Decorative concrete projects throughout the region recognized for creativity and excellence
Cemstone Announces Winners of 2007 Decorative Concrete Awards

Mendota Heights, Minn. (November 28, 2007) – Cemstone, a leading supplier of ready-mixed, engineered and decorative concrete in the Upper Midwest, today announced the winners of its 2007 Decorative Concrete Awards, which recognizes excellence in the design and use of decorative concrete in residential and commercial construction. The winners were selected from nearly 70 contractor entries that featured Cemstone-supplied colored, stamped and/or stained concrete.

The contest, which was independently judged by a panel of Twin Cities-based landscape architects, recognized creativity and excellence in four categories: Residential Exteriors, Residential Interiors, Commercial Exteriors and Commercial Interiors. The Grand Prize and First Prize winners are as follows:

Residential Exteriors
Grand Prize: King Construction of River Falls WI.  This decorative concrete walking path, in the shape and form of a snake, amazed the judges, one of whom said: “The most creative and well executed concrete work I’ve ever seen! Disney quality, but more sophisticated.” 

First Prize: Solid Concrete Studios of St. Paul, MN. This fountain was recognized for it’s great creativity and use of color and texture. The judges added: “Warm and inviting. Excellent finish work. Great walls and fountain feature.”

Residential Interiors
Grand Prize: Foley Construction of Le Sueur, MN. This project featured kitchen countertops made with recycled crushed glass to create interesting color patterns. The judges said: “The hip and stylish countertops are well executed. Nice material re-use of the crushed glass to provide interesting color patterns.”

First Prize: Allstate Decorative Concrete of Cokato, MN. This colored basement floor features a highly detailed coat of arms. The judges said: “This creative and whimsical use of colored concrete provides a rich, warm depth to the first floor basement.”

Commercial Exteriors
Grand Prize: Bulach Custom Rock of Inver Grove Heights, MN. This highly visible WWII Veteran’s Memorial was built at the Minnesota state capital grounds. The judges called the project: “Refined and elegant! Excellent job aligning score joints, Simple, yet effective.” 

First Prize: Solid Concrete Studios of St. Paul, MN. Situated on the grounds of St. Francis Regional Hospital, this complicated design won over the judges, who said: “Very creative and well executed. Great use of several materials to create this layered look of stratigraphy which provides a nice interplay of shadows.”

Commercial Interiors
Grand Prize: Becker Architectural Concrete of South St. Paul, MN. This vision and eye care retail project was an easy grand prize choice for the judges, who said: “Hands down, best of the category, great colors and textures, warm and inviting. Excellent craftsmanship.”

First Prize: Kuha Concrete of Forest Lake, MN. This project featured the remodeling of a recreation products retailer through the use of decorative concrete, leading the judges to say: “Very nice quality finishing, nice colors, great execution, sun and dolphins were wonderful. Very creative.”

"We created this contest to recognize the amazing creativity and craftsmanship of decorative concrete contractors, and we’re proud to recognize this beautiful work by our customers," said Thor Becken, president of Cemstone. “There is an endless array of design possibilities offered by colored, stamped and stained concrete, and with nearly 70 projects entered the response from our customers was beyond expectations."

The winning entries, photos and comments from the judges can be viewed at www.cemstone.com/decorativeawards. Contractors and homeowners are also invited to visit one of Cemstone’s Contractor Supply Stores for ideas and tips from the experts on how to use decorative concrete to help achieve a higher level of beauty, functionality and value for any residential or commercial project.

Sponsors of the Decorative Concrete Contractor Awards Contest are American Express, Soff-Cut®, Scofield® Systems and BASF.  Winners in each category received American Express gift cards.

Cemstone is a leader in ready-mixed, engineered and decorative concrete in the upper Midwest. Celebrating 80 years of excellence in 2007, the company operates concrete batch plants in Minnesota, western Wisconsin and northern Iowa.  In addition, the company supplies sand, gravel, aggregate products, masonry products, concrete pumping services, insulating concrete forms (ICFs), architectural concrete and proprietary high-performance mixes. Cemstone also offers more than 10,000 professional-grade concrete and masonry items online and through its network of Contractor Supply Stores.

To learn more about Cemstone products and services, phone 1-800-CEMSTONE or visit www.cemstone.com

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