CFA Hosts Rocky Geans Construction Business School
December 12th to the 14th was an interesting new stretch for the CFA. A new education partnership to benefit the concrete contractor member of the Association was crafted with industry motivation expert, Rocky Geans. Rocky is a name many will recognize with familiarity having attended seminars at World of Concrete or stayed current with articles […]
Safety Really Is Job #1
by Levi Schrock, chair of CFA Safety Committee Throughout the years, safety has been a subject of conversation at the CFA. We confess, however, that it has usually been brought up as a reaction to a hot topic posed by OSHA. Today, we hope to be advanced enough in our thinking to be talking about […]
Obituary: Mahlon Eash Jr. (1964-2017)
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of longtime CFA member, Mahlon Eash Jr. Mahlon Eash Jr., 53, of Gambier, passed away Dec. 26, 2017. Mahlon was born on May 28, 1964, in LaGrange, Ind., to Emma and Mahlon Eash Sr. He married Erma Gingrich on March 14, 1987. He […]
Obituary: Ronald E. Colvin (1943-2017)
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of longtime member and past president of the CFA, Ronald E. Colvin. A Berrien Springs icon passed away on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017: Ronald E. Colvin, known to all as “RC.” He was the first New Year’s baby born on Jan. 1, 1943, […]
Remembering Ron
by Ed Sauter Those who knew Ron Colvin (RC) will never forget him. Beneath the ever-present beard, overalls, Hawaiian shirts and sandals was a kind, smart, and caring individual who would do anything to make life better for those who worked with him. Ron was a little unconventional in his appearance and approach to things, […]
Twisted Steel Micro-Rebar in Load-Carrying Concrete Walls
by Samhar Hoz, Jeff Novak, Luke Pinkerton Concrete walls are widely used in building construction. Concrete is strong in compression; however, its tensile strength is only 8 to 15 percent of the compressive strength. Thus, plain concrete does not have good tensile properties. Cracks can develop due to loads, restrained shrinkage, or temperature changes […]
UNDERSTANDING PYRRHOTITE IN CONCRETE
by James Baty, Gary Ehrlich, Jamie Farny, Don Penepent, and Dennis Purinton Concrete, the most widely used construction material in the world, is a complex matrix of materials that transforms into a reliable structural product. With so many variables—different ingredients, different performance requirements, varying exposures—specifiers are faced with many choices when designing durable concrete mixtures […]
3 Tips from a Seasoned Concrete Contractor
Follow these ideas to become a more profitable contractor. In the Farmers Insurance commercials, the tagline is: “We know a thing or two, because we’ve seen a thing or two.” I feel the same way about the concrete construction industry. I’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry, as well as noticing that […]
Give A Little, Learn A Lot
There is something to be said for those who take the time and energy to go out of their way to help somebody in need, even more so for those who are able to ask for help when it is needed. Oftentimes the benefits of helping others are not always tangible, and it is that […]
Water: Is It The Basement Contractor’s Worst Enemy?
Sit down at any contractor’s round table and start a discussion about the predominant headache or source of callbacks for basements and you are likely to get common agreement that it is water or moisture. The presence of moisture is a sure sign to the homeowner that a) something dire is wrong with the foundation […]
