I've known Buddy Rhodes for a long time - as a matter of fact, I took his very first workshop, and I'm fairly certain I was the first person to purchase a pallet of Buddy Rhodes Concrete Mix. I used to teach workshops for Buddy in San Francisco for many years. Buddy is good people, as they say, and it's always nice to spend time with him. If you haven't had the opportunity to meet him, now is your chance as Buddy Rhodes will be joining us for the February Pinnacle Concrete Camp!
The Pinnacle Concrete Camp is hosted by Concrete Design School and features trainers Brandon Gore, Dusty Baker, and Jon Schuler. Additionally, we will have several guest assistant trainers that bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. Between the training staff and workshop attendees this class is going to be a record breaking 40-50 people total! You don't want to miss this event!
Spend 6 days in the beautiful mountain town of Eureka Springs, AR learning the following:
+ Rubber Mold-Making
+ How to Post-Tension Concrete
+ GFRC and ECC Concrete Mix Designs
+ How to Properly Mix, Cast, Cure, and Finish Concrete
+ How to Seal Concrete for the Real World
+ Dusty-Crete
+ Advanced Finishes using Upright Casting Techniques
+ The Business of Running a Concrete Business
+ How to Price Your Products
+ ... and Much More!
If you are new to concrete and want to start a successful business, or if you are an industry veteran that wants to sharpen their processes, the Pinnacle Concrete Camp is for you! The workshop is being held February 24-29, which is approaching quickly, and only a few seats remain so don't delay, register today!
APEX Concrete Workshop, October 2019
We’ve been teaching concrete enthusiasts for a long time - nearly 15 years now, and that has resulted in a lot of conversations. The APEX Concrete Workshop is a result of those discussions. APEX is focused on the following most requested topics:
POST-TENSIONING CONCRETE
RUBBER MOLD MAKING
GFRC MIX DESIGN, CASTING, AND FINISHING
BEST BUSINESS PRACTICES FOR A CONCRETE COMPANY
If you’d like to finish 2019 on a high note and start 2020 with a fresh perspective and supercharged skillset, join us this October in Eureka Springs, AR! We look forward to meeting you.
APEX Concrete Workshop, Oct 2019, Eureka Springs, AR
from $1,920.00
We’ve taught a lot of concrete enthusiasts over the last 14 years, over 1,100 and counting, and we’ve been listening to what you’d like to learn next. This class is for everyone interested in post-tensioning concrete, rubber mold-making, and our GFRC concrete mix designs, casting techniques, and sealing processes. As always, we’ll have plenty of time for discussion on all things business relating including pricing, sales and marketing, and what not to do.
WHAT WE’LL FOCUS ON IN THIS WORKSHOP:
Post-Tensioned Concrete: Post-tensioning concrete is a great solution to concrete pieces that will have long unsupported spans - think massive dining tables and modern benches. We will work as a class to build a form for and cast a post-tensioned piece.
Rubber Mold-Making: Being able to create your own rubber molds is the Swiss Army Knife of concrete skills! We are constantly crafting custom rubber components, whether they be for drain or faucet knockouts, integral drainboards and soap-dishes, or custom objects such as planters. This is by far one of the most requested topics from workshop attendees, so if you want to learn how to make rubber molds for concrete applications, this is your class.
GFRC - Mix, Casting, and Finishing: We will share our GFRC mix design, blending protocol, casting processes, and how to properly finish your concrete masterpiece. 15 years of trials and tribulations distilled down to what works - we learned the hard way what not to do, so you don’t have to.
The Business of Running a Successful Concrete Business: If you do something that isn’t profitable it’s a hobby. You can’t pay your mortgage with a hobby. Knowing how to work with concrete is only half of the battle, we’ll share with you what has worked for us when it comes to selling and marketing high-end concrete. How to approach pricing, what you should do, and most importantly, how to avoid the pitfalls that will cost you money. Through your time at this workshop you will have access to Brandon Gore’s years of concrete fabrication and design experience, and his working knowledge as a professional self-supporting concrete artisan.
This will be the last workshop Brandon will conduct for 2019, so if you want to start 2020 with a fresh outlook and supercharged skillset, register today and we’ll see you in Eureka Springs!
WORKSHOP DATES
October 7 - 9, 2019
SESSION TIME AND CAPACITY
3 full days of training in the Concrete Design School Headquarters located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
These sessions are limited to 20 participants to ensure hands-on learning and class participation
COST
First-time Students: $2400
Alumni: $1920
You may be asking yourself, which ticket type should I purchase? If this is your first time attending a Concrete Design School Workshop you should choose the 'First Time Student' ticket. If you have previously taken part in a Concrete Design School class you should choose the 'Alumni' ticket, as we offer special reduced pricing to returning attendees as way of saying thank you for your continued support.
THE FINE PRINT
If you need to cancel, the course fee will not be refunded but the amount can be used towards a future Concrete Design School workshop.
All participants will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with penalties for unauthorized disclosure of material. The methods and formulas taught during the class may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form.
Concrete Design School reserves the right to change, modify or cancel the class schedule at any time.
Review of the February 2019 Concrete Design School GFRC, ECC, Fabric-Forming, Post-Tensioning, DustyCrete, and Concrete Sink Workshops
Another series of Concrete Design School workshops has come and gone. It was a great week of training where we covered ECC, GFRC, SCC, UHPC, DustyCrete, Fabric-Forming, Concrete Sinks, and Concrete Countertops. We made a lot of awesome pieces, awesome friends, and even tested the strength of a sink with 8 rounds of 45-70 (spoiler, it held up great)! It’s time to rest for a minute and take a look at the production schedule for the next few months to see where we can work in another class. Keep an eye on the website, we’ll announce the dates shortly.
Post-Tensioned Concrete, Current Techniques, Old World Methods, Modern Mix Designs, and Jon Schuler! We must be California dreaming!
The stars have aligned and we just scheduled two brand new workshops to be held at Creative Crete in Angels Camp, CA, May 1-6, 2017! Brandon Gore will be teaching a class that goes in-depth on his most current techniques, including post-tensioning concrete, while Jon Schuler will be conducting a workshop on creating a multitude of finishes with the most basic of tools and techniques. Two things are guaranteed; 1. These classes are going to be a ton of fun, and 2. They are going to fill up fast! If you want to attend both workshops at a special reduced rate, check out the All-In Workshop Package. See you in California!
Photos from the June 2014 Fabric-Forming & GFRC Concrete Countertop and Sink Class
The June 2014 Fabric-Forming Sink & GFRC Concrete Countertop training event just wrapped up, and we wanted to share a few photos we snapped during the class. The next 2.5 day workshop will be in August, click here to learn more or to enroll.
Our Roots
Buddy Rhodes (left) and Brandon Gore (right) in San Francisco at Buddy Rhodes Studio, ca. 2004
Buddy Rhodes (center), Brandon Gore (left), and Jon Schuler (right) at World of Concrete in Las Vegas, 2014
As we prepare to receive attendees of the May 6-8, 2014 2.5-day Fabric-Forming Concrete Sink + GFRC Workshop, we reflect back on our beginnings.
I (Brandon Gore) have only taken one concrete related class, and that was with Buddy Rhodes of Buddy Rhodes Studio many years ago. Buddy's shop was huge, employees were everywhere, mixing, placing and polishing concrete; it was as if he and his studio were the Willy Wonka of concrete.
Willy Wonka sings Pure Imagination.
Thinking back, I can recall the excitement and possibility of this burgeoning industry; it's as palpable now as it was then. Concrete sinks and countertops were just coming onto the scene. GFRC hadn't become the standard and fabric-forming was unexplored. Anything was possible, which was good and bad. Decorative and interior architectural concrete hadn't gained a foothold yet, so the thoughts of failure were visceral - could a small studio make it? That was uncharted territory.
A decade later and that question has been answered, and it is a resounding 'YES!' Small studios can not only survive but thrive. The materials, tools, technologies and processes have gone through a quantum leap since then, but the entrepreneurial ethos remains a constant. The sustained heartbeat of this industry comes from the artisans and craftsman that care deeply about the quality of each and every piece they create by hand. It is in this spirit that we welcome the attendees of the May 6-8th workshop, and we hope to see them grow along with the industry in the coming decade.