January 2006 Industry Leader:

Jeffrey Girard: Founder of Concrete Countertop Institute is Advocate for

Education & Accreditation

For professional civil engineer Jeffrey Girard, P.E., customers are the most important people in the decorative concrete world. The founder of the Concrete Countertop Institute, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, says certification, both for students and educators, is very important to the industry. "Training is essential to know how to do something well," he explains. "It's a valuable asset both for those new to the industry and those already in business." Girard and his company are active members in the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) and the American Concrete Institute (ACI), and Girard says he's working with both institutions to establish accreditation and certification programs, as well as quality standards for concrete countertops. "Accredited training is something that's needed across the board, especially in the concrete countertop industry. Currently, anybody can offer training, but there's no way for students to judge the quality of the training," he says of his company's advocacy for accreditation. "All areas can benefit from accreditation. It's better for everybody. [You] put out a better product for your customer."

Girard's career foundation began when he graduated in 1993 from the University of Massachusetts before going straight to work for the Navy in California. At the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, he was involved in cutting-edge, classified work, most of which he says will never be seen by the construction industry.

"[We] pushed the envelope to achieve specific goals in specific ways," Girard recalls. "[That's] allowed me to think differently, to look at things from outside the box."

When Girard and his wife moved to North Carolina in 1998, they bought a house and decided to remodel the kitchen. But it was only after reading an article about Buddy Rhodes that Girard says he knew what he really wanted to do.

"[The article] blew me away," he laughs. "I knew how to build bridges and skyscrapers with concrete, so I put two and two together."

Girard says after he decided to replace his kitchen countertops with concrete, he started studying. Because the article about Rhodes was biographical in nature, mostly discussing the man's life as an artist and potter, Girard says he hit the Internet for more information—specifically how to make concrete countertops.

"I wasn't satisfied with the information I found...It was mostly talking about failures, not successes," he recalls.

So, drawing on his background, Girard turned to his books and designed his own mix. "I approached it like any other research project," he says. "My background let me look at it from a different perspective, a more efficient approach...I knew what I wanted, and how to get there."

Girard says it took him a few months to make the countertops. "In the process, I saw a growing movement coming from California," he says of concrete countertops. "[These were] more than just a Bay Area novelty. People from all walks of life want concrete countertops."

That's when Girard started FormWorks, a concrete countertop manufacturing company, and in the process, he honed his skills and made his processes more efficient.

But the more involved he got, the more Girard noticed what was lacking in the industry. "I saw that a lot of problems (cracking, curling, shrinking) stemmed from lack of understanding about how concrete works," he says. "Learning about the materials helps [you] understand the process...I saw that lack of knowledge as a weakness in the industry."

As Girard focused on his goal—to put out a product that had high quality to satisfy a broad range of client requirements, he constantly looked at his clients' reaction and his products' long-term performance, improving his products to withstand the test of time.

"[But] that goal needed to be shared by many in the industry," he continues. "It's my duty to put out a good product to set an example, but it was difficult to do that nationwide because I was a small manufacturer."

In the meantime, Girard was becoming recognized for his craft, and occasionally would get requests to teach others the skills he possessed. Teaching was always one-on-one and here-and-there, that is until June 2004, when he formally developed The Concrete Countertop Institute (CCI).

"I saw a need for a separate institution that was product independent," Girard explains. "We model ourselves after a university, and we're here to teach, not push product."

The first class offered at CCI covered pre-cast concrete countertops, exploring options, technologies and methods. Just recently, three more classes were added to the curriculum: cast-in-place concrete countertops, advanced pre-cast (three-dimensional shapes), and sales and marketing.

"We provide a basic education, we teach people why they do what they do," he says. "[Contractors] need to be able to adapt their products. We provide fundamental basics of how concrete works. It's a broad, holistic approach."

Regarding adding the sales and marketing course, Girard comments, "You can make a perfect product, but if you can't sell it, it doesn't matter."

He adds that adaptability is a plus in the business. "The concrete countertop industry is growing just as fast as the decorative concrete industry, but it's regionally specific and you have to be able to adapt to that," notes Girard. "There's no one style or design or look. [You need to] make a very adaptable product to meet a variety of different needs."

Though Girard also offers one-on-one consulting as a way to tap into CCI's resources without having to take a class, those considering circumventing training should reconsider.

CCI offers membership, or long-term technical support, to their graduates. Members get four hours per month from Girard via email, telephone and sometimes even in person, where they can ask him about anything and everything related to concrete.

"It's a support network that gives them confidence down the road," Girard says of CCI's membership program. "It's one of the most important factors of CCI."

Members are also invited to join the CCI Intranet, where they can access a closed venue for members only that's free of the clutter found on other "chat room" venues.

"Members can use it as a way to network among themselves," says Girard. "[They] exchange photos, tips, etc. and ask questions. I also often post new techniques and other insider information there."

"We are continually researching and incorporating the latest concrete technologies for the betterment of our students and their products. And I'm constantly educating myself to ensure I'm a good educator," Girard concludes. "All of our efforts are there to make sure clients get good product."

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