New Beginnings
Dear CFA Friends, Greetings! I am honored to serve as your new president. I seem to make a living of following “tough-acts.” Tim Parrish, our outgoing president and new chairman of the board, has been a great mentor. Tim leads with strong spirit. His humble, inclusive, can-do attitude has been an inspiration to me. […]
Summer Meetings — What You Want
Another successful CFA Summer Convention is in the books. Attendance is picking up after several “off” years but it appears that quite a number of our members still use the event as an opportunity to get away with the family during hectic times – not everyone – but enough to make us think that […]
35 Ways to Reduce the Expenses of Your Construction Firm
Across the United States, contractors report “hitting the wall” of minimal cash in the bank and project prospects. It is time for survival. Look no further than construction employment stagnation. Business expansion has not included the contracting community. The basic rule “don’t run out of cash” takes on a whole new urgency. As you fight […]
Should the CFA Expand Its Scope?
The Concrete Foundations Association has always been about residential foundations. While all of our members are involved in some aspect of the residential foundation industry, many of them perform other types of work in both the residential and commercial markets. It has become a necessity in order to survive in the current economy. CFA members perform grading, excavation, and backfill; […]
Our Community
The 2012 CFA Summer Convention is fast approaching, and with it, perhaps one of the best investments of time and money a concrete contractor could ever make. The energy, vision and camaraderie of a summer meeting all join together to make us better business owners, and better persons. If you have not already done so, let me encourage you […]
Summer 2012 —Way Up North
It may be the middle of winter but its time you start making your plans for the CFA Summer Meeting 2012 at the Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City, Michigan. The dates of the event will be July 26-28. 2012. The water should be warm enough to swim in by then and the frost will be off the greens by […]
Our Customers
Spring is in full bloom as you read this (and as I write it, with 65 degree temperatures in February). Hopefully, the phones are starting to ring and work is beginning to pick up for us all. If you recall my last letter, you know I will be elaborating on the second leg of our mission statement […]
A SUSTAINING VISION: YOU AND OUR ASSOCIATION
Most of us are familiar with the name Andrew Carnegie, the industrial giant and shrewd investor from over a century ago. We’ve heard he was a man who both acquired and then gave away enormous amounts of wealth and who said, “The man who dies rich thus dies disgraced.” Less known is how Carnegie was driven to pass on his secrets of success to […]
Insurance Captive – Yes, You Need To Know
I last wrote about the CFA Insurance Captive in this forum a little over a year ago so its time to get on the pulpit yet again. If this were a normal business climate, the captive would have been in operation for nearly a year. We need approximately $3 million premiums to meet the threshold for the underwriter and […]
TOUGH DECISIONS TO PULL OUR BUSINESSES THROUGH
The CFA Summer Meeting has always been my favorite association event and our recent gathering inWintergreen VA was no exception. The pleasant temperatures and inviting surroundings were a perfect setting for hearing a great lineup of speakers and renewing friendships with fellow contractors and suppliers. Thanks to all of you who made this a great event to attend. My mind drifts back […]
