icpi certification?

For the record, with all due respect, one of the responses on the 1st page is from someone that is an ICPI instructor. www.biasedopinion.com

I have not made mention of my ICPI certification for at least 5 years. Which I currently have let run out. Everyone and their brother is certified. We have one contractor in the area that is ICPI certified. They do terrible work. they do not use any geo-textile fabric. I could go on and on about their pathetic paver install practices. So much for that certification class and test he/they took. But that logo sure does look nice on their proposal!

Folks, get real - this is what sells work:

1) Passion for the work and passion for your company
2) An extensive portfolio of completed jobs
3) Display of extensive knowledge for the work / product.
4) References (BTW - I supply references of clients of whom we've done work for not 6 months ago - but of clients whom we did work for 2-3 years ago. It takes around 3 yrs to see the effects of a job done wrong)
5) No complaints on your state contractors license
6) A professional, DETAILED proposal. TYPED NOT hand written

Logo and all that. Great. Fine. Is the logo REALLY helping you, or is it making your local competitors feel compelled to become ICPI certified which in turn is helping ICPI make money???? Remember back in the 90's when everyone had Oakley logos on their windshields? Did girls stop you and say "whoa sexy, you have an Oakley sticker, I wanna hop in bed with you"?

Dude, if you been doing pavers for years and if you have a steady stream of work - then the answer is as plain as day......

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Continuing education is something that ALL business owners should partake in.

But as far as preaching certification to a client - thats a joke.

Most clients do not even know what a 'paver patio' is. They know what a 'brick patio' is.

So if they dont even know the correct term - they certainly are not concerned about dinky old interlocking concrete pavement institute.

And who is to blame for that? I blame ICPI. The 1st reason is because ICPI has their focus in the wrong direction. Their focus is on money and pulling in dollars. Here we have lawn jockeys, most with only high school educations, turned paver installers. You could not find a better group to sucker money out of. Literally. What we have here are newbe's to the paver install biz that are pumped up on ICPI and think ICPI is gospil. Talk to some SMART, competent, observant veteran contractors and they'll give you conflicting opinions (keyword: smart).

Ever hear of the 'Professional Masonry Association'?? The PMA has done something that ICPI has NOT. PMA is drawing PUBLIC awareness to the masonry industry. they have run television commercials broadcasting the advantages of having all brick homes. I have seen ads in magazines intended for HOMEOWNERS. They have done radio ads intended for homeowners. See, ICPI is stopping short of this.

What the hell good is ICPI doing if people think pavers are bricks???? If they can't differenciate between the two - they certainly dont care about Pauey's Patios being certified.

When ICPI stops giving certifications to anyone with a pulse

and

when they start drawing public awareness to the paver industry

and

when they start pulling certification from their CERTIFIED sub par contractors.....I'll start supporting ICPI again.

ICPI has some image restoration to do.

I'm all about education. But I'm about certifying contractors that are passing the test yet are operating as if they never took a test. What a freakin joke.

And maybe the forum's ICPI instructor will bring the issues to the powers to be at ICPI, and hopefully the powers to be will respond on this forum.....



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