Artist Robin Vella, his crew of designers, Spec West employees and industry insiders gathered with Estrella Shorey Feb. 19, 2008, at Spec West’s Rancho Cordova location for the unveiling of a decorative concrete bench honoring Bill Shorey, “The Color Man,” who passed away early last year.
Bill Shorey worked as a product specialist for Spec-West, a construction supply company. He was a key inspirational figure in the early years of the decorative concrete industry.
The decorative concrete bench features Shorey’s likeness. Vella, who owns A Concrete Studio in Sacramento, created it using integral color from QC Construction Products, diamond-polished aggregate, metallic highlights and shadow effects.
A concrete representation of the “Billy Banger,” a tool Shorey invented, forms one leg of the bench. The real-life Banger is a high-density urethane hand tamper with a 7-inch by 7-inch base. A pole at its center has a knob at the top and a handle off to one side.
This memorial will join the several hundred square feet of decorative concrete found at “Bill’s Patio,” adjacent to the Rancho Cordova store.
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