April 2007 Industry Leader:

Harry Moats has returned to L.M. Scofield Company, where he is now President and Chief Operating Officer, as of January 2007. Previously Operations Manager for Scofield from 1990 to 1998, Moats most recently served as President of Precision Concrete Construction, Inc., overseeing a period of dynamic growth.

He entered the construction industry 34 years ago, starting in engineering and then moving to concrete construction management. When he joined Scofield 17 years ago, Moats was instrumental in building the manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, as well as managing day-to-day operations.

Phillip J. Arnold, the Chairman and CEO of Scofield, states, "We considered where we want the company to be when it celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2015, and we reached out to expand our senior management team by appointing Harry Moats as President."

"As we complete intensive expansion and upgrading of our manufacturing facilities in California and Georgia, we are reorganizing the logistics and operational areas to meet the demand for increased volume and more diverse product offerings. Our R&D group has many new products in development. Since concrete is an environmentally sound building material with advantages over other building products, it meets many needs today. The excellent life-cycle costs also make it an ideal solution for sustainable green building which will continue to drive demand for these systems."

According to Moats, Scofield has a long track record for leadership in the industry. The company developed the first "ready-to-use" products and pioneered many of the practices used today. Scofield consequently has the largest market share of sales in decorative and architectural materials, such as coloring admixtures, color hardeners and concrete stains.

"I've been looking at where we are now and where we are going," Moats says regarding the future of the industry. "A lot of products move from manufacturing through distribution at Scofield. Decorative and architectural concrete is in a time of unprecedented opportunity. Scofield will continue to grow and expand to better serve the concrete contractors who rely on Scofield Systems. Since I have been in concrete construction for many years, I understand the needs of our customers, and I will continue to be involved in professional organizations such as ASCC and ACI that are so important for all of us in concrete."

"We think this growth is just starting," he continues. "As the end user for residential and commercial building becomes more educated about the value of concrete and the beauty of decorative materials, it will continue to gain popularity. Nationally the use of these materials is well established on both the East and West coasts. In the East, we see more interior work, such as resurfacing and renovation. The South quickly recognized the advantages of using concrete for outdoor amenities, such as pool decks and patios. More recently, popularity is steadily increasing in Canada and in the Midwest. In all areas, the interest in green building is growing. In fact, there's already a huge demand for eco-friendly, green products, and it is important for Scofield and the industry to be able to meet these needs."

Moats says the Scofield management team is committed to providing environmentally sound products, and there are both new and existing products that meet the requirements.

"We see it influencing specifications more and more," he adds. "We offer truly engineered systems that will meet the LEED program criteria -- systems that are either the offspring of existing products or new products. Last year, we reformulated our sealers to ensure they are low-VOC and still offer great performance."

"It's very important to attract talented people into the contracting sector, and then we have to help train them," Moats explains. "From the contractor point of view, there needs to be ongoing training and development of skills that will help contractors meet market demands. The better informed contractors are about how to use our products, the better off we all are, because it enhances the industry to have good work out there. One good driveway leads to 10, whereas one bad driveway sours the market."

Regarding certification programs, Moats adds, "Certification for decorative concrete finishers is an initiative of ACI Committee C 601-D, which will be developed in collaboration with the Decorative Concrete Council of the American Society of Concrete Contractors. The committee, chaired by Lance Boyer, is developing standards for certifying contractors qualified to do concrete stamping. That would be a benefit for the industry. ACI already has in place a program to certify flatwork finishers. A program such as this has the potential to raise the bar and improve quality. Since we foresee growth in specified building, where proof of certification is specified, quality should follow. It's better for the industry to voluntarily move toward self-regulation of quality."

"After all, the success of decorative concrete depends on quality. Everything we do depends on quality and reliability - in products, in service and ultimately in the results for the end users. If we do this well, then we win, contractors win and the industry as a whole wins," Moats concludes.

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