We can all agree that in 2021 (well, even looking back to this time in 2019), this Association has made an enormous amount of lemonade from the bushel baskets of lemons we were given. Were I to enumerate our accomplishments, this article would be far greater than a letter calling you into this quarter’s magazine. This is nothing, however, to dismiss quickly or quietly. The Concrete Foundations Association is making major waves, waves that many of our member companies are now just beginning to ride.

Coinciding with the incredible list of accomplishments during this two-year pandemic season, each of your businesses has been faced with high volumes of work, which is the greatest challenge for workforce resources, with the added challenge of experiencing some of the steepest supply chain shortages of all time. Stop and reflect on that for just a moment. 2021 is just about in the books and your books should be showing nothing but success. Congratulations.

Companies maintaining membership with this Association experience the greatest value when giving individual leaders access to networking resources and thought leadership that can impact the company’s culture, systems, and bottom line. Therefore, beginning this month, we are renewing a commitment to fostering networking that delivers those values in bold new ways. We are opening the doors to our Best Practice Groups (BPGs for those you who like acronyms), which are noncompetitive collections of individual leaders from across our many North American members. BPGs will connect once a month through video conferencing (which we have perfected) and up to twice per year in person (as available) at Convention and World of Concrete. While we will set this in motion and maintain the framework, the discussion will come from participants and the sharing will be up to you. Giving and taking is what membership really is.

I challenge you to make your business better in 2022, to make your culture more engaged and vibrant, to identify the next level you personally or professionally want to reach, and become part of membership. Your growth begins with accepting the invitation to join and advances with accepting the challenge to participate. Are you ready?