If your company is like mine, right now you see everything turning up. The weather is turning and the forecast for Spring is starting to look real. We see jobs breaking and more pushing toward our involvement. Better yet, we know the struggles that have been faced over the last four months are all but gone and we can return to working at a straight pace with consistent product, conditions and contracts.

But is your company also like mine, with family members involved with you, even the next generation beginning to desire involvement? Can you foresee the problems coming in ramping up the labor force to handle the increased workload because the job market is saturated by unmotivated and “entitled” persons? Are you finding it a challenge to determine the best way to cycle out or recycle some of your overused equipment, the things you’ve been making due with and have held on to far to long? There is a pretty good chance that involved in this industry you can say yes to most of these questions in some way or another. What I know is there isn’t that much different between our companies, except perhaps one big one. We’re a member of this Association.

Having missed out on World of Concrete this year, I’m really looking forward to what this summer brings. Our convention will take place in a spot I know my family is looking forward to visiting and I’ve seen that some of the answers to my questions above are planned in the education that will be offered. As owner of this company, I draw a lot of my strength from the conversations and the network access I have found here. It isn’t always easy and there are some tough decisions that have to be made in order to achieve consistency when it comes to knowledge and experience. But that is on me, the peers I’ve met and continue to meet new each and every month through the CFA have become some of my most valuable assets.

It is also now March Madness and before you let the madness of the construction season grab a hold of you, let me just encourage you to set two calendar dates now. One date needs to be set immediately to join the CFA. It is the best $600 investment you will every make in your company. The other date is July 23-25. CFA Convention is the largest annual and dedicated gathering of the cast-in-place concrete contractor industry. I’d like to meet you, introduce my family and my fellow members, my friends to you and most importantly learn from you.