Training Information

Which class should I take?

This depends on your business plans and current setup. The basic decision you need to make is whether to do precast, cast in place or both. Some questions that should help you decide:

• Do you pour concrete now? If you are already set up with field crews and quality-oriented finishers, you might want to consider Cast in Place Concrete Countertops 101.

• Are you comfortable working in someone's kitchen? If don't like the idea of pouring concrete on top of someone's expensive cabinets, you might not like cast in place countertops. You might be more comfortable with Intensive Precast Countertops & Sinks 102.

• Do you have a shop? If so, you might want to take Intensive Precast Countertops & Sinks 102.

• Do you want to offer a large variety of styles and finishes? If so, you might want to do precast, since precast allows you more looks such as embedded glass and stone.

• Do you want to focus on perfecting one technique first before adding another? You can have a successful concrete countertop business doing only precast or only cast in place. While there are situations in which one or the other is necessary, you should be able to generate enough sales with either one, even if you lose some sales because you can't do a certain technique. Focusing on one technique may allow you to perfect that technique and be more efficient.

• Are you experienced at selling decorative concrete but unsure of how to price and sell countertops? Sales & Marketing 101 explains everything you need to know about the countertop industry, from commom questions kitchen designers ask to how to price countertops.

• Are you already doing great on producing high-quality concrete countertops but sales have been slow? Sales & Marketing 101 can help. It shows you how to build relationships that will help you sell more countertops.

• Are you already doing lots of countertop projects but losing profits because of mistakes and inefficiencies? Project Management 101 can help. It gives you systems to prevent mistakes and make your operation more efficient. Even long-time countertop fabricators can benefit from Project Management 101.

• Do you have experience with kitchen and bath projects? If you already have a lot of experience dealing with kitchen designers and managing kitchen/bath remodeling or building projects, you may NOT need the business self-study courses Sales & Marketing 101 and Project Management 101. Otherwise, these courses will give you the exact steps and all of the collateral you need to sell and manage countertop projects, so you don't have to figure it out yourself.
  

Darlene, Customer Service Representative, is standing by to talk with you and would love to hear about your business and your plans for concrete countertops. Contact her and feel free to leave a message. Darlene responds to all inquiries within one business day. She will call you back!

Why should I learn from the Institute?

We offer the only in-depth, engineering-based classes available for concrete countertops. Our classes take so long because they are so comprehensive, and every single step is covered hands on and explained in depth. It takes us 8 days to teach our full precast, sinks and cast in place knowledge, and we have almost 150 pages of business textbooks for self-study as well! Even our fast-track class is 3 full days. We definitely err on the side of too much information around here.

If you are looking for detailed, nuts and bolts information that includes the why, not just the how, The Concrete Countertop Institute classes are right for you.

To see testimonials of students who have attended our classes, click here.

To read more about The Concrete Countertop Institute and Jeff Girard's
background, click here.

How do I sign up?

Click here to register using our online system, or contact The Concrete Countertop Institute. Or, visit our class schedule page first to see a calendar of all classes.

What about travel, lodging and food?

Students traveling by air may fly into the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which is located just 10 miles away from CCI.

Many food and lodging choices are available within a few minutes of CCI. A continental breakfast and hearty lunch are provided each day, and CCI gets discounts at nearby hotels.

Raleigh provides many options for entertainment, from dining and clubs to sightseeing and sports.

Click here for detailed directions, hotel suggestions, maps and links.

Click here for a class schedule.