I am honored to be the new President of the CFA and I thank everyone for all the support I have received. In the next two years I hope to be able to share some of the knowledge I have amassed over the last 32 years, much of that directly due to becoming actively involved as a member of the CFA.

Why is it so important to be a CFA member? The list of reasons is actually very long, but of importance to all of us is: PROFIT and KNOWLEDGE.

I have been a CFA member for 17 years and in every one of those years, I have received information and guidance that changed some area of our business, making us more efficient and, therefore,more profitable. Before becoming a member, I truly believed that I had the best forming system and all the knowledge I needed. There was no way I could become more efficient and how could technology possibly help me be more profitable. To me, there was no need to become a CFA member. Was I ever wrong!!

Participation = MORE PROFIT and MORE KNOWLEDGE

In 1999, I received a gift of membership for one year from one of our long time CFA members, Cranes and Equipment, encouraging me to join and participate. I continued paying the membership dues and enjoyed reading CFA Facts and other materials I received from the CFA. I found this information to be useful, but I was not actively attending the summer convention. A winter meeting at the World of Concrete was my introduction to CFA events. What an eye opener! There were actually people in the same business I was in who openly and willingly wanted to help me grow my business and increase my knowledge. After believing I could never afford to take time off from work for 2 or 3 days in the summer, I attended my first convention in 2001. I was amazed at the quality and variety of educational seminars and how much I learned from each of them. From that point on, I knew I couldn’t afford NOT to go! I have come away from every meeting with ideas, knowledge and product information that have helped me to become more efficient and more profitable. The camaraderie and lifelong friends I have found as a CFA member have a value that is immeasurable.

There are many CFA membership benefits…here are two:

The CFA 360 Insurance Program has been in effect for about a year now. This is one benefit that can show directly on your bottom line and a number of members have seen considerable savings in their business insurance premiums. This group insurance program was developed specifically for our industry by Arthur J. Gallagher and Co. and seeks to help members control their insurance costs through a variety of programs such as an industry specific safety program and sample contracts to be utilized when hiring subcontractors. The program continues to grow with additional benefits to be available in the future. Having an insurance agent that is your partner and seeks to protect your best interests is truly a valuable benefit.

The other benefit that I believe is extremely valuable is the ability to call CFA staff to obtain assistance when confronted with a building official who may not understand code. Some CFA members and CFA staff hold seats on ACI committees and CFA staff participate in the Building Code Process. They are a valuable source of information and have the ability to provide documentation to members to assist them in resolving disagreements or issues with local code officials. This is a benefit I have utilized on more than one occasion and is, by itself, well worth the cost of an annual membership.

I believe it is important for all of us to contribute to the industry that has supported us and allowed us to profit by it. The ability to share knowledge, ask questions, and contribute to strengthening our industry is huge. Please help us to continue to support a great industry by becoming a member. Your participation and membership will provide valuable returns in more ways than one.

CFA President (2016-18) Dennis Purinton of Purinton Builders Inc. purintonbuilders@yahoo.com