Daniel "Mr. Jamez" Trippel's masonry career started with a rock through a church window. His buddy threw it and a couple at that church happened to own a masonry supply yard that needed a yard guy. Twenty-some years later, that accidental first job has become a career spanning hands-on craftsmanship, business ownership, and now commercial architectural sales with Mutual Materials, where he's just 30 days in and already calling himself "the tip of the spear" for getting masonry specced on projects.
In this episode, Daniel tells Adam the whole unlikely story: starting as a laborer loading trucks, launching his own masonry company at 23, building it for five years — and walking away when the 2008 crash took his builders down with it. Now, after two decades installing the end product, he's on the other side of the process, putting samples in front of architects and designers so that somewhere down the line, a mason has a job to go to.
Adam and Daniel also run the masonry industry through a SWOT analysis: why durability is masonry's biggest sustainability advantage, why the industry's segmentation is its own worst weakness, and why the biggest threat isn't competing materials — it's misinformation about what modern masonry can do. Plus, the story behind the "Mr. Jamez" persona, and why a made-up name might be the smartest career move in the trades.
In This Episode:
- How a rock through a church window accidentally launched a masonry career
- Starting a company at 23 — and why hiring his dad was the whole point
- What the 2008 crash taught Daniel about surviving in the trades
- Why tilt-up isn't actually faster: the 28 curing days nobody counts
- "The most green building is the one that's already built" — masonry's real sustainability case
- Why post-1997 masonry buildings meet seismic standards (and the misconception that won't die)
- What 1,000-year-old buildings in Munich and Prague can teach Northwest architects
- Why showrooms beat spec sheets: getting materials into designers' hands
- 78 masonry associations pulling in different directions — and the push to unite them
- The origin of "Mr. Jamez," and why building a persona can change your career trajectory
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What is In The Mix by Northwest Masonry Institute?
In the Mix is a podcast dedicated to the people, projects, and innovations shaping the masonry industry—block by block, brick by brick.
Hosted by Adam Hutchinson, Executive Director and professional engineer, this show brings together architects, engineers, contractors, and industry leaders to explore how masonry drives resilient, sustainable, and high-performance building design.
Each episode breaks down real-world applications of masonry construction, from structural integrity and fire resistance to long-term durability and environmental impact. You’ll hear behind-the-scenes insights, industry challenges, and practical conversations that matter to those designing, building, and specifying with masonry.
If you’re passionate about stronger buildings, smarter construction, and advancing masonry in modern design—this is your place to get in the mix.
Join us in supporting the Masonry Industry mission: https://masonryinstitute.com/in-the-mix