Some people you immediately take a liking to. Concrete product fabricator Gary Simpson was one of those people for me. I read about Gary in a 1999 Los Angeles Times newspaper article about concrete countertops. He agreed to show me the ropes on concrete countertops at a job he was doing for CFI in Los Angeles, California (see article).

He was building countertops at CFI and also acid-etch staining the floors. I thought his work was outrageous. And as interesting as his work is, I found him intriguing, a perfectionist, and definitely possessing an artists view of the world (I have found this to be true of many of the builders of concrete furniture, countertops and other products. This "artist's view" is probably why concrete countertops are not made and sold on a mass production basis: each product is custom and unique to the artist. Don't bother asking them about their mix).

When I needed a concrete conference table for the new ConcreteNetwork.Com office – I gave Gary a call and explained my needs. He came up with an idea for the table and a unique configuration of rebar for the legs. He also wanted to rust the legs intentionally, and then seal in the rust.

I deferred to his judgment and asked him to "build me what he thought would be appropriate to match our acid-etched concrete floor in both texture and color."

Within 3 weeks the conference table was delivered and it is stunning. Visitors comment about the unique table and I must say it is inspiring when meeting in our office to work around (and on) the products we discuss.

See a furniture sample by Simpson.

In the end, I realize that the most rewarding thing about building ConcreteNetwork.Com is meeting and learning from the tremendous amount of concrete craftsman in both the United States and around the world. My view of craftsman is broad and includes everything from concrete product fabricators, concrete homebuilders, concrete floor artists, flat floor producers, tilt-up constructors, to building a basement that doesn't leak.

It confirms to me that our role here is to broaden the knowledge, use, and effectiveness of these concrete products and services in an honest and entertaining fashion.

Gary Simpson of Kaldari may be contacted at 949-494-3046, and may be visited at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach California each summer.