Greetings Everyone,

We are now officially into the Summer and I’m sure most of you are going all out pouring concrete. It is my hope that all of you are keeping your customers happy, working safely and profitable!

The last meeting of our Board took place in Quebec City. Amongst many other things, we finalized our Summer Convention agenda and education tracks. We continue to hear from some of you that it is not always convenient to leave your operations during this time of year. I understand, but the benefits of the education, socializing with our peers and supporting the CFA make the time a positive return for your efforts and the time away from our business.

Selecting Denver for this year, we have a location which is accommodating to travel, and this year we have added a special speaker. She will be discussing how to effectively deal with and manage increasingly difficult people in our businesses and others we encounter daily. This message is accompanied by several additional education sessions of value and the next certification opportunity.

I want to also encourage any CFA member to attend and feel welcome at our CFA Board meeting. Here you can learn more about what we are doing on your behalf and for all of our membership. Also please keep in mind we are always looking for individuals interested in a Board seat to represent the best interests of the CFA and our membership. The meeting will be held Thursday starting at 1pm.

There is also some new happenings, which concern many of us regarding the use of articulating cranes and the regulation for certified operators. OSHA continues to position that all crane operators receive certification, but there is also information developing about an NAHB effort to apply an exemption for operators delivering materials to this industry as well. While OSHA preaches safety at all costs, like all Government agencies they can tend to be hypocritical and look the other way when they get enough push back from special Lobbies.

One thing I can personally say on the subject is, if you have a crane(s), regardless of the rules, it is certainly worthwhile to have all your operators go through a certification class! Our company sent three individuals to CFA’s first national course in Tiffin, Ohio this past March. Each guy has been running a crane for some time and they all were thankful and happy with they came back for the experience, stating they were better, and most importantly, safer operators.

I hope to see all of you at our meeting in Denver! I’d love the chance to tell you more.

Best Regards,

Phillip Marone
CFA President