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Upon returning from the city of "Lost Wages" after the 2009 World of Concrete, I found myself reflecting back on the events that took place and thinking about the general mood of everyone participating in this year's show.

As a bystander in several manufacturer booths and a couple cocktail receptions, it was interesting to listen to the sidebar conversations. Many of the discussions revolved around comments like, "Hey, did you hear that so-and-so lost their job after 19 years of service?" or "Did you hear that so-and-so pulled out of the World Of Concrete at the last minute because of finances and decided not to exhibit?" I don't want to detract anything from the show, which was certainly good, but the buzz seemed to focus around our flailing economy.

I asked two of the many friends I saw at the show how their companies were faring in these rough times. I figured it would be interesting to hear the perspectives of these two highly successful businessmen from two different geographical regions. Here's what they had to say:

Tom Ralston, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Tom: The current status of the economy has forced us to change our business radically. Our sales are down 40 percent. Changes have been made in three areas: