Changes Ahead

In my first President’s Page, I mentioned that there were exciting opportunities open to CSDA and now I would like to talk about some of these opportunities in more detail. Before I do, I would like to point out that the past and current successes of the association, along with all future successes, are realized because of the determination and hard work of the committee chairs, committee members, Board members and every CSDA member. This association is what we, the members, want it to be so please—whether you are a member or not—make an effort to join us at one of our quarterly meetings and sit in on as many sessions as you like. It is up to us to make CSDA the best association possible and the leader of our industry, so participation by all is encouraged.

One of the most exciting opportunities and challenges CSDA has today is the restructuring of its Company Certification Program. The CSDA Certification Committee is working hard to develop a new certification program combined with an aggressive marketing plan that will continue to give certified CSDA contractors an advantage over the rest of the industry. The Certification Committee is looking to streamline and simplify the program to provide one level of certification instead of three based on the recommendation of the Construction Certification Institute (CCI), an independent company that will act as the program administrator. This level of certification will include training requirements as recommended by CCI and as outlined by CSDA. The intent is to specify that a set percentage of employees must take part in some form of industry training—whether online, in the classroom or through a hands-on class. An outline of the new program is being developed by the committee.

Concrete polishing has become a very exciting segment of the industry for CSDA, with incredible opportunity. The association has welcomed many new polishing contractors in the past year and there is the potential to gain many more new members as this part of the industry continues to grow. CSDA’s involvement with the concrete polishing industry has gained significant momentum thanks, in part, to the introduction of Standard CSDA-ST-115 and its related certification class. Since the association held its first official CSDA-ST-115 Certification class during the 2015 Convention, around 100 students have become certified and there is demand for more classes. This performance-based certification is offered in response to the demand from the specifying community. CSDA continues to work with industry specifiers to promote concrete cutting, polishing and imaging.

I look forward to sharing more with you in my next President’s Page, which will be published as the industry is preparing for World of Concrete—be sure to use CSDA’s Source Code A26 for the lowest registration price available. For now, I leave you to consider the opportunities CSDA has with the development of a new certification program, the incredible potential the association has with the polishing industry and the important relationships being built with the specifying community. I encourage you to come to one of CSDA’s quarterly meetings, share your thoughts with us and join me in a committee meeting.

Kevin Baron | CSDA President | Oxnard, CA