A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
2024 PROJECTS OF THE YEAR
The Rest of the Best The last issue of Concrete Facts presented the top-voted project and each of the respective category winners from the 25th annual competition for the Concrete Foundations Association. Two ways to revisit these project awards are available in the toolbox accompanying this article. The feature image from each project can be […]
CFA Board of Directors Welcomes Three, Renews One
The Board of Directors for the Concrete Foundations Association is comprised of 18 industry leaders from a diverse geographical and business landscape. Fifteen leaders represent the contractor membership at the heart of this organization’s mission. Three represent the National Associate members instrumental in supporting CFA events, and strengthening the Association along with providing knowledge and […]
What Are Your Concrete Company’s Plans for 2025?
Consider the 1980s industry-leading companies like Blockbuster, Atari, Pan American Airways, Nokia, MCI Communications, Compaq, Eastern Airlines, TWA, E.F. Hutton, Woolworth’s, and Radio Shack. What do they all have in common? They no longer exist. Each company had unique reasons for its decline. However, a unifying thread is evident: leadership became too comfortable, didn’t adapt […]
50th Anniversary Celebration Begins
The Concrete Foundations Association will reach its 50th year of supporting the cast-in-place concrete contractor in the Spring of 2025. A yearlong effort will celebrate the significance of fifty years of enduring challenging economic cycles, an evolving marketplace, and a host of labor, legal, code, safety, and technology influences. The year of celebration was kicked […]
CFA Establishes Preferred Supplier Program
Membership networks generally have a variety of participation and recognition levels based on the interests of individuals and organizations and the services and resources provided. Tiered membership levels, labeled as “sustaining” or given common titles (i.e., gold, silver, diamond, and platinum) typically follow a pay-to-be-recognized system. Instead, during the fiscal year 2023–24, CFA’s Board of […]
Best Practice Groups Continue Making A Difference
One of the significant considerations for members of the Association is how the CFA impacts their business. Keeping in mind that first and foremost the CFA is a network of organizations run by like-minded and passionate leaders, networking remains the most valuable benefit. With this in mind, Best Practice Groups (BPGs) were initiated a couple […]
Magazine Issues
Building Careers CFA’s Wall Foreman Qualification @ WOC2024
This January we welcome year number two of an exciting new professional development program offered by the Concrete Foundations Association: the Wall Foreman Qualification Industry Training. The program has expanded and looks to provide an even broader range of learning experiences. This program is designed for individuals engaged in residential cast-in-place construction to grow in […]
Let’s Take a Look at Recruiting From a Different Perspective
There is an advantage to driving on the other side of the road in South Africa. Likewise, there is an advantage to driving at night with a cellphone GPS that takes you through sketchy neighborhoods on the way to your hotel. The advantage is that you see things from a different perspective. This new perspective […]
Fiber-Reinforced Concrete as an Alternative to Conventional Steel
As the demand for more sustainable construction grows and raw material shortages like steel continue to be a challenge, fiber-reinforced concrete has become an increasingly popular choice for flatwork and elevated construction—from precast and ready-mix concrete to shotcrete. Fibers make concrete significantly more resistant to cracking from plastic and drying shrinkage, leading to a highly […]
Self-Defining Leadership Comes From Risk Taking
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA Skye Kelley, Manager of Membership Engagement An Interview with Amanda Kurt, finalist for Equipment World’s 2023 Contractor of the Year The best associations are filled with a diverse array of members. Such diversity powers expansive thought and challenges industry growth. At the surface of the concrete industry, though, […]
Get Involved
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA I love “playing in prototype”! While some individuals require a meticulously crafted plan before getting started, I often choose to dive in and learn as we go. That’s why I was so excited to be part of the first CFA Executive Retreat. Our Executive Director, James Baty worked […]
Words of Aspiration
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA This issue comes to you at the end of Q2 2023. In many ways, it is hard for me to write this. The lingering winter weather seemed to transform into May in an instant. Likewise, the market reversed the radical break that was induced last September, and companies […]
NEx and the CFA Partner to Advance the Use of Nonmetallic Building Materials in Concrete Foundations
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA Farmington Hills, MI – NEx, an ACI Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials, is excited to announce a new partnership with the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) aimed at advancing the use of nonmetallic building materials in concrete foundations. NEx is a leading research center focused on the […]
Carbon Zero Youth Initiative Launches to Empower Youth to Support Green Building Practices
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA Youth can help make buildings more carbon-conscious–if they know what – and who – makes a building “green”. That’s the core idea behind the Carbon Zero Youth Initiative (www.carbonzeroyouth.org), founded to engage students ages 12-18 in the rapidly growing movement to decarbonize the built environment. While currently responsible […]
Concrete Foundations Association Announces Partnership With Informa Markets at WOC 2023 for Inaugural Wall Foreman Qualification Certificate
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA Mount Vernon, IA – Concrete Foundations Association is excited to announce that sixteen individuals received recognition in the first year of a new industry professional development program titled “Wall Foreman Qualification Certificate.” This newly established education effort pairs management skills with technical development education to fill a void […]
Out of Plumb may not Mean Damaged and Unsafe
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA Question: The foundation for my new home has one wall showing two vertical cracks and the top of the wall is not even with the base of the wall. I’m concerned the backfilling has pushed the wall in and the building inspector wants an engineer to certify the […]
Knowledge Management is a Member-Only Benefit
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA Year after year, event after event, company leaders who risk time away from their business to work on their business are rewarded by arguably the number-one acquisition of their professional careers: knowledge. This holds true whether they are actually participating themselves or having others in the company participate […]
Want a Change in Recruiting Performance? Let’s do Something Different
Español | Translation Provided by the CFA What happens when your company experiences the same problem continuously? The problem could be curb and gutter forms that constantly need to be repaired. The problem could be concrete formwork for walls that somehow fail. It may be a critical vendor who never makes their deadline – and […]
