Trade Publications (PTP) and organizer of the Concrete Decor Show, is pleased to announce the newest members of the Decorative Concrete Hall of Fame. The 2013 Decorative Concrete Decor inductees, Ralph Gasser, Byron Klemaske II, Barbara Sargent and Bill Stegmeier will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the Concrete Decor Show in Charlotte, N.C.  The Hall of Fame induction dinner will take place at the Brazz Carvery & Brazilian Steakhouse restaurant on March 12, 2013 in Charlotte.  Tickets can be purchase online for $65. 

Established in 2010, the Decorative Concrete Hall of Fame recognizes individuals and companies whose contributions have impacted the decorative concrete industry, both as a business and an art form. The new inductees were chosen by Hall of Fame members and the owners and staff of Professional Trade Publications.

This year’s four inductees have helped the decorative concrete industry grow through their achievements and commitment to excellence and innovation.

Ralph Gasser:  Gasser made his mark, literally, on the concrete industry when he developed his own set of stamping and imprinting tools. His invention, the Shasta Seamless Texture Mat, was one of the first large-scale texture mats in the industry. Despite his successful innovation, Ralph kept his business focus on the artistic side. He’s done all of the hardscaping inside Sleeping Beauty’s castle at Euro-Disney, demonstrated architectural concrete on three continents, and won over half a dozen awards for his projects stateside.

Byron Klemaske II:  Klemaske is a recognized authority and innovator in the decorative concrete industry.  Currently he is the vice president of operations for T.B. Penick and Sons Inc. Recently, he helped T.B. Penick secure a federal patent for a pervious concrete system called Pervious Concrete Elements. Always an innovator and visionary, Byron continues to push himself and inspire the industry to evolve in terms of sustainability, functionality, new products, new uses, new finishes and new concepts of architectural and design beauty.

Barbara Sargent:  Sargent was introduced to Epmar Corp.’s Kemiko stains and coatings during her tenure at Lambert Landscape Co. As part of her retirement negotiations she took over Lambert’s distributorship of Kemiko products. She worked tirelessly to expand Kemiko’s presence in the industry, and was a driving force in the idea that decorative concrete had a place in residential applications.

Bill Stegmeier:  Stegmeier is the founder of the Stegmeier Corp and developed the first cantilever deck form made of expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) as a replacement for the traditional precast coping stones. His innovative and industry-changing forming product replaced precast coping stones, and this type of forming method is still used in the majority of in-ground swimming pool installations in the present day. Many products widely used in the pool industry are based on Bill’s nearly 60 patents, including the removable top and other deck drains, a variety of deck forms, installation tools, and many more.

Full length bios for each inductee, as well as previously inducted members of the Decorative Concrete Hall of Fame, are available at www.ConcreteDecorShow.com.