Certification Has Arrived!
CFA’s Certification program is exceeding our expectations! Since the inaugural kick off last summer at the “08”, summer meeting in New Mexico the program now boasts seven (7) fully certified companies and thirty (30) certifi ed technicians with fifty one (51) individuals having taken the exam. The momentum the program has going can be seen in the number of inquires CFA is getting by foundation companies interested in the certification. I believe if the momentum for this program continues it will lead to significant benefits for both the CFA and the certified member companies and improve the professionalism of the industry.
The first phase of developing this program is well under way. Our plan was to test and certify a few companies last summer so we could work through the process for becoming a certified company and fine-tuned the program as needed. We never dreamed the program would be this successful after just 6 months.
The program will be enhanced by the addition of the CFA Certified Foundation Technician. Since so many companies sent more than one person to test (although the CFA criteria to become a certified company requires that only one active company representative has to set and pass the written exam) it only makes sense that those companies should reap additional benefits for having additional key personnel passing the exam. The board of directors thought that it was awesome that companies would be so willing to stand above others in their area that the CFA Certified Foundation Technician was born. To become a CFA Certified Foundation Technician you must only pass the written exam. The certification is good for 5 years and at that point, you will only have to re-take and pass the written exam.
Now that we have the mechanics of the program up and running, all we need to work on is the second phase of the program. Marketing the CFA company certification program. This accomplishment needs to be sold to our customers and the housing industry. I personally have waited to market this accomplishment until I felt the program was successful and I believe we are at that point. Within my company, we are currently changing our marketing and advertising material to include CFA’s certification logo. I believe that it is vital to the success of the program and the people who have or will become certified to work together and share ideas about marketing strategies and what is working best for each of us. To find out more about what is available call the CFA office or check out the CFA web site at www.cfawalls.org.
Dan Bromley, CFA President, ABI Corporation
