Nathan Henry, a 30-year veteran local mason, had been out of work for five months and was earnestly seeking employment in a market downtrodden by the halt in residential home construction.
Then came a phone call from one of his former employers, Percival Sewell, president of Sewell Masonry Company, inviting Henry to join Sewell and Pompano Masonry on a forthcoming masonry package on the new Events Center.
Sewell Masonry has been in business in the Central Florida area for more than 35 years.
The package represents the second largest trade contract awarded to a local African American firm on the project to date, valued at nearly $2.5 million dollars.
“I feel like I hit the lotto,” said Henry, who also worked with Sewell Masonry on the construction of the district courthouse in downtown Orlando.
“God sure looked out for me on this, I was praying for it and it finally came.”
Henry, 45, who was first introduced to the trade at the age of 5, is looking forward to the day he attends a Magic game at the Events Center.
“I can’t wait to go to a game,” said Henry. “I’ll get to show my nieces and nephews, my sister, my mom, especially, and point to a wall and say, ‘I built that.'”
Sewell is equally enthusiastic about the upcoming work.
“When the project was proposed, I decided to pursue a contract opportunity,” said Sewell. “We are delighted to be a part of the project and to have a great partner, Pompano Masonry. Over the course of many years, I’ve hired tradespersons from the Parramore area and trained them under our apprenticeship program.”
