“It is really quite simple,” said Gib Abfalter, president of Abfalter Brothers Concrete. “Customer satisfaction is a key priority and our goal is to ensure that our customers don’t have to make a lot of phone calls to get the job done.”

A member of CFA since 1996, this business approach has allowed the Abfalter Bros. of Big Lake, Minn. to grow, provided they were willing to try new things. Constantly striving to make things more convenient for their customers, the $10-million company offers more services than competitors in their marketplace and is the first to try new technology. As a full-service provider of concrete services including excavating and waterproofing, they are one of the leading providers in poured walls in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.

Probably the most significant change in the business was the transition from block to cast-in-place concrete options. Founded in 1981 by brothers Gib and Jerry Abfalter, the company originally began as a block basement and commercial flat work provider. In 1994, Abfalter Bros. became the first company to start with poured walls on “his side of town.” Although they still did some block work, “the more poured walls we did, the more customers wanted them,” said Gib Abfalter. Poured concrete foundations rapidly grew in popularity and Abfalter Bros. quit lying block foundations just one year after starting their poured wall business. Today, the company solely provides poured concrete for residential foundations.

Yet another example is waterproofing. Abfalter Bros. were the first to provide waterproofing. Following their lead, most of the competition now provides this added service, simply propelling Abfalter Bros. to continue to refine their offerings.

Keeping up with the constantly changing technology is very important to Abfalter Bros. and they are quick to credit CFA with helping them stay on top. For example, Abfalter discovered the Geodimeter Total Station and the Autocrete software through CFA, which has dramatically helped improve business.

“Productivity and accuracy are both greatly increased by utilizing this system,” said Abfalter. “Companies do not have to hire as many hard-to-find skilled laborers, and you are able to download coordinates into the software, which eliminates human mistakes caused by misreading.”

Even in this challenging economy, Abfalter Bros.’ business is thriving and they are busier than they ever have been at this time of year. With more than 40 employees, the company has two wall and two footing crews, one stripping crew, as well as drivers, operators and office personnel.

A big supporter of CFA, Abfalter encourages all members to regularly attend CFA meetings. “CFA functions are what made my business take off,” Abfalter explains. He said he has learned a great deal of valuable information, providing him with the advantage of having new products and techniques to keep his company ahead of the rest.

For more information about Abfalter Bros., visit www.abfalterconcrete.com or contact Gib Abfalter at 763-263-8088.