6 Mistakes Concrete Contractors Make When Hiring People
By Doug Herbert As spring arrives, so do the opportunities for concrete contractors to do more work. We emerge from our winter slumber to finally see more bidding activity and orders from customers. Before we know it, we will be sweating it out in June, wondering how to find enough laborers to get all the […]
How to Remove Concrete Buildup
By Destry Kenning, Forming Market Segment Manager, Nox-Crete Products Group We have reached the end of this series, and this final article is timely, as this time of year many contractors are burdened with hardened concrete buildup on their forms. The hardened concrete makes forms heavier and can lead to more buildup. Stripping the forms […]
Letter From the Director
Spring Will Arrive! “I am done with winter!” I’ve heard this statement throughout my community, noticed it in most conversations with members and others that use us for our information resources, and seen it plastered across news and social media. Yet, I’m reminded that we have only had six weeks of it. While short, it […]
Casting Residential Foundation Walls in Cold Weather
By James R Baty II, F.ACI, Executive Director During a recent CFA event, conversation took place regarding the research significance undertaken by the Association at the start of this new millennium – research that was, in most respects, the first of its kind. What plagued the industry at that time was scrutiny that concrete placed […]
What Causes Concrete Build-up on Forms
Part 3 of a 4-Part Series By Destry Kenning, Forming Market Segment Manager, Nox-Crete Products Group Just about all concrete-forming contractors will tell you that one of the challenges they face on job sites is keeping their forms clean, or, more specifically, preventing concrete buildup on the working faces of their forms. Theoretically, if you […]
Letter From the Director
Thoughts From My Desk… “You are simply not going to believe it.” This is the phrase I have been using regularly as I talk with many of you reading this magazine, whether you are a CFA member, or one of the many companies across this great country to whom I have the privilege of casting […]
Letter from the President
Hello CFA Contractor and Associate Members! With the close of 2018 almost here, I view this as the perfect time to offer some thoughts regarding our businesses and our association. It seems that each year brings new challenges and that running our businesses takes more of our time and energy. Even in a good economy, […]
Stephens & Smith Construction Company Revives Student-Learner Program
FEATURE ARTICLE: Stephens & Smith Construction Company Revives Student-Learner Program By Jereme Montgomery, Business Development Many of you reading this article will testify that the skill gap is real. There is a shortage of skilled craftsmen in the construction industry, and it has continued (and will continue) to effect quantity and quality of structures built […]
Get More Workers: How to Use an Employee Referral Program to Bring in More People
By Doug Herbert How much does it cost a contractor to hire one employee? According to my concrete contractor buddies, Sean Smith from Cleveland, Ohio and Jason Ells from Indianapolis, Indiana, the amount is at least $1,000 per new employee. Based on my experience and calculations, that number is spot on. Here are just […]
Maintaining “Alternative Fall Protection Plans” Under OSHA Regulations
Adequate Fall Protection in Residential Concrete Foundation Pouring: Maintaining “Alternative Fall Protection Plans” Under OSHA Regulations By Michael G. Latiff and Mark W. Steiner On May 1, 2017, the secretary of labor for the Northeast District of Ohio issued what can be fairly characterized as an unprecedented serious citation to a residential concrete foundation […]
