Relocate ???

[NS'Creter]

Nah. I'm hangin' onto my stuff buddy. That epoxy opportunity you have seems like a good one. I hope you can manage to get in on that.
Speaking of epoxy, did I mention my shower? I did a colored overlay on Durock...made the colors uneven in a random kinda fashion...all shades of the same light brown...up all four walls and went across the ceiling too...sealed it up with epoxy. Had it for 2 years now and still looks like the day I put it in...as easy to clean as acrylic too. I think it will be a hit when I market it 'cause everyone who sees it loves it.
The little moral to that story is thinking outside of the box. Take the skills we learned from our beginnings...in my case EAC...and apply them elsewhere. Just a thought.

[alexwright]

What Lindy is talking about is what I am trying to get into, the only problem is me trying to survive to get to there. I am going to a breakfast on Thurs. at a local comm. college where some General Contractors will be trying to hook up with some subs and next week I will be at another local college where the Disabled Vets of America will be that are trying to get some local contractors that are veterans to qualify for their jobs. I think the money is also getting our foot into the commercial realm. This can be done it's just the overhead that is killing us. I just had a house go into foreclosure and my credit is shot. I talked with a business associate today who would in a heart beat go into business with me and has the money to back me up in marketing and all but I just want to go this solo (by myself). I am pondering different things and researching what to do. I have some big jobs with bids submitted but I'm not holding my breath. One I was told to submit a bid for the trash area to use as a sample on what it would look like and durability but a lot of variables. At least I would make a little on the trash area to put gas in my truck.Ha!!Ha!! The sad thing is I'm serious. That's a 20,000 sq ft job if we got the whole thing!! I'm also waiting on word on a 45,000 sq ft job (government). I have more faith in the 45 than the 20. This is desperate measures time for me. Hey Luxury Floors I sent that lead you sent me an email, the balls in their court. Thanks.

[alexwright]

By the way, our staining is better in many ways, unfortunately it doesn't always apply to some jobs and needs. I love the class idea, just not feasible as of yet.

[xscash]

Aug 12, 2008 1:57:03 GMT -4 alexwright said:

Hey Luxury Floors I sent that lead you sent me an email, the balls in their court. Thanks.

glad i could pass it to you than just passing on it. i hope it works out for you, i know its small but its close to you so that makes it worth it.

[concreteillusions]

I've got to know xscash, is the car in your picture a lambo, or a souped up bug? I just can't tell because the picture is a bit distorted. The wheels say lambo, but the short distance between the fender flare and the front door says bug.

[Lindy]

Legislating of work/services, this is a great daydream idea:

It shall be deemed unlawful for concrete to be left bare/nude. All nude concrete must be adorned (clothed) for residential and commercial safety safety surfacing reasons, along with to meet and address ADA coefficient of friction criteria to assure a satisfactory degree of slip/fall resistance. Those afflicted with depth perception are being disenfranchised by bare concrete surfaces that have no integral colors for safe judging of distance. Then there is the sanitation surfacing issue, in that bare/nude concrete is porous and therefore entraps germs, molds, mildew, fungus, and other foreign matter that presents a real and present environmental health hazard especially for those that suffer from immune deficiencies due to a wide realm of maladies. The public has the inalienable right to ...adequate surfacing COF (though the use of textured/patterned/scored surfaces that are adequately sealed with long lasting sealers that have skid resistant micro medias incorporated/locked into them)... colors that meet the needs of the depth visionary impaired... and sanitary/professionally sealed concrete... all requiring a legal mandate.

Wouldn't this be great, if all publicly accessible surfaces, were required to eliminate bare/nude unsafe concrete. ;D

[NS'Creter]

Wouldn't that be great Lindy?
I'd like to commend XSCash for the referrals he's been sending out...that's a great thing to do. Good service to the client and cool to refer to a colleague. Good stuff.
Commercial can be a great thing Alex...when all goes well. Watch out for late penalties and payment schedules, though. The square footage sure adds up pretty on paper. Walmart uses decorative 'crete in heir new builds and renos...big square footage.

[Lindy]

Walmart is a pain in the butt. They initially contacted me (not me approaching them). At first I thought this is great!!! I had been working with them as to specification on numerous new Walmarts for well over a year. Have had conference calls with various corporate staff and engineers in Arkansas headquarters. Jumped through more hoops than a lion act in a circus. Made up numerous very large samples 3'x3' (paying for shipment to them) in an attempt to achieve their exact color of blue (this is done by scanning color on a computer,which reads color 5 points above or 5 points below, with this minuscule difference not even being detectable to the human eye) before they ever kayoed the color. Then it was patterns/textures/etc. I finally told them that the ball was in their court; there was nothing more I could or would do ... I haven't heard from them for several months now. Having worked with a great many commercial customers (everything from food processing to bottling plants, blood testing laboratories to medical clinics, restaurant chains to retailers, car dealerships to John Deere tractor plants, etc/etc I have NEVER found any company as difficult to work with as Walmart (they couldn't make a decision if someone hit them over the head with it). I don't care if I ever hear from them again ... if you approach, or get approached by Walmart, don't count your chickens because they likelihood that they will hatch is slim to none.

In addition to the above, at the time I was working on pattern/texture/Walmart blue color (I match military color specs regularly but can't seem to do so with Walmart) for the entry/access areas into their stores, they also approached me about solving their problem in garden center areas. Some moron (engineer, architect, etc.) with Walmart specified smooth power trowel surfaces in several 8,000 to 10,000 sq.ft. exterior garden shop areas ... of course when it rains, or they water plants, the concrete is extremely slick and they had some slip/fall injury lawsuits. They wanted to me to provide them with at least 3 options to solve this problem on these surfaces ... I did so, basically serving as their professional consultant, not charging them my normal consulting fee since I was lead to believe that I would be specified (as to my materials); this never came to be either, they used my specifications to bid out the solution they chose, and someone from several States away from Texas got the job's at these locations. The moral of the story is never be lured in by big box stores; they may sell their merchandise at a low price, but they will have you trying to paddle upstream against a stiff current and you rarely/if ever will reach a profitable port.

I hope that if any of you ever deal with Walmart your experiences will be better, more successful, and profitable than mine were.

Lindy

[xscash]

Aug 12, 2008 10:47:46 GMT -4 concreteillusions said:

I've got to know xscash, is the car in your picture a lambo, or a souped up bug? I just can't tell because the picture is a bit distorted. The wheels say lambo, but the short distance between the fender flare and the front door says bug.

yes it a rare purple diablo 6.0. i think ther are only 3 in northamerica. i also own a automobile installation company. been at that for 20years. this car was fitted with a dvd navi system with rear view camera. the owner was nice enough to take me for a blast while i was progaming the navi. we hit 185mph the faster we went the tighter the car became. AWESOME!! ;D

[xscash]

Aug 12, 2008 15:53:16 GMT -4 NS'Creter said:

Wouldn't that be great Lindy?
I'd like to commend XSCash for the referrals he's been sending out...that's a great thing to do. Good service to the client and cool to refer to a colleague. Good stuff.

no problem, i advertise everywhere and get a ton of small job inquiries. i try to weed out the tire kickers and then decide if its too small. if I'm going to pass on it i try to fit the customer with someone in the area who can help them. i figure they are serious and were kind enough to deal with me. its the least i can do for them. and the rest of us for that matter. oh and i expect a beer as a thank you if you get the job and if you run into me at W.O.C. (LOL)

[NS'Creter]

Yep, for sure. A Canadian beer.

[concreteillusions]

Yeah, we just got 2 new walmarts within 4 miles of me in both directions and the concrete was all intergeral colored and polished. I actually talked to the guy who did it on the phone. His name is Mark Sassano. The floors in the Walmarts look ok, but the stamped concrete in the entrances looks like hammered horse shit!

[NS'Creter]

It's the same deal here buddy. The store is 1 year old and the stamped entrance is worn away. The interior work was bad from day 1 and is getting worse. The new Walmart here was one of the big reasons that I got in with Increte. Increte is specified by Walmart for their new builds and renos. The project manager here didn't think there was an Increte guy here and didn't call the 800 number to find out . I was ticked off at first, but it may have been a blessing in disguise.

[alexwright]

Hi all, still alive. I was prepping to leave for Texas but a last minute call from a friend came in and was offered a government job that is a two month project for now. I am an employee and not a contractor on this but it could turn into being used as a sub under my license but I think I'd rather just be an employee on these jobs and avoid all the headache and paperwork that comes with it. I am a foreman on this job and its a prevailing wage and lots and lots of overtime and working out of town but, ok for now. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for 2 months. I am putting my biz on hold as of now and using this to get back on my feet, surviving the economy, paying some bills that have creeped up on me, and doing some re-arranging on my biz if you will. Will probably not hear from me again until Thanksgiving. Working Mon.-Sun and long hours so, we'll see how it goes. Alot of variables are involved so anything can happen and I can be back here tomorrow. This is where I am today, tomorrow who knows. Quite honestly this is where I am and all doors and windows are open for now. I am playing everything on a daily basis and am just trying to be safe in everything. This is a good thing for me now and we'll see how long it lasts. Will try to drop in if I can sometime if I can get to a computer while I'm gone. I did while I was gone but don't know if next hotel will have a computer I can use like the last.

[NS'Creter]

Seems like that call came at just the right time buddy. It sure seems like a good deal too...I'd do something like that. In fact I did do something like that when I went to Alberta. I said I was subsidizing myself. ;D Our plan was for me to do that every winter until the biz no longer needed subsidy. Good luck with it Alex...you've got the right attitude with the doors and windows bein' open. Just be sure not to let a good opportunity pass on through. I'll be lookin' for your updates.