Can’t Live With It, Can’t Live Without It
Technology, wow, what’s next? It is hard to comprehend how the life of the concrete contractor has changed in recent years. I remember when very simple (by today’s standards) Boman Instruments pocket calculators went on sale for about $120 each. If I recall correctly, it took three AA batteries. Now a solar powered -1/16 the […]
Hurricane Katrina: Can CFA Members Help?
The world was stunned by the devastation wrought on Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama by Hurricane Katrina. The images, as horrifying as they were, couldn’t convey how complete the destruction was. Hurricane Rita then extended the problems to the west, including Texas. The extent of the damage defies description and understanding. What we do understand is […]
Technology: The Key To Successful Growth
I have the dubious task of authoring a substitute for the inspirational letters you have grown accustom to this past year from our current CFA President, Terry Lavy. I know you will look forward to his next letter in issue five, as he makes his way back from some health issues we are glad to […]
Guide Publications Improving
Barring any unforeseen challenges or last minute glitches, the walls chapter of the ACI 332 Standard will be incorporated, by reference, into the 2006 version of the International Building Code. The final step will occur at the ICC meeting this fall in Detroit. This is a milestone for ACI and the residential concrete business. Prior to […]
The CFA – Then and Now
Our little company first joined the old Poured Concrete Wall Contractors Association (PCWCA) I think in 1978. The meeting was in Cambridge, Mass., and my boss, Dan Lavy, and I flew out to see what this was all about. It was a fairly small group then, it seems to me that there weren’t more than […]
Looking Back – CFA Celebrates 30 Years
The Concrete Foundations Association will celebrate its 30th Anniversary at this summer’s meeting in San Francisco. What’s even harder to believe is that I will have been with the Association for nearly half of those years (14 to be exact). There have been a lot of changes in the industry and the Association during the past […]
CFA’s First Regional Meeting
It is hard to turn away from a recipe that works, but that is what we did for the recent Spring Board /Foundation Fundamentals program. Brent Anderson has done a terrific job of educating contractors on the basic (and sometimes not so basic) engineering principles of foundation construction that we all should know. He has […]
Summer Meeting in San Francisco
The 2005 CFA Summer Meeting, our 30th Anniversary, is just around the corner. The CFA staff, Board of Directors, and committees involved in the planning of this event have implemented a host of changes to keep the event fresh, exciting, and fun. The first change is the schedule. Classes will begin before the opening reception […]
W.O.C. 2005 Wrap-up
Like most of you, I have had some experience with the World of Concrete shows. I’ll date myself by admitting that I attended my first in Dallas 1981, and later in Atlanta 1989. So with a perspective that spans 24 years, I can tell you they just keep getting more and more amazing. This year’s […]
Educate Your Builders
NAHB UNIVERSITY OF HOUSING UNVEILS CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS COURSE The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is a powerful force in the business of home building. Most home builders in the United States belong and participate in their association and most of the members of CFA work with builders who are part of the NAHB. The […]
