ForConstructionPros.com

Editor's note: Training and education are an important part of making your business run better. In each issue we'll focus on different educational opportunities available for concrete contractors. This month, we take a look at the Decorative Concrete Institute in Temple, Ga., where editor Jonathan Sweet has attended several workshops.

TRAINING FOCUS: DCI

For years, manufacturers have been offering training in their specific line of decorative concrete products. Recently, however, a new group of learning opportunities has arrived — centered around the training itself and not as much on the products.

One of these is the Decorative Concrete Institute, founded in 2003 by Bob Harris. (Although DCI is not a manufacturer, it is a distributor for several decorative concrete suppliers, incuding Brickform, Colormaker and Fritz-Pak.)

Courses are taught by Harris and other industry leaders. DCI offers a number of classes on individual topics such as stamped concrete, polished concrete, skim coats, countertops and staining, But it's flagship course is a comprehensive four-day seminar, "Getting Started in the Field of Decorative Concrete."

This seminar covers everything you would want to know about decorative concrete, both from the technical and business sides. There is extensive information on marketing and pricing to help you get a business off the ground.