Team photos
- Event photography at the banquet
- PowerPoint presentation for the banquet
- A/V support for the banquet including:
- Complete sound system with eight (8) microphones
- Two 10-foot wide display screens
- Computer and any other necessary hardware
