We caught up with the hardest working trainer in the decorative concrete industry, Gregg Hensley. Gregg has 25+ years of industry experience as a trainer and a contractor. Gregg also has the unique opportunity to talk with hundreds of contractors, distributors and peers across the country, so he hears many different
opinions on what’s happening in the industry. Based on this, we thought who better to ask than Gregg on what he thinks the state of the Decorative Concrete Industry is and what the future holds post Covid.
“I’m Gregg Hensley with Stone Edge Surfaces and I was asked for my opinion about the current state of the decorative concrete industry, especially after the pandemic, and what the “post” Covid decorative concrete industry may look like moving forward.
I’ve reflected on this subject quite a bit and had many discussions with contractors and peers, so I believe I have pretty good insight on what may be happening out there. It’s the supply chain and obtaining raw goods that has caused the most frustration for both our factory and the contractors, and yet most contractors were able to work around these hurdles and move jobs around as different suppliers finally began fulfilling orders. There was also no shortage of customers as it seemed that many, after having to stay home, decided to fix their places up, and they had stimulus money and disposable cash from not being able to go out to eat, go to the movies or bars, to pay for it.
And it hasn’t slowed down yet with a lot of the contractors I’ve talked with even growing during the pandemic and not having any issue getting work. In fact, most have too much work and are still months behind. Make no mistake about it, I believe the Decorative Concrete industry as a whole, even though we as a manufacturer and the contractors had to endure many obstacles, is stronger than ever and will continue to grow.
The pandemic did cause shortages though, and at Stone Edge Surfaces we dealt with the frustration of the global shortages by getting motivated during the periods where we had problems obtaining raw material, and found alternate, and sometimes better solutions on refining our processes and advancing our technologies on many of our product lines.
“Make no mistake about it, I believe the Decorative Concrete industry as a whole, even though we as a manufacturer and the contractors had to endure many obstacles, is stronger than ever and will continue to grow.” -Gregg Hensley
We were even able to find a couple voids in the market and were able to slide our products in to fill those voids.
I’ve also been told in my journeys and training’s around the country, that there is a lot of appreciation for manufacturers like us that worked around the clock and got creative to fulfill their needs, and they really appreciate that we were able to “innovate” during the crisis and make new and better products.
The Covid years have been a challenge for sure, but challenges are what drive innovation, and as a manufacturer, and many of you contractors and distributors were able to flourish even during this
pandemic.
Based on all of this, I believe that moving forward we will see exponential growth in the Decorative Concrete Industry for years to come.” -Gregg Hensley
Stone Edge Surfaces Deck Seal is a multi-use tintable waterproofing sealer that is perfect for:
“Stone Edge Surfaces Deck Seal is a water based Tintable full Waterproofing Sealer for concrete or wood decks. Deck Seal is perfect for new projects but works just as well for existing decks, balconies or other projects that need a new look or to be waterproofed. Deck Seal is a 100% Acrylic & Urethane, Insulating Ceramic, and dries to a beautiful Matte Finish that can take foot and wheeled traffic & furniture.”
Dave Smith of Artisan Concrete Designs
eventually progressed to driveways, basements, furniture, and vertical walls. Recently we have teamed up with Aaron Cruise with Rock and Boulder which has opened even more opportunities in the boulder wall and hardscape business. Over the years we have tried many products but have continued using Stone Edge Surfaces for its versatility, ease of use, and quality customer service. Project Highlights. Commercial project using Wall Mix that was hand carved to look like a natural stone formation. The floors are done with Pro Bond basecoat with Smooth Coat top coat stamped with a texture stamp. All control joints were honored and re-cut.
