Douglas McBride, owner of the decorative concrete firm Envirocrete Inc., believes that to ensure customer satisfaction he and his team must give 100 percent on every project on which they work.
That philosophy, and the high quality of Envirocrete Inc.’s work, has earned McBride and his company well-deserved business in Washington and Oregon. In fact, many of his clients are so happy with their work that they refer others to Envirocrete Inc.
But, Envirocrete Inc. also stands apart from the competition because they use their own products. Unlike many decorative concrete companies, Envirocrete Inc. manufactures the majority of their products and uses other products from local sources. Taking an environmentally friendly approach to projects, Envirocrete Inc. only uses water-based products instead of using solvent-based products.
Because Envirocrete Inc. is an environmentally friendly company, they no longer use acid stains like many in the decorative concrete industry. Instead, they use water-based colors that actually mimic the same look of an acid stain.
While 90 percent of Envirocrete Inc.’s clientele is commercial, McBride and his team do work with some residential clients, as long as the project is substantial. In addition, while the vast majority of their work is interior, Envirocrete Inc. does provide several exterior products.
Prospective commercial and residential clients can view McBride’s work by visiting his previous clients. Rather than opting for a showroom for prospective clients to tour, McBride prefers to offer prospective clients tours of Envirocrete Inc.’s previous projects. Prospective clients can either go on a guided tour with McBride or one of his team, or they can take a self-guided tour. Because of the reputation Envirocrete Inc. has built, current and former clients are generally more than willing to show off the work they had installed by Envirocrete Inc.
“We don’t have a showroom because it blocks people into ideas of very specific things they should see,” McBride says. “A showroom doesn’t give a good representation of functionality.”
While viewing previous jobs can be beneficial for prospective clients, McBride emphasizes that if the client can clearly relate what they envision of the project, Envirocrete Inc. can bring that vision to life. In fact, one of Envirocrete Inc.’s primary concerns is determining what the client wants to see.
One concern of many clients, however, is how long the decorative concrete will last once it’s been installed. The lifespan of decorative concrete all depends upon the maintenance it receives. In fact, if decorative concrete is properly maintained, according to McBride, it can outlast the building it’s in.
Envirocrete Inc. offers a five year warranty on all of its floors. The lifespan of decorative concrete floors will depend upon whether the client maintains it, which means waxing the floors periodically. Waxing the decorative concrete will ensure that the floor doesn’t wear through to the sealer.
While clients can easily wax their own floors, McBride and his team also offer upkeep for their clients.
In their two years in the decorative concrete industry, Envirocrete Inc. has built a reputation based on the quality of their work. As a result, much of their business is secured from word of mouth in addition to their Web site and Concrete Ideas.
In the early days of Envirocrete Inc., however, McBride and his team pounded the pavement to secure their work and to meet prospective clients. Eventually, they began working with designers, which helped them secure work.
Envirocrete Inc.’s success is based, in part, on the philosophy on which McBride runs his business: To give his clients his best effort on every project. But, he realizes that even then not everyone is going to be 100 percent satisfied.
“There are some people you are never going to make happy,” McBride says, “But, as long as you did absolutely everything you had in your power to do and you didn’t leave the job unfinished, that’s probably the biggest key to knowing you did the best you could.”
McBride and his team have worked on a wide variety of projects in the past two years, and one stands out as their most interesting so far: Working on the Battleground Community Center.
From the moment Envirocrete Inc. was handed the project, there were problems with which they had to deal, including concrete that contained huge lumps. McBride and his team were able to ground the entire 8,000 square foot floor, remove all of the scratches and flatten it.
Instead of using acid staining, which the clients originally wanted, Envirocrete Inc. used chocolate brown and red dyes to create a marble effect then they sealed it with an epoxy coating. The floor, because of McBride’s efforts, is now the focal point of the Battleground Community Center.
McBride’s clients were thrilled with the final result. Many in the community, including the governor of Washington and a state senator, will appear at the launch of the project.
Based in Vancouver, Washington, Envirocrete Inc. serves Southwest Washington, including Aberdeen, Centralia, Chehalis, Cathlamet, Long Beach, Naselle, Oakville, Ocean Shores, Raymond, Seaview, Silver Lake, Skamokawa, Vancouver, and Woodland. Envirocrete Inc. also works with clients in Oregon, including metro Portland, Beaverton, Clackamas, Forest Grove, Gresham, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Tigard, and Wilsonville.
Because Envirocrete Inc. is a green company, McBride prefers to keep his jobs within 200 miles at the maximum of their headquarters in Vancouver. In fact, the majority of Envirocrete Inc.’s jobs are within 70 miles of their main office.
To learn more about Envirocrete Inc. or for an estimate, please visit their Web site at http://www.envirocrete.com/, email info@envirocrete.com, or call 360-910-0517.
