The Concrete Countertop Institute (CCI) initiated a concrete countertop certification program today for industry professionals.



Under the program, industry professionals will be evaluated on recent projects, as well as pass a written exam, to gain certification.



"CCI published standards over a year ago, as well as offering intensive training classes for over six years," said Jeff Girard, CCI president and chief trainer, "but training is not the same as certification. Just because someone attended a training class doesn't mean that he or she is following the recommendations in the class to produce a quality end product."

The program is designed to evaluate any concrete-countertop professional, regardless of training background or the types and brands of materials used on projects.

"Unfortunately, some contractors are not doing a good job at making concrete countertops. I even discovered that one of my students was putting out poor quality work, which another student had to fix," Girard added. "This certification program will ensure that a concrete countertop pro is doing a good job, whether he learned from me, from someone else or is self-taught."

In the program, concrete countertop professionals must submit extensive photos of three projects for paying clients. The photos will cover certain steps of the manufacturing process, to ensure basic structural integrity, as well as the finished, installed project.

CCI will also interview project clients to determine whether the professional used good business practices in estimating and contracting the project and dealing with any problems that occurred.

In addition, anyone seeking certification will also need to complete and pass a written examination covering quality standards, basic concrete and countertop knowledge and sales and marketing practices.

Professionals completing the program will receive a certificate and logo, and be listed in a special area on the CCI website. Annual re-certification will be required; the only cost for the program is administrative fees upon submission of the projects and exam.

"For years, the concrete countertop industry has suffered from lack of consistency in quality," states Lane Mangum, CCI vice president of business services. "Now, for the first time, consumers and designers have a way to seek independent verification that a concrete countertop professional truly lives up to standards of quality and professionalism."