Editor's Letter: Helping Out in New Orleans

The American Society of Concrete Contractors is doing their part to help the hurricane recovery in New Orleans.

The American Society of Concrete Contractors is doing their part to help the hurricane recovery in New Orleans.

Next month, ASCC's Decorative Concrete Council will be taking its annual Decorative Concrete Expo — formerly known as the Spring Fling — to the Crescent City. According to the organizers, it will be the first convention in the city since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It will be held at the Embassy Suites in the Warehouse District, a part of the city that escaped the worst of the damage.

If you're a decorative concrete contractor, or thinking of getting into decorative, there's plenty of reasons to come. From a purely self-serving standpoint, it's a chance to learn a heck of a lot about the industry in just two days.

This year's event features a beefed-up seminar schedule offering multiple choices depending on what you want to learn. If you're interested in design information, there's a seminar track for you. Or maybe business management is where you need to shape up. Just as important as the seminars is the chance to talk to some of the leaders in the industry at the breakfasts, lunches and receptions during the conference. Most people that I talk to get as much or more out of that than they do from the seminars.

It's also a chance to help out the city of New Orleans. Besides the money that the city makes when any conference comes to town, ASCC will be leaving behind a more permanent reminder. DCC members and ASCC staff are working with the city on a memorial to hurricane victims to be placed in a local park. It's a gift to the city from the association and its members, and a great way to help out the city's rebuilding efforts.

If you'd like to get involved, or would like more information on the Decorative Concrete Expo, call ASCC at (314) 968-4367 or visit www.ascconline.org.

Jonathan Sweet
Editor

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