Anderson Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Daniel P. Anderson received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) at the association’s annual conference in Dallas, Tex., September 18, 2003. The award is given to outstanding individuals in the industry, for the body of their accomplishments furthering concrete construction.
Anderson began his career in the concrete industry in 1969 when he joined the staff of Concrete Construction magazine. From 1985 to 1999 he was president of The Aberdeen Group which published Concrete Construction and two other industry – related magazines, and produced The World of Concrete exposition. Anderson organized the first World of Concrete in 1975.
He served on the Board of Directors of ASCC as well as on several ASCC committees for several years. He is also a past member of the Market Development Committee of the American concrete Pavement Assn., and the Promotion Committee of the National Ready Mixed Concrete ASSn. Anderson has been a member of the American Concrete Institute for 25 years.
The ASCC is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the capabilities of those who build with concrete, and to providing them a unified voice in the construction industry. For more information visit their website at www.ascconline.org.
Foundation Builders, Inc.: A Solid Company with Loyal Employees
Foundation Builders, Inc. of Greeley, CO started out as a four-man company in 1972; however, it is far from a small concrete company now. There are currently 70 men and women employed at Foundation Builders, Inc. Owner Jack Renfroe and son Scott, are thankful for the quality of people working at Foundation Builders, Inc. and the repeat business from general contractors.
The secret to the success of Foundation Builders, Inc. is the employees. The supervisor and scheduler of foundation work. Tom Neumaler, has been with the company for 31 years. Car Joerschke, a Fassl Crane operator has 26 years of service; and Linn Rowe, the foundation field supervisor, has 20 years of service with Foundation Builders, Inc. The solid years of service continue on down to the office manager, who recently completed her 16th year. Jack and Scott are proud of their employees and the dedication they have provided to Foundation Builders, Inc. To the Renfroes, their service is invaluable.
Good equipment and capable employees provide high standards that distinguish Foundation Builders, Inc. from its competitors. They strive to provide consistency and accuracy in each and every project. “Our goal is to train versatile employees so if one crew leaves a site, another crew can come in and pick up where the other left off with little questions asked,” states Scott Renfroe. “Our company is known for high quality and we’re given a lot of high end difficult jobs for that reason – we want to maintain that,” he further explains.
Other reasons for the company’s success are company habits and procedures. Foundation Builders found a solution to high turnover in establishing a safety program. Included in this program are post employment physicals, which determine each employee’s physical capabilities. Scott explains, “If a guy has had a knee injury, we know about it. Then we put them in the right jobs.” When placed in the right jobs, employees are less likely to hurt themselves because they are physically capable of doing the job correctly. Since incorporating this safety program, the company’s workman’s compensation insurance has substantially decreased. Scott explains, “Injuries are down from 10-15 per year to only two so far this year. It costs us money but saves us a lot more in the long run.” Foundation Builders, Inc. is now a company conscientious of their employee’s safety with dedicated employees.
With experienced employees, Foundation Builders, Inc. is able to focus on providing high quality services. Until recently, their main service was residential foundation work, pouring up to 300 foundations per year; however, in the past couple of years foundation work has faltered due to the economy. Fortunately, Foundation builders, Inc. was able to market other services, commercial work and flatwork, to pick up the slack. Jack states, “Commercial has become as important as housing in the past couple of years.”
Foundation Builders, Inc. contributes a lot of their success to their membership in the Concrete Foundation Association. As a member, they can communicate with other members about questions and problems they have in order to quickly reach a conclusion. “Being able to talk to members is huge,” Scott states, “Getting that kind of information is priceless.” The CFA membership is a place to go where they get answers from experience contractors. Scott explains, “It’s hard to go across the street, ask a competitor a question, and get an answer.”
The Renfroes also appreciate the educational opportunities that CFA provides, such as Foundation Fundamentals, which improve the employee’s knowledge in the industry. The more knowledgeable their staff is, the better prepared they are for high-end difficult jobs. The World of Concrete is another opportunity that Foundation Builders, Inc. takes full advantage of. Jack, Scott, Tom, and Brad attend the show every year and when schedules and budgets allow some crew foreman also attend. “We try to take a few men every year to the trade-show. We all look around and then report back to one another about what we saw.” Jack explains. “We have made a lot of purchases this way.”
Foundation Builders, Inc. is not always able to attend CFA events, but by networking with other members they are still informed of the latest information. “We’d like to go to a lot more meetings but it doesn’t always work out.” Jack Explains. “When we can’t attend, it’s great that we can talk to members who did go, and find out what went on.”
The Renfroes are thankful for the success of Foundation Builders, Inc. Their goals are to always do what is right, to treat people fairly, to have every employee and past employee to trust Foundation Builders, Inc. to do a job for their parents, and turn every contractor into a repeat customer. A future goal is to play a more active role in their community. With a company built on loyal employees, quality work, the best equipment, and the benefits of their CFA membership, Foundation Builders, Inc. is bound to achieve those goals.
Cold Weather Research Update: Strengths Proved Good, More Research on Long-Term Durability
Cold weather is a comin’… scratch that, it’s here! Companies throughout the CFA are gearing up with this in mind as they turn he calendar from October to November and recognizing that special considerations are needed for placing concrete during colder weather. However, at an increasing rate, the CFA is hearing that code restrictions imposed by inspectors and officials are becoming overly conservative. One common denominator is that residential construction continues to march ahead at a high rate, and restrictions concerning concrete placement have a definite economic impact on everyone involved in the construction and sale of homes. Success is certainly to be found in learning what steps are need to lengthen the construction season and how you can keep the projects “flowing” despite freezing conditions.
This is a primary reason why the CFA initiated a cold-weather research project two years ago to study the affects cold temperatures have on the strength gain and durability of concrete in residential walls. While the study is not complete, it is time to begin implementing this research to resolve the issues that have occurred in the past and will certainly come about again this year between contractors, ready-mix producers and building inspectors.
Research began with laboratory testing at Master Builder’s research laboratory in Cleveland, OH. Phase I featured a matrix of 36 mix designs developed based on both “typical” cold-weather mixes and standard mixes used by the cold-weather committee members from Ohio to Minnesota. Over 650 cylinders were cast from these 36 mix designs. The raw materials were stabilized to approximately 68ºF prior to mixing. Once the cylinders were cast, maturity probes were inserted and then all were immediately placed into temperature controlled rooms of 30ºF and 50ºF. The committee identified these two ambient temperatures as the most common targets for increased concern coming from inspectors and officials.
A correlation between predicted maturity curves and the actual performance was one principal target for this research. In order to achieve this correlation, temperature probes were inserted through the top of many of the cylinders to record the data until testing. The cylinders cast in the laboratory were kept in the respective temperature-controlled rooms until the time each was broken. This occurred at 1,2,3,7,14, and 28 days. Breaks were then correlated with the predicted strengths obtained from maturity prediction using the Con-Cure maturity system (www.concure.com).
Phase II in the research program included real world testing of walls. The research committee selected six of the best performing, economical mix designs from Phase I to subject field conditions. Osborne-Medina Concrete in Medina, OH volunteered their plant, materials, and equipment for the site of the full-scale tests. CFA member Tri-County Excavation of Richfield ,OH, provided the man-power and conveyer to set and fill the forms provided by Western Forms (www.westernforms.com) . Once again, the mixes were produced with 68ºF components and placed into the forms on January 10, 2003. The ambient temperature at time of placement was approximately 22ºF and dropping. According to recorded weather records for Wayne County Airport, the Medina area did not feel temperatures above freezing for 20 days after the pour. In fact, the records show an unofficial low of -19ºF on January 27, 2003.
The research was conducted in a similar fashion to the Phase I procedures. Maturity meters were inserted in to the walls to record concrete temperatures, while other data-loggers recorded ambient temperatures. In addition to the walls, cylinders for all mixes were cast and placed in one group under a blanket. The volume of concrete in the combined cylinder set equaled the amount of concrete in one of the wall sections. Two walls were cast with each mix (twelve total) and one wall of each received a blanket “cap” that is, a 6-ft. blanket lain over the top 2 to 2+ feet.
The wall forms were stripped at the end of 24 hours (ambient temperature was 20ºF). Following from removal, cores were taken from each wall. Two locations were cored, one near the top (under the blanket for the “capped” walls) and one near the center of each wall section. These core samples were then broken along with the matching cast cylinders stored under the blanket. This process was repeated to match the laboratory cylinder sets at 1,2,3, 7, 14, and 28 days and the results compared to the maturity predictions made with Con-Cure as well as the results from Phase I.
The committee gained a wealth of knowledge from the significant testing. There are additional results that are being sought in order to closely determine what recommendations should be made industry-wide. Phase I resulted in the identification that all 36 mixtures and 44 curves achieved the designed 28-day strengths even when cured under very cold temperatures (near freezing the entire 28 days). There were not failed mixes. Phase II provided further conclusive evidence that the design mixtures selected performed well by once again achieving acceptable strengths from cylinder breaks. This was despite the fact that the probes recorded concrete temperatures dropping in some of the leaner sample walls below 32ºF in as little as 11 hours.
The committee was also able to substantially prove that maturity prediction “accurately” estimated the strength gain of the mix designs for both laboratory and field-cured concrete. Perhaps the most significant aspect of the results was that the restrictions for placing concrete in residential foundation wall applications based on ACI 306 appear to be overly restrictive.
It should also be noted that under petrographic exam, some field samples showed varying degrees of microfracturing and ice crystal implants because they were cured well below freezing. While the strengths were good, further study on the long-term durability in a basement wall, using the leaner mixes and under these conditions is being done. Although it is still undetermined whether walls subjected to the frozen state will exhibit higher permeability and lower surface durability, the volume of data supports the empirical evidence that had been gathered over the previous two winters.
What does this information mean to contractors heading into the difficult winter months?
The CFA has offered guidelines for cold-weather concreting over the past few years for purchase. These guidelines, published in 1997 and based on common thought at the time, use target mix designs for specific ambient temperature ranges. Our research shows that ambient temperature only “affects” concrete temperature and that maturity is much more closely dependent on the temperature of the concrete. Basing the practices used and/or the rules and restrictions during cold weather on ambient temperature is without basis.
This testing also concludes that some of the parameters for the prior guidelines are consistent with intelligent concrete practices and must continue to be followed. The components of concrete should be stored and mixed to achieve a minimum delivery temperature of 60ºF (with an ideal temperature of 65ºF or higher). Additional water in these mixes produces a significantly slower strength gain and much higher risk of freeze damage. The committee verified, during this testing, that the use of blankets, even if only over the tops of the walls extended the time it took the concrete to the ambient conditions. This step is valuable depending on mix design and other conditions, when the ambient temp is near or below freezing.
Let’s take a look at some of the key results of this Study:
Confirmation of the obvious
- There are no single, simple answers. This means that multiple mixture designs and protective measures have shown suitability under sever conditions.
- Good mix designs can withstand colder temperatures than lean designs. Variables such as water/cement ration, admixture choice and delivery temperature are all critical factors.
- A blanket statement that “I can pour any mix I want, any time I want,” is just as wrong as a statement saying you can’t pour concrete in cold weather.
- Pour any time you; morning is best when the sun is expected to have an impact, but above all monitor concrete temperatures and maturity.
- Type III cement will perform better in colder weather than Type I
- Calcium Chloride is still the best “Bank for you Buck” but will not correct problems associated with poor mix design, high W/C ratios, or low concrete temperatures.
- Any given mix is certain to harden at a slower rate in cold weather than it would in warm weather. Make certain your field people are thinking of this as it could create safety concerns (i.e. walls failing during premature backfills, haunches ripping loose because of insufficient tensile strength, etc.).
Among the “news flashes”:
- If cold weather concerns are critical to a contractor or supplier, he should pick two to four mixes for varying degrees of cold weather exposure and know when to use them. Maturity testing should be used on each localized mix to confirm performance.
Warning to all wall contractors and ready-mix suppliers who read this:
The addition of water on-site beyond what is allowed by the constraints of the mix design will render all of the above factors meaningless and would result in an unsafe condition. The practice of adding extra water to improve workability is quite possibly the main reason building officials shut jobs down in the cold in the first place—because such “wet” mixes have a much higher likelihood of being damaged in freezing weather! It is such a prevalent practice that the sentiment among building inspectors is generally “Better safe than sorry.” Moral of the story: Keep the water/cement ratio where it should be – consider using water-reducing admixtures instead of water.
The most important result of this study is that during sub-freezing conditions, contractors should follow a maturity-prediction procedure for validating their individual mix designs that they work out with their ready-mix producer and then monitor the performance of those mixes with measuring devices to ensure that they are maintaining suitable concrete temperatures and achieving suitable maturity. For more information on these results and the availability of a research report contact Jim Baty (jbaty@cfawalls.org) at CFA headquarters (866-CFA-WALL) or one of the following Cold-Weather Committee Members.
- Chairman – Terry Lavy, Lavy Concrete Construction, Piqua, OH at 937-773-3963 or terry@lavyconcrete.com
- Brad Barnes P.E., North Central Engineering, LTd., Canton, OH at 330-454-1113 or TBBPE@aol.com
- John Gnaedinger P.E., ConCure Corporation, St. Louis, MO at 636-386-4800 or John@concure.com
Stay Tuned Folks, We’re Not Done!
Topsail Island Concrete Homes Stood Tall for Hurricane Isabel
In mid-September, the nation’s eyes were fixed on the North Carolina coast as the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in five years was predicted to hit the state. With storm warnings ranging from Category 2 to Category 5, residents braced for Isabel. CNN covered the event from North Topsail Island, a stretch of the state’s coastline routinely hammered by such storms and coincidentally the site of six town homes built using cast-in-place removable form concrete construction method. Isabel hit land as a Category 2 storm with sustained winds just below 100 mph. But for Dave Pfanmiller, builder of the new cluster of town homes toured by many CFA members during the 2003 summer meeting, this storm was no big deal. Dave was thankful the hurricane wasn’t worse but knew the homes would stand up to a greater test.
These upscale homes built by Security Building Group (SBG) of Raleigh, NC, withstood the high winds and heavy rains doled out by Isabel. “While the homes weren’t put to the real test, a Category 5 storm, the y fared very well,” stated Dave Pfanmiller of SBG. There was no damage to the town homes or to the most buildings on the island. There was damage to unanchored mobile homes and poorly constructed vinyl-sided and older homes. “The upshot of the hurricane, for these homes and our current homeowners, is that we gained another two feet of dune,” says Dave.
Hurricanes are a way of life for coastal communities. More than ever, developers and homeowners are looking to concrete as their home material of choice to protect their investment from even the fiercest of storms.
For more information about above-grade, cast-in-place concrete construction projects in North Caroline contact Dave Pfanmiller at 919-427-0251.
Managing a Wage and Hours Violations Crisis
There are many possible crises that can affect your organization or the manner in which you conduct your business. This issue continues the 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.
For review, crisis management is 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 is an important function in every business, but one that is often put aside for more pressing matters.
However the benefits of crisis management exceed any obstacles that you might have. Planning for a crisis begins with identifying areas where your business is vulnerable, giving 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 it does occur, reduces the severity of the event.
TOPIC TWO: WAGE AND HOUR VIOLATIONS
Employers toady face a virtual minefield when it comes to employment laws and regulations. Disgruntled employees can quickly become plaintiffs in litigation against your business. Federal Wage & Hour, Internal Revenue Service, and state unemployment laws present numerous pitfalls for business owners. Employers are subject to penalties, fines, and litigation if employment practices do not conform with a wide range of laws and regulations.
Problems in this area can prove costly and frustrating, but are often preventable with sufficient planning and attention to details. Many problems originate because businesses are not aware of various employment laws. Unfortunately, ignorance is not an excuse when it comes to employment matters. Employers are expected to keep up-to-date with and correctly apply a wide range of employment laws. Making matters worse, most employment laws are written to protect and favor employees, and the burden of proof is usually on the employer.
Overtime pay requirements are frequently misunderstood and incorrectly applied by business.
Many businesses incorrectly believe they can avoid the requirement for overtime pay by paying employees based on a salary instead of hourly rates. Wage and hour laws provide specific guidelines that must be met in order for employees to be exempt from overtime pay requirements. Employees must fall into a professional or management role in order to be exempt. Examples of professionals include attorneys, architects, engineers, accountants and others with specific educational backgrounds. The management exception would be applied to employees with decision-making authority. Office employees are the most commonly misapplied employees. Although office and administrative employees are often paid on salary, they must meet either the professional or management guidelines in order to be exempt from overtime pay requirements.
Employee agreement to be paid on a salary, and to forgo overtime pay, does not eliminate the employer’s obligation to follow overtime pay requirements. Employees can bring actions to collect back overtime pay either individually or as group. In cases where employees were paid salaries, employers often have little evidence of the hours actually worked, which can make it difficult to counter employee overtime claims. In addition to back pay employees may be entitled to penalties of 50% of the amount of back pay.
Another area that is frequently handled incorrectly, particularly with contractors, is the treatment of travel time to and from jobs. It appears that practices among CFA members cover the entire range, from paying only for time at the job site, to paying for all travel to and from job sites. The fact is, that if your employees are instructed to report to work at your facility, and are transported to and from job sites, then all travel time needs to be paid, and is subject to overtime rates if total hours exceed 40. As with overtime, failure to handle travel time properly can result in large retroactive adjustments, including penalties.
Probably the most common problems occur in the misclassification of employees as independent contractors. Businesses frequently try to classify employees as independent contractors, in order to avoid payment of matching FICA, workers compensation insurance, unemployment taxes, as well as inclusion in the company’s fringe benefit plans. These additional items can add 15-30% to the cost of employees, and create a significant incentive to treat workers as independent contractors. IRS has established specific guidelines to determine in which circumstances workers can be properly treated as independent contractors. The guidelines are based on a number of factors, including common treatment of similar individuals within the industry and the 20-factor test long employed by IRS in this area. The most significant factors include the extent the workers are supervised, the element of profit or loss potential.
If IRS or other governmental authorities determine that employees were improperly treated as independent contractors, the employer can be held liable for the withholding taxes that should have been deducted, as well as penalties and interest. In recent years, the issue of inclusion in employer benefit plan has become equally significant. Workers have successfully sued employers claiming they should have been included in group medical plans, with employers being made responsible for the medical costs of the employees.
Additionally, employers face a multitude of potential litigation from disgruntled employees for issues such as discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, and ADA claims. A well-written employee manual outlining pertinent policies and practices is one of the best ways to prevent these types of claims. Liability in cases of this type, usually fall outside coverage of business liability insurance. Two additional types of insurance are available to protect business owners. Employment practices insurance provides coverage in cases such as those described, while employment benefits coverage provides coverage in cases where employees are omitted from fringe benefit plans due to administrative oversight.
In today’s labor market, it is important that employees feel valued by their employer, and that they have good access to information, and prompt help in resolving the type of problems employees often encounter. Your employees’ awareness and familiarity with your fringe benefit plans is often far less than you may realize. These areas are typically difficult to understand, and can easily intimidate employees. Their morale can be significantly affected by the manner in which their concerns are handled. The person who handles the human resources and payroll functions in your business is a critical link between you and your employees. A competent, responsive HR manager who show genuine concern for your employees can be areal asset to your business. Whether it’s an error in their paycheck or the denial of coverage by your group medical provider, it is important that they receive prompt, courteous handling of payroll and benefit matters.
Unfortunately, when problems do arise, it is often too late to solve the problem and all that can be done is damage control.
As with many types of crises management, the chance of major and costly problems related to the employment practices in your business can be reduced significantly by the review of your business practices, and identifying areas where problems may exist. Additionally, it provides the opportunity to make improvements in the overall operation of payroll and human resource function in your business.
Web Lesson: Getting Registered
You’ve seen two postcards and anticipation is building for our next summer event. Yes, the CFA Annual Summer Meeting is a mere fifteen weeks away. A lot can be said about taking advantage of getting your travel plans taken care of early enough to reduce the stress on your everyday lives. A lot more can be said about helping out and getting your registrations in order to reduce the stress on your CFA staff. This year we are promoting the use of our new website registration site to complete your transactions for the summer meeting. This article will walk you through the steps that you will take to get registered to attend both the meeting and the fantastic events that await you. So, without further adieu, let’s GET REGISTERED!
Many of you will recall the article that we brought you last issue providing you with some of the core components on this new website. You will also recall that the first thing you need to do is to secure your logon I.D. number and your password. You should have received this very recently in a letter from our office. If you have misplaced this letter or if you did not receive a copy of it, please contact Janette in our office and she will provide the required information. Once you have located your I.D. and password, you should proceed to our website (www.cfawalls.org). Along the top of any page on our site you will see a tab layout. Selecting the Resources (see fig.1) tab will open a new window where you will see the logon screen (fig. 2). You will then enter your I.D. number and password and select the “OK” button. Assuming you have entered this information correctly, you will see a welcome screen and the beginning options for interacting with this portion of the site (fig. 3). We are going to focus solely on the registration process for Summer Meeting so you will want to take your mouse to the “Events” label where a box will drop down displaying all of the available events that are currently active for registration. In this case, our Summer Meeting is currently the only available event for registration.
Once you have selected the 2003 CFA Summer Meeting, your browser will next show a grid or table where you will begin the process of entering the people attending the meeting on your behalf (fig.4). We will process through registering two people for this summer meeting. Please note that there is a fairly detailed process at the bottom of the screen that will lead you through the proper steps.
Begin by selecting the Add Registrant button. This will add a line to the table that includes a pull-down box in the first cell. You may wish to pull this box down with the arrow to select someone that we have existing in our database. By doing so, you can then proceed directly to Activity Registration. If the person you are registering is not listed or you don’t want to pull the box down, simply type the first and last names into the appropriate boxes and proceed to the next step.
Next, you need to select the type of attendee that this person will be by pulling down the box in the cell labeled Registrant Type. Once you have completed these two steps, proceed to the next screen by selecting the Activity Registration button to the right. This will take you to a screen for this specific person that shows you the available activities we have set up for this event (fig. 5).
This year’s Summer Meeting has three pages of activities for you to scroll through. Figure 5 shows the options to register for the Summer Meeting as a full registrant or as a Spouse depending on which person’s activity you have selected. In addition, our event for Thursday which is the bus tour to Top Sail beach is on option here and the first to exhibitor options. You select a specific activity by entering a quantity as shown. Let me add a quick note about the registration process. The first two registration options (Full and Spouse) are for those individuals that will be attending the meetings, the awards luncheon and the opening reception. You may choose to register someone for one of the evening events, golf or the bus tour without registering them for the actual Summer Meeting as long as they don’t plan on attending the meeting portions.
Let’s begin. Bill Esker shown in Figure 4 would likely enter a quantity of one next to Full Registration. Immediately the Total is updated to $320 in both the activity column as well as the Event at the bottom of this table. I would like to stress that we encourage you to register each unique attendee including children and guests separately rather than charging several registrations to one individual. This gives us a better record of attendees and helps us with things like preparation of name tags, etc.
Now, Bill isn’t quite done yet, or at least we hope he isn’t. By selecting Next at the bottom of the table shown in Figure 5, the next screen of available activities will show (Fig.6). We know that Bill isn’t going to exhibit at this event so he will skip over the first three lines of this table. However, we also know that Bill is quickly becoming an avid golfer and he won’t want to miss joining us on Wednesday for our tournament. Entering a quantity of one again here will update his total on this screen. Who can avoid attending our social functions? On this screen Bill will also register to attend the Friday Night party at the beach. Bill should make certain he enters a quantity for the “18+” registration since we are fairly certain he is at least 18. There is an option for each of the evening events for children pricing. This brings his screen total to $175 and he is off to the last activity page (Fig.7) selecting Next.
For this last screen of activities, Bill decides that he can’t stay away from our closing event, Saturday night at The Carolina Opry (see Ed’s Summer Meeting article in this issue). He enters a quantity of one for this event and the page total updates automatically to $65. We are through selecting activities for Bill now and we return to register the next attendee with Bill’s company for our Summer Meeting by selecting the Save & Close button. You will notice that we have returned to the screen shown in Figure 4 except that now a Total Order is shown reflecting our activities selected for Bill of $560. It is likely that Mary Lou will attend this with Bill so we can go back through the previous steps and add activities including Spouse Registration, Golf and our Friday and Saturday night events for her as well. The Total Order will once again be updated for adding her to the event for a total of $1,240. Do this as often as needed until your entire party has been added.
Once all attendees for the company have been registered you will select the Close button that returns you to the original welcome screen updated with the balance for the order you have prepared (fig.8). You will notice a flashing message reminding you that to complete this registration process, you must select the Checkout button. So lets checkout.
By selecting Checkout you are telling the system that you are completely finished with your order. You may choose to order literature or other items with this registration or you may not. We are setting that aside for this tutorial. A screen will appear showing you a summary of your order (Fig. 9). From here you will select your credit card type, enter the number of that card with no spaces or dashes and then the expiration as two number month and two letter year again with no additional spaces or characters. Once finished here you select Complete Payment one time only. The credit card processing center we are using (VeriSign) will now check the card for the amount and validity. If successful, you will get a box that provides the acknowledgement and a reference number and an option to print a receipt. By selecting to print a receipt you are taken to a screen with a blank table (Fig. 10). Don’t be alarmed that nothing is present in this table as from this point on that data will not be shown. Select the Print Receipt button at the bottom of this page and you will get a portable document file (pdf) that you can store on your computer and print out at your leisure for permanent record of your transaction. Should your transaction be denied, a reason for this declination will be given and you may attempt again or contact our office for further assistance.
What other pointers can I give to you? Well, many people are still using dial-up as the means to connect to the Internet. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this but you will need to be patient. You are connecting to a real-time database through this process and this requires data transfer for each stage. Watch you status bar at the bottom of your browser as it will keep you informed of your process during each screen load. Also, don’t back out of any screen without selecting Save and Close unless you intend to go back without adding any information. Lastly, if you have to go back into someone’s Activity Registration, don’t re-enter a number for an event that you’ve already registered for. Your key to knowing what you have registered for is the dollar total that you see above the attendee table (Fig. 4) and on the original intro screen (Fig. 3).
I hope this article will help you experience the fantastic communication and control that we are placing at your hands as a member of this Association. Good luck, and I look forward to seeing all of you in Myrtle Beach.
Increasing Flow and Igniting Fire
Winning Advice for a Tough Economy
by Mike Foti
Do you sometimes feel like you are batting your head against a wall in your business? Prices are going south. Costs are going north. Margins are getting squeezed. Where is the magic “silver bullet” of success? The quick answer – it does not exist! If there was one quick answer, everyone would be using it and profits would flow as freely as water from a tap. As a leader of a business, a department, or a field crew, what can you do RIGHT NOW to move from bleeding edge losses to leading edge profits? Consider 3 Steps:
1. Think People – “Drill Down to Go Up.”
2. Think Strategy – “Jump Back and Get Out” to Move Up.
3. Think Speed, Efficiency, and Flexibility
1. Think People – “Drill Down to Go Up”
Results happen through people. Plain, simple, no rocket science here! Saying the statement is much easier than making it happen. Getting production, profits, results from others is about using influence, expanding ownership, and removing the obstacles for success. How can you drive this process?
• Take down “scaffolding” and influence “your people’s people!” – Are your top leaders influencing the people driving the day-to-day profitability-those closest to the action (estimators, field sales people, service technicians, machine operators etc.)? If not, meet with these profit-generators and explain, in plain English (no “business-speak”), the facts, the realities of your performance, your competitive position, what customers are telling you with their pocketbooks! Then ask them to get specific about how they can deliver exceptional results in their positions. Work together to set up measurements of performance and track actual results.
• Make matches; Reduce fires! Stop putting people into “jobs.” Match your people’s talents and skills to where you need them to “show you the money.” Identify who is unproductive. Determine if they have the skills, talents, and values to be successful in another capacity. If not, work them out of the business ASAP. If repositioning can work, get them working on the “fires,” the problems in your business. Forget “jobs” and start working on goals. Get your talent to dig in and “extinguish fires” while simultaneously igniting results.
• Remove barrels – Your job is to make others’ jobs easier! Are your systems giving those closest to the action the information needed to improve results today? Are bad managers in your organization killing innovation, dampening enthusiasm, and bring everyone else down to their levels? You don’t have time to let your “orange barrels” eliminate “green light” performance!
• Call in the “Dynamic Duo” – No, I’m not talking about Batman and Robin – although it would be great to see the “competitive villains” whisked away! I’m talking about using the dynamic duo of “ignorance and intelligence.” In today’s intellectually competitive world you need to identify (a) what you know, (b) what you don’t know and (c) what you are going to do to improve on “a” and “b.” Some quick ideas:
• Create an advisory board/ Find a mentor. Results magically improve when you surround yourself with smarter people (people with skills you lack) who can both inspire and challenge your current ways of thinking without concern for political correctness or hurting your feelings.
• Develop a “learning plan.” What are you reading, learning, and applying right now? Be strategic with your reading. Can it help you solve a current challenge?
2. Think Strategy – “Jump Back and Get Out” to Move Up
Most leaders are drowning in the sea of their own problems. Gasping for air is not the best time to develop winning plans! To get out of your funk you need to “jump back” from current operations, analyze your current reality, and get focused on winning approaches for the future. To do this, consider these ideas:
• Fix it, Grow it, or Blow The Segment Down! – Get your team involved and break the business in smaller segments (by products, services, markets, geography, customers etc.). Determine your segment profitability, growth, and competitive position. Then ask three key questions:
1. What are the critical issues facing the segment?
2. What can you do to make $ RIGHT NOW?
3. Is this segment worth the effort?
Finally, define the steps and people accountable to fix, grow, or blow the segment up.
• “Coulds vs. Shoulds” – Excitement, growth and profits require stretching your organizational limbs. When someone says “we could do this,” pause, then start digging into “should we do this?” I’ve seen many businesses become unfocused scrap-heaps of energy, effort, and dollars by not investing the time in the analysis to make this distinction.
• Visit the person who pays the bills – See your customers. What do they like/ not like about your performance? If they like you – get referrals so you can start dialing for cash today. Ask them their problems, pains, and challenges? Is there money in solving their problems for your company?
3. Think Speed, Efficiency, and Flexibility
If you’re not achieving the results you want right now don’t be deceived that happiness is right around the corner. I could show you a business I “invested” (that is a nice term for lost) $250,000 in over 4 years waiting for the “corner” that never came! Getting “fixed” in a tough economy requires implementing a thorough, tenacious, “cornerless,” plan leveraging speed, efficiency, and flexibility. Here’s how:
• Rev Up – My Dad (a long-time construction entrepreneur) had a saying on his desk that “Happiness is a positive cash flow.” To win, consider these ideas to open up the cash spigot:
• Reducing in-process materials and increasing inventory turns.
• Offering cash discounts to speed payments.
• Billing quicker.
• Paying faster (yes – not a misprint) while simultaneously negotiating better prices and terms.
• Clean Up – Tough times are made to clean up past “messes” (the fat and inefficiencies built up in the “good ‘ol days). Some ideas:
• Stop paying $2,976 for coffee and water. One of my branches spent this amount on coffee and water last year. How did we not notice? The bills came in monthly for at about $100 to $200 a pop. Switching to Maxwell House and putting a filter on our tap – total cost $400 (yearly savings – $2,576). Look at your expenditures by vendor for last year. Cut the fat!
• Pride of Ownership – Look around at the neatness of your office, plant, job sites. Is a sloppy, disorganized environment inviting waste, inefficiency, even theft. Get pride – get clean – save money!
• Limber Up – Are you stuck with slow-turn inventory, underutilized equipment, and people? Rethink what you see as “fixed” in your business. Look at “rent vs. buy,” “make vs. outsource” decisions and find ways to get flexible now. On the flipside remember one mans junk is another man’s treasure. If you do have cash reserves consider buying up your competitors fixed assets at today’s bargain basement prices.
Conclusion
Tough times call for tough measures. They call for you to do things differently, take new actions. How are you planning to increase your “flows” (reducing costs, improving margins, speeding payments etc.) and ignite the “fires” (getting people matched with work and results required) of those around you? Take action and watch the success flow!
Mike Foti is Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Glass Block (a Northcoast 99 recipient for best employers in Northeast Ohio and a Community Pillar Award winner for community service) and President of Leadership Builders. Mike is a national speaker, writer, and consultant who helps individuals and companies get results through people. To ask Mike how he might help you, or to receive his free tips and leadership articles, call 216-531-6085 or visit his web site at www.leadershipbuilders.com.
H and B Foundations Profile
As one of CFA’s oldest members, H and B Foundations of Elizabeth, Colorado proudly touts the benefits that membership in the CFA has provided to their company.
“When I think I am the only that could have possibly experienced something,” said Bryan Herboldsheimer, Vice President of H and B Foundations, “there is always a CFA member that comes to rescue with advice.”
In addition to being one of the original members of CFA’s predecessor – the Poured Wall Contractors Association — the company has recently earned the distinction of being named one of the top 100 concrete contractors in Concrete Construction. Founded in 1971 by John Herboldsheimer, the company now boasts more than 180 employees and provides foundations, caisson drilling, flatwork, and excavation services to the greater Denver metro area – averaging about 500 to 600 jobs per year. Although primarily a residential contractor, H and B also has completed projects in the commercial arena, such as restaurants and underground parking facilities. Brothers Brett and Bryan Herboldsheimer will soon be taking over the business for their retiring father, John. CFA members have been instrumental in the transition between generations at H and B through their words of wisdom. Other members have offered advice, with both good and bad experiences, from the transitions in their own companies.
According to Bryan Herboldsheimer, the company recognized an opportunity for growth in 1993 through the addition of caisson drilling services. Herboldsheimer is quick to credit CFA with helping him put this service into practice. “As an active CFA member, I come away from each meeting with a fresh look on the poured wall industry by learning new business practices, including caisson drilling,” he said.
“Colorado is classified as having problematic soil conditions, making foundation installation a challenging feat,” said Herboldsheimer.
In Denver, caisson drilling involves drilling 10- to 12-inch holes into the ground underneath the foundation. This process prevents houses from moving when the soil contracts and expands. According to Herboldsheimer, caisson drilling has become essential in the Denver area because any soil that is not problematic has already been developed, leaving only troublesome soil. Further, the increased dedication to properly engineered foundations has resulted in more conservative designs. The added service was obviously something the market needed and H and B now offers drilling to other contractors as well and boasts 16 rigs.
Beyond recognizing a market opportunity and building a caisson drilling business, Herboldsheimer is dedicated to embracing the latest technology in the industry.
“With foundations accounting for approximately 60 to 80 percent of our business, keeping up with industry changes and technology is extremely important to H and B,” said Herboldsheimer. He forum for sharing information about new technology and field techniques.
“The networking opportunities that CFA provides are tremendous,” said Herboldsheimer. “My father was an original member of this association and he saw a great benefit and passed along this enthusiasm to his sons. He not only enjoyed the meetings and their informative content, but also the camaraderie between members. It does not matter how big or how small your company is, everyone talks to each other.”
In the next year, Herboldsheimer anticipates few changes within his company. In these tight economic times, H and B expects only moderate growth, unlike the double digit growth they have experienced in the last ten years. However, within the foundations industry, Herboldsheimer forecasts an increased use of technology both in the next year and in the next five years.
For more information about H and B Foundations, contact Bryan Herboldsheimer at 303-646-2910.
B.E.P. Forming Systems Big Panel Rotator System Turns Heads at World of Concrete
Nominated for “Most Innovated Products” Contest
Industry experts are praising B.E.P.™ Forming Systems’ revolutionary Big Panel Rotator System for its innovative concept and functionality. This new technology promises to reduce labor and equipment costs for contractors, while bringing a new dimension of design capabilities to poured-wall construction. Recently nominated for Hanley Wood’s “Most Innovative Products” contest at World of Concrete 2003 in Las Vegas, NV, B.E.P.’s state-of-the-art wall forming system has already been awarded top honors in its category by its most critical panel of judges— its customers.
With its patent-pending technology the Big Panel Rotator System challenges conventional concrete construction methods and raises the bar for the concrete industry. The company’s all-aluminum concrete wall forming system for residential and commercial construction features an exclusive (full-rotation) pivot technology. Because of its unique ability to pivot 360 degrees, B.E.P’s Big Panel Rotator System transcends the costly limitations inherent in traditional concrete forming systems. “Fifteen to twenty years ago, the industry was looking for fast, lightweight hand-set forms. During the last five to ten years, cranes have taken the form industry by storm,” said Bill Esker, President of J.B. Esker & Sons, Teutopolis, IL. “Now the industry is ready to take a big leap forward with B.E.P.’s Big Panel crane-set forming systems.”
The Big Panel Rotator System was created by B.E.P. Forming Systems’ President and Founder Greg Peacock; a concrete contractor who envisioned improving business for others in his profession. The B.E.P. Big Panel Rotator System increases efficiency for contractors by reducing their labor and equipment costs. And because the system integrates seamlessly with a contractor’s existing equipment, they are able to extend the value and adaptability of their investment. “I have used other gang and crane-set systems, but B.E.P.’s Big Panel Rotator
System surpasses them all,” said Arie Van Wyk, President of Van Wyks, Inc., of Waldo, WI. “The company’s ability to customize the system for our specific needs enabled us to use our existing equipment. B.E.P. was the answer for us.”
The Big Panel Rotator System includes a line of products and accessories built for delivering superior on-the-job performance. Their new craneset system is highly adaptable to below- and above-grade, cast-in-place residential and commercial concrete projects, and features an innovative one-man lifting hook device. In fact, the Big Panel Rotator System hooks to any conventional aluminum, steel frame or locking wood system on the market today allowing for installation of foam, electrical boxes, ledges, beams and other additions. Other system features include:
• Heavy-rail systems with corner gussets and high penetration welding to a standard .125 inch (full 1/8″) thick facesheet or optional heavy-gauge .160 inch (3/16”) face-sheet to create the strongest big panel in the industry—engineered to handle 1,450 lbs. per sq. ft. loads, based on ACI pour ratings.
• Custom-ordering capability to any length or width, and designed to fit any standard hole pattern.
• Exceptionally strong, yet thin and lightweight, construction for easy transport and stacking.
B.E.P. Forming Systems is an aluminum forming company like no other. This family-owned business is committed to providing residential and commercial contractors with technological innovations in form design and accessories. The company’s goal is to help contractors maximize profits by saving time and reducing labor and equipment costs. The B.E.P. Big Panel Rotator System is distributed through a nationwide network of dealer representatives. For more information about the award-winning Big Panel Rotator System, visit www.bepformingsystems.com or contact Jennie Peacock, Vice-President, B.E.P. Forming Systems, Inc., 325 Industrial Way, Fayetteville, GA 30215, Tel: 1-866-BEP-FORM (866-237-3676)
CFA Presents 2002 Contractor of the Year Award
The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA), an organization dedicated to improving the quality and acceptance of cast-in-place concrete foundations, recently presented its 2002 Contractor of the Year Award to David Martinson.
Martinson, Vice President of Martinson Construction of Waterloo, Iowa, is known throughout the industry as a hard worker constantly striving for perfection. An active member and supporter of the CFA since 1993, Martinson’s selection for this award recognizes his commitment to promoting the benefits of the poured wall industry through use of the newest technologies.
According to Ed Sauter, executive director of CFA, “Martinson’s commitment to his business, family, and community, and his constant goal of perfection, made him a natural choice for the CFA Contractor of the Year.”
The annual award recognizes the contributions of a poured wall contractor to the industry. This year’s award was presented at the CFA Winter Meeting held at Bonnie Springs, Nev. on Feb. 4.
As the third generation in the business, Martinson has developed the 53-year-old company to be the largest concrete contractor in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area, an area that now boasts a total of 90 percent cast-in-place basement construction. The company completes 275 to 300 foundations per year and has a significant amount of commercial business. Specializing in residential and commercial work, they have a staff of two wall and footing crews, as well as flat work crews and waterproofing employees.
Dedicated to integrating the latest technology into his business, Martinson owns a Telebelt, boom truck and is the first user of the Geodimeter Total Station in Iowa. He is quick to credit his CFA membership for his company’s technological advancements.
“I learned about all the latest technologies from fellow members,” said Martinson. “This has propelled us ahead of our competition, because we are the only contractor in our area using computerized technology.”
Martinson was both surprised and honored to receive this award. “With so many great contractors in the CFA, it is a tremendous honor to be chosen for this award.” He also believes this award is a recognition of the efforts from the entire Martinson Construction team to provide high quality work while keeping customer service as the top priority.
