Change is Good

Living in California for the first 30 years of my life made the decision to move to Oregon anything but easy. Replacing my old truck with 150,000 miles for one with no miles — no problem. A jog in the stiff, cold morning air before sunrise in place of the morning paper and a cup of coffee on the couch — well, I'm contemplating the notion of that change to my routine currently.

It's my belief that change is always good; it's making a change that's often difficult. For some, it appears that change is no problem. Those people are doing what we know we should be doing! Similar to waiting in line at the drive-thru to order a Double Whopper and fries, the vision of someone on a treadmill in the health club across the street can generally induce some frustration about changes we're trying to make. Regardless of what may seem to come easily for someone else, the types of changes that we desire to make, for our health's sake or otherwise, need to be communicated to others in order to enlist the necessary support that a positive change requires.

Adding decorative concrete to the list of your company's services is one of those changes that many contractors have now made successfully. However, my guess is, there are an even bigger number of contractors who greet the notion of making this change with some resistance.

It's a fact — changes generally cost us money due to factors such as training, mistakes caused by inexperience, or the procurement of additional tools and equipment. Fortunately, because I have grown this magazine from its infancy, my knowledge of the industry and its progress are your assurance that decorative concrete is a worthwhile change for today's concrete contractors.

What will minimize your expenses during this change is letting others in the industry know about your decision. The truth is, the many pioneers of decorative concrete, those you read about in Concrete Decor, are individuals who have already made the mistakes you're likely to make at some point in time. And they're surprisingly anxious to help you safeguard your company's success. Why? Simply put, your success is insurance for the industry's success. And ultimately, ours.

How can we help each other? For starters, see our Call for Entries on page 17. Keep exploring the pages of Concrete Decor. Talk to our advertisers. Then make a point of visiting us at the next WOC show in Las Vegas. We're in the South Hall — Booth #11153.