Polished Self-Leveling Overlayment and the Future of our Union
Recently we held an event on Polished Self-Leveling Overlays.  We were fortunate to be able to have the participation of four manufacturers – Ardex, Mapei, ProSpec and Raeco.  It was probably the first time these fierce competitors put aside their rivalries and worked closely together for the benefit of the industry as a whole.  It was an impressive showing of a shared common interest – expanding overall market share. 

The reason I am writing about this event to you is not just to demonstrate that we are involved in the industry, but to relate some of the strategies we need to incorporate if we are to expand our market share in our rapidly changing industry.

In the past, we have positioned ourselves on the perimeter of the industry.  It seemed, at times, that we were almost considered a necessary evil, just a step above a laborer, or on some jobs, a step below (and curse those weak foremen who let that happen).  It was, and is, an untenable situation if we are to grow, both in market share and respect.

The last several years, we have been trying to reverse this trend by placing ourselves, through training and industry involvement, in the center of our industry.  He host numerous events, work closely with our material suppliers, and are now positioned to begin dialogue with the architects and specifiers and to begin to develop industry-accepted certifications that will help us as a union to expand our sphere of influence and our share of the market.

Of course, to be truly successful in this endeavor, we need our members to be involved, both in the plan and the training needed to man the jobs.  It has to be a total union effort.

Back to Polished Self-leveling – what has this event to do with the previous diatribe?  The premise of this event was to educate the architects and specifiers of the potential of this technology in green construction.  As we all know by now, green is our future.  We looked at the way high-rise construction is moving – that is, placing the concrete and topping it later, and realized there is potential there, and in retrofits.  If we can’t finish now, why not finish it later?  There are actually more hours involved, if we can get our people trained and certified to do the work. 

Through working with our manufacturers and explaining our intentions, they all agreed to help with developing a training program for Polished SLO.  By working together, perhaps we could develop a program that is recognized by the entire industry, and convince the specifiers to include this training as a prerequisite specification for the contractors bidding that work.  With the program in hand, we could train our Cement Masons to do the job, our manufacturers would have a better chance of getting their products placed and polished correctly – which means no call backs, no bad publicity for the process, and the prospect of more saves – and the designer sees his/her vision appear as planned.  What a concept!  The industry, as a whole, acting professionally, and as a united industry.

Of course, we still have a lot of work to do on this project, and other projects to plan.  We hope to learn a lot during this process so it can be streamlined, because in this green construction world, changes are going to come fast, and we want to position the Cement Masons and Plasterers right in the center.  That is where the action is. 

Please send your comments to Mark Maher at concretetraining@msn.com.  I look forward to your thoughts, and I hope you will make the commitment to training and being the best of the best, for the good of all of us in this union.

Concrete Polishing Technician Training
The Cement Masons Training Institute is very proud and happy to report the completion by 24 of our members of our first 24-hour Concrete Polishing Technician course, the first of its kind in the OPCMIA.

This is part of a concerted effort by our Local and the OPCMIA to secure our place at the table of the green construction movement.  This is where the growth of our industry lies.  It is through the efforts of our members who take these classes that we will secure our future. 

We will continue to follow the industry trends and develop other classes as the opportunities present themselves, so we can continue to be the leaders in the concrete industry.  It is in every member's self-interest and crucial to the union's success that we follow the example of these 24 Cement Masons:  Frank Benish, Al Blouin, David Bowen, Tim Butler, Raymond Collazo, Ed Crandall, Josh Detienne, Ciro Dominguez, Steve Elkins, Tom Falck, James Files, Herman Gonzalez, Joe Hannan, Ed Hintz, Loren Hovde,    Sonny Jackson, Tom Parsons, Randy Reilly, Alex Reinke, Dan Rouse, Eddie Sanchez, Jeremy Ulmer, Jay Vano, Donn Wilson