Architectural Concrete Specialties:

In It For the Long Run

Juliet Farmer,ConcreteNetwork.Com Columnist

It's hard to escape politics these days, but Hannah Black was able to do just that when she ditched her job in economic development with the Governor of Arizona and launched Architectural Concrete Specialties in Scottsdale.

Drawing on her architectural background—she once owned a design shop that specialized in kitchens and baths—Black was able to put to good use her knack for helping small businesses get started, the very skills she honed in government. "I can also draw plans and design buildings," she laughs.

Black started the business with a partner in 1999, bought out that partner in 2001, then she says the business took off immediately. "At first we just started out with countertops," she explains. "I didn't want to make a bunch of stuff...A lot of new contractors make countertops that aren't functional, but we make solid smooth surfaces."

To Black, achieving that solid smooth surface is key to the kitchen countertop's success. She cut her teeth on her own kitchen countertop after first spying a photo of a concrete countertops and immediately wanting one herself. "I did a lot of research—spent a year on research and talked to chemists—then poured my own countertop," Black explains.

Now, Architectural Concrete Specialties has branched out and offers not only concrete countertops but also tiles, backsplashes, sinks, fixtures and furniture. To accommodate all the products they make, Black is moving her shop to a new, larger location in March, where she says she will also start offering fireplace and tub surrounds.

There will also be a new line, Hannah Designs, focusing on simple, classic looks and specially blended colors for fireplaces and furniture pieces. For the custom products, ACS offers over 24,000 color choices and hundreds of textures to choose from. ACS makes sinks and fixtures; floor tiles in several sizes; tub surrounds; fireplace facings; backsplashes and wall tiles; farm sinks; integral sinks; furniture including headboards that are built-in or freestanding, tables, benches and more. Acid wash products and special finishes are their specialty.

Black also offers less expensive countertops—for people who otherwise couldn't afford a custom product—in six color choices and standard sizes. "Basically, you can pick a piece and it will be ready in two weeks," she says. "We won't install them, it's more for the do-it-yourselfer to install and finish."

Basic Elements, as the affordable countertops are called, are about half the price of Black's custom line. Standardized sizes for the kitchen are 25-1/2 inches wide and up to 7 feet long. For the bathroom, tops are 22-1/2 inches wide and up to 7 feet long. The edges are 2-3/8-inches thick, while the body of the countertop is one inch thick and mounted over a plywood deck.

Basic Elements are made with the same smooth surface and the durability of Black's custom line. Because of concrete's inherent characteristics, each piece is unique, and a sink opening can be added for an additional fee.

The new facility will also feature a formal showroom, with plenty of space for creating new products—space both inside and out. "We do a lot of work outdoors here," Black explains. "We'll have 2,500 square feet of space indoors, and about the same outside. It's going to double our capacity."

Black's company currently averages 10 to 20 jobs per month ranging from small to large. She just completed work in the Marriott Hotel in Tucson, where she made large, unusual countertops for five restaurants. Her work is also found in the Whisper Rock Country Club in Scottsdale, the Galleria Sports Club in Tucson, and the Arizona Arts Center, among other locations.

Architectural Concrete Specialties gets all their work through word of mouth, according to Black. "I haven't sought any jobs, and I average 10 referral calls per day," she says, adding that designers and architects are just as apt to refer her company as homeowners. Though her work has found its way into some neighboring states, Black says she tends to stay near Phoenix and Tucson.

The most important thing to Black is maintaining the integrity of the product. "It gets a bad rep because of people who don't know what they're doing," she says.

"When a product becomes popular a lot of people make it, then they saturate the market with crappy product and no one wants it anymore. I'm concerned we don't ruin it for ourselves, so we need to have standards...But I don't see why it will have to end. It could slow down and weed out those not doing a good job, which would be good."

"I don't think the industry has even gotten started yet," Black adds. "I have people calling that have heard of [concrete countertops] but still haven't even seen one. I think it will stay popular for a long time...Concrete should have a long run. There are a lot of really good concrete people out there that care as much as I do, and I think there's enough good ones around to end up with a better product."

Architectural Concrete Specialties, LLC.
Hannah Black
(602) 955-2396 Office
(602) 275-3908 Factory
(602) 955-3001FAX
Send Mail Now - Click Here
www.acsconcrete.com

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