Fourth-Generation Masonry, Mentorship & Social Media with Jessie "SlimBrick" Demler | Good Contractor Podcast

This week, Luke Hansen and John Talman sit down with Jessie Demler—better known online as SlimBrick — a fourth-generation mason from Northern Utah whose family has been laying brick for over 75 years. From his great-grandpa coming home from the war and finding work on a high school to Jessie repairing those same walls decades later, this episode is all about legacy, craftsmanship, and what it means to build something that lasts.

Jessie talks about the mentors who shaped him, the joy of watching things "click" for younger crew members, and his personal mission to be "the journeyman [he] needed" when he was coming up. Along the way, Luke and John dig into the realities of running commercial masonry work while also building a massive social media presence—how one viral TikTok changed everything, what it's really like to juggle the jobsite and content, and why showing the process matters as much as showing the finished wall.

Key Takeaways:

• Legacy in Every Wall: Jessie sees each project as another chapter in a family story that spans generations, reminding contractors that every job becomes part of their name and reputation.
• Be the Journeyman You Needed: Instead of just complaining that "no one wants to work," he focuses on mentoring younger crew members and modeling the kind of leadership that changed his own life.
• Crew Culture Builds Staying Power: Multi-decade employees and family members returning to the company highlight how treating people well and building real community on-site leads to loyalty and better work.
• Pride in Good Work: From schools to homes to public buildings, Jessie never forgets that people will walk past his brickwork for decades, and that mindset pushes him—and his crew—to do work that truly lasts.