Wintergreen, Virginia — Summer 2011
I’m looking out my window at over a foot of snow thinking I’ve already had enough of winter and its only December 28th. What better way to beat the winter doldrums than to make your reservation for the CFA Summer Convention, 2011. The 2011 Event will be held from August 3rd through August 11th at the Wintergreen Resort […]
Wintergreen, Virginia — Summer 2011
Our goal is to make certain you come away with at least one tip, idea, or contact that will pay for the entire trip – hopefully several times over. In the last “From the Director” I expounded on the beauty of the area and the very reasonable rate for rooms this year ($119 for a single room). We are still working on the budget […]
CFA Moves On Insurance Captive
The CFA Board of Directors voted at the summer board meeting to take the next step in the CFA self-insurance program. Business may be slow but if you are doing business, you are still buying insurance. The CFA program will be modeled after the highly successful CSDA (Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association) insurance captive. That program, which suffered a setback […]
WHEN WILL IT END?
We are still suffering through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. While there is some good news trickling in there is also plenty of bad news to go around. A small increase in housing starts sound great until you realize that the small increase is on a figure that already off well over 50% over the past two […]
Joint Sustainability Initiative (JSI)
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. It is used for foundations, roads, walks, beams, columns, pipe, and a host of other critical applications to provide for mankind’s needs. Because it is so widely used, the industries that manufacture and use the concrete are very diverse in nature. Therein lies a critical problem with the industry. Everyone is “out there” doing their […]
The Future of CFA Conventions
We have just completed another CFA Summer Convention. Those who attended generally agreed that the speakers and educational opportunities were among the best we have ever assembled, but we are at a crossroad. For the first year ever, we lost money on the event. Contractors attended at about the same pace as the prior year but other revenue was off over 80%. Our […]
Education, Education, Education
The CFA Summer Convention 2009 is all about education. We may be in a down economy but CFA staff feels they have assembled one of the strongest educational programs ever. Our most popular presenters over the past 12 years have been recalled to active duty to serve the needs of members. Topics are relevant and should be indispensable as we enter the recovery (it is […]
CFA Summer Meeting Shake-Up
The CFA Summer Convention for 2009 is moving full speed ahead. We haven’t been to the ocean since Myrtle Beach and the venue for 2009, Amelia Island Plantation on the coast between Florida and Georgia, is a fantastic location. Every room has a view of the Atlantic Ocean and the pools and patios of the resort, like the photo below, overlook the readily accessible […]
Certification Expands Certified Foundation Technician Designation Created
The CFA Certifi ed Foundation Contractor program has exceeded all expectations since it was introduced at the 2008 Summer Convention. Not only have more companies than anticipated signed up for the program; several companies have joined the CFA simply to participate. Many more are attending the preparatory seminar and sitting for the basic knowledge exam. You do not need […]
WE MADE IT THROUGH 2008… NOW ON TO 2009
We made it through 2008. Not unscathed by any means – membership and dues are both off by nearly 30% from 2007 – but we are here to begin 2009. Survival is the good news. The bad news is that 2009 promises more of the same, at least if you believe practically every economist and analyst in the business. At CFA, we are […]
