Fu-Tung Cheng Selected as Keynote Speaker

Berkeley, CA (PRWEB) July 24, 2007 -- The 2007 Concrete Countertop Industry Conference, to be held October 25-27, 2007 in Charlotte, NC, will feature Fu-Tung Cheng as keynote speaker and design seminar presenter.

Fu-Tung Cheng, an expert on interior concrete applications and a pioneer in the decorative concrete industry, is the president and founder of Cheng Concrete Exchange, www.concreteexchange.com, an online resource and marketplace providing building professionals and do-it-yourselfers with training, design ideas, business opportunities and a full line of concrete countertop products. He is also author of bestselling books Concrete Countertops and Concrete at Home and a renowned World of Concrete speaker.

In 2003, Cheng, who has been designing with concrete for over 25 years, began teaching workshops in Berkeley, CA, on the design and crafting of concrete countertops. He also established Cheng Concrete Exchange, a comprehensive online resource center for those interested in designing with concrete.

Fu-Tung Cheng founded Cheng Concrete Exchange on the idea that we all benefit from an infinite-level playing field of creativity -- that good ideas and good design make good business. "Our goal is to kindle the imagination that inspires good design and craftsmanship, and to give our members the head start with the tools to create new business," said Cheng. "The Concrete Countertop Industry Conference has the same goals of helping concrete countertop professionals by providing them with a face-to-face venue to learn, network and expand their knowledge. I am pleased to headline this conference."

About The Concrete Countertop Industry Conference

The Concrete Countertop Industry Conference (CCIC) is the only conference focused solely on concrete countertops. It debuted in 2006, organized by The Concrete Countertop Institute in response to the need for a venue dedicated to professionals in the growing concrete countertop industry. Different from any event of its kind, CCIC draws together the most dedicated concrete countertop contractors ever assembled in one place for focused learning and networking. In-depth seminars and concrete countertop-specific exhibits with exciting demonstrations draw concrete countertop contractors from around the world.

Over 200 attendees from 41 U.S. States including Hawaii, plus Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada and Denmark attended the first annual Concrete Countertop Industry Conference November 6-7, 2006 in Raleigh, NC. Attendees remarked that the exhibits and seminars were very interesting and informative, and they were delighted with the networking they did with fellow attendees, speakers and exhibitors.

The 15 charter exhibitors at CCIC 2006 included bagged mixes, specialty tools, admixtures, and materials. Exhibitors commented that they had excellent conversations and that all attendees were very interested in their products. Because the event was so specifically targeted, exhibitors gathered highly qualified sales leads.

CCIC 2007 promises to be even bigger and better. Lane Mangum of The Concrete Countertop Institute, and organizer of CCIC, says, "We are thrilled that such an illustrious speaker as Fu-Tung will offer his wisdom to concrete countertop professionals in addition to all the great new things we've got planned for this year. This truly will be a watershed event in the history of the concrete countertop industry." CCIC 2007 will be held October 25-27, 2007 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. For details and to register, visit www.CCIC2007.com.

About Cheng Design Products

Cheng Design Products, Inc. was launched in 1998 to bring Cheng's aesthetic embodied in concrete countertops and unique kitchen hoods to homeowners, designers and architects. In 2003, Cheng Concrete Exchange, a division of Cheng Design Products, was developed as a comprehensive online resource center for professionals, DIYs, designers, and homeowners interested in designing with concrete.

The website, www.concreteexchange.com, offers information about and imagery of Cheng's design projects as well as concrete countertop products and workshops. For information on Cheng Design Products, please call 510.849.3272 or visit www.chengdesign.com. For information on Cheng Concrete Exchange, including products, classes and membership, please contact John Geluso at 510.849.3272, ext. 217.

About Fu-Tung Cheng

Fu-Tung Cheng heads the award-winning firms of Cheng Design and Cheng Design Products in Berkeley, California and is president and founder of www.concreteexchange.com. A native of Los Angeles, Fu-Tung graduated from UC Berkeley with a Fine Arts degree and has since planted roots in the Bay Area. His home has served as a creative "laboratory and showroom," where years of design experiments are the base for the firms' hands-on approach to creative building and Fu-Tung's bestselling book, Concrete Countertops: Design, Forms, and Finishes for the New Kitchen and Bath (Taunton Press). His second book, Concrete at Home, offers a creative look at concrete applications in the home including fireplaces, water features, floors, walls and more.

Willing to go anywhere for good design, Cheng Design's projects are located coast to coast, including Puerto Rico and Hawaii. The firm's signature style has appeared in Metropolitan Home, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Sunset, Dwell, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, and Chicago Tribune.

Cheng Design has been honored with numerous awards, including most recently:

?2006, National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Hall of Fame induction

?2006, California Home + Design (CH+D) Awards, Commercial Architecture, First Place, Celadon Teahouse

?2005, Voted by the readership "one of the Top 50 most influential figures in the kitchen and bath industry over the past 50 years," Kitchen and Bath Business (KBB)

?2005, "Special Focus Award: Kitchen" Meteor Vineyard Kitchen, Builder's Choice Design & Planning Awards, Building Magazine

?2005, "ADEX Award: Platinum Award" Shade Hood, Cheng Design by Zephyr, Design Journal Magazine

For more information on Cheng Design or Cheng Design by Zephyr, please call 510.849.3272 or visit www.chengdesign.com.

For editorial inquiries on The Concrete Countertop Industry Conference, please contact Lane Mangum at 888.386.7711.

For editorial inquiries on Cheng Design or Cheng Concrete Exchange, please contact Casi Morris at 510.849.3272, ext. 205.

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