What You Miss When Time Can’t Be Made

Here we are amid the torrid pace of autumn. To most of us it is the 3rd quarter of a very busy year, perhaps the best year even for some. At the CFA, it is the 1st quarter of what our staff and our Board of Directors sees as presenting another opportunity for continued growth and a dramatic […]

Tearing Down the WALL: The 4 Keys to Building Rapport

Emily, a sales manager in a large organization, was having significant challenges with her team.  Communication with team members was inconsistent, and she continually struggled to motivate them. Her team was regularly missing their monthly objectives, and failed to provide meaningful status updates. The core issue Emily faced is all too common. Anytime you are […]

CFA Member Obituary: John ‘Jack’ Easton

John Thomas “Jack” – Age 93, of Linden, died Tuesday, July 28, 2015. Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Saturday, August 1, 2015 at Sharp Funeral Homes, Fenton Chapel, 1000 Silver Lake Road, Fenton. Chaplain Hank Messing officiating. Burial in Fairview Cemetery, Linden. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Thursday from 6-9 […]

OSHA Was Off. Way Off.

OSHA was off, way off! That’s according to a new report by the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC), which found that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed silica standards for U.S. construction industry will cost the industry $5 billion per year—roughly $4.5 billion per year more than OSHA’s estimates. The coalition cautioned that the flawed cost estimates reflect deeper flaws in the rule and […]

TOTAL COST OF RISK: The Five Fundamentals of Insurance

HAVE YOU EVER CALCULATED THE UNEXPECTED HIDDEN SOFT COSTS THAT BECOME A PART OF YOUR TRUE INSURANCE EXPENSES? By Christopher J. Mowery, ARM CRIS Client Service Supervisor Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Everyone knows that premium, losses, and exposures contribute, but the true nitty-gritty of how a company could meaningfully impact their Total Cost of […]

Five Critical Mistakes That Blunt Leadership Effectiveness

SINCE 2000, ACCORDING TO NUMEROUS NATIONAL SURVEYS, LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OF WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR WORK AS MEASURED BY THEIR INVOLVEMENT, ENTHUSIASM, AND COMMITMENT TO THEIR WORK. IF YOU SIMPLY REFLECT ON YOUR MOST RECENT ENCOUNTER AS A CONSUMER AT YOUR LOCAL RETAIL STORE, RESTAURANT OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY, YOUR OWN […]

OSHA New Confined Space Rule

OSHA CLAIMS NEW CONFINED SPACE RULE WILL PREVENT 780 INJURIES A YEAR The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a final rule to increase protections for construction workers in confined spaces. Confined spaces are described by OSHA as spaces not designed for people yet large enough for workers to enter and perform certain jobs. They […]

MARKETING SPOTLIGHT: E-Marketing To Your Market

AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON ELLS ABOUT CUSTOM CONCRETE’S “THE CONCRETE POST” By James Baty CFA Executive Director Perhaps one of the biggest challenges today is finding the right combination of message and vehicles to reach your customers and elevate your company above the competition. There is no doubt you’ve thought of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, […]

CFA PROJECTS OF THE YEAR

THE CFA PROJECTS OF THE YEAR AS DETERMINED BY YOU…. What work is your company proud of most when completed? How many foundations have you scrutinized during estimating, fought during construction and perfected through closeout? When the project is completed, does your crew and your company for that matter get a chance to pause a […]

A Year In The Life Of A Concrete Contractor

What is perhaps the most unique part of your company, your business, your professional life? While this question begs you to think of the accomplishments you have made or the challenges you have faced, what I believe it to really be is the isolation you have as a company. The practice of concrete construction at […]