• Lighthouse After School

    Thursday, April 4, 2024

    Stephens and Smith Concrete Construction participates with a Trades/Industry Program Attracting tomorrow’s workforce to the concrete industry involves fostering early engagement and understanding of the field. Introducing high school students to construction trades through a structured workshop approach holds immense potential in shaping their perception of and interest in concrete careers. “Our TIP program is […]

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  • Build my Future: Collaboration Engages Youth, How did it come about? What are its Goals

    Tuesday, March 26, 2024

    Perma-Structo of Sturtevant, Wisconsin, a Certified Contractor member of the Concrete Foundations Association, has a long history of participation in efforts aimed at awareness and trades education for youth to bring about a stronger future for the construction industry. The most recent event, Build My Future, continued to demonstrate the value for all involved. Build […]

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  • Why Membership Matters

    Tuesday, March 26, 2024

    “PRECISION FOCUS!!” I have had the privilege in the last two years of being introduced to the field of concrete construction in an incredibly dynamic way.  While it started with photographing job sites for my brother-in-law, Russ Talpey of Talpey Construction, I have been inspired to continue telling the story I find so compelling.  Not […]

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  • Concrete Reasons to set BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) for your Concrete Business

    Tuesday, March 26, 2024

    By Bill Humbert, recruiterguy.com There is a difference between properly setting a goal and making a resolution for your business. I know. I have been in business for 34 years. Why not make a “resolution”? The answer is easy. Are many New Year’s resolutions kept? Over my past 34 years, maybe two New Year’s resolutions […]

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  • Ensuring Worker Safety: The Vital Role of Alternative Fall Protection Plans

    Tuesday, March 26, 2024

    By Tim Neubauer, MS, CSP For construction, safeguarding the lives of workers is not just a regulatory mandate but is also a moral obligation. As the construction industry grapples with the persistent challenge of fall-related fatalities, the importance of proper fall protection measures becomes increasingly evident. Data from 2020 reveals a stark reality: out of […]

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Feature

Jun
19

Aerial Photography Technology, Old and New

By: Mitch Bloomquist and James Baty | Concrete Foundations Association Drones continue to be a very hot topic these days. Whether you attend World of Concrete, pay attention to the news media or pay attention to the photos posted throughout social media, the age of drones is here. The news offers a wide variety of […]

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Mar
16

Safety Really Is Job #1

by Levi Schrock, chair of CFA Safety Committee Throughout the years, safety has been a subject of conversation at the CFA. We confess, however, that it has usually been brought up as a reaction to a hot topic posed by OSHA. Today, we hope to be advanced enough in our thinking to be talking about […]

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Mar
16

Remembering Ron

by Ed Sauter Those who knew Ron Colvin (RC) will never forget him. Beneath the ever-present beard, overalls, Hawaiian shirts and sandals was a kind, smart, and caring individual who would do anything to make life better for those who worked with him. Ron was a little unconventional in his appearance and approach to things, […]

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Mar
16

Twisted Steel Micro-Rebar in Load-Carrying Concrete Walls

by Samhar Hoz, Jeff Novak, Luke Pinkerton   Concrete walls are widely used in building construction. Concrete is strong in compression; however, its tensile strength is only 8 to 15 percent of the compressive strength. Thus, plain concrete does not have good tensile properties. Cracks can develop due to loads, restrained shrinkage, or temperature changes […]

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Photo courtesy of CT Home Inspedtors - www.allied123.com
Mar
16

UNDERSTANDING PYRRHOTITE IN CONCRETE

by James Baty, Gary Ehrlich, Jamie Farny, Don Penepent, and Dennis Purinton Concrete, the most widely used construction material in the world, is a complex matrix of materials that transforms into a reliable structural product. With so many variables—different ingredients, different performance requirements, varying exposures—specifiers are faced with many choices when designing durable concrete mixtures […]

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Dec
6

2017 Product & Services Showcase

This feature brings you the current products & services that may be found represented by the member companies of the Concrete Foundations Association to make the work of concrete contractors more efficient and of higher quality. PRODUCT & SERVICES SHOWCASE AUTOCAR  |  www.autocartruck.com |  877-973-3486 At Autocar, building trucks isn’t just what we do – it’s […]

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Magazine Issues

Dec
8

Fox Blocks anuncia nuevos recursos adicionales ahora disponibles en español 

English | Translation Provided by the CFA Fox Blocks, fabricante  formaletas aislantes para concreto, con mucha anticipación anuncia que ahora tenemos recursos nuevos en español. Esto es un programa de desarrollo emocionante para la empresa, ya que ahora podemos hacer que la información sea más accesible para el grupo demográfico hispanoparlante. Estamos orgullosos de ofrecerles […]

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Dec
8

Fox Blocks New Additional Resources Now Available in Spanish

Español | Translation Provided by the CFA Fox Blocks, an Insulated Concrete Forms manufacturer, with much anticipation has announced the availability of new resources in Spanish. This is an exciting development for the company, as we are now able to make everything more accessible to a large portion of our disproportionally underserved demographic. We’re proud […]

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Dec
8

Reflexiones desde el campo

English | Translation Provided by the CFA Los salarios más altos no son la respuesta a la reducción de nuestra fuerza laboral A medida que la industria de la #construcción continúa quejándose por la falta de trabajadores, continuamos viendo declaraciones de que el aumento de sueldos es la respuesta para atraer una mayor fuerza laboral. […]

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Dec
8

Thoughts From the Field

Español | Translation Provided by the CFA with Jim Rogers Higher Wages Are Not the Answer to Our Shrinking Workforce As the construction industry continues to lament over the lack of workers, we continue to see statements about rising pay being the answer to attracting a bigger workforce. But is this really what is needed? […]

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Dec
8

Is Your Company’s Practice to Plan for Top Employee Retention?

Español | Translation Provided by the CFA By Bill Humbert,  RecruiterGuy.com  When your company is lucky, employee retention simply happens. However, there is never really a “simply happens.” Obviously, your company is operating in a manner that retains your best employees. Congratulations! Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with several of the CFA […]

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Dec
8

¿Es práctica de su compañía planificar para retener a los mejores empleados?

English | Translation Provided by the CFA Cuando una compañía es afortunada, la retención de los empleados es algo que simplemente sucede. Sin embargo, nunca existe realmente un “simplemente sucede”. Obviamente, su compañía está operando en una manera que retiene a sus mejores empleados. ¡Felicitaciones! En las últimas semanas, he hablado con varias de las […]

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Dec
8

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Curtis Cowgill Contractor member, President of Nies Foundations Joining the CFA was a no-brainer for me. Since I’m new to the foundation industry, I was looking for a professional organization that I could be a part of to learn best practices from experienced industry professionals. I’ve found what I was looking for in the CFA! […]

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Dec
8

2022 PROJECTS OF THE YEAR

Español | Translation Provided by the CFA SETTING A CULTURE OF PRIDE The North American landscape continues to hide the most creative and challenging concrete installations each year. Now in its 23rd year, this program continues with its vision to give voice and expression to the great work completed every day throughout the markets that […]

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Dec
8

PROYECTOS DEL AÑO DE 2022

English | Translation Provided by the CFA ESTABLECER UNA CULTURA DE ORGULLO El panorama norteamericano continúa ocultando las instalaciones de concreto más creativas y desafiantes cada año. Ahora en su 23er año, este programa continúa con su visión de dar voz y expresión a las grandes obras terminadas cada día en todos los mercados que […]

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Dec
8

Concrete Foundations Association Drives Workforce Development as Advocate for the Trades

The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) is excited to announce the completion of a national campaign designed to promote workforce development and career opportunities in the concrete construction industry.   CFA worked with Viewpoint, a unique educational platform, to develop the campaign.  For almost two decades the development team behind ViewPoint, with host Dennis Quaid, has […]

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Dec
8

Una mentalidad anticuada no conduce a ideas nuevas 5 consejos para volverse más innovador al instante

English | Translation Provided by the CFA Cuando realmente necesita una mentalidad o ideas nuevas o una solución creativa a un reto, un enfoque típico y cotidiano en su manera de pensar no es el proceso óptimo. Usar la misma vieja mentalidad simplemente lo llevará a las mismas ideas viejas que ya ha tenido o […]

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