Speakers
The 2007 Concrete Countertop Industry Conference boasts a diverse range of experts in all aspects of concrete countertops. Click on a name below to read more about the industry leaders presenting the informative seminars.
More presenters will be announced soon.
- Doug Bannister of enCOUNTER
- Michael Bustin of Meld USA
- Fu-Tung Cheng of Cheng Concrete Exchange
- Rocky Geans of L.L. Geans Construction
- Jeffrey Girard, P.E., of The Concrete Countertop Institute
- Bob Harris of the Decorative Concrete Institute
- Christian Lincoln of Counter Culture Concrete
- Dr. Bruce Maier of A T G, Inc.
- Lane Mangum of The Concrete Countertop Institute
- Christopher McCormick of Betonas
- Mark Melonas of LukeWorks
- Gabriel Ojeda of FritzPak
Our "Ask the Experts" panel:
Some of these names you may know, and some you may not know, but they all have one thing in common: They have been in the concrete countertop business for at least a decade! Be sure to attend the "Ask the Experts Anything!" session to learn from their success.
- George Bishop of Get Real Surfaces
- Kelly Carr of Concrete Jungle
- Mike Karmody of Stone Soup Concrete
- Buddy Rhodes of Buddy Rhodes Concrete Products
Doug Bannister of enCOUNTER
Fri. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. How to Succeed as a Cast in Place Specialist
Bannister is a life long concrete professional getting his start as a mason tender on one of his uncle’s masonry crews in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1962. On one hot day during a sidewalk pour Bannister’s uncle told him to grab a float and trowel and so began his finishing career.
Nearly twenty years later Bannister started stamping concrete. This was long before information and resources were so readily available. His expertise is hard earned and spans a wide variety of concrete applications and decorative work.
Bannister founded The Stamp Store, a retail decorative supply house in 1995 and soon instituted the “Deminar” training classes – Bannister’s trademark training program. Deminars are small and intensive two and three day hands-on classes held in Oklahoma City. For several years attendees went out with Bannister’s crew on stamped, stain, overlay and countertop projects. Most training now is done at or near The Stamp Store facility and Bannister also presents programs around the country on various decorative applications.
Bannister has both presented and led Mega Demos at the World of Concrete. Bannister unveiled enCOUNTER, a non cracking/staining concrete countertop system at the WOC ’06 and was the lead presenter for countertops at this years’ WOC for Brickform.
Bannister is an ACI Certified Flatwork Finisher and member of numerous state ready mix and trade associations and was recently named as one of The Industry’s Ten Most Influential People by Concrete Construction magazine.
Michael Bustin of Meld USA
Thu. 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Adding a New Dimension: Going 3-D
Michael Bustin is the visionary behind Meld USA’s ultracool materials and modern concrete products and the surreptitious leader of the new cool eco-movement “Generation Concrete™.”
Born in New Jersey and raised in Florida and New York, Michael grew up experimenting in his father’s custom fabrication and machine shop. He carries this inventiveness with him today, combining innovative materials, elements and forms to create striking results.
Michael is sought after for his creative foresight and trouble-shooting abilities. He is known for his enthusiasm and evangelism for modern cool concrete and for his get-it- done pragmatism. He simultaneously earned a bachelor of science in physics from the State University of New York at Potsdam and a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering with a concentration in design from Clarkson University.
He first applied his acquired knowledge in commercial construction, rising quickly to senior construction manager for a noted general construction company in New York, then jumped to a specialty West coast architectural materials and products company, where he was national sales director.
Michael is leading Meld in its quest to drive the evolution of concrete in the modern lifestyle. As a principal of Meld (www.meldusa.com) , Michael has directed the company’s materials program, which has produced extremeconcrete®, one of Architectural Magazine’s Best Products of 2004 and an inductee in Material ConneXion’s permanent Innovative Materials Library in NYC, Milan, Cologne and Bangkok.
Meld and Michael have begun a new eco-movement for contemporary concrete aficionados called “Generation Concrete.” Generation Concrete understands that the world can be full of interesting cool concrete products and materials that don’t have to be harmful or wasteful for the environment. A manifestation of the philosophy of Generation Concrete is Meld’s ecoX™ eco-sensitive concrete, a highly anticipated 70% +/- post industrial & post consumer recycled cement based composite. Meld’s Green philosophy and ecoX material are reshaping concrete’s role in sustainable product design and architecture and changing how concrete is perceived and used today.
Michael is currently engaging visionary designers for Meld’s products initiative, which, to date, has produced the award-winning Whale Tail and the enigmatic Sevn modern sculptural seating elements. Additionally Michael is both a charter member of the newly conceived Concrete Countertop Council and Design Raleigh Expo (www.dxraleigh.com). Michael is also a member of the USGBC.
Fu-Tung Cheng of Cheng Design and Cheng Concrete Exchange
Thu. 8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Keynote Presentation: "Living On The Edge Of Concrete Countertop Making": Taking imaginative risks to create timeless design.
Fri. 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Just Because The Tail Wags the Dog, Don't Just Pet The Tail: You know concrete countertops, but what you don't know about design can bite you.
Fu-Tung Cheng heads the award-winning firms of Cheng Design and Cheng Design Products in Berkeley, California and is president and founder of Cheng Concrete Exchange, www.concreteexchange.com, an online resource and marketplace providing building professionals and do-it-yourselfers with training, design ideas, business opportunities and a full line of concrete countertop products.
A native of Los Angeles, Fu-Tung graduated from UC Berkeley with a Fine Arts degree and has since planted roots in the Bay Area. His home has served as a creative “laboratory and showroom,” where years of design experiments are the base for the firms' hands-on approach to creative building and Fu-Tung's bestselling book, Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath. His second book, Concrete at Home, offers a creative look at concrete applications in the home including fireplaces, water features, floors, walls and more.
Willing to go anywhere for good design, Cheng Design's projects are located coast to coast, including Puerto Rico and Hawaii. The firm's signature style has appeared in Metropolitan Home, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Sunset and Dwell, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, and Chicago Tribune, and Cheng Design has been honored with numerous awards including induction into the prestigious NKBA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Rocky Geans of L.L. Geans Construction
Thu. 2:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. How to Run Your Business for SUCCESS!
Rocky R. Geans is the owner and president of L.L. Geans Construction Co., a 47-year old concrete contracting firm, in Mishawaka, Indiana. The company specializes in light industrial, commercial, residential and decorative concrete installations in the South Bend/Mishawaka metropolitan area.
Geans has 41 years of experience in concrete contracting, 20 of those as president of L.L. Geans. With a good work ethic instilled by his father, who founded the company in 1959, Rocky’s organizational and management skills have guided the once small construction company to a well managed $3.5 million firm. He believes that growth in revenue is overrated if the bottom line is not profitable, and that growth can and should occur in efficiencies within the management side of a company.
Geans is a vice president of the American Society of Concrete Contractors and a past chairman of the organization’s Annual Conference and CEO Form committees. Currently he is a member of ASCC’s Executive, Membership, Annual Conference and CEO Forum committees.
Geans organized the ASCC’s Management Information eXchange (MIX) Group program, contractor peer groups which meet and share business and technical information. He continues to facilitate MIX Group Orientation meetings for the association.
Geans has been a speaker at the World of Concrete since 1995. He has spoken for several other groups across the country including the ASCC, the Decorative Concrete Council, the Arizona Concrete Contractors Association, and the Ohio Ready Mixed Concrete Association. Geans topics include business development, business management and technical subjects. He has also participated in numerous finisher training classes and demonstrations. His viewpoint is that of a small contractor with a broad industry perspective and a big heart for concrete contracting.
Jeffrey Girard, P.E., of The Concrete Countertop Institute
Thu. 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Understanding Concrete Countertop Mixes
Jeffrey Girard, the founder and president of The Concrete Countertop Institute and the pioneer of engineered concrete countertops, has been a leader of innovation in concrete countertops since 1998. Girard is a licensed, professional civil engineer with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts.
Girard has over fourteen years experience with innovative, cutting-edge civil engineering. After graduating from UMass in 1993, he worked for the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory in Port Hueneme, California. There he worked on advanced civil engineering projects for the United States Navy. Much of his research is classified, but the experience enabled him to approach complex challenges from new and different directions.
After leaving California in late 1998, Girard founded a concrete countertop manufacturing company, as a direct response to the growing demand for quality concrete countertops. He was remodeling his own kitchen and decided to make a concrete countertop for it. He approached the project as only an engineer would: by pulling his engineering textbooks off the shelf, performing months of research, testing and design, and treating the countertop as an engineering project. In the course of his research, he saw that there was a growing demand for concrete countertops.
Over the years, as demand grew across the U.S., Girard saw the need for quality training, to make sure that concrete countertops continue to grow in popularity. Girard’s mission is to raise the standard for concrete countertops through quality standards and comprehensive education, and this lead to his founding of The Concrete Countertop Institute in early 2004. Through The Concrete Countertop Institute’s training programs (www.ConcreteCountertopInstitute.com) Girard provides intensive training that helps contractors succeed in the business of making concrete countertops.
In 2006, Girard developed the Concrete Connections website, located at www.concretecountertops.net. The website provides information for contractors, the trade and homeowners that helps educate and inform about concrete countertops, promoting their use and helping to grow the concrete countertop industry. The website also offers a membership program that is a networking group and informational resource for concrete countertop professionals. Girard also works with manufacturers as a resource for designing and distributing the best possible products for making concrete countertops.
One of Girard’s most recent projects is this Concrete Countertop Industry Conference (CCIC), an annual conference that provides contractors with the latest information about concrete countertops by bringing together industry experts and manufacturers representing all of the resources available for successful concrete countertop making. The first annual conference was held November 6-7, 2006 in Raleigh, NC, with 250 people from around the world in attendance. Jeff looks forward to speaking at this second annual conference and to seeing all of the attendees from last year again, and more.
Girard is an active member in the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Concrete Contractors.
Bob Harris of the Decorative Concrete Institute
Fri. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. How to Succeed as a Cast in Place Specialist
Bob Harris is known worldwide in the decorative Concrete Industry. He is president of the Decorative Concrete Institute, an organization in Temple, Georgia, that offers hands-on training and workshops in the latest decorative products and techniques. Decorative Concrete Institute has recently announced their expansion to the West Coast and Europe.
He also was affiliated with a large manufacturer of decorative concrete products for nearly a decade, the last part of which he served as the director of product training. In this role, he conducted hands-on training seminars in architectural concrete in locations around the world in addition to being an integral part of technical support and research and development.
Central to Harris’ ability to teach, is his extensive experience with the products he trains contractors to use. Prior to his director of product training role, he worked as senior superintendent for six years exclusively in Disney theme parks, doing decorative “themed concrete” work with integral color, dry-shake color hardeners, and chemical stains. On the Disney properties, he did everything from casting tree branches to alligator paw prints in concrete.
He personally placed and/or supervised the placement of over three million square feet of decorative concrete, including work for some of the major Disney theme parks in Orlando, Florida.
Bob is author of three guides that have sold over 25,000 copies worldwide; Bob Harris’ Guide to Stained Interior Concrete Floors; Bob Harris’ Guide to Stamped Concrete; and Bob Harris’ Guide to Concrete Overlays and Toppings in addition to the newly released DVD – Concrete Overlays and Toppings. Bob’s DVD on Stained Concrete will be released in the Spring of 2007.
Harris also shares his expertise with others through his involvement with industry associations. He currently holds three certifications from the American Concrete Institute and serves on ACI Committee 303, Architectural Concrete; ACI Committee 610C, Field Technician Certification; and ACI Committee 640C, Craftsmen Certification. He also is affiliated with the American Society of Concrete Contractors and is a member of the ASCC’s Decorative Concrete Council, as well as the author of several articles for various technical publications.
Bob's expertise has taken him to many places to share his ideas and educate others in the field of architectural concrete. He has presented at the World of Concrete for seven consecutive years, World of Concrete in Mexico City for the past four years, was the Master of Ceremonies at the Con/Expo Con/Agg demo in Las Vegas in March of 2002, participated in various speaking engagements for the Decorative Concrete Council, has conducted training sessions in Mexico, Germany, Spain, England, South Africa, Athens, Greece, Italy and the Caribbean to name a few.
Christian Lincoln of Counter Culture Concrete
Thu. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Should I "Grind and Grout" or "Pop a Perfect Slab"?
Christian Lincoln studied fine arts privately for many years in New York City. He went to the National Academy of Fine Arts, S.U.N.Y. New Paltz, University of California - Santa Barbara and to New York University for graduate school. Lincoln started Counter Culture Concrete in 2001 in an effort to get away from dot coms. The company was borne out of a yearning to get back to basics: gratifying materials, good design, and the tactile rewards of working with his hands.
Lincoln is the recipient of the 2006 Best Kitchen in Show Award from Fu-Tung Cheng, and is currently being featured for a concrete countertop "how-to" for This Old House Magazine. He works with unique architects, designers, builders and clients in the New York Metropolitan area. He lives in Woodstock, N.Y. with his wife Katrina and two terrific Australian cattle dogs.
Dr. Bruce Maier of A T G, Inc.
Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. The Truth About Concrete Countertop Sealers... with all the details.
Dr. BRUCE R. MAIER is founder and President of A.T.G. Labs, Inc., a research and manufacturing company. He is also an equity participant in, and Chief Scientist for Richard James Specialty Chemicals Corp (RJSC) which specializes in the development and manufacturing of environmentally appropriate water-based coatings, cleaners and additives. He has a Ph.D. in infectious diseases from the U. of Mo. School of Medicine where he was an assistant professor and a prime investigator on the “marker research” linking diet, bowel cancer and fats.
Immediately prior to his association with RJSC, Dr. Maier was Chief Consulting Scientist for Union Carbide Marble Care, Inc. (1989 to 1992) where he developed products (2 patents) and advised on stone surface mechanicals and chemistry. When the Union Carbide venture was sold, RJSC was organized as a free-standing venture. RJSC was perhaps the first company, fifteen years ago, to develop only waterborne coatings systems which are now used on Metropolitan Transport stations, retail and industrial floors. Product development is ongoing for the countertop industry, airport surfaces and military applications.
Innovations Dr. Maier has developed for the coatings industry include a new “third generation” epoxy, an exceptionally durable urethane, the first can-stable waterborne organo silane, and a silane-linked color system for polishing into concrete.
From 1985 until 1988 Maier set up a venture-assist program for the state of Missouri as President of Missouri Ingenuity, Inc., and was a lecturer for the SBA throughout the country in its “Technology Development” series for new and developing businesses.
Before his venture assist work, Dr, Maier was and is best known as the entrepreneur and audiophile who developed a cleaner for vinyl records and turned that company, Discwasher, Inc. into the world’s largest audio accessory firm of its time. He also patented a recoil protection system and made that product line of shooting wearables a successful entity (PAST Corp).
Dr. Maier holds 17 patents in coatings, cleansers, audio equipment, transformer oils and recoil protection.
Lane Mangum of The Concrete Countertop Institute
Fri. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Make More Money with Smart Marketing
Lane Mangum was marketing and sales manager for Jeff Girard’s concrete countertop manufacturing business. She transitioned the company from a hobby-level business to the dominant regional fabricator of concrete countertops in just a few short years.
Lane’s background is in software. She has a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts and a Master’s degree in computer science from the University of California Santa Barbara. Lane started out in 1995 as a computer programmer. Over the years, she transitioned to project management, technical product management, product management and finally to product marketing and sales support. She then applied her sales and marketing experience to a new industry: concrete countertops. She likes to say that she transitioned from software to hardware.
Lane took principles of relationship marketing and figured out whom to market concrete countertops to and how. She set up a showroom and had a showroom grand opening. She started booking meetings with kitchen designer and interior designer organizations. She started doing lunch and learns for architecture firms. Her sales and marketing efforts were the driving force behind the growth and success of Jeff's company.
Lane now teaches other concrete countertop companies how to do the same. She developed The Concrete Countertop Institute’s self-study courses Sales & Marketing 101 and Project Management 101. Her passion is helping to accomplish The Concrete Countertop Institute’s mission of helping contractors succeed in the business of concrete countertops.
Christopher McCormick of Betonas Manufacturing
Thu. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Should I "Grind and Grout" or "Pop a Perfect Slab"?
Christopher is an accomplished Industrial Designer who started his career path with a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Through several design collaborative efforts with local companies in Rochester NY (Kodak, Gunlocke Furniture, Reebok, Milwaukee Power Tools, & Airwalk Shoes) he gained insight and knowledge that gave him a competitive edge right from the start.
From 1997 – 1999 Christopher contributed to the Special Effects of Several Major Motion Pictures building scale miniature models for Cinema Production Services. These movies included: Godzilla (with Matthew Broderick), Visual Effects Academy Award Winner: What Dreams May Come (with Robin Williams), Soldier (with Kurt Russell), The Imposter (with Gary Sinise), The Faculty, Dinosaur (a Disney Film), Final Destination, Shockwave (a CBS miniseries), Reindeer Games (with Ben Affleck), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (with Eddie Murphy). Christopher received on screen credit for some of the movies.
After 1999 Christopher attained a position as the Assistant Production Manager at Transportation Displays Incorporated (TDI). At TDI he assisted in the coordination and production of indoor/ outdoor advertising media.
In 2000, Christopher became the Assistant to accomplished sculptor, Thomas Donahue (who assisted in the facial reconstruction of the Statue of Liberty!), as well as an Associate Designer at the renowned Spaeth Design. His work with Mr. Donahue included work that can be seen to this day at any Tiffany jewelry store. He helped design and fabricate Sculptural Jewelry Display Forms. In 2000 he assisted in the design, sculpting/ fabrication, installation of the 2000 Tiffany Flagship Store (5th Ave NYC) Holiday window display.
During his term with Spaeth Design Christopher Contributed to the design process of several projects that included: animated storefront designs and special events. Spaeth Design is world renowned for their holiday animated window displays and Christopher managed many of these projects from conception to installation.
In early 2000, Christopher was introduced to Mark Lacko, an independent and expert Industrial Designer. Christopher worked with Mark as an independent contractor/ designer on various projects ranging from computer graphic design, product development/ design, prototypes, and custom concrete projects. The demand for their concrete product in both commercial and residential settings (BBQ’s, fireplace surrounds, tubs, conference tables, counters, vanities, sinks, bowls, park benches, sculptures, etc.) developed into an independent sustainable business unto itself. As a result of the growth, Betonas (Lithuanian for concrete) came into being.
Betonas now has two locations: One in Garrison, NY and the other in Pompano Beach, FL. Betonas offers a standard product line of innovative and elegant concrete products as well as it caters to the custom market. Christopher runs the facility in Pompano Beach as the Vice President of Production.
Christopher is also a charter member of the newly conceived Concrete Countertop Council.
Mark Melonas of LukeWorks
Thu. 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Adding a New Dimension: Going 3-D
Mark Melonas is an artist, designer, educator and artisan. He started working in the building trades at age 14 as an assistant to a custom homebuilder in Maryland. He went on to study architecture, design and sculpture at the University of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art. During his undergraduate studies Melonas began apprenticing with a fine furniture maker, where he learned traditional and contemporary furnituremaking and finishing techniques. Melonas moved to New England in 1997 to pursue a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Artisanry at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. While in New England he experimented with furniture forms, concepts and materials and began experiments with cast concrete as both a sculptural and furniture medium. The close proximity to other artisans working in various materials allowed him to learn about the traditional crafts of fibers, ceramics, and metalworking.
Melonas began his teaching career as a graduate student teaching drawing, then moved on to teach sculpture to the senior class at the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts. He continues to invite sculpture groups and other design professionals to the LUKE WORKS’ studio to inform about the intricacies of his studio’s work and processes.
Mark Melonas founded LUKE WORKS, Inc. in 2001 to provide clients a broad array of design solutions for custom contemporary projects. LUKE WORKS specializes in custom concrete countertops, metalwork and fine furniture in a variety of materials. Their work focuses on contemporary forms and considerate use of sustainable and alternative materials.
In 2006 LUKE WORKS received a national award from Teragren, a leading manufacturer of bamboo building products, for “Innovative Design and Craftmanship.” The award recognized LUKE WORKS specifically for furniture pieces that paired bamboo panels with recycled aggregate concrete.
In 2007 LUKE WORKS, Inc. unveiled their first furniture line. The Katharos collection, designed by Melonas, is a suite of fine bathroom furniture made of concrete and bamboo. The furniture line has received local and national press.
Melonas lives with his wife and two young children near LUKE WORKS’ 10,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Baltimore, MD.
Gabriel Ojeda of Fritz-Pak
Thu. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Everything You Need to Know About Admixtures
Gabriel is President of Fritz-Pak Corporation, which manufactures concrete admixtures in powdered form. Fritz-Pak Corporation is jointly owned and managed by Gabriel and his wife of twenty nine years, Jane.
Gabriel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemical Engineering from the Technical Institute of Monterrey, Mexico, a Master of Science Degree from Texas A&M University, and Master of Arts in International Management from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Gabriel is a member of ACI, ASCC and NRMCA. He is currently on the board of the International Packaged Concrete Association and the American Concrete Pumping Association. Gabriel has three children, of whom he is very proud.
The "Ask the Experts" panel:
Some of these names you may know, and some you may not know, but they all have one thing in common: They have been in the concrete countertop business for at least a decade! Be sure to attend the "Ask the Experts Anything!" session to learn from their success.
Buddy Rhodes of Buddy Rhodes Concrete Products 
Buddy Rhodes is the President of Buddy Rhodes Concrete Products, LLC and the founder of Buddy Rhodes Studio Inc. in San Francisco, California. After attending Alfred University and building a ceramics trade near Ithaca, New York, he moved west for graduate studies at the San Francisco Art Institute. Buddy began forming concrete bricks, furniture and tiles in the 1980’s. In 1987, he started making cast-in-place concrete countertops for homeowners in the Bay area, soon moving to solely pre-cast applications. Since that time, he has been working with architects and designers on commercial and residential projects across the U.S. and abroad.
Buddy’s focus for the last four years has been on sharing his Buddy Rhodes Concrete Countertop Mix at distributors nationwide, as well as training artisans in his methods and materials. His latest offerings include a DVD and a line of custom-designed fiberglass molds for concrete sinks, vanities, tables, stools and planters, along with the step-by-step book, Making Concrete Countertops with Buddy Rhodes, published in 2007 by Schiffer Books.
George Bishop of Get Real Surfaces
George, along with his family, began Get Real Surfaces in their garage in 1998 with the idea that concrete deserved as much respect as other competitive countertop materials. Since then, the business has grown into a manufacturing facility in Poughkeepsie, NY and a Manhattan showroom has been opened. Get Real Surfaces’ client base come from all over including the East Coast to the West as well as Bermuda and Europe. Standard product Get Real Surfaces has developed includes bathtubs, sinks, vanities, countertops, benches, and planters. Get Real Surfaces also specializes in custom projects and retail furnishings.
George began his career with a A.A.S. Degree in Civil Technology in 1977. Since then his has worked in the structural and architectural concrete industry developing highway beams, domed stadiums (Carrier Dome for Syracuse University) to the present Get Real Surfaces products.
Kelly Carr of Concrete Jungle
Kelly Carr has been a major contributor to the growth of artisan concrete since completing an apprenticeship with Buddy Rhodes in 1995. Kelly founded Concrete Jungle, his successful Washington-D.C. area concrete studio, later that year.
“I was out in California and just fell in love with concrete,” Kelly says. “My father taught me early in life that it is not about the job, it’s about the craft and here was everything I wanted to be doing.”
Concrete Jungle’s commercial projects include M&T Bank Stadium (home of the Baltimore Ravens), the Pentagon, ESPN, the World Bank and the C.F. Martin Guitar headquarters. Residential work continues to be a key element of Concrete Jungle’s business, with Kelly’s work complimenting many finer East Coast homes. He remains as passionate about concrete as he was more than a decade ago.
“It’s real, it has soul,” Kelly says of artisan concrete. “I put my heart into my work and it always gives back.
Mike Karmody of Stone Soup Concrete
Michael Karmody first became fascinated by concrete when, as a boy, he played in the ruins of German gun emplacements near the French hovercraft port at Calais. Concrete again drew Karmody's attention when he visited the Berlin Wall at the height of the Cold War. Each side of the concrete structure faced a different ideology & way of life. To Karmody's eyes, the Berlin Wall was a shrine to the use of concrete as a revolutionary tool.
Karmody went on to study International Relations at (the now defunct) Eisenhower College. In his studies, he continued to be drawn by the role that concrete played in the transformation of Russia, a one-time historical backwater, as it became the Soviet Union, a feared & modern global super-power.
His first practical experience with concrete came at San Francisco's Presidio when he was working to renovate the former Coast Guard commander's residence to accommodate the needs of the Mikhail S Gorbachev Foundation's US Headquarters.
By 1995 Karmody had cast his first concrete counter. Threatened with eviction for living in the 1000 sq. ft. art studio he rented, Karmody poured a 3000 lb. single-piece concrete counter as a parting gift to his landlord. The original counter still exists. It is still in its original location, now a part of the 15000 sq.ft. Stone Soup Concrete facility, although Karmody no longer lives there. Karmody and Stone Soup Concrete, LLC now regularly produce thousands of pounds of concrete as both an aid to, and an exhortation for, the transformation of the human landscape & psyche.
In addition to the manufacture of custom countertops, sinks, & tubs, Stone Soup Concrete, LLC produces a range of high quality, designed furniture. Since 2003 Stone Soup Concrete, LLC has also been a leader in countertop construction education.