Jarrod

Call Chem Station ChemStation Keeping It Clean

I'd like to see pics of that Jim! That sounds really cool.

Yes, especially when they are very offensive! (Satire)

Group cyber hug everyone! There, now that's better!

I like the way this thread is turning now. It's good for us all to hash these things out. I think that it's good to challenge ideas. I also think that the bar has been considerably raised for round tables. And why not?! There is always room for improvment in everything. I have heard both good & not so good about round tables. The good was always about the people that were there and the fun everyone had meeting each other. The not so good was usually about a topic that was talked about, or info that was shared that wasn't really that helpful. All in all, I think that all R.T's are successful to a degree and are very necessary to the industry as a whole. I guess what I'm saying is, why not make them more successful? I think that was Tony's original point. Poor Don. He sticks his neck out to host his first R.T. and all hell breaks loose. Don, I want to publicly thank you for doing this. You're a good man! Tony, I want to also publicly thank you for bringing the subject up on the bbs. Although some people here might not have liked the way your initial post was worded, the end result is looking pretty good. Change is often very uncomfortible for us, but it is necessary too. Barry, you are a great guy. It's too bad that you got stuck in the middle of all of this. I applaud you for being a true gentleman through it all. Ilook forward to meeting you. I would like to hear about how you do the roof thing.

I want to learn from someone that is successful and has integrity. I think that integrity fuels true success.

Dude, yer killin' me! LOL

Celeste, I'm getting into my tights right now! LOL

Yes I did. That's how I came up with the flux capacitor of a post. LOL

[quote=CarolinaProWash;89851]Isn't that somewhat insulting to the contractor who is sponsoring/coordinating/funding the event? No, not at all. I think that the contractors who are potentially driving or flying many miles to these events, absorbing all the travel expences (food, lodging, gas, plane tickets, & etc..) should very well know exactly what they're in for. Heck, you don't rent a $3.00 movie without reading the back of the dvd case do ya? You want to know (the credentials) what it's about and who's in it. I think we as busy contractors owe it to ourselves to check these things out. These Round Tables are not sanctioned by any big brother. I agree with that. That being said, we as individuals need to be informed so that we can decide on weather not we should even go. I certainly didn't ask for a resume for folks that voluteered to partipate in my last round table......won't do it for my next one. That's your decision, and I respect that. It probably seems like looking a gift horse in the mouth when someone is sharing info at a R.T. for free and you want their credentials. But, what about all of the attendees? I think that providing your credentials as a "speaker" at a R.T. could possibly make even more people come! Rush Limbaugh just gave a speech at the Warner Building a few weeks ago. It was sold out. Know why? Because of his credentials. These events are promoted on these bbs by our fellow contractors. If people don't have enough respect for what these individuals are doing on their own, maybe they should stay home and make up their own event and rules. Celeste I have the ultimate respect for anyone who is hosting a R.T. It is a lot of work. We must remember that respect is a 2 way street though. I think that the host and speakers should have enough respect for the attendees to provide whatever credentials are necessary. Remember, I hate Big Brother. I don't think that there should be an industry standard for R.T. speakers. Too many opinions and red tape. Once again, in a nutshell. Post or P.M. credentials so that the individuals can decide wether or not to come to a R.T. Win - win. Fair.

Maybe everyone who is going to "speak" at a round table should post their credentials. That way the individuals that want to attend can view them before they decide to come. To me, thats very fair. What do you all think?

call me 248-961-0800

Well, as long as it doesn't smell like poo, I guess yer ok.

Wow, this Midwest round table is getting a lota hype! I truely believe that all who attend will walk away very informed. Newbies and vets, just think about how much time & money you will save just by coming to this event! I'll put it this way - If I had gone to a round table event like this exact one 5 years ago, I would have been making waaaaaay more money than I am right now! THINK ABOUT THAT! If you just would attend this round table, you will bypass a TON of headaches, save a TON of money, & fast foward your business about 2-3 years! I dare you to come! Tony, you are in the midwest. Why don't you attend? I would like to hear some of your tricks of the trade. Celeste, I have always liked your views on things. I know what you are saying about certification. I know several contractors in my area that are certified in many areas of wood care. My company does 5 to 10 times the work that they do, makes 5 to 10 times the money that they do and we complete jobs twice as fast as them with 1 guy as opposed to 2 or 3 of theirs. All of those "certified experts" have been in business for 10+ years. Who would anyone rather learn from?

Mike, 1 thing I forgot to mention is to make sure you pick your granite by the slab and not the sample. You might already know this, but I thought I'd pass that on just in case.

The cabinets came with the house. How can you tell between pre fab and not pre fab? I honestly don't know.

Thanks John. The cabinets are in fact clear on maple. The house is about 3 years old. Here's pics of the original counter tops. I did not take pics of the upstairs bathroom for some reason.

By the way, those ugly plants & nic nacks on the window are gone now! Martha Stewart would be proud! LOL

Thank you. To be unique is why I picked out the slab that I did. Everyone has Uba Tuba and Verdi Butterfly & stuff like that. I wanted something timeless and different.

Here's some more pics. 1 of them is our lower level bathroom.

Here's some pics of my kitchen. I hope that this helps. This granite came from Brazil. It's called Golden Beaches. We had it installed in last October. 1 piece of advise I can offer is, spend the money! And get under mount sinks. It is worth it! Another thing is - the spotty granite is nice, but, if you seen an inch, you've seen a mile. Spend a bit more $ and get something with some veins and swirls.

Ahh, I see how you do it Kenny! You fatten 'em up with your addictive ice cream, & then you sell them a gym membership! Hmmmmmm.

Rod, I agree totally. I would rather learn from a fellow contractor than some manufacturer any day of the week. I don't want to hear someone just sing the company song every time a ? gets asked. Experienced contractors know a lot more about the products they use than the manufactoures do. The reason why is that they look at the product with both eyes open. The manufacturer knows how it should work, the contractor knows how it does work.

John, Thanks for responding. To be fair, I won't name names. I would not want to hear 1 word that an "expert" would want to say that makes an inferior product. You guys mention the research that they have done & the info they could share with us right? If the research they have done led them to make a substandard product, I think that the info they would share with a class would also be substandard.