I’m going to cover a topic about concrete and excellence. It’ll be a quick blog, and I’m excited to be with you, so stay with me.
I’m in Florida at the PGA National Resort running a Super PM Boot Camp with 60 people. It’s exciting, exhausting, and so rewarding. Shoutout to Bill, Connor, and Hannah for sending me such kind words. That type of kindness makes a difference. Keep living like that, be kind, fight for equality, stand up for others and you’ll live a remarkable life.
Now, onto the topic. Last week I was in Vancouver, British Columbia, assessing a fantastic company called MarCon. Absolutely amazing people, family-owned, professional, safe, and on top of everything. As I toured their concrete structures, I noticed something I almost never see in the U.S. they clean, patch, and scrape immediately after stripping forms. No waiting. No leaving a mess for someone else. Everything is clean, organized, and finished right away.
That level of professionalism matters. Too often, forming crews leave behind rough edges, leaks, and messes, while finishing crews go over budget fixing problems that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Why not clean it up right away? Why not patch, scrape, and sweep so the work is complete in one flow? That’s the mark of a professional crew.
I was taught a trick years ago during tilt-ups: mix Dawn dish soap with water, brush it on adjacent slabs before a pour, and it neutralizes cement stains. After the pour, instead of scraping and grinding stains off, you just sweep them away. People laughed at me, but the results spoke for themselves. The slabs stayed beautiful, no stains, no mess.
If you want to know the quality of a concrete crew, look at how they clean up after themselves. Excellence isn’t just about the pour, it’s about the finish, the details, and the pride in leaving behind work that looks as good as it is strong.
On we go.
Key Takeaway:
Professionalism in concrete work isn’t just about the pour, it’s about cleaning, patching, and finishing immediately. True excellence shows in the details and pride crews take in leaving work both strong and beautiful.
If you want to learn more we have:
-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Click here)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)
Discover Jason’s Expertise:
Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.
On we go
