ACE-ing Concrete With Confidence

Blayde Penza of Advanced Concrete Enhancement in Sun Valley, CA

By Juliet Farmer, ConcreteNetwork.com Columnist

Site Blayde Penza Advanced Concrete Enhancement Sun Valley, CA

Blayde Penza, founder and President of Advanced Concrete Enhancement, Inc. (ACE) of Sun Valley California, is focused on the future. According to Penza, the decorative concrete market has seen tremendous growth in the last few years. But that's not always such a good thing.

"The problem," he says, "is that market has matured and the decorative concrete industry as a whole has done a better job of promoting the 'concept of decorative concrete,' rather than promote 'consumer confidence' in the final product."

"Consumers are now aware of the many advantages of decorative flooring, countertops, and fireplace surrounds etc., as alternative choices," he continues. "Whereas, just a few short years ago, consumers looked at you dumbfounded if you told them you produced concrete countertops."

Penza says the challenge in this phase of the industry's growth is to infuse confidence (in homeowners, architects, designers and contractors) that a quality product with a consistent finish, with colors that boast originality yet actually match the samples provided, will be produced.

"The awareness in decorative concrete was pushed up to consumers through manufacturers," says Penza. "In the rush to promote their product, they offer two-day seminars to anyone who will pay up to learn how to become a decorative concrete contractor – and then, with a pat on the back, the newly-minted contractor would be cast out with a pail of material, and a product binder to land their first customer."

Penza says the upside to that is that the word is out that decorative concrete is an attractive and viable option with boundless versatility. The downside, however, is that a level of consumer uncertainty has also followed, and any lack of confidence by the consumer is damaging to the industry as a whole.

Penza has been in construction for over 30 years, working into upper management positions for various construction companies. He has worked on numerous large structural projects, providing concrete formwork equipment and training expertise for the Staples Center, Seven Oaks Dam, and Badger Bridge to name a few, as well as several of the Metro Rail Tunnels and Stations, and high rises throughout the western states and Hawaii.

As a company, ACE specializes in creating precast countertops; fireplaces; sinks; interior floor finishes, including microfinishes, staining and polishing; and stamped concrete.

ACE started out of Penza's home office, often spilling into the dining room, for the first five years. Today, ACE operates out of a 5,000-square-foot shop and a 350-square-foot showroom, with onsite offices.

ACE goes above and beyond by warranting their products against cracking, staining and warping etc. And according to Penza, yes, there are character fluctuations in concrete, but cracking is not one of them.

Operating out of their production facility and showroom, Penza says, "Quality and confidence are key components in our success."

The real key, however, is how to capture more market share from both the competition and competing products. Thus, he has assembled an enviable team of experts, including Todd Mazer, with over 10 years of experience in the decorative coating division, and his son Layton, who has been with company almost since its inception and has "dialed-in" the precast division.

"We have a talented team of individuals, all of whom I am very proud of," Penza adds.

Recently, Penza enticed Tom Niemerow to join his team as Vice President of Operations. If Tom's name sounds familiar, it's because he founded Concrete FX in 2002, a company with a nationally-respected reputation for specializing in concrete decorative coatings and color staining, and also brings a 20-year industry-related background to ACE.

"Tom and I have spent countless hours completely redesigning the company's organizational structure, its policies and procedures, data tracking, efficiencies and documentation," says Penza. "This is a huge final step in our quest to provide an unsurpassed level of confidence to our customers. They expect quality and we intend to give it to them, every time."

"You have to realize this, the first thing someone does when they are looking to make a purchase for their home, is to ask people they know and trust," explains Penza.

As such, he says, "Referrals are number one. They have the highest closing rate and are the least expensive lead to obtain and the most expensive to lose. You can only get referrals if you provide the product you promised. And as the market matures, we are not only competing against other decorative contractors, but we're competing against other products as well."

To sum it up, Penza says, "To sustain a company long-term in this industry, we must realize that this segment of the market is no longer tolerant of trial and error tactics. Rather, our customers are highly informed and savvy consumers that expect to feel confident about their purchase. We are dedicated to consistently improve the image of our industry, for the benefit of our customers, and so many of the other quality companies in this industry dedicated to being professional and delivering a superior product."

"Currently, the industry is in a downswing and a lot of companies are falling out," Penza concludes. "We see this as an opportunity—our schedule is packed and we're staying busy. Our plan is to keep the momentum and the mindset going."

Advanced Concrete Enhancement
11070 Fleetwood St., Unit F
Sun Valley, CA 91352
(818) 504-0424
info@aceconcrete.com
http://www.aceconcrete.com

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