Success of underdog Jake Bates not only provides someone to cheer for, it builds a teachable moment for an industry veteran.

Brick is one of the most charming indoor flooring types out there, never failing to lend distinctively Southern appeal.

But Fendt makes some of its block to look like brick, said Gendron, the company's masonry sales manager. Bates would have sold wire and mortar, common to construction with both materials.