The Concrete Countertop Institute participated in the Decorative Concrete Councils exposition in New Orleans this month. The exposition included educational seminars, demonstrations, and a community project in which concrete contractors, landscapers and city officials gave their time and resources to renovate a neighborhood park near the New Orleans Convention Center.

Jeff Girard of The Concrete Countertop Institute participated in the Decorative Concrete Institute's "Getting Started in Decorative Concrete" workshop, where Bob Harris brought together experts in many areas of decorative concrete, along with his own talents, to give students a whirlwind tour of the amazing beauty of decorative concrete.

To demonstrate state-of-the-art reinforced concrete, Jeff Girard, P.E., produced a long, thin beam utilizing a custom ultra-high strength concrete mix. The concrete beam measures 96 long and is 6 wide and 1.5 thick, and it supports a 500-lb point load at its center.