Let’s Make Change Great…Always
As a regular reader of Concrete Facts, I hope you recall the article announcing the retirement of our long-time staff member, Janette Barr (Concrete Facts 29-2, winter 2022, p. 23). As we published that article, I was considering the impact of employment transitions I have been experiencing through the witness of so many of our […]
The Big Deal About Community
We are at a crossroads in our culture. Although some will suggest a decade-long transformation, grinding through the pandemic emphasizes two stark realities. First, societally we believe information is easiest to find on our own, at the exact moment we need it. Second, in order to profit and produce more, we must focus with greater […]
Rebooting Member Networking
We can all agree that in 2021 (well, even looking back to this time in 2019), this Association has made an enormous amount of lemonade from the bushel baskets of lemons we were given. Were I to enumerate our accomplishments, this article would be far greater than a letter calling you into this quarter’s magazine. […]
Build Confidence by Building Up Your Team
Take a moment to read the article in this issue of Concrete Facts about this year’s recipients of the CFA’s professional awards. As the executive director, it brings me great pride and joy to continue seeing the variety of individuals and companies who provide thought leadership, issue challenges, and roll up their sleeves to drive […]
Twenty Years! Where Does Time Go?
This spring marks the completion of twenty years serving as a staff member for the Concrete Foundations Association. Having received an invitation in early 2000 to consider a change of career focus, I could never have imagined the diverse world that I would soon move into, one where every day is marked with a different […]
Turning the Page
When was the last time you read a really good book of the page-turner variety? Each page is turned more quickly than the previous one. An anticipating pace races you deeper into the plot, the action, the historical moment, or the truth you are seeking. With that picture in mind, consider the page turning taking […]
Amazing Leaders…Amazing Minds!
This past October, the Board of Directors completed a three-day Strategic Planning event. The first such effort since 2012, our collective energies were still focused on the same general sense of goals and strategies, though constantly adapting to fit the needs of the membership and the industry. In nearly a decade that plan had been […]
The Times They Are a-Changin’
I have had this tumultuous and famous Bob Dylan ballad playing in my head for weeks now, as change is perhaps more noticeable during this season than during any other time of year. Color, temperature, atmosphere — all is evidencing a transformation. Serious storms, raging fires, a planet in stress — I wonder if Dylan […]
Summer is here!
I can scarcely believe that I’m uttering that statement. Where have the months gone? Technically speaking, it is still spring for me — but you will be reading this in the summer and wondering where the first half of the year has gone. Some stayed or worked from home, most pressed forward as essential businesses, […]
Letter From the Director
Fear vs Caution We are now gripped by the global news of COVID-19, and we are being asked to remain flexible and nimble in our reactions and expectations. This pandemic is reaching into every aspect of our worlds, and, no doubt, you can already list numerous disruptions to your businesses and personal lives. One of […]