Top 10 Current CFA Board and Staff Work Initiatives

David Martinson of Martinson Construction in Waterloo, IA – Current CFA President

An energized meeting of the CFA Board took place recently in Washington DC during the Fall ACI Convention. Board members not only participated in afternoon scheduled to steer the next months of the CFA, they also participated in the new ACI committee for Foundation Certification as well as committees for Cold Weather Concrete and Residential Concrete Codes and Standards. Their commitment to this industry’s needs is exemplary.

In keeping with prior efforts, the list below has been generated with guidance from the CFA Board president, David Martinson of Martinson Construction, Waterloo, IA as the newest leader for the Association. The mission of the Concrete Foundations Association is to support the cast-in-place contractor as the voice and recognized authority for the residential concrete industry, and this list evidences the intentional direction toward that mission.

Dave Martinson’s Top 10 CFA Board Initiatives and Topics

1. SB2 Management Contract – As identified during the previous Board meeting synopsis, the CFA enacted a new contract with the firm that has managed the CFA for the past 20+ years, now with Jim Baty at the helm and as Executive Director of the Association. This new contract will give an infusion of energy to the Association as it focuses on growth of the Association.
2. Social Media to Reach Millennials – While many on the Board and likely many of you reading this abhor the transition underway toward the use of LinkedIn, Twitter, facebook and other social media outlets for business, the reality is that both today’s customers and tomorrow’s leaders will be found, engaged and communicated with at an increasing rate with social media. It is not a question of whether this is necessary but rather why it is and how to make it a practical step in your business plan. CFA leaders, Jason Ells of Custom Concrete and Doug Herbert of Herbert Construction will be working with Baty to create a road map for this transition in your business and bring more information forward in our information resources and at Convention.
3. CFA Staff Growth – The Board was pleased to learn that with the new contract and with transitions taking place within the staff of Sauter Baty Associates, the CFA will be gaining additional staff support for its initiatives, programs and events. New faces mean new energy and continued delivery of the resources and support members have grown accustom to receiving.
4. Convention 2014 – If you missed this event, it was a major statement for both the Association and the industry. From the 40-year history recap to the WOC environment with full size equipment framing the education and social events, Sandusky was a full stride forward in CFA Convention being the largest gathering of cast-in-place contractors in North America. This family-friendly and encouraged environment coupled a great education track with the biggest space, most energy and greatest number of technologies represented in a long time.
5. CFA Professional Recognition – The awards given this year example the dedication CFA members have been long known to provide. The prestigious Bob Sawyer Award, received by Doug Staebler, a long time featured presenter at Convention, was the pinnacle moment recognizing his leadership. The MVP Award to Mary Wilson of Michel Concrete for her dedication to OSHA Fall Protection along with the Lifetime Achievement recognitions for Bill Esker and Gary Bromley, who both left us this year, and Contractor of the Year to Tim Parrish further accented the importance of leadership and the spirit of commitment to the CFA and industry.
6. Quality Labor Shortage – The hot topic of the meeting was labor. It is at the heart of all concerns and management stresses at this time. Contractors are finding it very difficult to find workers to hire and even greater problems retaining quality workers from those hires. Additional interests in training workforce and creating legal incentives for workforce led to a Convention theme for Williamsburg 2015 that will cover all aspects of labor in the foundation industry including best practices round tables for training. The theme for Williamsburg 2015 became “HOW TO INSPIRE, MOTIVATE, TRAIN AND DEVELOP THE FUTURE OF YOUR WORKPLACE.”
7. Optimizing Mix Designs – Proposed by Board member, Dennis Purinton, Williamsburg 2015 will also feature a day-long education event on mix designs. It will cover variability, evaluating and monitoring the performance for mix designs and be led by industry mix gurus from Til-Con, Kim Basham and John Gnaedinger.
8. Insurance Captive Development – While all of the most recent efforts have been concluded as dead ends, sufficient energy remains and a die hard commitment to developing this need for our industry. Concrete Holdings LLC, the entity formed by CFA members to produce this captive is actively seeking proposals from captive management experts for the next round of development. This effort will most certainly result in a strong option for finally delivering a managed captive insurance program for the future of our industry.
9. World of Concrete 2015, the 40^th Anniversary Celebration Concludes – Las Vegas will be the conclusion of a yearlong effort to celebrate 40 years of the CFA. It will also be the celebration of more than 20 years of devote leadership from Ed Sauter, CFA Executive Director. CFA will host this year’s winter meeting at the Harley Davidson Café on Tuesday night of WOC week. There will be many other engagement opportunities. CFA continues to offer a chance for foundation contractors to be part of a unified force with the lowest WOC registration. This year Hanley Wood registration is available online for $20 through the CFA (bit.ly/WOCwithCFA) or with code A30. Any other registration other than online through a co-sponsor will be a higher rate. Some restrictions do apply. CFA also unveils a new stand alone exhibit location at booth C4341 and will continue the popular Live B4 Five held Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons at the Trump Hotel lobby bar.
10. Member Fleet Maintenance Survey/Research Proposal – Stemming from CFA member interest, our industry is facing a real challenge in efficiently maintaining the fleet of equipment and vehicles required in today’s business. To bring about better ideas in effectively managing these fleets, the CFA will begin conducting a survey and potentially working with a consultant for deeper research and summarized information to help members rein in their costs and build better fleet management programs.

Don’t forget to REGISTER TO ATTEND WORLD OF CONCRETE with CFA’s unique code A30! Visit www.cfawalls.org or go directly to bit.ly/WOCwithCFA to participate in a unified foundation contractor force at the World of Concrete.

The CFA Board enjoyed an evening at Bartley Corp following the Board session on Monday during ACI Convention in Washington DC.

This is just a list of highlights of all that is transpiring at the Board level of management for this Association. In all efforts, the breadth of CFA membership’s best interests is maintained in focus. Want to know more? Minutes from the meeting are available by contacting CFA staff and discussion on these topics is encouraged. Visit the CFA Board of Directors information page to find out who you might contact and more information on how to become involved.