PermaNews

1. How has the resurfacing industry changed over the past 17 years?
   
   The decorative concrete, resurfacing industry has changed tremendously since its embryonic days of the early 1990s. Many new companies have sprung up, most emulating PermaCrete, and new patterns, designs and intricate layouts now permeate resurfacing projects all over the U.S. and beyond. Perhaps, more importantly, residential and commercial customers have now come to accept the decorative resurfacing of their home or business areas as a very viable, even desirable, way to maintain and increase the intrinsic value of their properties. As a result of this ever-growing market, competition has greatly increased forcing new products, new techniques and more design options to be available in the marketplace.
   
   
2. What is PermaCrete doing to keep up with these changes?
   
   During the 17 years of its existence, PermaCrete has significantly increased the range and variety of products it offers to its Dealers; has expanded into a wide presence in the vertical coatings market for both residential and commercial construction; has received full ICC-ES code compliance nationwide after nearly two years of product testing and quality control certification; has installed a computerized, cement blending facility at its worldwide headquarters in Nashville to produce over forty (40) proprietary and exclusive cementitious bag mixes in virtually any color for its Dealers; has consistently maintained and reduced manufacturing costs so that PermaCrete Dealers have never had a price increase in the history of the company; and, has increased its Dealer base to over 1,200 Dealers located in all 50 states as well as 24 foreign countries.
   
   
3. What in particular do you envision will take place in the coating industry in the next few years?
   
   I think there will be a big shake-out in the coatings industry, especially during the current economic downturn, and companies that don't manufacture all of their products in-house, as opposed to outsourcing the manufacturing to other companies beyond their specific control, and don't have total control over the ever-changing environmental and quality control issues that are critical in our new "green" society, will simply disappear from the marketplace. For the remaining companies to be able to continue to grow and expand will be solely dependant on their success in constantly refining and recreating their product lines to meet new demands in customer preference and changing code and environmental standards throughout the country.
   
   
4. Has the change in attitude regarding the environment had any effect on your business?
   
   Absolutely. PermaCrete has recreated and reformulated a number of its products to provide better performance, and also significantly reduce VOC emissions to a point that they are now at or near zero for all PermaCrete products. In other words, PermaCrete has gone "green", and can now provide valuable LEED points to architects and specifiers in the design and construction of residential and commercial structures that desire "GREEN" certification in their communities, a requirement that's rapidly becoming mandatory in many areas.
   
   
5. Has the slowdown in the building industry had any effect on the resurfacing industry?
   
   The current decline in the construction industry has mostly hit the residential market, and has certainly affected residential, decorative concrete applications adversely. However, according to the September 4 edition of the Wall Street Journal, manufacturing and nonresidential building (shopping centers, office buildings & hotels) increased in August. And, the housing industry construction market overall is still expected to be $1.169 trillion this year, which is a staggering figure and probably the second highest in U.S. history.
   
   
6. Has the availability of raw goods changed your manufacturing procedures at all?
   
   PermaCrete maintains excellent support and continuing price concessions from all of its raw goods suppliers, and has experienced no problems with the availability of the raw goods it purchases for its products on a volume basis.
   
   
7. To all of our Dealers, what would you consider to the Top Three suggestions to being successful in the resurfacing industry?
   
   In the current and foreseeable marketplace for PermaCrete Dealers, I would strongly recommend that they concentrate their efforts in the following areas: 1) Renew their efforts to obtain work from commercial institutions; these facilities all tend to "retrofit" their properties in economic downturns providing an open field for PermaCrete Dealers. 2) Expand into vertical applications, whether resurfacing existing buildings, or applying the exterior surface on new structures, especially the increasingly-popular, Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) houses and buildings sweeping the marketplace because of their superior strength, increased insulation "R" factors, and overall ease of construction. 3) Take the time to do each job right. Make sure it's "picture perfect" before you leave the jobsite. And, don't quibble with the customer over minor add-ons that really don't cost much to the Dealer, but are critically important to the customer and usually result in repeat business as well as referrals to other potential customers.