Dennis Purinton, Purinton Builders, Inc. – CFA President 2016-18, purintonbuilders@yahoo.com

Many years ago, a customer made the comment that he only wanted to do business with successful people. He explained, part of being successful is acting successful and dealing with successful people.

The mission of this Association for the past forty years has been to promote and help Concrete Contractors along the path to success. Success for each is certainly individual and might mean growth, profitability, customer satisfaction, employee appreciation and much more.

The summer meeting in Myrtle Beach this past July, was a gathering of companies helping each other by sharing the events of the year, as well as their knowledge.

What intrigues me so much with this event is how easily this is shared towards the goal of success for all. There were twenty-six exhibitors displaying inside and several brought equipment that was displayed outside. The representatives from these companies presented their products/equipment with great information on how each might be used to increase production, quality and profitability. Also, explained by many of these representatives were the essential safety features, best safety practices and ways to effectively market their products. I know you can get at this elsewhere but nowhere else am I able to spend as much time discovering and developing a deeper understanding or identifying a new possibility than with the dedicated two days I had with these reps.

Convention was about a whole lot more than just an equipment show, though. We had thirteen speakers on ten different topics in the education program. The topics represented many aspects of our industry and were presented by attorneys, insurance professionals, technical specialists and several of our own Contractor Members.

Added to this atmosphere of learning found in the formal presentations were several hours of dedicated networking. Whether it was over coffee, one of the many meals, in the hallway at break or even a few beers at the end of the day, sharing the ritual and pressures of the job or the challenge of the latest concrete “placement” was more than just icing on the cake. Our members understand that loyalty and communication to each other is key to all our successes. Personally, our company has purchased products or services from thirteen of the exhibitors or speakers and I am sure we are not alone.

The next “big” event is the World of Concrete in Las Vegas. Please go to the CFA website and register for the WOC through our site. Please stop by our booth to chat and make plans to attend the Tuesday night dinner at Hofbrauhaus. We would love to share all that we can offer with you.

Over the past months I have already had the pleasure of talking to several our members in a new way as President of this Association. I want to hear from all of you and see you become an active part of the CFA success story.