Surviving A Down Economy
The residential housing market is in the midst of the worst economic slump that most of us have the capacity to remember. Some CFA members (as well as many others in the industry) have closed their doors. Nearly everyone has cut back operations severely in hopes that will be enough. Ways of coping with the current downturn are as varied as our members themselves. At the […]
CFA Studies Self- Insurance
How much do you pay annually in Workman’s Compensation, General and Property Liability insurance premiums? Is it twenty-five thousand, fifty thousand, a hundred thousand dollars or more? Chances are, most of you would be elated to pay this much for insurance. A quick survey of CFA Board of Director members found that, on average, their companies were each paying over $250,000 per year in premiums. What […]
CFA SELF-INSURANCE PRESENTATION IN OHIO
My “From the Director” column two issues ago presented some of the details of the CFA initiative to form a CFA self-insurance “Captive”. The CFA Board of Directors is ready to move forward with the CFA Self-Insurance Captive, but we need member participation to make it happen. This has the potential to be the biggest single benefit for CFA members with regard to financial payback. It […]
CFA FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY SURVEY
Just how bad is it? Many of you know – you are experiencing it on a daily basis. But how bad is it elsewhere? I recently completed a survey of foundation construction activity of members to put some actual figures on the state of the economy. The good news – I had a record number of respondents for a CFA survey. Forty-eight of […]
CERTIFICATION DEBUTS
It’s been in the planning process for over two years. Countless meetings, conference calls, consultations, dry runs – but now its for real. The Concrete Foundations Association will roll-out the CFA Certified Foundation Contractor program at this summer’s Annual Convention. The details of the program will be covered in an in-depth article in the next edition of the Concrete Facts. This introduction will cover […]
CFA SELF-INSURANCE PRESENTATION IN OHIO
My “From the Director” column two issues ago presented some of the details of the CFA initiative to form a CFA self-insurance “Captive”. The CFA Board of Directors is ready to move forward with the CFA Self-Insurance Captive, but we need member participation to make it happen. This has the potential to be the biggest single benefit […]
Concrete Homes Council
The CFA recently went through the strategic planning process during which it mapped out its goals for the future. The Concrete Homes Council recently went through a similar, though less rigorous, self-analysis. The above grade market for concrete homes continues to expand but at a slower pace than anticipated. The consensus, however, is that there […]
CFA Plans For The Future
The Concrete Foundations Association spent an entire day last month locked in a room brainstorming about the future of the CFA (actually we were free to come and go as needed). Some great ideas were put forth and we feel the initiatives will help invigorate the Association while preparing it and the members, for future […]
Planning Our Future
Planning for the future is an important part of running a business. Successful companies, whether they have 10 employees or 10,000; whether they are trade associations or residential foundation companies; and regardless of economic conditions all have one thing in common: They convene periodically to assess their companies, the industry, and the future. The world […]
The Importance of Exhibitors
In case you haven’t noticed, the 2007 CFA Summer Convention, scheduled for August 8th through the 11th, is fast approaching. If you haven’t made your room reservations yet, it is time to do so. We have reserved the entire resort at Stoweflake but they have a limited number of rooms. For those of you bringing […]
