Previewing CFA Convention 2016
Spring has sprung and no doubt your company is headed out the door in a frenetic pace. Most of the U.S. residential market is ramping up for a solid 2016 forecast as we have heard from so many of you. While PCA has tempered their projections from the Spring of 2015, all indicators are for […]
A Tale of Two Events
Each year, one of the things my crew members look forward to is a chance at an annual trip to World of Concrete. This year was no different and we ended up taking a total of fourteen guys that did their very best in this past year. World of Concrete has continued to be an […]
Letter from the President: Why We Persevere
This issue’s letter from the CFA Board President: Why We Persevere David Martinson Martinson Construction davem@martinsonconstruction.com I read a history document not long after joining the Board that talked about the original ideas for forming this Association. I found it of great interest to see how we compared today with the ideas such strong industry leaders had […]
Where We Are Headed
All indications at the moment support the concrete industry maintaining a steady climb through the winter, into the heart of 2016 and extending in that same way into the 2020 to 2021 neighborhood. That is five to six years of constant growth, pressure, advancement and yes, change. Is it possible? Is it realistic? Let’s assume for a moment […]
Engage Your Employees With Elevated Communication
In many ways, Adrian Aragon was a great CEO; hard-working and completely devoted to his staff and organization, but it was not until he analyzed his CEO performance review that he noticed the blind-spot in his leadership: the gap between how he saw his communication, and how his employees were interpreting it. Committed to becoming […]
RISK MANAGEMENT: Controlling Your Company’s Insurance Costs
Total Cost of Risk: A company’s soft and hard costs which contribute to the overall cost of their insurance program. For too long insurance agents’ jobs has been oversimplified to just the placement of insurance and issuing certificates of insurance. The CFA and Arthur J. Gallagher have set a goal to be the best client […]
RISK Management: You Have The Job!
But is your insurance coverage what it should be? “You have the job!” You are off to the races. It is astonishing that subcontractors often commence work on a project without defined terms of indemnification or having matched their insurance coverage with the indemnification terms of the contract. We have all heard the stories about insurance companies paying claims for no reason or when they […]
The Value of Recognition
Welcome to autumn. This is perhaps my favorite time of the year for the concrete industry. We have made it through the heat of summer and there is a hurried sense of activity in preparation for winter. Like the typical CFA member, your company is quite probably as busy as you’ve been all 2015 and that is certainly […]
What You Miss When Time Can’t Be Made
Here we are amid the torrid pace of autumn. To most of us it is the 3rd quarter of a very busy year, perhaps the best year even for some. At the CFA, it is the 1st quarter of what our staff and our Board of Directors sees as presenting another opportunity for continued growth and a dramatic […]
Tearing Down the WALL: The 4 Keys to Building Rapport
Emily, a sales manager in a large organization, was having significant challenges with her team. Communication with team members was inconsistent, and she continually struggled to motivate them. Her team was regularly missing their monthly objectives, and failed to provide meaningful status updates. The core issue Emily faced is all too common. Anytime you are […]








