A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
MEMBERSHIP MATTERS
CFA membership is now more important than ever and we are bringing you this information to begin solidifying your decision and setting the course for your participation to come. Membership in an association like the Concrete Foundations Association, CFA, should be made based on its ability to inspire and contribute to the growth of your company. It is understandable […]
Best@Selling
In May of this year, the CFA Management Committee brought you two opportunities for plugging in to inexpensive and highly motivational management seminars online and via teleconference. These presentations were made by nationally-renowned author and conference speaker, Maura Shreier-Flemming. Her books include the recent release of Monday Morning Sales Tips and other effective tools to stimulate improvements to your sales approach […]
CFA Forum
The CFA Board of Directors met recently in Chicago for their fall meeting and preceded the meeting with what amounted to a 2 hours round table discussion on the economy and what steps they were taking with their businesses to survive the current downturn. Summarized below are a few of the points. You may be already have implemented some of these ideas. 1) INVOLVE EMPLOYEES. Most contractors are making […]
Social Networking At Work For You Through the CFA
If you spend much time on the Internet, it will not take you long to see how many opportunities there are for joining online groups, be it social or business related. This is the new wave sweeping the world and drawing our large planet together into an ever-tightening world market and social environment. Whether you deem this to be a […]
CFA Annual Convention Education Value Trumps All
Many CFA members made, or were forced to make, the decision to not attend the CFA Summer Convention this year. This is not too surprising, as we know the impact this recession has had on member companies and face it, the Convention is an event that not has drawn a large percentage of CFA members in recent years. The […]
CFA Presents Robert D. Sawyer Distinguished Service Award to Barry Herbert
The Concrete Foundations Association recently presented its highest honor, the Robert D. Sawyer Distinguished Service Award to Barry Herbert at the CFA Annual Summer Convention held July 30-August 1. Barry was introduced by Jim Bartley of Bartley Corporation, and described as a significant example of great leadership; innovation; spirit and faith in our industry and both a person and businessman that he has […]
Magazine Issues
Plan of Action for Implementing OSHA’s Final Rule on Crystalline Silica Exposure
On March 25, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, issued its final rule on exposure to crystalline silica in the workplace. The final rule is decades in the making, and has seen many stumbling blocks along the way, but Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of OSHA, saw the new standards as one of […]
CFA Member Benefit: The Employee Manual
One of the most important parts of any business is establishing the boundaries between management and employees that protect both in times of discipline. The policy manual is the tool used to provide prospective employees with the picture of expectations by the employer, as well as maintaining an ongoing and effectively positive relationship. Employee manuals […]
This National Association Has Your Back…
I just returned from a week in Chicago where just about every concrete and masonry industry group was represented at combined meetings for the Alliance for Concrete Codes and Standards (ACCS), the Masonry Alliance for Codes and Standards (MACS) and the Concrete And Masonry Related Associations (CAMRA) executive council. These are bodies that I interact […]
Getting the Last Word…
Eight years ago I accepted the encouragement from Ed Sauter, Jim Baty and the incoming President at that time, Dan Bromley, to enter the officer track for the Board of Directors. After joining the Board in 2004, I have looked back on the past twelve years to see unbelievable transformation for both this Association and […]
Management By Objectives ‘MBO’
Management by Objectives is a well-established, effective set of principles for bringing an organized approach to business management. As the name implies, MBO establishes objectives as a means for guiding and directing the business toward achievement of desired results. Vital Signs and Short Interval Management are also introduced in this article as companion approaches for […]
Emergence of Risk
In the dynamic world we live in today, the only constant is change – whether it’s yourself, your industry, or the environment around you… Take a moment to think about your business. How has it changed in the past five years? Is your environment the same? How will that environment change in the next five […]
Lead From Need: Four Ways to Motivate Employees
His CEO performance review is in and Scott is clearly alarmed. Unless next quarter’s KPI goals are met the Governance committee will ask for his resignation. He grabs his phone and calls Jarin, his gregarious college roommate and the person who transformed Silicon Beach’s most dysfunctional company into one of its most electric. “Jarin, I […]
Elevating Board Form Concrete to a Marketable Aesthetic
If the Great Recession has taught us anything as a company, it is that a concrete construction company can be extremely resilient when everything is on the line. In order to be resilient, our company had to be creative and apply ourselves to finding work and finding uniqueness any way possible. Out here in the […]
Previewing CFA Convention 2016
Spring has sprung and no doubt your company is headed out the door in a frenetic pace. Most of the U.S. residential market is ramping up for a solid 2016 forecast as we have heard from so many of you. While PCA has tempered their projections from the Spring of 2015, all indicators are for […]
A Tale of Two Events
Each year, one of the things my crew members look forward to is a chance at an annual trip to World of Concrete. This year was no different and we ended up taking a total of fourteen guys that did their very best in this past year. World of Concrete has continued to be an […]
Letter from the President: Why We Persevere
This issue’s letter from the CFA Board President: Why We Persevere David Martinson Martinson Construction davem@martinsonconstruction.com I read a history document not long after joining the Board that talked about the original ideas for forming this Association. I found it of great interest to see how we compared today with the ideas such strong industry leaders had […]
Where We Are Headed
All indications at the moment support the concrete industry maintaining a steady climb through the winter, into the heart of 2016 and extending in that same way into the 2020 to 2021 neighborhood. That is five to six years of constant growth, pressure, advancement and yes, change. Is it possible? Is it realistic? Let’s assume for a moment […]
GET CONNECTED
