Concrete — A Century of Innovation
American Concrete Institute Celebrates its Centennial Anniversary with a Year Full of Special Activities
The American Concrete Institute is celebrating its one hundredth anniversary throughout 2004 with a series of special activities. These Centennial activities include celebrating and commemorating accomplishments through special events and books, as well as congratulating those who have helped make this century of concrete innovation possible. The concrete industry and concrete supporters are encouraged to join in.
Founded in 1904, the organization – then called National Association of Cement Users – provided a forum to discuss better concrete for more durable, maintenance-free structures. The name was shortly changed to the American Concrete Institute to be more indicative of its work, but the mission – to develop, share and disseminate the knowledge and information needed to utilize concrete to its fullest potential – has remained the same for all 100 years.
Thousands of American Concrete Institute members and non-members from throughout the world are already planning to commemorate this special year by participating in a series of special events including:
• Centennial Celebratory Dinner – March 15, 2004 – Washington, D.C.
• “Concrete of the Future” Mixer – October 26, 2004 – San Francisco, CA
• International conferences in India (February 24-26, 2004), Brazil (April 26-27, 2004), Australia/ New Zealand (September 16-23,2004) and France (December 6-7, 2004)
Additionally, CONCRETE: A Pictorial Celebration, a limited edition, coffee-table-style book will be made available for purchase. This high-quality, hardcover book will feature photographs that highlight innovations in concrete design, production, construction and repair, and will be cherished long after the celebration ends. The book will be available the summer of 2004, and those interested are encouraged to reserve their copy at pre-production prices now by contacting the American Concrete Institute before supplies are limited.
The American Concrete Institute has 17,000 members and 97 chapters worldwide and produces technical documents, code requirements, specifications, and guides for the best uses of concrete. The Institute also conducts seminars and manages certification programs for concrete practitioners.
To register for any of the special Centennial activities, learn more about becoming a member, or reserve your copy of CONCRETE: A Pictorial Celebration, contact the American Concrete Institute at 248-848-3800 or visit www.concrete.org.
Change is Coming
J. Edward Sauter, CFA Executive Director
The Board of Directors had a busy schedule during their meeting, Saturday, April 17th, especially with the discussion that ensued the prior day regarding membership and growth. Below are the highlights of action and discussion:
NEW DUES STRUCTURE
Dues for the association have not changed in several years while benefits and expenses continue to increase. There are also several levels of contractor membership, which is quite confusing. The new simplified structure includes two levels of contractor membership. Contractors with gross revenues over $1 million will pay $600 and those with gross revenues under $1 million will pay $400. Management and the board are still discussing the rates for introductory memberships and professional firms. Members of the Associates Council will determine their new dues structure in the next 30 days.
LOCAL CHAPTERS
The full board endorsed the concept and authorized management to establish local chapters for Minneapolis, Minnesota and Atlanta, Georgia. Minneapolis has an established poured wall association in existence for several years. Atlanta is in the formation process for its local chapter. Staff will look at prototypes of other associations as a model to ensure proper procedures are followed. The local chapter initiative has the potential of greatly expanding the size of CFA membership. The larger membership will give us a larger, more representative voice in the industry and allow us to add more member benefits.
REGIONAL MEETINGS
The CFA will develop regional meetings beginning in 2005. These meetings are a cross between the summer meetings and the current foundation fundamentals seminars. The format, as it currently stands, includes a full day of concurrent meetings, one session for field personnel (presentations such as Foundation Fundamentals I, II, or III) and a session dealing with management topics for office and management personnel. The regional meeting concept allows members to travel to the venue, meet, and return to their jobs in a single day or day and a half. This makes the CFA programs more accessible to a greater number of members.
MANUAL OF PRACTICE
The board gave approval to proceed with the development of a “Manual of Practice” for concrete foundations. Jim Bartley heads this project. An outline of contents is currently being developed.
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
A comprehensive list of foundation contractors throughout the United States and Canada was approved. Attempts were made in the past for such a development but the advent of the Internet makes compilation of such listings more practical. CFA will develop of the list and ask for confirmation and additions from members, national suppliers, and others living and working in the target areas. Atlanta and Philadelphia were targeted as the first areas for list development.
CRUISE IN 2006
Plans are moving forward for the 2006 summer meeting five-day cruise. Management is researching cruise ship lines, destinations, meeting space availability, and other specifics needed for planning this unique event.
PEER GROUPS
Sharing of information between non-competing members is often cited as one of the chief benefits of membership in the CFA. This free flow of information occurs at the summer and winter meetings as well as a board and committee meetings. Members who are unable to attend these venues, however, miss out on this valuable forum. Peer groups of non-competing members in relatively close proximity to one-another will be developed in the near future. The National Association of Home Builders has a program called “Builder 20 Club” and the ASCC has Concrete Mix groups. CFA Peer groups will follow these models. The NAHB and ASCC groups will be evaluated for format and operations and the first model for the CFA will be established. Contact the CFA if you are interested in participating in this program.
NEW & UPDATED PUBLICATIONS
A final updated version of the Lower Level Living brochure is scheduled for printing late this spring. It combines the information from the original brochure with the three tri-folds that have been in our inventory for several years. The CFA Standard will also be reprinted later this summer. A final draft of the revised document, incorporating some of the latest information from the ACI 332 Standard, as well as corrections and comments received from users of the document, will be reviewed at the summer meeting.
A Passing of an Industry Legend
It was with deep sadness that I learned last week of Bob’s illness, and deeper yet that I heard today of his passing. What a great friend we have lost.
I first met Bob in about 1978, at one of the early meetings of the original Poured Concrete Wall Contractors Association (later renamed the Concrete Foundations Association). It was very clear to me at that first meeting, that here was a man whose goal was to improve an industry.
Many years later, Bob was trying hard to get me to update my forming system. I had talked to many people, looked at many types of forms, read lots of propaganda. Bob had been so very helpful with ideas and most of all straight answers. I remember telling him that I wasn’t sure which brand of forms I wanted, but I knew that I wanted to purchase them from Bob Sawyer. While finally closing the deal, Bob gave me an additional $150 discount that we had not discussed, I asked him what this was for, and he said “that is your first years dues in the Concrete Foundations Association, ..join it!” I did, and have continued my membership since, it has been the single best thing I have ever done for our company. Without Bob’s gift and stern “urging”, I doubt that it would have happened.
A few years ago, Bob shared some criticism of the CFA, that we weren’t doing enough for our members, that we should be researching and tackling the issues that confront his friends, the poured wall contractors of the country. He was absolutely right! We decided to set up an Education and Research Foundation, and request funding for special projects. We had no more than let Bob know about this action, and the needed monies started coming in. In no time at all, Bob had almost single handedly raised over $100,000.
Bob’s spirit will live on as the Concrete Foundations Association continues to help the poured wall contractors and as it bestows the award named after him to worthy recipients. We will be hard pressed however, to find candidates as worthy as the original, Bob Sawyer, our friend.
Bob Sawyer was a part of the CFA before it was the CFA (formerly known as the Poured Concrete Wall Contractors Association). The first Executive Director of the Association, Bob spent his life as a loyal member and exhibitor, and worked hard to encourage other poured wall contractors to join as well. When the CFA decided to form an Education and Research Foundation, Bob was highly influential in getting other CFA Associates to contribute. In the end, approximately $100,000 was raised for research such as the recently completed cold weather concrete study.
A Distinguished Service Award is named after Bob Sawyer and given to members whose contributions to the industry merit recognition. These members tirelessly give their time and resources to serve the poured wall industry, as Bob Sawyer did for the Association.
The Bob Sawyer Award is presented during an Award Luncheon at the Summer Meeting. This year’s Award Luncheon is at the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, Co. on Friday, July 16, at 1:00 PM.
Hurry hurry hurry, “click” right up and see the most amazing feats of engineering and information technology unfold at your very finger tips…
Jim Baty, CFA Technical Director
Do I have your attention now? I bet I do. The time you were hearing about and waiting for is at hand. The collaborative effort from the CFA Board of Directors, CFA Staff and the software engineers at Consulting Engineers, Corp. produced the most convenient way of analyzing and designing concrete basement walls – the final public/membership version of wBaseConc1.1.
Let me give you a tour of this software and explain how you can incorporate it into the work you do on a daily basis as well as in the event you encounter more unusual design requirements. In our quest to provide the easiest way to solve engineering problems, the CFA and CEC now offer the use of wBaseConc1.1. Simply, it is an online program for the design and analysis of concrete basement walls. This software package allows you to analyze and design “plain” and “reinforced” concrete basement walls from easily-recognized and understood input data according to your choice of CABO95, IRC 2000, BOCA 97 or ACI 318-99 design codes from multiple locations without incurring expensive overhead costs.
This software was primarily developed for the residential foundation contractor member of the CFA. However, an introduction offer is available to non-members so they can put their hands on one of the many benefits CFA members have come to know. This software was modified to make it user friendly and easily adjusted to the majority of residential foundation conditions. Users may include builders, structural engineers, geotech engineers, architects and designers as well as concrete foundation contractors.
wBaseConc1.1 is accessed quickly and easily through the Resources tab at www.cfawalls.org (see figure 1). Once you select this tab, another window opens (figure 2) requesting you to provide you User I.D. and Password. This information was sent to you previously, but if you misplaced it or do not remember receiving it, please contact CFA headquarters. Note: Please make sure your web browser and add-on software is set to allow pop-ups or your computer will not allow the window to open. Finally, you will see a welcome screen and another menu. By selecting Resources and Software (figure 3) from the accompanying pull-down menu you are taken to the online software.
The wBaseConc software must first check your system. This happens each time you use the program but should only require additional effort the first time. The engine for this software is based on the common web language Java and must verify that your version is current. Once you install the updated version (figure 4) or if you are returning, your current version is verified, a message will indicate that you passed and may proceed with your design (figure 5). Select BaseConc from the menu on the left and you will see the first input screen for your project (figure 6).
Basic project information is entered on this screen so you have a way of filing and referencing your design when you print out your results. Next, you will notice a tab that is labeled “General Data” (figure 7). This page is used to select:
• the type of wall you are interested in designing
• the building code used for your design
• and depending on the code allowances, the thickness and height of your wall.
This software is and advantageous tool for finding the wall design based on one of the general building codes because of its speed and efficiency. It offers a comprehensive coverage of CABO 95, IRC 2000 and BOCA 97 design tasks. The input and interaction with all of the code options are rather limited until you select ACI 318-99.
Figure 8 shows the difference you see when selecting to design per ACI 318. Walls that are taller than 9-ft require this method for design as well as many other options. You also see there is a much greater freedom in input. Among the additional parameters that may be adjusted using this building code are:
• Concrete strength • Steel strength • Wall Height • Wall thickness • Backfill height • Soil pressure (classification) • Horizontal rebar locationThroughout the code routines, an image of the wall design changes according to your input. This interactive wall diagram shows you how the design will appear. Notice that as you continue to make adjustments to the design parameters when using the ACI 318 mode, the wall color may turn to red. This represents a wall that is not in compliance. Adjustments must be made to validate this wall design and bring it into compliance. Figure 9 shows the switch to a reinforced design as one method of satisfying a “red” wall condition. When selecting to use a reinforced design, a third tab opens for Reinforcement Data (Figure 10). This is your opportunity to make adjustments to the configuration of the horizontal reinforcement and the size of the vertical bars. You need to select As per Design from the box next to Horizontal rebars to change the spacing of those bars.
This software solution allows you to design reinforced walls according to all four of the different design codes. Values are supplied through this simple menu enabled for reinforcement wall types only.
Once you complete a design or at any time you wish to see a more detailed graphic representation of your design, select the output screen information along the top of your window. For instance, selecting the Reinforcement Details tab (Figure 11) opens a sketch of the current wall with the proper reinforcement notations and corresponding wall data. This drawing also shows the project information that you initially provided. Are you ready to print your design? If so, make sure your printer is set to landscape for paper orientation and select the “print” button. Once you finished reviewing and/or printing the Reinforcement Design, you may also review and print the Loading Diagram (figure 12), which provides a more in-depth submittal package for your design approval. The final information to print and attach to your project design is the Text Output (figure 13). This sheet provides the more detailed parameter information that the project design is based upon.
This software package provides a friendly graphical interface throughout design manipulation followed by a high quality graphical output showing the intricate details of the concrete basement wall design. During the design manipulation, when a design value is altered, it is instantly checked at the moment it is inputted into the program. Should a design value be in error to the available parameters, an Alert box opens (figure 14) to make you aware the value must be changed and what the parameters are for that value. This process is designed to eliminate time spent on calculations that don’t hold good according to design code standards.
Are you ready to begin? Many of you are ready to jump right in and begin checking wall designs that you currently view as “standard”. Perhaps some of you have a design or two that is requiring greater attention than a standard wall and can use this to hone in on a particular design solution. Although this article provides a quick tutorial to what you will see and the steps you should take, there is additional help available to you as well. Located on the CFA home page, (www.cfawalls.org) is a quick presentation introducing you to the screens you will use. Once you have accessed the software site, you also have an online help manual available to walk you through the more particular definitions of each piece of input and the exact process to use.
The benefits of getting online with the CFA and CEC are far reaching. You may see the benefits in terms of:
* Instant deployment * No hardware, software and manpower overhead * Controls your cost * Desktop functionality across computer platforms * Automatic access to all future enhancements * 24/7 access from any location * A highly reliable and secure environment * Rapid generation of accurate graphical and text outputsHowever, we saved the best for last. Our partnership with CEC on this software package opened the door to you, as a CFA member, to gain access to economical, professional engineering for any of your designs. If you are in a location or a situation that requires a stamped approval of your design solution, you have a process waiting for you that delivers a response in a matter of hours or overnight depending on the time you provide the information. We negotiated a rate of $125 per stamped design with the engineering staff at CEC. Let’s take a look at the potential timeline and process for a design solution.
* 9:00 a.m. You logon to www.cfawalls.org and the wBaseConc software and begin inputting the data for project design.
* 9:05 a.m. You generate a graphical and text output based on a solution you find desirable.
* 9:15 a.m. You send a fax to CEC from the contact information available on the software’s contact page. This fax contains the three output sheets mentioned previously (Text, Loading and Reinforcement)
* 11:15 a.m. CEC reviewed your data and returns a stamped copy of your design via fax. A hard copy of the stamped design is sent to you as well.
There are factors that may create delays in this process, however, since you are working with virtually the same software that they are using, your output based on your design parameters is identical to the solution they would provide. It is that simple, it is that convenient… it is that ready!
Do you have further questions? Want to be on the phone with someone while you begin your process? Contact me (Jim Baty) at CFA headquarters (866-262-WALLS) and I can walk you through these steps to get you online quickly and conveniently.
2003 Contractor of the Year Award
Talia J. Nelson, Marketing & Member Services
The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) presented the 2003 Contractor of the Year Award to Randy and Deb Friemoth of Walls Are Us, Inc at the Annual Meeting Dinner on February 17, in conjunction with the World of Concrete in Orlando.
Members of the CFA since 1996, The Friemoths’ selection recognizes their outstanding achievements and dedication to the poured wall industry. They are known throughout the industry for their hard work and their commitment to build great relationships with everyone they work with. Brian Kuhs of Kuhs Quality Homes, states, ” We don’t solicit business with any other contractors because service is important to [Walls Are Us] and [they] are so great to work with. They take care of everything.”
Established in 1993, Walls Are Us, Inc. currently has 74 years of combined employee experience. With 34 employees they are able to perform such services as excavating, foundations (currently pouring six basements a week), waterproofing, flatwork, concrete swimming pools, and above grade concrete homes in the Southeast Wisconsin area.
Over the years, Walls Are Us was able to expand from a used set of 7′-8″ forms and an old grain truck to new forms, two Boom Trucks, Backhoes, and Dozers. They also incorporated a computerized estimated billing and job costing laser system for layout into their process of conducting business. This has increased the efficiency of estimating, as Randy states, “It is quicker and more accurate along with the billing. Extra charges on jobs aren’t missed.”
Through these changes Randy has stayed true to the three pieces of advice his prior employer, Buck Sweet of Perma Struct Inc., gave him. He never takes short cuts, but gives the customer a quality job. Walls Are Us, Inc. provides “a turnkey foundation, from digging the hole to having the foundation ready for carpenters.” He always charges a fair price, but never works for free. Thirdly, and “Most importantly, become a member of the CFA. It will be the best investment you can make in your company.”
With those values, it is obvious why the Association awarded the Friemoths Contractor of the Year. Future goals of Walls Are Us include increasing their market share of work in Southeast Wisconsin, as well as concrete housing.
The Importance of Crisis Management in Your Company
Doug Staebler, Custom Concrete – Westfield, Indiana
Most of our businesses were built on a series of business relationships that have developed over many years. They include customers, suppliers, subcontractors, bankers, insurance professionals, CPA’s, and attorneys. In addition to providing important guidance for our business, some of the relationships represent strategic relationships, that if disrupted could cause serious problems for our business.
We often focus on our customers because of their obvious importance in generating future business. However, in the process, we often fail to give adequate attention to other key relationships. We are busy dealing with more immediate problems, and often develop a false sense of security about the depth or strength of key relationships. We may not realize the value or importance of a relationship until it changes abruptly.
It is easy to take insurance or banking relationships for granted. Many have been in place for years. However, sudden changes can occur without warning. Banks merge on a regular basis. Lending officers are reassigned or leave the bank. Insurers withdraw from entire classes of business. A major loss suddenly makes your business unattractive to your current insurer. Conflicts of interest can develop when your supplier begins serving a competitor, and a choice must be made about which customer to do business with.
Unfortunately, any of these occurrences can leave us vulnerable, and create a serious problem if we cannot find a suitable alternative quickly. In many cases, the strength of our relationship may actually depend on one individual. Things change in a hurry if that person leaves for any reason. Failure to make adequate provisions could leave you scrambling to find insurance coverage, borrowing arrangements, or satisfy other critical business needs.
The key to preventing such a crisis is to dedicate a modest amount of time and effort to review the quality and effectiveness of key business relationships. These include key suppliers and subcontractors, bankers, insurance agents (property as well as group medical), attorneys, and CPAs. Begin by identifying those individuals or businesses that provide critical products or services to your business. Pay special attention where the need is single sourced, and where no alternative is identified. Consider how difficult it would be to find a suitable replacement for those products or services.
Consider the quality of services provided, and the degree to which they meet the needs of your business. Is the supplier keeping abreast of your business and its current and future needs, as well as the issues and trends that affect your business? Consider the stability of the supplier, and its ability to provide critical products and services to your business in the future. Is the supplier proactive in finding ways to make your business better, or coasting on past accomplishments?
A good example is the major changes we have seen in the business insurance marketplace. Not long ago, insurance carriers were cutting premiums to get business, and were not very selective in who they insured. We looked forward to renewals to see how much our premiums were reduced. That is now a distant memory. The past several years have seen annual increase of 25-30% or more, and many insurance companies have stopped insuring contractors altogether. Contractors with solid safety records were cancelled or seen insurers decline to renew their coverage. In this environment, the skill, experience, and connections of our insurance agents are more crucial than ever.
It is easy to take these relationships for granted. Over time, the quality can deteriorate. It is important for us to seek feedback from our suppliers. Is our business profitable for them? How can we be a better customer? Are there things we can do to make our suppliers more successful? What can we do to purchase goods or services more cost effectively? It is in our best interests to make our business as attractive to deal with as possible. The only way to achieve this is to meet with our key suppliers on a regular basis to ask for and offer honest feedback about the relationship. Examples include the way we pay our suppliers, fairness in dealing with disputed charges, and even our ability to create additional business opportunities for suppliers.
Consider developing a list suppliers, subcontractors, or professionals who provide important products or services to your business. Evaluate the effectiveness of each relationship. Is it better or worse than a year ago? Is the supplier meeting the needs of your business, and is the quality of its service, or products high? Is the supplier taking steps to meet your needs in the future? Be sure to seek input from the operational people who are most closely involved with the suppliers.
Additionally, develop relationships with potential alternative suppliers. They can provide an excellent source of information and second opinions about events and trends that affect your business. Potential suppliers frequently do business with our competitors and other similar businesses, and can often give us valuable assessments about our market. If a replacement must be found quickly, its much easier to work with someone you have known for several years, than to start a search from scratch.
Even if you are never faced with the need to find an immediate replacement for a key supplier, the time and effort can benefit your business by improving the performance of your suppliers, subcontractors, and others. Then, if a critical need arises unexpectedly, you will have a capable source to fill that role. Your commitment to meet a supplier or subcontractor once a week will allow you to meet with 10-15 of your key suppliers three or four times a year. It is far easier than scrambling to find a replacement under the pressure of a deadline, or in the midst a difficult business conditions.
Concrete Homes Council Joins Builders to Promote Concrete Industry
Wendy Shannon, Marketing Director of CHC
January marked the third-year anniversary of the Concrete Homes Council (CHC), an alliance of concrete system providers, contractors and industry partners, under the auspices of the Concrete Foundations Association(tm) of North America, established to promote cast-in-place, removable form concrete housing. The CHC celebrated its anniversary and stepped up its commitment to the industry by joining the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) newly formed Concrete Home Building Council (CHBC). The CHBC will provide builders invaluable access to a network of technical, education and training experts in concrete building systems and concrete product applications.
The CHBC, an initiative of NAHB’s Building Systems Council, receives funding from leaders in the concrete industry, including the Portland Cement Association, the Concrete Foundation Association’s Concrete Homes Council, the Insulating Concrete Form Association, and the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. The new council held its first meeting during the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Nevada in January, laying the groundwork for an exciting year.
“Joining the Concrete Home Building Council is a natural extension of the work we already do in the CHC,” states Ed Sauter, executive director of the Concrete Homes Council. Sauter points to Dave Pfanmiller of Security Building Group in Raleigh, North Carolina, and current chair of the CHC, as an example of an experienced concrete home builder who has worked on projects from town homes to 12,000 sq. foot custom homes in the Carolinas. Pfanmiller and other CHC members are available to share their expertise with builders or developers interested in building concrete homes.
“The CHBC will be a positive docket for educational programs and for supporting collaborative efforts between builders and seasoned concrete contractors,” says Sauter. “Together these experienced professionals can easily move forward in building safer, disaster-resistant and energy-efficient concrete housing especially for markets hit hardest by natural disasters.”
Establishing alliances like the CHBC and CHC signals the determination of industry leaders to support one another and to strengthen and promote the entire residential concrete construction industry. “This will be an opportunity for all of us to work more closely with builders throughout the country and to expand the concrete home building industry at the local, regional and national levels,” says Michael Weber, director of residential for the Portland Cement Association. In essence, with the creation of the CHBC, the industry is partnering with the NAHB as its resource for all cement-based building materials, including removable form, cast-in-place concrete homes.
The CHC was established in 2001 to promote cast-in-place, removable form concrete housing and enjoys the sponsorship of leaders in the concrete industry. Platinum sponsors include: Durand Forms, Inc., of Durand, MI; Outinord Universal of Miami, FL; Wall-Ties & Forms, Inc., and Western Forms both in the Kansas City, MO area; Schwing America, Inc. of St. Paul, MN; and the Portland Cement Association, of Skokie, IL. For more information, please contact the Concrete Homes Council at 319-895-0761 or info@concretehomescouncil.org.
From the Executive Director
Organizations and businesses must step back and take a hard look at themselves from time-to-time. Such an occasion has come for the Concrete Foundations Association. The last self-evaluation was done in 1998. Many of the goals and plans set forth in that meeting were accomplished, but times have changed. The world is different today and we must continually evaluate to be current and responsive to industry and member needs.
Many positive things are happening for the CFA. The newsletter has grown and improved to the point it can be considered a magazine. The summer and winter meetings regularly set attendance records with each event. The codes and standards arena would be vastly different without the vigilance and input of the CFA and its members. We have published our own standard, and the CFA just introduced an on-line engineering program. Still, we think things could be better. The CFA will spend a day in strategic planning this spring at its quarterly meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Traditionally, these meetings involve only the board of directors but the CFA would like to invite any member who has visions or ideas that can improve the CFA. Since one day is a short time period for this type of planning, the session will be focused on addressing membership growth – should the CFA be larger and more representative of the industry; should we focus on our core group of premier contractors; should we reach out to smaller firms who cannot attend CFA events – and if so how do we do it; should we have state, local or regional branches of the CFA? The topics and questions are numerous and the only way to address the issues is to lock (not literally) yourselves in a room and turn out a plan.
Constructive Communication, Inc, a consulting firm experienced in strategic planning, was hired to lead the effort. The session includes an evaluation of our strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities, which can provide guidance for future boards. Goals, timelines, and plans for membership, regardless of the direction selected, will be developed for the staff and board to implement. We welcome your participation. The meeting is on Friday, April 16, 2004 at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 5311 South Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Make sure you contact the CFA at 866-232-9255 if you plan to attend, so we can plan accordingly.
J. Edward Sauter
The Importance of Crisis Management in Your Company
There are many possible crises that can affect your organization or the manner in which you conduct your business. Such crises include union organization, wage and hour violations, key business alliance interruptions, computer and IT systems crashes, lawsuits and litigations, succession issues, and loss of a major customer. This issue begins a series of articles based from Doug Staebler’s summer meeting educational lecture in which he presented a system for identifying and dealing with threats and crises.
Crisis management is essentially the process of identifying events or series of events that could threaten the survival of your business, and taking steps to reduce the likelihood or severity of the event. Its an important function in every business, but one that is often neglected. There are always more pressing issues to deal with, or you just assume that “it will always happen to the other guy.” You may realize that it could happen to your business, but still have a hard time with crisis planning because it presents difficult questions and issues that no one wants to discuss.
However, the benefits of crisis management far exceed the obstacles. Planning for a crisis begins with identifying areas where your business is vulnerable, and gives you the opportunity to address those weaknesses in the organization’s infrastructure. Developing the proper plan reduces the chance of an event occurring in your business, or if it does, reduces the severity of the event.
Topic One: Union Organization Efforts
Most foundation contractors are open shop or non-union businesses. The thought of a union organizing effort strikes fear in the heart of most business owners. A union contract often results in higher labor costs, more restrictive work rules, and permanently alters the relationship between management and employees because of the insertion of a union steward into the communication equation. When a union is involved, management is severely restricted in disciplining or terminating employees.
There are also financial implications, such as higher employee wages and benefits costs, which are determined by negotiations with the union. Union mandated benefit plans are an expensive addition because they include the costs of union-performed audits, the potential of lawsuits for premiums, and related litigation costs.
Although pay is usually considered first, most organizing attempts begin because employees do not feel they have adequate communication with management. Accordingly, there are several things that a company can do to prevent a union- organizing attempt. First, an effective human resources person can provide employees with assistance in dealing with company fringe benefit plans and other payroll matters, as well as answer questions or resolve problems that routinely occur. Secondly, competitive pay and benefits is an effective weapon against organizing efforts. Pay and benefits that are well below union levels provide a foothold to a union with your employees. Thirdly, your organization should avoid partiality or favoritism with employees. Inconsistent handling of employees-such as promotions, pay raises, or discipline- can lead to unhappy employees who are more receptive to organizing efforts. Lastly, management should know employees by first name. It is amazing the positive impact created when leaders speak to their employees by first name. Employees gain a sense of belonging and of being valued by the organization. Plus, it can eliminate any communication barriers between leadership and employees.
Once a union-organizing attempt begins, there will be severe restrictions on management. Even routine events, such as awarding a pay increase or promotion to an employee, may be prohibited. In the event of a unionization effort, seek expert legal counsel. It is unlikely that your corporate attorney has the expertise or experience to adequately represent you in this area. The proper legal counsel is experienced in the process of negotiating union contracts, and can advise you on the best actions your company can take. Waging a campaign to defeat the organizing attempt, as well as negotiating the first union contract can be expensive, and will most likely cost your company $50 – 100,000.
The best chance to prevent the unionization of your workforce is effective management and leadership. Competitive pay, good communications, and the fair treatment of employees are the best defense against labor unions. Effective planning can help identify specific things you can do to make your business less vulnerable to the organizing efforts of a labor union. In the end, the cost of providing competitive pay or benefits will be far less expensive than the restrictive work rules and attorney fees typically encountered with a union contract.
CFA Plans Web-Based Structural Engineering Program
Attendees at the CFA summer meeting received their first look at the web-based foundation and retaining wall structural engineering program the CFA is developing for its members. The program consists of two different designs – the first is for residential foundation walls, the second covers retaining walls.
The programs will allow users to stipulate and vary a wide variety of design inputs including wall height and thickness, reinforced vs. unreinforced designs, strength of concrete and reinforcement, height of backfill, soil pressure, and a host of other design variables. Viewable and printable output includes a dimensioned cross section of the wall, loading diagrams, and an output sheet with design assumptions.
Consulting Engineers Corporation, an engineering firm from Reston, VA, developed the program and is working with the CFA to introduce it on the CFA website. A key feature will be the ability of users to contact CEC and purchase engineer stamped drawings to use for approvals with building officials, owners, and others requiring an engineered design.
Basic use of the program will be a no-cost benefit to CFA members. Non-CFA members eventually will be able to use the program but will pay a usage fee. CFA members will also receive a substantial discount on the cost of engineer-stamped drawings. The board has yet to set the final pricing of the service.
The initial program will be based on one-way action and ACI-318 design provisions. Future versions will take into account two-way action or the impact of corners, counterforts, and other design features as well as future updates to building codes.
The foundation/basement wall program will be introduced first. The retaining wall program will be added in the near future.
