Bev Garnant, executive director of the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC), St. Louis, announced today that the Concrete Polishing Association of America (CPAA) will merge with ASCC. CPAA will become the Concrete Polishing Council, a specialty council of ASCC. ASCC has three other councils: the Decorative Concrete Council, the Safety & Risk Management Council, and the Manufacturer’s Advisory Council.
CPAA was formed in 2010 to provide standards, education and a professional network for the concrete polishing industry. As an ASCC council, the group will continue to be a resource for contractors, designers and owners involved with specifying, installing and maintaining polished concrete.
CPAA was managed by Creative Association Management (CAM), a subsidiary of the American Concrete Institute (ACI). “This move does not reflect dissatisfaction with our previous management firm,” said Chad Gill, CPAA president. “CAM made us more solid and credible, increasing membership and adding significantly to the substance of the organization. We become part of ASCC as a strong coalition of polishing companies, ready to take our next steps.”
“Concrete polishing contractors take the baton from the placement contractor and carry it to the finished surface. It makes sense for polishing and placement contractors to have tight coordination. This is the thought process that led the CPAA to merge with the ASCC,” Gill said.
“While CPAA has built its brand on education and specification, we were only telling half the story,” says Gill. “Combining with the ASCC, the strongest association in concrete placement, we now have an unrivaled depth of technical and real world knowledge about how to deliver the best possible end product. Our members will be exposed to an array of new benefits and resources from one of the most sharing and driven communities with whom I have interacted. Our customers will see the benefits of a synergistic relationship between the canvas and the deliverable. We at the CPAA are very excited about this leap forward for our association and our future growth in this dynamic industry.”
The ASCC is an international trade association that “enhances the capabilities” of cast-in-place concrete contractors by providing educational and networking resources. “We are extremely pleased that the CPAA saw ASCC as a natural home to expand and further their purpose,” said Garnant. “We, too, believe there is symmetry between the goals of both groups that makes this a logical union.”
Specialty Councils of the ASCC elect a Council board of directors and have their own bylaws. Councils have an independent strategic plan while still being wholly involved and in step with the mission of the ASCC. “We’re excited about being able to provide the CPAA members all of the educational and networking resources of the ASCC,” Garnant said, “along with continuing their valuable member benefits.”
