Research Decorative Concrete
Interior Floors: Concrete Floors; Staining Concrete; Concrete Overlays; Basement Floors; Concrete Polishing; Concrete Dyes; Stenciling Interior Floors; Radiant Floor Heating; Garage Floor Coatings
Interior Concrete: Concrete Countertops; Concrete Fireplace Surrounds; Concrete Furniture; Sinks and Vessels
Outdoor Concrete: Concrete Patios; Stamped Concrete; Stained Concrete; Concrete Driveways; Concrete Pool Decks; Countertops & Kitchens; Outdoor Living; Concrete Walkways; Concrete Resurfacing; Colored Concrete; Pavers
Repair & Maintenance: Foundation Repair; Concrete Crack Repair; Foundation Waterproofing; Basement Wall Repair; Crack Repair in Floors & Slabs; Cleaning & Maintenance
Building with Concrete: Concrete Homes; Concrete Basements; Decorative Concrete; Pervious Concrete; Green Building
Local Concrete Sites: California; Florida; Illinois; New York; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Texas; Washington; View Other States

March 2008 Industry Leader:

John Anderson Travels Far and Wide to Spread the Word about Decorative Concrete

John Anderson, International Sales Manager for Ideal Work, maybe be on the young side, but his world experiences outpace those of colleagues twice his age. He's worked in the decorative concrete industry for 15 years--half his life—and at the age of 30, Anderson has been able to see many different aspects of the decorative concrete industry in many different countries.

We thought it would be fun to pick his brain about the European decorative concrete industry, as well as learn about some of his travels.

Here's what he had to say:

Q: What's your background and experience in decorative concrete?: A: I started out as a trainee concrete finisher with the largest decorative concrete company in England, and I was fortunate to work with Mike Archambault, who was the president of Patterned Concrete Industries. This was around 15 years ago, when Scofield and Patterned Concrete Industries had started to develop the Western European market with projects such as Disneyland Paris and Warner Brothers theme parks.

I built close relationships with the manufacturers of Europe and parlayed that into a position working as a freelance technician, supporting and training contractors, as well as teaching architects and developers, helping them to understand the possibilities of decorative concrete.
Q: You also worked in the U.S.—tell us about that.: A: In November 2005, I came to work in the U.S. with Brickform as part of the international joint venture with Ideal Work based in Italy. My role was to help Brickform span the cultural differences between Europe, and the U.S. Brickform positioned me in Las Vegas as the Area Manager for Nevada and Arizona, where I worked with distributors and their contractors to grow the area. During the second year, I was promoted to Brickform West Coast Regional Manager, which introduced me to a wider scope of the industry in the U.S.
Q: Which led you back to Ideal Work, right?: A: Yes. In January 2008, I returned to Europe to fulfill my commitment to Ideal Work in Italy, and my new role was to bring synergy between the two continents of the U.S. and Europe. Ideal Work has what has been described as the world's finest training and manufacturing facility, and we will be holding International Training events for contractors, distributors, architects and young students, where we can pass down our knowledge and abilities to the next generation.
Q: What is one of the major differences between decorative concrete in the U.S. and Europe?: A: I've noticed that every American company who comes to Europe treats it like one big continent. Europe is full of separate countries, and you have to deal with each country differently.

The U.S. way of business worked in England, but not in Spain or mainland Europe, where a two-hour siesta is still the norm. The cultural differences have always been the issue. In the U.S. and England, we live to work, and in countries like Spain, France and Portugal they work to live.
Q: Where is decorative concrete in Europe right now, in terms of peaking, just starting out, etc.?: A: In the beginning, it was difficult to sell decorative concrete in Europe. People looked at it as a false or fake product, and natural stone was still in abundance.

Now they are seeing decorative concrete as the paving system of choice, because it's outlasting all other products. Where natural stone will age, decorative concrete is easier to maintain and keep clean.

The breakthrough was when the large theme parks started using decorative work. Then the smaller local theme parks joined in, and it soon became part of the public domain.

Product longevity is the key--tar macadam and paving stones are the more traditional paving systems used. These types of paving need to be repaired or replaced every 10 to 15 years. Marble and granite are in abundance in Europe, so interior products like micro-tops and self levellers with stains and dyes are just starting to be introduced.
Q: How is decorative concrete promoted in Europe?: A: Each European manufacturer has their own approach to promotion, such as magazines and tradeshows, but one great way is through the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which also offers great educational opportunities.
Q: What is Ideal Work's history?: A: Ideal Work started 10 years ago after Franco Martignano saw stamped concrete in Australia while he was on vacation, and he thought he could develop decorative concrete in Italy. Luca Seminati and Maurizio Pontello were brought together as the two directors and Ideal Work was born. Franco passed away a few years ago, but he would be proud to see how Luca and Maurizio continue to grow the business with the same passion and motivation.

Being located in Italy is a huge plus, because the country is based upon proud people who demand a high quality and have strong business ethics. The best clothing designers, car manufacturers and even the best soccer team are all in Italy, so when they got into the decorative concrete business they used the same standards.
Q: What is the history of decorative concrete in Europe?: A: It's huge now, but it came to the U.K. first about 25 years ago when Bomanite first sold a franchise in the U.K. Then, 20 years ago, Scofield developed a partnership in England. Fifteen years ago, Euro Disney became the first European theme park to use decorative concrete paving systems. At about the same time, England developed several manufacturers, then about 12 years ago decorative concrete hit the rest of Europe.
Q: Where have your travels taken you?: A: I've worked in England, Spain, France, Portugal, Holland, Belgaum, Italy, Eastern Block, India, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dubai to name but a few places. I was travelling to these places to teach and develop their skills in decorative concrete. However, I feel that I became more skilled and educated by seeing different cultures and how they work and live with concrete.

Left: Seven star hotel in Dubai. Middle: Sandblasted concrete walkway, Dubai. Right: Workers carrying hand mixed concrete in baskets on a jobsite in India.

For instance, working with some of the most technological concretes in Dubai on the only seven star hotel in the world, to hand mixed concrete carried in baskets on people's heads in India. I have stamped, textured, stained and polished concrete ranging from $0.75 per square foot in Spain to $640.00 per square foot at Disneyland Paris.

Regardless of value I have always given 110 percent to every square inch I have been fortunate to work on.

Of course, I haven't been on a vacation in 10 years, as all my travel includes concrete in some way or another. My wife and I even got married at the World of Concrete five years ago. For the past 15 years, I have eaten, slept, and breathed decorative concrete.
Q: How is the economy in Europe faring?: A: Well, England is about to go the same way as the U.S., I'm afraid.

But there are all sorts of individual countries within the European Union that have different economical highs and lows.

There are places like Romania, which has some of the best coastlines in Europe, but no infrastructure to reach them. Now they are building the infrastructure, and already the Radisson and Sheraton and all the other large hotel chains have come in. So where five years ago there was abject poverty, in five years, Romania is poised to be one of the richer countries in the European Union.

Each country has a different economical balance, but within each country, decorative concrete is growing ever year.
Q: What's the biggest difference between the educational approach in the U.S. versus Europe?: A: The way in which American contractors and manufacturers share knowledge and support each other. Also new technologies in concrete are not just used but Americans embrace them and develop them to new levels. This is why America will always be The Worlds True Concrete Nation in my eyes.

This year we're focusing on growing the European market and the market in the Middle East, and we're using our 3,000-square-foot training facility to encourage people from around the world to come and we will support them with training. No other manufacturer in Europe offers training of this magnitude.

In fact, true training is relatively unheard of here in Europe--most companies offer one or two day demos aimed at selling products, not focusing on education for the contractor.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?: A: The people who have inspired me over the past 15 years: Mike Archambault, Ralph Gasser, Bobby Harris, Ed Lazenby, Matt Casto, Bob Meador, Luca Seminati, Trevor Foster, Scofield, Bomanite, Brickform, Ideal Work and, most importantly, my wife, Gail Anderson, who has supported me through this whirlwind experience and at times she has been a concrete widow.