Ed the Concrete Man

Pouring Success: How a Bored Banker Became the Concrete Man

• Ed Rivas • Episode 1

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Meet The Host: Ed Rivas, Founder and CEO of Concrete & Epoxy by CSI

What happens when a finance professional with construction experience gets bored during a pandemic? In Ed Rivas' case, it leads to building a thriving concrete and epoxy flooring business that transforms North Dallas one surface at a time.

The founder and CEO of Concrete and Epoxy by CSI takes us through his fascinating journey from financial industry professional to concrete craftsman. When COVID hit and remote work became the norm, Ed found himself efficiently completing tasks with time to spare. Rather than settling into pandemic malaise, he channeled his energy into researching business opportunities that could provide both financial stability and community benefit.

Drawing on previous experience with concrete and running track installations, Ed launched a weekend epoxy flooring service that quickly expanded into comprehensive concrete solutions. His motivation stems from seeing hazardous and unattractive concrete throughout the area - uneven sidewalks people trip over, deteriorating driveways, and crumbling steps. "When you do things the right way," Ed explains, "it doesn't sound like a community service, but it is." This commitment to quality extends to using environmentally responsible products and waste-minimizing processes.

Need safer, more beautiful concrete surfaces at your home or business? Call Ed at 945-400-4362 for a free consultation and discover why boring concrete is definitely last season. From driveways to patios and everything in between, Ed and his team deliver quality craftsmanship with customer service that's as solid as their surfaces.

To learn more about Concrete & Epoxy by CSI visit:
https://www.CSIUS.net
Concrete & Epoxy by CSI
945-400-4362

Speaker 1:

you're listening to ed the concrete man, the only podcast where cracks get fixed, floors get fancy and concrete becomes cool. Hosted by ed revis, founder and ceo of concrete and epoxy by csi, serving up solid advice and even more solid surfaces across north dallas, whether it's your driveway, patio, garage or mystery slab, we build and beautify concrete and we've got the trowel marks to prove it.

Speaker 2:

Welcome everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer here in the studio with Ed Rivas, founder and CEO of Concrete and Epoxy by CSI Ed, how's it going?

Speaker 3:

Good morning Sofia. How are you doing today?

Speaker 2:

I am doing well, Ed. How's it going for you?

Speaker 3:

You know, thankfully busy trying to deal with the weather because we are in the DFW area and it's been raining a lot. So, as you probably believe, concrete and raining is not a great idea. So trying to take time to organize projects, work on permits for clients and doing some commercial job that is not exposed to the rain, but thankfully, very busy.

Speaker 2:

So, ed, over the years you've been dedicated to growing concrete and epoxy by CSI. However, some listeners might not be familiar with your whole journey. Let's take it from the top. Could you share a little background about your company and what you do?

Speaker 3:

You know, a few years back I work in construction. I work for a company that was doing concrete and we also were doing the running tracks on the schools, like the whole thing on the running tracks for schools, like the stadiums. But it got to the point that I got into a different industry. I was in the financial industry for a while but when COVID hit I started working from home. Thankfully, I was able to keep my job, but I was very efficient in having everything done right. I was bored, so I was like what else do I?

Speaker 3:

do? What else do I do? So I started researching about what could be something that I can be doing that is a good business and, at the same time, doing something that is not just as a business but also like community. And first we started doing epoxy floors. That's the name of the company, is Concrete and Epoxy. So we started doing epoxy floors. But then we started to do concrete.

Speaker 3:

You know, you walk on the streets and you see many times you see concrete that isn't very budget either, concrete that is on level and it can be a hazard, like on the wall on the sidewalks. It's a hazard for you can trip on it. And then some concrete that is like all like the appealing and things like that. So I thought about, I think this is something that I would like to do. It's something that, if we do it with quality and you do things the right way, you may not see all these issues. That's where we get going. I mean, we started doing epoxy floors on the weekends. Every company starts little by little, the point that we got a lot of concrete right now and a lot of epoxy floors, but that's the background on it, like being COVID, get me bored. Thankfully I didn't get sick or anything. I appreciate whoever is taking care of me and was able to jump into a business that is profitable. Concrete is everywhere and we dedicated to do it the right way and good customer service.

Speaker 2:

Amazing Ed. And when you're not busy running your business, what do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Well, that's a great question, because as an entrepreneur, you work a lot of hours. I am very involved in everything in the business. Still, we're growing, so it's always busy. But you know what I like to do? Barbecue in my house with my family. I'm an avid cyclist. I used to cycle a lot by, actually like racing and everything. I don't do as much right now because of my my business is not giving me a lot of time, but planning to go back to it and I like to go on the motorcycle too. I like I like two wheels, motorcycles and and bicycles. I will say I like to spend a lot of time with my kids, but they're teenagers and so they don't spend a lot of time with us. It's more with their friends and girlfriends. That's what I do.

Speaker 2:

Well, you can still get them to spend family time. No, On Sundays.

Speaker 3:

Well, yeah, I try.

Speaker 2:

No, they're good, I have good kids. So, ed, we know marketing is key to any business's success. How do you market your business?

Speaker 3:

You know we have different strategies. We have Google and we have Google reviews, which those are being pretty good. Those have been pretty good. We also market on Facebook, on Instagram. We have a couple of magazines and word of mouth. I do a lot of networking so I'm part of different groups with other trades so we refer each other businesses and that's very successful. I refer them. I'm not only looking for them to refer me, but I look to refer to them and that always turns around.

Speaker 2:

Give to receive. So, ed, we know you are a very busy person.

Speaker 3:

In your own words, tell our listeners why are you doing this? I'm doing this because I'm passionate about doing something good, like when you see concrete around that is in very bad shape and it can become dangerous, or you know, you learn that it's people that don't do things the right way, like cut corners and things like that. So I would like to do things better around me Better concrete, better looking concrete in many different shapes. When you do things the right way, it doesn't sound like a community service, but it is because you're doing with quality products that is better for the environment, take care of our processes to not waste that much and things like that. So trying to do something better around me.

Speaker 2:

Love it, Ed. We'll catch you in the next episode. Have a fantastic rest of your day.

Speaker 3:

Thank you, Sophia. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1:

That's it for this episode of Ed the Concrete man, because boring concrete is so last season. Want your space to shine and not crack. Call Ed at 945-400-4362 for a free in-home consultation, or visit csiusnet. From driveways to patios and everything in between, if it's concrete, we've got you covered. Until next time, keep it smooth and let Ed handle the heavy stuff.