During strategic planning this winter, the CFA Board of Directors strengthened its commitment that one of the primary benefits of this association membership is the network connections and the relatability of members across a broad range of demographics.  In the coming weeks, you will be introduced to a survey for information about your company, filling in the details of many existing and new data points to allow association staff to connect members and give you more power in seeking out companies of mutual interest more quickly and directly.  This is one of the latest ways we are helping you find powerful connections who recognize the benefit of being part of something much bigger.

Several months ago, we began this periodic feature in Concrete Facts to introduce some of the many personalities that make up the CFA.  These are companies and individuals just like you and, at times, much different than you.  What all have in common is they are #CFAConcretePros and, unlike most of you reading this magazine, they are a member.

In this issue, we introduce three new personalities from our membership, spread across a vast amount of the U.S. concrete foundation industry from Virginia to Ohio to Texas.  Their backgrounds have similarities as well as differences.  Their battles are not surprisingly, alike, and yet, their companies comprise the unique calico membership tapestry that continues to transform this industry.

Challenging Us to Be the Best by Constantly Seeking

Customers and Coworkers: “I’m with you every step of the way.“

I fell into the concrete world by accident, really. In my final year of college as an Animal and Poultry Science major, my brother started a concrete wall company and asked me to come on board.  Leaving behind my animal science plans, I joined his team and didn’t look back.  Twenty-five years later, and a few job changes in between, I am in year five of my own wall company and continue to enjoy working in this industry.

Striking out on my own has given me a chance to focus on my passions and vision.  I am passionate about not only doing the job but putting 100% into each new project. Regardless of what it is, I enjoy the challenge, the routine, the big and the small.  Aside from this work ethic, I am passionate about the men and women I work with, my co-workers, ensuring they are highly respected and appreciated.  In every sense, I could not do this job without them. They are my first priorities and the very cornerstones of this business.  

When it comes to business and our customers, my two passions meet the customer where they are and they learn our mantra, “I’m with you every step of the way.”  Although I recognize this is not the right fit for everyone, I try to be available at nearly all times.  The world of concrete comes with some crazy hours and I’m okay with that.  I strive to make sure that I meet my customers’ schedules, whatever they may be.  I also do everything in my power to stick to the timeline.  Customers, particularly contractors, appreciate being able to rely on my company at the expected time.

I try to live by the motto, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”  I want to gain new ideas and perspectives to continue to grow professionally, and joining this Association has already been a key to success. For example, while attending the Rocky Geans Construction Business School in Charlotte, North Carolina, I was introduced to the Total Station for installing corner points and elevations for job sites.  Rusty Combs (a CFA member) introduced me to Scott Carter and, within two months, I was installing points with great accuracy, which has become a big part of my company’s precision in constructing plum, level, and straight foundations.

Uncertainty has been the biggest challenge of 2020 and continues into 2021.  To combat this, my company has looked strategically at ways to be efficient and profitable now so that, if production slows in the coming months or years, we are prepared to withstand a downturn. 2021 is a pivotal year.  Business is booming but, while uncertainty remains, looking back, doing the very best work we can, maintaining high standards of integrity and valuing and protecting our employees is the most success we could possibly achieve.  I’m ready for in-person events once again, making it to our annual convention and taking advantage of this critical time of increasing professional relationships and growing new ideas.

Forced to Change and Creative in Adaptation

the “new” workforce — right is right, wrong is wrong and where “good enough” is an excuse

I started in the residential construction industry back in 1975 in the state of Ohio.  After seeing the continual decline, I decided it was time to move and I ended up in the great state of Texas.  You could say it was in my blood and, again, I started building homes.  During weekend open houses, people from “up north” continued to ask me where I was from since I didn’t say “ya’ll”.  Of course, my answer was Ohio, and the next thing from them was “we’re from somewhere up north — why aren’t there any basements?”  So they want basements? I’ll give them some.  

I’m just over-the-top passionate about the housing industry and doing the best I can for the homeowner.  A home is the average person’s biggest investment.  Therefore, it should be as important to anyone working on the site as it is to the owner.  The owner deserves what they are paying for and they deserve to have it done correctly.  I have continued to find that this creates problems with the “new” workforce — right is right, wrong is wrong and where “good enough” is an excuse.

My approach to customers is pure honesty.  Of course, that isn’t always appreciated, but you don’t have to remember which story you told them!  I get a lot of calls from people with foundation problems in Texas and I feel they need to know the truth.  Knowing the real facts helps lead them to making a proper decision.  It is part of my project preparation to let them know if there are problems with their plans before construction, believing there is absolutely no reason to build a mistake.

When I joined the CFA, I found very similar characteristics and a lot of differences from most companies I bumped into throughout the industry.  I idealize the Association’s leadership!  It’s honest, it’s sincere, it’s helpful, it’s REAL!  I’ve been in other associations and sometimes you feel pushed off.  The CFA is absolutely the most helpful!  It has also introduced me to ACI certification, which has helped me a lot and provided credibility.  Like most, I’ve found it hard to make the time to network.  However, I think if I took the time to network more, it’d probably help.  My problem here is that I am overwhelmed with the lack of regional knowledge which frequently consumes my day, phone call after phone call.  There are days I “school” people –eight to ten times a day.  There are days I feel more like an educator than a business owner, and it just eats up my days.  My connection to the Association has provided me the resources, access to expertise and support for this goal.

My market seems unique to me but maybe others struggle similarly.  In 2020, we experienced two slow starts throughout the year, combined with the sluggishness or our “new” workforce.  If I could speak to the next generation for our industry, the interest in hard work is sorely needed — no one seems to want to learn. So far in 2021, my approach has been to completely change our production workforce method.  Lead guys have been lost over the last couple of years due to the frustrations of the workforce. This has forced a change in my hiring policy as well as the structure of our projects.  I look forward to a chance to meet with my colleagues to compare notes.

Sometimes the Trip Away Confirms the Need to be Home

my grandpa nicknamed me “the man” because I was never doing kid stuff

A second-generation contractor, my story has similarity to many in the CFA, yet my road has some definite curves.  I grew up on a small farm in southern Ohio. Some of my favorite memories from childhood were working with the “big boys” (my dad and grandpa). I wanted to do whatever they were doing. If they were working in the garden, so was I. If they were planting or harvesting, I was riding along on the tractor or combine with my dad. I think my grandpa nicknamed me “the man” because I was never doing kid stuff, you could always find me just helping them around the farm. Dad was also a union carpenter.

In 1993, my dad and uncle were tired of the Carpenter’s Union and decided to start a concrete wall business together. Naturally, since my dad was doing it, seven-year-old me wanted to do it also. When I had a day off from school, or during the summertime, I went to “work” with dad. By the age of thirteen I could run our crane.  By sixteen, Dad dropped me at a job site with a skid loader and said, “gravel this basement.” After high school graduation, I focused on the Construction Industry Management (CIM) program through Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and things went well for me there. Yet, I am a hands-on guy that must see my work at the end of each day. I thanked the folks at Degussa for my scholarship, the program directors for a great year and I asked for my job back at the family business. I have had some great opportunities since then that I am very thankful to have been given, but now I think I am right where I belong.

Aside from work my biggest passion is flying. I am a private pilot and I love to fly! I also have a very large vegetable garden, and I really enjoy woodworking. But mostly, I really enjoy what we do in our concrete business, and I can remember when work went from “it’s … Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…” to, “how close to perfect can I build this wall, or lay this slab, or dig this basement.” At some point between MTSU and now, things just clicked, and I wanted to make the most perfect product I could. I’m not sure if my dad and uncle noticed it or not. But I wanted to suck up as much knowledge as I could. I watched the beat and the fastest guys every day. I wanted to be just like them.

What I want now more than anything is to be part of seeing our business: 

1. Providing the most quality foundations in the Dayton, Ohio area. 
2. Educating our employees and hopefully other companies looking to better their quality. 
3. Expanding our business model to be more efficient, safer, and providing the best possible services to the contractor via “total package” foundations.

2020 showed us how much safer and more efficient we are we now have proper over-dig, flat, clean holes to work in with sump holes or exit drains to stay dry. The banks are clear of spoils, so our crews are not tripping and stumbling. We have a place to set a pump truck, park our trucks and adequate space to work. We took control of the parts of the job that are important for our safety and our success.

Labor is and will continue to be a big issue for us, as I know it is for all our colleagues.  A few years ago, we went to a 4×10 work week with optional Fridays, while daylight would allow us to do so. This has made us more profitable, and our guys have longer weekends for rest, relaxation and recovery. At a time when gas prices are on the rise again, everyone keeps more money in their pocket, and we have seen this improving our position as a destination employer.