The Concrete Foundations Association continues to make progress on efforts to help our members improve their businesses.

Late last year, over the course of several meetings, the board of directors created a strategic plan for the future of our association. We identified five key areas to focus on that would help our members and the industry.

From each of those five key areas, several initiatives were detailed. Each initiative will help our members in some way.

However, due to the time constraints of the board and CFA staff, not all initiatives can be done at the same time. So, we singled out the top six initiatives to tackle first. Those initiatives are:

1. Assess our membership dues structure to ensure we have the ability to provide valuable services to our members.

2. Hire a staff person to improve member engagement and increase membership.

3. Create training and instructional videos that members can watch for skill building and training.

4. Develop a directory so members can find companies of a similar size and specialization to their own company.

5. Create networking groups where members can interact to see what’s working in each other’s businesses.

6. Publish a telephone network guide so members can find and contact other members who could help them with specific issues they are having.

We have already implemented the first two initiatives. The membership dues were analyzed and increased. This increase allowed us to hire a staff person devoted to adding and retaining members. Her name is Skye Kelley, and she is already doing a terrific job.

For the rest of this year, we will focus on implementing the other four initiatives. Once those are completed, we will tackle additional initiatives that will benefit our members and improve our association.

If you are a CFA member, be on the lookout for more services and additional networking opportunities designed to help your foundation business.

If you are not yet a CFA member, now is a great time to invest in yourself and your company. You will get access to valuable resources and connect with other concrete contractors who have likely seen and solved some of your current problems. The rewards of membership will pay off your investment many times over.

I hope you all have a wonderful fall. I look forward to seeing many of you early next year in Las Vegas at the World of Concrete.

Doug Herbert, CFA President