Jim Dvoratchek, owner of Hard Rock Concrete Cutters Inc., Wheeling, Ill., was elected president of the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association (CSDA) at its 39th Annual Convention in Bonita Springs, Fla. It was no surprise to members since Dvoratchek held the position of vice president for the previous two years, and the vice president assumes the position of president. However, it was a milestone for the association and Dvoratchek as he became the first person to be re-elected to the position for a two-year term.

Dvoratchek was first elected president of CSDA in 1999. At that time, he had been in the industry for 20 years, and was busy growing his company in the highly-competitive Chicago market. He also was a founding member of the CSDA Insurance Program, which took quite a lot of time to administer, but he felt the time was right to commit his own time and energy to the office.

Now Dvoratchek, who studied business at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Northeastern Illinois University, has been in the concrete sawing and drilling industry for more than 30 years, and he has, once again, committed his time and energy to the office.

In 1979, he began his career in concrete cutting as a helper laborer before becoming a cutter, then estimator with the Concrete Sawing & Drilling Co., prior to his co-founding Hard Rock Concrete Cutters in 1987. He served as secretary/treasurer for the new business and then moved to president, a position he still holds today. In 1995, Dvoratchek also helped to co-found and serve as president of Hard Rock Co. of Wisconsin, and held the position of secretary/treasurer for Central Illinois Concrete Cutters Inc.

At the time Dvoratchek joined CSDA, he was keen to learn from other cutters about concrete cutting – techniques, applications and equipment. He knew that he needed this kind of knowledge to make his business a success, and he had the energy to dive in. “From the beginning, I saw tremendous value in networking with industry leaders,” says Dvoratchek. “I sought knowledge, and the members of CSDA were willing to openly share their knowledge with me.”

Hard Rock began to grow, as did his involvement with CSDA. He was able to implement the things he was learning into his business and share his own ideas with other members of the association’s board and committees.

Now that Hard Rock had developed into a large-scale operation, and Dvoratchek is working on a business succession plan with a trusted team, including some of his children, he feels he has the time and resources to commit to the position of president.