When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Turn to Professional Associations
by Kim Douglas When the economy is in a slump, most of us look for ways to reduce spending, ruthlessly slashing every expenditure that doesn’t deliver direct bottom-line benefit. But sometimes well-intended cost-cutting can fall victim to the law of unintended consequences. Take professional organization membership, for example. You might think your annual dues, event fees and other association costs are fat that can […]
What You Missed at World of Concrete
The World of Concrete 2009 has come and gone. Much trepidation and cautious anticipation existed as time marched toward this event. Above all, our industry needed to know the impact that this recession would have on both the number and the attitude of the attendees as a predictor of what is to come. Face it; we’re all tired of listening to the media and the […]
EPA Proposes Rule Imposing Stricter Stormwater Standards on Construction and Development Activities
On November 28, 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule under the Clean Water Act entitled “Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category.” The proposed non-numeric effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) would require contractors, developers, and others conducting land-disturbing activities to implement specific minimum best management practices (BMPs) for erosion control, sediment control, and pollution prevention. Certain sites could be required to implement stormwater treatment […]
You Need To Be A Member — Let’s Help Each Other!
I would like to make a case for CFA membership. Whether you are a current member and thinking about dropping your membership, a past member or thinking about becoming a member; if you are a poured wall contractor CFA is a valuable resource. With the worst economy that most of us will likely ever face, CFA is a resource that can help us survive in […]
WE MADE IT THROUGH 2008… NOW ON TO 2009
We made it through 2008. Not unscathed by any means – membership and dues are both off by nearly 30% from 2007 – but we are here to begin 2009. Survival is the good news. The bad news is that 2009 promises more of the same, at least if you believe practically every economist and analyst in the business. At CFA, we are […]
CFA INAUGURAL CERTIFICATION EVENT SHOWS STRONG FUTURE
The first qualification exam for the CFA Cast-In-Place Concrete Foundation Contractor Certification Program was recently completed by CFA at the Summer Convention in Arizona. Exams were administered on Wednesday, August 2, 2008 and Saturday, August 5, 2008. They were preceded by a review seminar. Interested companies sent 21 persons to sit for the 2-hour exam. “The response to this initial […]
BASEMENT OF THE YEAR
For the last few years we have asked our members to enter a basement project that offered challenges of any kind in the ‘Basement of the Year’ award competition. (A reminder to all CFA members — you can submit ANY basement you have done regardless of the level of difficulty you experienced). We want to thank the CFA […]
Ready For Round Two!
Dear CFA Member, Over the past year, our Management Committee has been working hard to develop the content for a new series of information products that deliver tips and tricks we all use for the management of our businesses. Attend one CFA event and the first thing you realize is how much collective business expertise exists between the companies of this Association, […]
Basement of the Year WINNERS
The home for the new millennium—it continues to astound in complexity and size. Even more impressive is the increasing requirements for concrete work generating complex foundation support for these homes as well as becoming integral to the finished appearance. The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) – a North American network dedicated to improving the residential concrete industry by building better businesses and improving codes and standards – […]
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 […]
