Banding Together

According to the IRS, the official definition of an association is: In general, an association is a group of persons banded together for a specific purpose. That leaves a lot of room for interpretation, since associations are formed for an enormous variety of purposes. They also engage in a wide range of initiatives and activities from improving networking […]

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 […]

LOOKING BACK

A lot of time and energy has been spent recently on trying to identify and communicate member benefits. I think that the CFA staff has done an outstanding job of producing literature and contacting members in order to help them better understand and take advantage of what information and services that the association has to offer. As my term of […]

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 […]

SUMMER CONVENTION GETS BETTER EVERY YEAR

After wrapping up the CFA Summer Convention in New Mexico, I was extremely impressed with the energy and participation of all the attendees. Thank you’s need to go out to Ed Sauter and Jim Baty for what I believe is the best summer convention I have attended. The content and theme “How to Survive a Down Economy” were timely and meaningful. The energy level and excitement […]

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 […]

THE UN-COMFORT ZONE… Will You Freak-Out or Hunker Down?

by Robert Wilson Sometimes motivation is forced upon us. We are thrust into the Un-comfort Zone. And, whether we sink or swim depends on how we respond to the situation. How do you react during a crisis? Here are the stories of two men who faced a crisis late in life and how they dealt with it. One was […]

ELECTION RESULTS Not Likely to Change Immigration Enforcement

by David C. Whitlock Immigration enforcement is here to stay. The Bush Administration was successful in doubling the number of law enforcement personnel devoted to immigration enforcement. The statistics demonstrate that the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement strategy is having positive results. Arrests of immigration violators are way up, as are criminal investigations and indictments. The new Administration cannot afford […]

MOVING AHEAD WITH FAITH

It seems like just the other day I was reading the farewell letter authored by Terry Lavy in Concrete Facts as his term of President of the CFA was expiring. In what seems like the blink of an eye, it is now my turn to do the same. As I step down I am both encouraged and excited about what has been accomplished and […]

FALL REGIONAL WAS FIRST CLASS!

I am writing this letter to the membership on a plane going home from the Fall Regional Convention that was held in Columbus Ohio. As I reflect on the conference, there are four topics that stand out for me, quality education, CFA certification exam, captive insurance and what a great group of people CFA members are. First, the quality of the education featured at our first […]