Date: January 5, 2021
News - Z Con LLC Approaches 2 Million Square Feet of Pervious Concrete Installation
As the first certified Pervious Concrete craftsman in the state of MD, Thomas “Zeke” Zinchiak is the go-to-guy when it comes to all things pervious. Zinchiak has been working in the concrete industry since 1973 and is the former owner of Z Con, Inc. After selling Z Con, Inc. in 2017, the company was renamed to Z Con, LLC. In an interview with Zinchiak and Drew Parks (General Manager of Z Con, LLC) we learned about the company’s jaw-dropping milestone of installing nearly 2,000,000 square feet of Pervious Concrete. Pervious Concrete is a special porous type of concrete that allows water to pass directly through, reducing unnecessary runoff and recharging groundwater.
Zinchiak first learned about Pervious Concrete in a 2004 demonstration hosted by the American Society of Concrete Contractors in Denver, Colorado. Zinchiak’s interest in Pervious Concrete was piqued, and he knew he wanted to be at the forefront of its’ promotion in Maryland. He spent two to three years educating himself and Z Con employees on the technicalities of Pervious Concrete, completing many trial batches, until finally carrying out his first job at Northwood High School in the mid 2000’s.
Peninsula Regional Medical Center
Eugene Burroughs Middle School
Over the years, the Z Con team has accumulated a repertoire of favorite projects including numerous jobs with Chaney Enterprises. Although the company has completed hundreds of Pervious Concrete projects, their team is particularly proud of their work with Chaney Enterprises at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, MD and at Eugene Burroughs Middle School in Accokeek, MD. The projects were impressive due to the sheer magnitude of Pervious Concrete installed; Eugene Burroughs featured over 80,000 square feet of Pervious Concrete.
After Zinchiak sold Z Con in 2017, he continued working alongside Parks on what he describes as a “part-time, full-time basis.” It is clear that Zinchiak is passionate about the industry, as he is unwilling to head completely into the world of retirement just yet! The company was left in great hands, as Parks is now responsible for Z Con, LLC’s strategic planning, daily operations and oversees the technical installations. He has over 20 years of technical and management experience in the concrete industry, excelling in all aspects of commercial and industrial construction. Parks holds many certifications including NRMCA Certified Pervious Concrete Technician and is a member of the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association (MRMCA), American Concrete Institute (ACI) and American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC). Parks plays a pivotal role in daily production, quality control, resource management, estimating, logistics and project management.
The company was originally founded in 1992 and specializes in commercial concrete work in Maryland and Washington, D.C. They are a full-service concrete construction company performing scopes of work including concrete demo, excavation, foundations, form work, rebar installation, commercial concrete walls, placing and finishing concrete slabs, placement of Pervious Concrete, and concrete site work. Parks stated, “when it comes to Pervious Concrete, we’re big supporters of continued education. We try to educate our team members, clients, and even designers as much as possible.”
Z Con has won dozens of industry awards over the years including safety awards, Excellence in Concrete awards, and environmental sustainability awards. Z Con holds many industry memberships including the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Association, the American Society of Concrete Contractors and the American Concrete Institute.
The company has currently installed approximately 1.75 million cubic feet of Pervious Concrete and plans to achieve 2 million cubic feet by the second quarter of 2021.