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.”
Vol. 11 No. 5 – July 2011
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.
What to Expect When Mixing Concrete With Glass
Unlike water and oil, glass and concrete do mix and can marry well under the right circumstances. On the other hand, the union may not remain solvent if the chemistry isn’t there to deter the main reason this coupling would meet its demise: alkali-silica reaction (ASR).
Your Next Client Is Shopping Online
Your business may have the upper hand in finding new projects, at least if you’re willing to step up to online marketing.
The way this decorative concrete contractor sees it, the only way to land more projects is to increase your number of strong leads. Let’s take a look at exactly how you can add more solid leads immediately.
When the Customer Wants That “Special” Gray
Our task had been to art-direct the placement of a new natural gray topping slab, and to subsequently patina it to simulate some 20 years of hard use. In other words, we were turning it from gray to “that special gray.”
Understanding Our Rocky Relationship with Concrete Overlays
Ever notice the broad range of opinions that exist regarding concrete overlays and how they work? Take color hardener, for example — not everyone uses the product, but most agree that it is good and provides excellent results. Why then with overlays does such a spectrum of opinion and emotion exist?
Rainbow MagicLand Themepark Upgraded with Stamped Concrete
The 500,000 square feet of stamped concrete pathways and patios at the new Italian theme park Rainbow MagicLand look like no place else on Earth.
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.
A New Concrete Coating that Glows by Super-Krete
Penicillin, popsicles and the pacemaker are all great inventions that were created by accident. Now it’s time to add another one to that list: Glo-Kote from Super-Krete International Inc.