Concrete repair demos keep eye on industry needs

Representatives from Metzger McGuire, a leader in interior industrial concrete repair products, provided live concrete repair demonstrations to students in the Concrete Construction class.

The company’s Pat Smith and Dan Kraff gave students hands-on practice using Metzger McGuire’s products to repair surface damage and damaged joints – and donated materials to the concrete science program.

“We are a strong believer in education,” Smith said. “The more education we can do, the better it is for the industry.”

Metzger McGuire, a second-generation family-owned company based in New Hampshire, was invited to campus by Franklin H. Reber, instructor of building construction technology, who connected with the firm through Durable Surfaces, which employs several Penn College concrete science alumni.

One of those alumni, Nate M. Carsley, who received two associate degrees – building construction technology in 2022 and concrete science technology in 2023 – was on hand for the demo. His company is a leader in concrete repair, is working across the country as warehouse operators seek to keep their floors in good condition for the forklift drivers who must drive over them.

Asked what he loves about his job, Carsley said: “All of it.”

“It’s cool going into different warehouses and figuring out what you can do to fix it – then seeing what the final product looks like,” he said.

Penn College concrete science graduates are in high demand for their knowledge of the world’s most widely used construction material.