The wizard of concrete: Perryville man patents way to build steps more easily

Leroy Rellergert has been in construction all his adult life. And for all of his adult life the Perryville, Mo., man has known that that the process to build concrete steps has been a drain on a developer's wallet.

"It was a hassle," Rellergert said. "It was a big pain. There was a lot of waste, and it was time-consuming."

In 2002, while working on an addition to the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, an idea began to formulate that would culminate in a product that Rellergert created and has patented called the Concrete Step Wizard.

"Everybody who has used it loves it," said Rellergert, who works for Kiefner Brothers Construction. "I really think that when people hear about it, this should be a global piece of equipment that they will want to use."

The Concrete Step Wizard has been used on several projects, perhaps the most prominent of which is the new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau, which is currently under construction. It was also used in the construction of HealthPoint Plaza and for projects at Southeast Missouri State University.

In the traditional way of building concrete steps, Rellergert said, the steps need to be laid out and the wood that frames the steps needs to be cut out. Then riser boards -- the vertical pieces between steps -- have to be attached to the riser layout.

Using the Concrete Step Wizard, which is made up of orange pieces of metal, basically the same method is used, except Rellergert's invention eliminates a step.

"You don't have to cut the wood out to get it ready to put the riser boards in there," he said. "Before, that was the only way to do it."

The system holds the riser boards in place. The Concrete Step Wizard raises stringer boards up in the air, allowing concrete workers easier access to do finishing work, he said. Not cutting all that wood saves on material.

"But the biggest savings is the labor, because it doesn't take any time," Rellergert said.

Rellergert estimates that his invention will save up to 50 percent of labor and material expenses. He also said it applies to steps of all sizes.

He said that the Concrete Step Wizard even can be used for circular steps and stadium seating arrangements.

"The speed of the assembly and disassembly is truly amazing," Rellergert said.

Rellergert applied for the patent in December and got his patent March 1, with the assistance of a St. Louis law firm. He said his product will strictly be for leasing. He's had 1,000 units in stock and has ordered 1,000 more. He said the demand seems to be high.

And he is already thinking of other things he could patent.

"I've got some ideas," Rellergert said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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