The Evolution of SS Specialties Decorative Concrete Products

Doug Bannister, contractor, founder of The Stamp Store and SS Specialties Decorative Concrete Products

Product failures are the bane of every decorative concrete contractor. He gets awarded the project based on an expectation of the finished concrete surface, competing against all the other surface choices the customer has; he works through a variety of conditions on the project to get the project done; then, hopefully, walks away with a check or shortly thereafter receives a check for full payment on a profitable project (he thinks).Then the dreaded call comes….

I won’t go into gory detail about all the different types of problem calls that can occur. But the outcome of the problem call can range from being an expensive hassle in money and time, up to a big and bad enough problem that can put the contractor out of business or at least eat up several months’ worth of profit.

So, if the successful decorative concrete contractor is to survive and thrive, he must look for products that are going to reduce his chance of problems as much as possible.

A Store is Born

Doug Bannister was that successful decorative concrete contractor. Since starting and operating a regular concreting company in 1972 and installing decorative concrete treatments since 1980, Bannister learned first-hand about what products worked and which products were causing the type of grief outlined above. In 1995, he decided to open The Stamp Store to provide education and products to other contractors-products he believed were the best because he used them himself in his own contracting business and could explain how to use them properly. He continued contracting, while also operating the store, up until 2001when he started focusing all his energies on running The Stamp Store, and doing research and development to improve decorative concrete products. The Stamp Store is still operating in Oklahoma City today with a robust research and development focus.

This floor is SS Rainbow Water-Based Stain Cha-Cha, Shasta Daisy, Malay Tan and Irish Luck; Primed with SS Water Based 40 Epoxy, and sealed with SS Water Based 60 Urethane Gloss. The countertop is enCOUNTER Professional Concrete System Mix, enCOLOR, and sealed with enPOXY.

The research and development emphasis started to produce product successes, each with their own brand name. SLICK’EM, a trowel-grade micro-topping of Portland cement, fine aggregates, and proprietary admixes, was the first product coming to market in 2002. According to Bannister, “We are always looking at products and figuring out how we can tweak things to make them better, to solve some problem, or eliminate obstacles a product presents to contractors.” For example, a contractor had come in to The Stamp Store in a panic. He had a rain-damaged house slab and his customer/ builder wanted the slab removed due to the lightly pitted surface caused by rain (although the builder had encouraged and pushed for pouring the slab with a 60% chance of rain). Bannister had a formula that he had developed on his jobs. He shared it with the contractor, supplied him the materials-and thus, SLICK’EM was born. The project was saved, saving the contractor thousands of dollars.

More new products were on the way over the following years: Rainbow Water-Based Stains; enCounter countertops system; Sedona Acid Stains; One Day Floor systems; EZ Top, plus a host of sealers, coatings, and strippers/cleaners for any circumstance. Again, the focus each time was solving a problem or building a better system to make it easier for the contractor. Each product has become a well-known brand in its own right.

Successful Individual Products Grow Into a Complete Product Line

The Stamp Store was turning out successful products on a regular basis. Now it came time to turn these individually successful products into a product line and “sell to the sellers.” In other words, just as Bannister sold products that worked for him to other contractors via the Stamp Store, this new line of products that had been successfully researched and sold at the Stamp Store would sell to other stores and distributors. He chose the name SS Specialties decorative concrete products (SS stands for Stamp Store for those who are a little slow today-like I was when I first saw the name).

Bannister says, "We listen a lot to what the store’s needs are. We understand they want good products, repeat business, and minimal tech calls. We know what it takes for them to succeed from our experience at the Stamp Store."

He also has the team to provide the support to go with top-notch products. Coyne Edmison is General Manager; Dana Johnson manages The Stamp Store, Tim Fraizer is Manager of Training and R&D; Jeff Sharp, Mark Hughes, and John Thompson are Sales Managers, Debbie Orr is Shipping Manager, and Patty Cason is Creative Director for the company.

SS Specialties thinks they are strongest serving stores and distributors within a 500 mile shot of Oklahoma City, which is the range of 1-day shipping. But they serve clients all over the country, including Spec West out in California.

An interview years ago proved prescient of Bannister’s manufacturing future. Bannister noted back then, “The support the manufacturer offers is just as important as the products themselves. Looking at it from a contractor's point of view, good products in the hands of good contractors with good support is a win-win."

Next Steps

Learn more about any of SS Specialties decorative concrete products, including a line of green products. Visit their site at www.ssspecialtiesconcrete.com

Learn more about distributing SS Specialties: Call Coyne Edmison at 866-906-2006

Find a distributor near you to buy products from.
Go to www.ssspecialtiesconcrete.com and click on the “Distributors” tab.