NRMCA Producer Member Perfects Strategies to Promote Pervious Concrete

Strategies on how to promote the pervious concrete market vary by ready mixed concrete producer, reports NRMCA Senior Director, National Resources, Doug O'Neill. Some producers add pervious to their mix of products and then hope for the best, while others like Cape Cod Ready Mix in Massachusetts use well thought out and applied strategies to get results, he said. Cape Cod Ready Mix Sales Manager Peter Zoni recently discussed the company's approach with O’Neill, discussing how Cape Cod has taken advantage of the developing pervious market.

"When we realized the opportunities pervious concrete presented, we decided to trademark our mix," Zoni said. "It didn’t cost much, yet by having our 'Perk-Crete' trademarked, it has elevated our standing in the design community and has given us a leg up on our competitors." Zoni and his team have been hard at work promoting their mix to the local municipalities, with a willingness to donate yardage for test sections in many communities within their market, including donating pervious concrete for a year-round greenhouse (shown below) in Orleans, MA, which serves as an agricultural and horticultural learning laboratory for students throughout the Cape.

It also advertised its new trademarked solution to stormwater management targets in the business section of local newspapers. In addition, the Massachusetts Concrete and Aggregate Association (MaCAPA) funded a booth at the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s annual show, where Zoni helped man the booth along with MaCAPA promoters, O’Neill and Ken Justice with the Portland Cement Association.

O'Neill said Justice gave a very informative seminar on pervious design which, because of the number of seminars being given at the same time, attracted only one attendee. "We were all disappointed with the turnout, but keeping with Zoni’s positive approach, he followed up with that one attendee who happened to work for the town of Orleans, MA," O’Neill said. Thanks to a combination of being involved and following up, Zoni was able to influence town officials into specifying pervious concrete for all sidewalks and crosswalks within their cultural district. Several other neighboring towns have now included pervious concrete for things like boat ramp parking areas and municipal golf course cart paths.