Vol. 11 No. 5 – July 2011

Concrete Contractor Touts His Hardworking Team as the Key to His Success

For Martin R. Smith, president of Rockerz Inc., running a successful business is all about the people on your team. “I’m really driven, myself,” he says, “and I like to hire people who rise to the challenge. Personality, to me, is what sets certain people apart.”

Wet-casting an Apron-front Sink Without the Corner Cracks

One thing I noticed is that it seemed like a lot of the wet-cast apron-front sinks I cast had developed very fine hairline cracks in the corners. The cracks never opened up but would show up when the sinks got wet. I don’t know if the sinks cracked during striping and handling or from concrete shrinkage later — all I knew was I had to stop them.

Don’t Get Pushed Around by Clients – Get Paid

We all wish that we could tell our customers, “Screw you! I did the work. Pay me!” I know that in my career I have gotten just about every excuse in the book as to why I wasn’t getting paid for my work. By its very nature, the decorative concrete industry that we love so much allows customers to play with our money.

Carved Concrete in Toucan Ridge Exhibit at the Assiniboine Park Zoo

In August 2010, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy in Winnipeg contacted Randall Klassen to get a quote for the demolition and removal of the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s Tropical House. The house had fallen into disrepair and the conservancy wanted to replace it with a rocky tropical oasis for animals, birds and plants.