Saving the Environment
CFA MEMBERS NETWORK AS THEY DO THEIR PART TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Snow Geese have multiplied to a point they are destroying the Arctic breeding grounds for other wildlife. So four CFA members felt it was their obligation to help control the snow goose population by going on a Spring Snow Goose Hunt. Maybe they got a little enjoyment out of it too.
One of the many benefits of the CFA is the friendships you gain with people who are working in the same line of work as you. This was evident in South Dakota recently, when four CFA members from across the country met to go Snow Goose hunting. CFA members Kirby Justesen from Utah, Steve Esker from Illinois, and Barry and Mike Herbert from Georgia journeyed to South Dakota for the spring snow goose hunt. It proved to be a very successful hunt with the four of them taking over thirty birds.
As usual whenever CFA members get together, the main topic of conversation was concrete and pouring walls.
The CFA – Then and Now
Our little company first joined the old Poured Concrete Wall Contractors Association (PCWCA) I think in 1978. The meeting was in Cambridge, Mass., and my boss, Dan Lavy, and I flew out to see what this was all about. It was a fairly small group then, it seems to me that there weren’t more than 30 or 40 guys there, if that many. When I say guys, this is exactly what I mean, I don’t recall that families were a prominent feature at all.
I do remember some of the names and faces, little did this 26-year-old kid know that I was “hangin” with such icons to our industry as Buck Sweet, Hap Anderson, Stub Hedrick, Bob Sawyer, and the Meyers father-son team. I might have been more impressed at the time that the Doobie Brothers were staying in our Hotel. I could tell by the stories I heard, there were much bigger, better and more innovative companies in this group than ours.
A couple of the hot topics at this early meeting was the threat of treated plywood basements and form theft. The first never became much of a problem in our area, the latter still is.
The simple fact is that this group was formed by true visionaries. These folks knew that this was a lonely business, and to be able to network (the word wasn’t invented for another 18 or 20 years!) with others in the industry would be a great thing.
My hat is off to these pioneers and the other members who were smart enough to join back then and maintain their memberships through all these years. I hope I haven’t missed anyone, but here is a list of companies that were members then (before 1980) and still are now:
March 1975 ——– Perma-Structo Inc. March 1977 ——– Don Andrew Concrete April 1977 ———- The Bartley Corp Swearingin Construction June 1977 ———- Grimmius Inc. Aug 1977 ———– Picasso Concrete Jan 1978 ———– Van Wycks Inc. Wall Ties & Forms March 1978 ——– Precise Forms April 1978 ———- Balmer Bros Concrete Aug 1978 ———– Formco Foundations Sept 1978 ———– TriState Concrete Services Nov 1978 ———– Clark Foundation Co. Dec 1978 ———– Oostburg Concrete Products May 1979 ———-Menke Brothers Construction.The next time you see one of these folks, thank them for their continued support of our group. They are the foundation we have grown on. The advice, ideas, and inspiration they have shared with the rest of us, is priceless.
Terry Lavy, CFA President Lavy Concrete Construction Inc. terry@lavyconcrete.comLooking Back – CFA Celebrates 30 Years
The Concrete Foundations Association will celebrate its 30th Anniversary at this summer’s meeting in San Francisco. What’s even harder to believe is that I will have been with the Association for nearly half of those years (14 to be exact). There have been a lot of changes in the industry and the Association during the past 14 years – most of them good.
The poured wall industry continues to grow and expand. Areas experiencing the biggest growth are areas where concrete masonry was once the material of choice. The poured wall industry has become more mechanized with boom trucks, conveyors, concrete pumps, stone shooters and a host of other labor saving devices. Concrete blocks must still be laid one at a time.
Technology has also had an impact on the industry. CAD systems enable contractors to enter basic details about the foundation and receive a printout that modulates the forms, calculates the concrete volume and provides data for layout. CAD systems, coupled with robotic layout systems have enabled foundation contractors to layout a foundation quicker, with fewer person-hours, and with much greater accuracy.
Cell phone technology has advanced, making communications easier. Global positioning systems allow a dispatcher sitting in his office to know where every one of his vehicles is at any given time. Digital photography allows you to take inexpensive, portable, and quality photos of a job site or job conditions. Web cameras allow you to track what’s happening on your job site 24 hours per day while sitting in the comfort of your office – or living room if you prefer. Web-based information systems allow you to do structural calculations on the wall and share project information.
The Association has also changed. Total membership has more than doubled, to over 350 members. The CFA’s publication, once a drab, 4-page, intermittently published newsletter, is now published 6 times per year in full color, and is regularly 32 pages or more. We spearhead research and represent the industry on a variety of national code and regulatory bodies. Several CFA chapters have been born and we now have regional meetings (scaled down versions of our summer meetings) twice a year.
The members themselves are also changing. I see numerous second-generation businesses where sons and daughters are taking over where mom and dad left off. Younger members are more technologically savvy and are open to new ideas but they work just as hard as their mentors.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is what has made the CFA great. It’s the kindness, openness, and friendliness of the members. Members have always been willing to share their ideas and knowledge, their triumphs and their failures, and their opinions, all for the better of the industry. The networking, both formal and informal between members, and the friendships that have developed as a result in participation in the CFA, remains the primary reason people belong. Let’s hope that is one thing that never changes.
Ed Sauter, Executive Director, CFA esauter@cfawalls.orgOkay, So Tell Me How to Implement the Data…
Jim Baty, CFA Technical DirectorYou’ve received your copy of the CFA Cold Weather Research Report, read it cover to cover and now you sit back in your chair and think to yourself…What do I do now? There is an incredible amount of data in our research report, however, like most reports of such a technical nature, even with the best intentions in mind, it is not always crystal clear what the next step should be for immediate implementation.Fortunately, the weather is warming up and cold weather is one of the last things on our minds. It is now the perfect time to begin considering what your plan is for next year’s cold weather needs. Let me suggest a few ways to make our report impact your decisions for those plans.
Let’s begin with the very basic first step. At the end of the report,there are a series of pages providing summaries of the results and recommendations for contractors, concrete suppliers and code officials. It is in everyone’s best interests for you to develop a thorough understanding for the performance of the concrete that will be used during cold weather conditions and the imperative details for consideration in practicing good cold weather concrete. Following these guidelines, the performance of most mix designs can already be proven successful.
The next step in the process is to understand the mixes that you currently work with and what, if any, modifications you should make to your plans for mix designs for varying conditions. This is perhaps a bit more detailed of a step at first glance, however, with the effort that has been produced to this point and the results stemming from the three year program summarized in the report, you have a distinct opportunity to quickly validate the anticipated performance of your own mix designs. This is the real meat of our research that you should strongly consider employing through these next couple of months.
A great start begins with your ready mix supplier. The partnership that can be created between the professional that creates the mix and the professional that creates the wall can be a major key to the success of cold weather concrete foundations. It is the business of the ready mix supplier to know the performance of concrete mixes and the maturity that should be expected from a given mix. Although there are 36 mix designs that you could produce from our models, they may not be the most economical for your market or may not reflect specific components that are delivered economically to you. For this reason, an analysis of the mix designs you douse, or your producer does recommend, should take place.
Analyzing a mix design without going through the extensive submission to cold or frozen temperatures takes place with the aid of a maturity pro Maturity testing with a computer allows you to extrapolate the data from these standard cylinder breaks to other temperatures. For instance, from the research completed we can deduce that concrete does indeed cure at cold temperatures, albeit slowly, as long as it does not freeze. Once it freezes, curing stops and as long as the maturity has reached approximately 500 psi before that point, there will be no significant or appreciable impact to the concrete. We also know that the maturity system accurately tracks the strength gain rate. We showed that if cylinders are cured at warmer temps (our research used 50F but it works at any temp within reason) the maturity curves remain valid and especially so at low concrete temperatures. Therefore, if you have cylinder breaks made at 70°F, then you create a maturity curve based on that temperature. This information is then introduced into the maturity system in the field where ambient temps, for instance, may be in the 15-20°F range, the system would accurately predict the strengths attained during those actual conditions within an acceptable margin of error for such low strength concrete.
However, remember that what we are talking about is concrete temperatures. At a concrete temperature of 10°F the concrete will absolutely be frozen and thus worthless if it hasn’t first reached the approximate minimum maturity of 500psi. But at an ambient (air) temperature of 10°F (or lower, even) the internal concrete temperature may be more like 33-35°F. A key statement to this fact in the report is that ambient temperature really means nothing or very little if anything other than the setting the base for drawing heat from a warm body like our concrete at a given rate.
There will be temperatures at which you cannot place concrete, or at least you should not place concrete. There are mixes that have been proven to perform at sub-zero ambient temperatures yet we all know that it is not to our advantage as owners to push our crews to that level of performance. Still, armed with this information, change can occur.
An example of this success has been found recently in Anchorage, Alaska. From the report, you can see the extensive protection systems that this market was forced to employ at very conservative ambient temperatures. Through the efforts of our research, a very concerned builder, CFA foundation contractor and a local HBA representative, the information from the Cold Weather Research Report was presented to the local jurisdiction. Let me quote the builder in that market from a recent email to the CFA Headquarters:
Just wanted to let you guys know that we now have a new policy in Anchorage. We can now place Mix # 29 and # 34 down to 20 degrees F with no tenting or heat. We are replacing calcium with nonchloride accelerators (NCAs). This a dream come true. My last tent that I did last April, when it was 35 degrees out, cost about $2,700. What a waste! We definitely have been brain washed about this matter for way too long. Thanks again for all your hard work.
Can you be successful employing this process in your local jurisdiction? Absolutely! Will it take extensive efforts on your part to provide the information necessary and the proof that your mix designs, or those from our research will work? Very likely not. I encourage you to dig into this report. Contact CFA Headquarters to discuss its application to your market. Touch base with key individuals from the research team like Brad Barnes, Terry Lavy and John Gnaedinger. This is a great example of the impact membership in our Association can have on your business and it is up to you to put it to work for you.
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY COLD WEATHER CONCRETING.
Record Starts in 2004
How did your building business do last year? The market for all new home construction in the United States hit an all-time high in 2004, reaching a stunning total of 1.953 million housing starts. This is a 5.7% increase from the 1.848 million starts in 2003.
On the single-family side, U.S. home builders started 1.6 million homes. This is a 7.3% increase over the 1.5 million single-family homes built in 2003.
For the year, starts were up 9.2% in the West, 8.3% in the South and 6.6% in the Northeast; starts declined 4.8% in the Midwest.
“The nations home builders continue to move forward to meet the strong housing demand that has characterized the marketplace for some time, and we are confident that 2005 will be another excellent year for housing,” says NAHB President David Wilson, a custom home builder from Ketchum, ID.
Wilson notes that the industry was helped last year by persistently low mortgage interest rates, but that ongoing gains this year in jobs and household income should help offset the slow but steady rise in mortgage interest rates anticipated as a result of Federal Reserve policy. “We are geared up for another big housing year,” Wilson says, “although we don’t expect to be building at quite the break-neck pace of 2004.”
For the month of December, housing starts climbed 10.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.004 million, according to the Commerce Department’s monthly report on residential construction. Furthermore, the backlog of unused permits rose in December, providing forward momentum for housing production starting off the new year.
Multifamily housing starts were up 0.6% in December, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 326,000; they were down a scant 1% for the year, slipping to 345,000 units from 349,000 units in 2003.
“Home building in December was absolutely solid, finishing up the year nicely after some softening in November that was related to bad weather,” says David Seiders, chief economist of NAHB. “The level of unused building permits moved up last month, and that is a favorable sign for starts activity as we move forward this year.” He says builders polled in this month’s NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) expressed a high degree of optimism about housing market conditions currently and over the next six months.
Seiders sees a modest decline of 3% to 4% in new home construction this year as the result of higher mortgage rates, which re projected to average about 6.3% on fixed-rate loans, up from 5.8% last year.
Mantel of Leadership in Construction Shifting
OIL PRICES PLAY THE WILDCARD IN FALL ECONOMIC FORECAST
Higher oil prices will slow overall economic activity, delaying a recovery in nonresidential and public construction. In addition, a continuation of low mortgage rates will prolong the boom in residential construction. According to the latest economic forecast from the Portland Cement Association (PCA), consumer spending will be partially compromised, inflation will run stronger, job gains will be smaller, and sentiment in both the consumer and business areas will be more sedated.
“The level and composition of construction spending is shifting,” says PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan. “In retrospect, 2004 represented a year of transition for the U.S. construction market. The strengthening economy and an increase in interest rates have set the stage for a recovery in public and nonresidential activity. The wildcard in PCA’s forecast is oil prices.”
A scenario of higher oil prices and slower economic growth translates into three key considerations to PCA’s forecast. First, slower overall economic growth implies a more gradual recovery in capacity utilization and vacancy rates, and generally lowers the expected return on investment for most commercial properties. This consideration puts PCA’s estimated gains in nonresidential construction at 9.9 percent in 2005.
Finally, mortgage rates will continue to rise, but slowly. PCA considers a mortgage rate of 6.5 percent the tripping rate – the rate that will exert enough pressure on home affordability to result in significant declines in single family construction activity. The tripping rate is not expected to materialize until the end of the first quarter of 2005, thereby adding legs to the already strong single family construction run. Overall residential construction should decrease slightly by 0.3 percent.
For 2005, construction spending is expected to reach an inflation adjusted level of $745 billion or 2.9 percent growth. Through 2008, nonresidential and public spending are expected to assume the mantel of growth leadership and residential activity will step down to become the growth laggard (although maintaining historically strong levels). Real GDP is Forecast at 3.5 percent for 2005.
CEMENT INTENSITIES IN CONSTRUCTION
PCA has incorporated an upward adjustment in cement intensities for most nonresidential and some public construction sectors. Cement intensities measure the amount of cement used per level of construction spending. The increase in cement intensities is based on an improvement in the competitive conditions of concrete, which has not run up as much in price, relative to steel.
CEMENT SHORTAGE ASSESSMENT UPDATE
Tight cement supply conditions now prevail in portions of 35 states; however, not all portions of each state are characterized by tight supplies. The methodology used in the PCA shortage map tends to exaggerate the national shortage assessment. Where cement is in short supply, the reasons are typically twofold: strong cement demand has materialized due largely to strong residential construction activity, and not enough ships are available to bring in imported cement.
PCA forecasts Portland cement consumption of 112 million tons this year, a 4.4 percent gain from last year. Gains of 2.9 percent and 2.1 percent are forecast for 2005 and 2006, respectively.
To obtain a copy of PCA’s Fall Forecast contact Ryan Puckett at rpuckett@cement.org or Ed Sullivan at esullivan@cement.org.
ABOUT PCA
Based in Skokie, Ill., the Portland Cement Association represents cement companies in the United States and Canada. It conducts market development, engineering research, education, and public affairs programs.
John C. Maxwell to Give Keynote Address at ASCC CEO Forum
The American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis, Mo., will hold its CEO Forum June 23-25, 2005 at The American Club, Kohler, Wis. John C. Maxwell, known as “America’s expert on leadership,’ will present the keynote address at 7:30 p.m. June 23.
The ASCC CEO Forum is a three-day event for CEOs, presidents and other top managers of concrete contracting firms. Through speakers, round table discussions and networking, contractors of various sizes and areas of specialization explore business topics of immediate and long range interest to their companies.
Maxwell speaks to hundreds of thousands of people each year, including Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the NCAA, the NBA, and the NFL. He is the founder of several leadership organizations, including Maximum Impact, and the author of more than thirty books, including Today Matters, Thinking for a Change, There’s No Such Thing as “Business” Ethics, and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, which has sold over one million copies. Maxwell’s latest book is “Winning with People.”
Additional Forum speakers include William Casey, president, Access Investment Advisors; David Hoyt, director of business development, Maximum Impact; Chris Kruegger, president, Zerah Services, Inc.: Bruce Suprenant, president, Concrete Engineering Specialists, LLC; and Ward Malisch, senior managing director, American Concrete Institute.
The ASSC produces this annual event in conjunction with its partners, the American Concrete Institute and Hanley Wood. The ASSC 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 about ASSC, visit www.ascconline.org or call 1-866-788-2722.
Concrete Seen as Major Competitor to Wood
Concrete homes are rapidly gaining market share in residential construction. In recent years, the growth has been so rapid that the Wood Promotion Council recently identified cement-based wall systems as “wood’s greater substitution threat.” Printed in the October 26, 2004 edition of the council’s newsletter, the report also stated that due to strong demand, cement shortages are being reported in 29 states. Jim Niehoff, residential manager for the Portland Cement Association says, “I think this is a great testament to the effectiveness of the combined promotional efforts of the cement & concrete products industries. Obviously, the wood industry will be working hard to recover their lost market share, but with concrete wall systems clearly outperform wood in the areas of energy efficiency, disaster resistance and noise mitigation, it’s very difficult to imagine them slowing the transition away from woodframing.”
Don’t Forget Your Badge!
Talia J. Nelson, CFA Marketing & Member ServicesYou do it at the Home Builders Show, you do it at the World of Concrete, it’s time to show me that you can do it here too! This year’s Summer Meeting registration is going to be a little different, but nothing you can’t handle.
Upon registering for the event, your receipt will arrive in the mail as usual, but in addition you receive your name badges for attendees, spouses, and guests. Then, when you show up for registration at the Opening Tradeshow & Reception, all you have to do is present your name badge at the registration desk, pick up the badge holder and lanyard, and that’s it. This system will definitely cut back on waiting in line and more time to peruse the exhibits and talk concrete.
It is crucial that you bring your name badge to the Summer Meeting, but also make sure that you have it with you when attending the seminars, luncheons and the Opening Tradeshow & Reception. Your badge is your ticket through the doors.
Registration is $375 ($475 after June 10) for members and $475 ($575 after June 10) for nonmembers. Registration for spouses and guests is $175, which covers only the cost of meals. So even if your wife or husband does not plan to attend the educational seminars but wants to attend the reception and meals, they must register.
To register for the Summer Meeting, complete the form on page #, visit www.cfawalls.org to register on our secure website, or call 866- CFA-WALL (232-9255).
CFA Members Hone Presentation Skills for Foundation Seminar
The National Homebuilders Show, with the assistance of CFA members, has introduced a seminar on residential cast-in-place foundations to educate builders on the details of building basements. It has been presented in Kalamazoo, MI and Minneapolis, MN and is currently undergoing final review.
The next step in the delivery of the seminar is developing a pool of trained presenters for the program. In order to deliver the NAHB program, presenters must undergo a daylong training program, “Train the Trainer,” and successfully complete this half-day foundation seminar. Culminating with recently completed seminars in Minneapolis, the CFA has seventeen qualified presenters from several regions of the US.
The NAHB-sponsored daylong “Train the Trainer” course covered basic principals of learning and presenting and included interactive exercises and concluded with a critiqued five-minute presentation. In addition to the Minneapolis meeting, members completed the course in January at the Home Builder’s Show and the World of Concrete.
The foundation course has segments on soil, excavation, footings, foundation walls, waterproofing, and troubleshooting. It will be listed in the NAHB Catalog of seminars offered through local HBA’s for the education of their members. Make sure you ask your local HBA if they would consider offering the course.
