Meet: Tony Pernas, co-owner of Bear Flag Construction Services / Bear Flag Waterproofing & Restoration Services
Rapid Set® user since: 2020
Products: Concrete Mix, Mortar Mix Plus, TiltWallFixx™, TRU®, WunderFixx®

Describe your business.

I started working with my dad at about 18 and now, after 25 years, have my own business. A couple years ago I merged my concrete repair and restoration business, HTR Concrete Polishing Solutions, with my partner Tony Radovich’s waterproofing business.

We grew from four employees to 20 employees in about four months. We’re at about 30 now and could be in the 60s by year-end 2024. Next year, 120. We started in Los Angeles doing primarily commercial and historical restoration, moved into Houston, and are opening three locations in Florida.

What’s driving your growth?

We offer a 10-year warranty because we fix the underlying problem before doing anything else. If you do that, the repair will last.

The problem isn’t the concrete itself; the problem is inadequate repairs of damage caused by improperly installed components. Let’s say a window frame was installed incorrectly or somebody drilled a hole but didn’t patch or plug the concrete. Through the years the rebar starts rusting and the concrete spalls.

Instead of doing a 5-minute fix that’ll have to be done again in a couple years, we tell the customer, “We’ll warranty our work for 10 years, but you have to let us identify and fix the root problem first.” We follow the damage until we reach 100% solid rebar. That’s when we stop demolishing and start repairing.

We also give the customer guidelines on how to properly maintain the repair.

With many other repair products out there, why do you choose Rapid Set®?

Our first Rapid Set® product was TRU® Self-Leveling polishable overlay. Even though the epoxy overlay we were using wasn’t Rapid Set®, our supply yard [Jon-Don] sent CTS Cement / Rapid Set® sales rep Manuel Lutz to troubleshoot issues we were having polishing. The finish was mottled; we had burn marks because it was very hard to grind. It just wasn’t user-friendly.

Manny drove almost two hours to the jobsite and, after walking the floor with us, recommended ripping out and replacing the overlay with the TRU® product. And that’s what we did. Once we’d primed and sanded the substrate, he came back out with mixers and a spike roller to show us how to mix, place, and finish. It turned out beautifully.

Manny provided the best quality control. You don't see that level of customer service anywhere.

So then I asked for his opinion on a huge commercial patching job repairing balconies and other exterior concrete at Coronado Shores condominium towers in San Diego. He recommended Mortar Mix Plus, which could be applied thicker than the product we were using and has rust inhibitor in it for extra protection against corrosion. Those repairs are in the same shape they were in when we left two years ago, so I don't doubt the product’s durability.

When did Rapid Set® help you complete a project with results that another product couldn’t have?

That job led to another one at the same complex: repairing spalls in top-floor condo ceilings.

A couple were too big to effectively hand patch. We created a form up against the ceiling, went up on the roof, drilled a couple holes, and poured Mortar Mix Plus dosed with FLOW Control® to increase fluidity. Manny showed us a couple product options for covering the patch, and we chose TiltWallFixx™ smoothing compound, which we sanded the same day and painted white to match the ceiling.

I can’t offer a 10-year warranty if a manufacturer doesn’t stand behind its product. If I have to call somebody and they don’t show up or help me troubleshoot, I don't want to work with that company. Manny is one phone call away from fixing my problem.

If another product is specified and we’re not allowed to use Rapid Set® instead, I don’t do the work.

How do Rapid Set® products differ from other concrete repair products?

We do a lot of historical restoration. You have to draw on the concrete to make the same lines and figures that were there before.

Rapid Set® is very easy to work with because you pour it, remove forms, and start drawing lines and it looks beautiful. With Mortar Mix Plus, I can make a patch in a couple hours that looks 90 years old. That's awesome.

If you read and follow the directions, you'll be successful with Rapid Set®. It is that simple.