The spotlight shone brightly on the Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association (CSDA) during this year’s Construct trade show. The association marked its debut appearance there by educating the specifier community on its game-changing industry Standard CSDA-ST-115 and promoting its skilled membership.
CSDA exhibited at Construct, held this year in St. Louis, Missouri, for the first time. The event was a resounding success for the association. The association sponsored and participated in panel discussions at the show’s “Praxis: Take Back Design Intent” event. They did this while also exhibiting to architects, engineers and other industry specifiers. Construct is the only national event dedicated to the institutional, industrial and also commercial building industry. Involvement with the show presented CSDA with a unique opportunity to showcase CSDA-ST-115. It also allowed them to talk to specifiers about why this standard is being employed by a growing number of their peers.
Why certification?
“Certification continues to be a big deal for specifiers within the new construction market and for those working on renovation projects. Many have grown tired of jobs needing extra work and incurring additional costs because there are no benchmarks in place,” says Christopher Bennett, chair of CSDA’s Polishing Committee. “They want certified contractors to complete work to a quantifiable level. This is why CSDA-ST-115 has had such an impact. Unlike other standards before it, which can be rather subjective in terms of finish points, this one provides specifiers with results that are truly measurable.”
During the Praxis event, Bennett joined Kirby Davis of Laticrete, Bill DuBois of Gensler, CSDA Executive Director Patrick O’Brien and Chris Wolf of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association to talk about how specifiers can regain control of concrete system design. Discussion was based on quantifying measurements and creating accountability through craftsmanship. Specifiers, designers and contractors were able to interact with sample slabs and interactive displays offered many unique challenges.
“Construct proved to be a success for CSDA. We were able to talk face-to-face with specifiers about both our industry standards and certifications. Many showed great interest in CSDA-ST-115 and its certification program. The association has raised its profile further with the specifier community. It has now become a leader in surface texture grade measurement,” said O’Brien.
About the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association
The Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association (CSDA) is a nonprofit trade association of contractors, manufacturers and affiliated members from the construction and renovation industry. Diamond tools for projects requiring sawing, drilling, selective demolition, cutting and polishing offer the construction industry many benefits. These benefits include lower total project costs, precision cutting and maintenance of structural integrity. Benefits also include reduced downtime, reduced noise, dust and debris. Additionally, benefits include limited access cutting and the ability to cut heavily-reinforced concrete. Founded in 1972, CSDA has 500 member companies worldwide.
