Every year BuilderNews honors select products that benefit builders and buyers alike in their annual Best Products Awards. GigaCrete’s PlasterMax was selected this year as a “Best Design Product”.

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All Las Vegas architect Andrew Dennis wanted was a strong, lightweight material to build a home in the Caribbean.

After years of experimenting, what he got is GigaCrete Inc., a company whose “greener” version of concrete is poised to grab its share of the growing market for environmentally friendly building materials.

GigaCrete last month landed $3.5 million in venture capital from Craton Equity Partners, a Los Angeles-based investment firm that specializes in clean-technology growth companies. Craton will add another $1.5 million if GigaCrete meets its goals.
As part of the deal, chief executive officer Erik Hanson is moving GigaCrete’s headquarters from Las Vegas to his home base in the Northeast Valley. The funding also will move GigaCrete out of the research-and-development stage and into manufacturing, Hanson said.

“I just really believe in what we’re doing in terms of creating a new line of products in the market,” Hanson said. “I think the timing of the markets from a regulatory perspective, the consumer perspective, builders, architects and even developers are really pushing and moving in this direction.”

Read Full Article on AZCentral.com

By Jim Gorman

Published in the March 2007 issue.
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GigaCrete, Inc. Retains Intertek, a Leading International Testing Firm
Intertek to Handle Product Testing and Code Approvals

GigaCrete, Inc. officially retained the world renowned firm, Intertek (www.intertek-etlsemko.com), to handle all of the company’s testing needs and building code approval submittals.

“Intertek has the track record and the technical expertise to service GigaCrete’s testing needs”, said Erik Hanson, GigaCrete’s CEO.

Intertek has been contracted to conduct everything in-house, which allows for greater efficiency in testing and alleviates the necessity to outsource to multiple testing companies. Currently, Intertek is performing an initial evaluation on the company’s “tier one” product suite. Upon completion, Intertek will conduct all the necessary product tests required to achieve ICC (International Code Council) code approval. Intertek will also consult regularly with GigaCrete regarding the development of production quality control procedures required by ICC to obtain product code approvals.

Significantly, one of the key advantages of working with Intertek is the fact that they offer the “Warnock Hersey Mark,” which is among the most well recognized and respected North American marks of compliance for building codes, association criteria, and product safety and performance standards. The Warnock Hersey Mark appears on many building and construction products including fire doors, hardware, manufactured wood, plumbing, roofing and hearth products, as well as pools, spas and various other items. Overall, there are more than 4,000 building products classified according to type and listed by ETL SEMKO that bear the Warnock Hersey Mark. The Warnock Hersey Mark is an independent verification that a building product meets code standards.

“In addition to seeking ICC code approval, GigaCrete may also look into obtaining the Warnock Hersey Mark for some of its core products,” said Mr. Hanson. “We feel very comfortable and have confidence in having a world-class firm of Intertek’s caliber working with us to achieve code approvals for our products.”

About Intertek
ETL SEMKO is a division of Intertek Group PLC (LSE: ITRK) specializing in electrical product safety testing, EMC testing, and benchmark performance testing. Intertek is among the industry leaders in their scope of testing and accreditations and their client portfolio includes such industry giants as Sony, Samsung, Siemens, General Electric, Motorola, 3M, and Alcoa. With more than 30 offices and laboratories on six continents, Intertek is a leader in global presence as well. To ensure fast, dependable answers, in addition to quick market access, Intertek’s experts and accreditations are comprehensive. In North America, Intertek is recognized by OSHA and accredited by NVLAP, A2LA, ANSI, and ICBO to test building products to the most current standards published by leading North American standards bodies.

About GigaCrete, Inc.
GigaCrete, Inc. is an emerging leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance cementitious ‘green’ building materials. The Company, which is locating its first manufacturing plant in Las Vegas, NV and corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ, will be commercializing new products in the 2007 and 2008, including interior decorative flooring overlay, interior plaster, molding/casting material, exterior stucco, and a precast panelized building system. GigaCrete products are characterized by their high strength-to-weight ratios, unsurpassed performance, cost-competitiveness, and sustainable materials.