Concrete Blog

US-YELLOW Yellow Pages

Tom — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:38:50 +0000

I wanted to include a short article on a scam that many of the concrete companies may experience. If you get a notice in the mail from a company “US-YELLOW” Yellow Pages, please be aware that it is somewhat of a scam.

The paper work looks like a simple form to fill out to update your company information for publication in a Yellow Book type phone book. The company even goes so far as to include “walking fingers” in the logo. This is not the old “let your fingers do the walking” Yellow Pages we all remember as kids.
If you fill out your “updated” information, and mail back the form in their postage paid envelope, you will receive a bill in the future outlining how you owe them around $229 for advertising fees. The “agreement” is in very small print. The even have the nerve to mail you back a copy of what you “signed” along with your bill. I will post a picture of the yellow page scam on this page.
I suppose I have come up with the philosophy that I am not going to pay to be in ANY type of directory. I often receive another notice from some sort of Manufacturer Directory and find that the story is the same there. I simply let people know that I am not interested in paying to be in a directory, book form or internet.
There are easy ways to list your company for free on the internet, so people can find you through search engines like Yahoo and Google. Also, stick with a few local phone books as well.

Concrete Guys Wherever You Go!

Tom — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:39:28 +0000

While taking a short trip to northern New Mexico we couldn’t help but stop at a little place called the “Lone Pine Trading Post” in Tres Piedras. In fact, aside from the closed Pink School House, the Lone Pine was the only place to stop. We were glad we did. Aside from a great home made lunch out of the small building erected there, more on the lunch later, we had good conversation with three guys who just completed a morning of concrete.

They poured 40 yards by hand and were ready to hit the local gathering place for a guacamole burger and some fresh lays. Debbie and Gil were happy to accommodate. The minute we exited our truck and wandered through the make shift flee market we felt right at home. Debbie was in here apron ready to whip up a quick lunch and the guys simply had to let her know they were there and she seemed to know exactly what they might order.
As we sat under the high desert sun, conversation was easily struck. Of course, Karen tried to sell them a concrete screed, to make their next job a little easier. But it was discovered this was a do it yourself job. We did pass off a few business cards to give to friends who were in the concrete business.

Dan and company enjoy lunch after a hard morning pouring concrete.


At any rate, if any out there are passing through New Mexico, be sure and stop at the Lone Pine.  Great food, friendly converstation and we even discovered that the little cowboy who made it to Hollywood on American Idol, Garrett from Wyoming, sometimes works there!

Gil and Debbie will treat you right at Lone Pine Trading!



TTI Screedright Pro: Around the World and Around the Country!
Tom — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:25:37 +0000
We are getting a little closer to our company goal of having at least one TTI Screedright Pro in each state.  Rodney called this morning and ordered one from West Virginia… !




TTI Screed Map Update
Tom — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:39:51 +0000

Just a quick update on my “election day” blog.  We have added three more *new* states to the map.  Of course… the offer still applies for those states who have not yet joined the TTI family!  If we have not shipped a screed to your state yet; LA, MS, TN, WV, VT, ME & CT… give us a call and mention the blog… receive FREE shipping:)!



Trade Tool Innovations visits Triton Marine Construction
Tom — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:13:59 +0000
I finally put a video together of our stop-in to see Steve at Triton Marine Construction in Oahu Hawaii.  We had a great trip and one of the highlights was certainly seeing the screed on the job site.  Enjoy





Join Us On Facebook
Tom — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:05:45 +0000
The TTI Screedright Pro is now on facebook!  The screedright pro can be found all over the United States and several countries around the world.  Sign in and post questions, comments, and photo's of your company and projects.  We are looking forward to hearing from all of our great customers!

Tom and Karen Gabriel

Trade Tool Innovations





Do It Yourself America!
Tom — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:36:15 +0000
Stand up America!  Do it yourself!  Stop waiting for Obama, Oprah, whoever to bail you out!  In a day and age where it seems we are lead to believe that the American dream will be handed to us if only we are on the right “reality show”…

I say:  Here is a reality show for America! 




JB Concrete Construction
Tom — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:07:58 +0000

Here is a recent email we received from Jason Bales of JB Concrete Construction.  Thanks for the great feedback Jason!
Tom,

Thought I would take a moment and get you some feed back about your screed machine. Here in Indiana, been a little cold so had some time to do the things that should have been done this summer. Anyways, I contacted you about the screed machine early in the summer, and our crew kicked the idea around whether we needed it or if it would even perform.  We finally decided to give it a whirl.  The machine arrived the day before we were to start a 9000 lineal feet side walk pour for a city curb and sidewalk renovation.  We put it together that night and had it on the job in the morning. First truck of 10 yards arrived at 7:00 A.M., by 7:20 we had 10 yards down, striked off, consolidated and closed off. Wow!  Any ways we normally pour 30 yards a day in sidewalks, not bad for a four man crew, but by noon we had 30 yards on the ground.  The driver was not able to unload as fast as we could strike it off. All said and done, less fatigue by the user, faster finish time, more controlled concrete.  Even the ready mix company commented on the machine. Said it got their trucks in-service faster, which meant more concrete out the door for them that day!  Time is Money!!

Again THANKS!!! for a great product.  We did pour almost 3 miles of walk with it this summer, and still going strong.. Paid for itself the very first day!! 
Jason Bales

JB Concrete Construction LLC

jbconcrete1@kconline.com



Election Day Hangover
Tom — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:21:50 +0000

Sorry all.  Much has happened since the date of my last post.  It has been a busier-than-ever summer for us here at Trade Tool Innovations.  New building addition, lots of work from the University of Wyoming, several screeds sold.

I thought I’d focus on the last category today.  I’ll catchya all up on our building addition and the projects at UW in later posts.

It seems to me that TTI has it’s own version of the “election day map”.  You know, those techinicolor, interactive, creations of the mass media that every major network now sports on election night.  They are computer generated visual aides for all of America to glue their eyes to as the election results began to pour in.  My personal favorite was NBC’s Ann Curry “green room” experience.  Fake charts, real results.

But back to the thought at hand.

As most of you know, Trade Tool Innovations is a tightly run ship.  We like to keep our costs down so we can pass it on to our customers.  Today, the day after election day ‘08 and just 24 short months until we begin to hear rummblings of election day ‘12, I will locate our own TTI “tracking map” on the toolsbytom website.  The prototype model is hung in the corporate office/den at 21 Hidden Springs Rd.

The “shade” states represent those states where a TTI Screedright Pro was sold and sent from our shop.  The states that are not colored in represent the places where we have not sent a TTI Screedright Pro, yet.  If you live in one of the “non-red” states… give us a call, order a screed, and recieve free shipping (offer ends Jan 1, 2009, unless we decide to extend it).



I’m Karen Gabriel, and I endorse this blog message.



A Business Card to Keep!
Tom — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:35:11 +0000


Front Range Powder Coating is our exclusive powder coater.  Mitch and his family do a great job of getting our screed parts in and done in a timely and professional way.  We are proud to say that our concrete tool is built, assembled, and shipped entirely from the USA.  When you purchase a TTI Screedright Pro, your dollars stay in America.  We love to support small businesses like yours and ours.

Front Range Powder Coating

Mitch Sherburne

970-484-9149