Want a professional image for your business? What you say and do can make a huge difference in how potential customers perceive you.
I had lunch with a business colleague last week, and she shared about an experience she had with her neighbor's concrete contractor. She was in her house with her young children minding her own business. The neighbor was having some concrete work done in his backyard (not by Yoder Concrete Construction, by the way,) and the workers were loud with very colorful language in this quiet residential neighborhood. There was only so much this lady could take. She went out and confronted the person in charge asking them to watch their language because there were young children within earshot, and it was not appreciated.
If that wasn't bad enough, not long after, she heard water running from her outside spigot. She went out, and sure enough, this contractor had hooked up his hose to her house, without permission, because they needed to wash their tools. For some reason, they were unable to reach the customer's water source. She was livid, but being a business owner herself and wanting to maintain relationships, she allowed them to use her water. However, she suggested they ask in advance next time.
Needless to say, she said she would never hire this contractor regardless of their quality or price because of the way they handled themselves on this one project. You could be the best contractor on the planet, but your image may tell consumers something different. There is a simple lesson to be learned here: think about what you say and who might overhear it, and ask permission before trespassing on someone else's property. Be professional at all times. You just never know who is watching. It could be your next customer (or not.)
Not your typical concrete: I was privileged to join a group of ladies to Hocking Hills, OH last weekend for a Weekend Retweat. No, I didn't stutter...we "tweet" about our retreat through various social media outlets. Our stay was at The Glass House, one of the 4 Seasons Hideways in the beautiful Hocking Hills. This house was built in 2010 and was a 2010 award winner for Best of the Best Green Home Design by the Builders Industry Association. It is beautiful and energy efficient, but of course what caught my eye was their use of concrete countertops throughout the house. In the photo above, you'll see concrete seating around a Koi fish pond and fountain right in the middle of the house. This same concrete countertop was used throughout the house in the kitchen, bathrooms and in the laundry room. I loved the polished finish that exposed the aggregate in the concrete. The concrete vessel sinks were great to see as well. 
Ash Cave is ADA accessible with their concrete walkways back to the cave and waterfall. When making the walkways, they used colored concrete to match the natural dirt color of the area, and they did not use typical straight forms to form up the sides of the sidewalk. The result was a more natural flow blending in to the beauty of the area. 
