The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
From self-cleaning and self-repairing to bendable and glowing, concrete is constantly evolving, regularly bringing technologically improved products to market.
Trade shows are designed to introduce people to new products, new ideas and new opportunities. And World of Concrete is no exception. One of 2023’s newcomers was an idea-come-opportunity: the Women’s Association of Concrete Professionals (WACP). Although officially founded in late April 2022, discussions between founders Sarah Bryan and Lee […]
These days, it seems like there are apps for everything. Some often serve a purpose in some far-fetched way. And then others actually address a real need. The app — GigMi, which came on the market in early November 2022 — falls among the latter. A concrete contractor — who […]
Lafarge is a member of the Holcim Group. Recently, the company chose to upgrade to the latest version of Inform’s transport optimization software for the building materials industry. They will use the software to optimize the dispatch of their truck fleet in the aggregates business. The aggregates business of Lafarge […]
When I’m wearing my teaching/training hat, I’m known to say, “when you go back for rework, you just forfeited your profit.” But recently, an owner required one of my polisher/clients to do some rework on a polishing job. Consequently, during our conversation, I saw another angle. I had thought of […]
A year after the pandemic really started to bite, we’ve all gotten used to Zoom meetings and conference calls. In the past, many saw trade shows as a necessary evil. They were costly, took time away from projects and required both planning and follow-up. What we’ve forgotten is that shows […]
As contractors, we like to look at finished floors and be judgmental and critical of one’s work and styles. However, lots of contractors overlook another side of doing business. So, I’d like to address pricing of metallic epoxy installation and how to best cover yourself from any possible legal issues. […]
Many small companies have floundered when the owners don’t stay the course. As a result, they hop on the next new thing that catches their attention. As a rule, you should devise a strategic planning process to decide a business’s direction and priorities. And then you should stick to it. […]
In Part 1, we discussed why you should enter decorative concrete award competitions. Now that we’ve established a “why,” let’s look at how we should go about it. First, identify your top awards programs you want to enter. Who is your audience and what types of projects are eligible? Once […]
The decorative concrete industry continues to evolve. Subsequently, it’s exciting to see where it started and imagine where it’s headed. However, contractors often overlook one of our industry’s under-utilized evolutions — an array of gainful awards available when entering decorative concrete competitions. Many decorative concrete manufacturers have specific industry awards […]
Although often said, it always surprises me when contractors say they can’t find good laborers — people who want to work. Or, put another way, people who want to learn a trade, especially one like decorative concrete. I find every aspect of this trade fascinating. On any given construction project, […]
