A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
Concrete Foundations Association Updates Market on Shortage of Form Ties: Shortage Estimated to Affect Residential Construction into 2022
The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) – the leading organization serving as the voice of cast-in-place contractors – has provided an update related to the continued industry-wide effort to mitigate the current shortage of steel form ties across the North American markets. According to James Baty, Executive Director of the CFA, while the shock of the […]
How Google Might be Limiting Your Employment Exposure
By Chris Nastav, KC Web Specialists – A CFA Consulting Member As an active CFA consultant, we feel an obligation at times to point out the things in our specialty area that might be of importance to you. If you are swimming in a sea of work right now and struggling to find employees, […]
Destination Employers Promote Education
CFA Signs MOU with Columbia Southern University for Member Benefits #CFACON2021 takes place next month in Charleston, South Carolina. In many ways, this event can be seen as focusing on a primary variable, risk and need in your company–workforce development. Keynote speakers for the event, Mack and Ria Story, will lead you along a path […]
YOU’VE RECEIVED AN OSHA CITATION – NOW WHAT?
The 4-Step Process Every Company Should Know By Julia Kunlo, MSOSH, CSP The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) usually conducts around 32,000 inspections a year. For companies who are involved in an inspection and receive fines/citations, most are surprised by the hazards discovered and unsure of next steps to take. While avenues exist to […]
INTERCONNECTIONS: Leveraging relationships built by common interest
During strategic planning this winter, the CFA Board of Directors strengthened its commitment that one of the primary benefits of this association membership is the network connections and the relatability of members across a broad range of demographics. In the coming weeks, you will be introduced to a survey for information about your company, filling […]
Wall Tie Shortage, and New Initiatives
As if dealing with COVID-19 and World of Concrete getting cancelled wasn’t enough, residential concrete contractors faced a severe wall tie shortage this Spring. As soon as the issue was brought to our attention by CFA member, Dan Bromley, the association mobilized and immediately began working on the problem. With terrific work by our Executive […]
Magazine Issues
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 […]
Letter from the Director: Endings Really Are New Beginnings
Over the last few months I have been reminded time and time again of the impact companies and leaders in this Association have had on the blueprint for this industry and the legacy they have left behind. I have such vivid memories of leaders like Ron Colvin (p.17, 19), a former president of the CFA, […]
Letter from the President
For many of us the usual winter weather has generated scheduling problems, loss of work volume, and many unproductive days. On the brighter side, we have all been blessed with the ability to be profitable by the plentiful volume of work during the nicer seasons of the year, I call this “inside the box work” […]
2017 Product & Services Showcase
This feature brings you the current products & services that may be found represented by the member companies of the Concrete Foundations Association to make the work of concrete contractors more efficient and of higher quality. PRODUCT & SERVICES SHOWCASE AUTOCAR | www.autocartruck.com | 877-973-3486 At Autocar, building trucks isn’t just what we do – it’s […]
Letter from the Director: OSHA Regulations Bring Increased Relevance
Just from the title, I presume you have already slid to the edge of your seat or crossed your arms in frustration or defiance for what you might read in this letter. After all, in the marketplace there are more real cases now than ever before of contractors and projects impacted by the increased attention […]
Letter from the President: Business Does Not Change Effectiveness
It has been a very busy year for both our company and the association. We left the summer meeting with renewed enthusiasm for our business and, equally important, enthusiasm for subject areas the CFA needed to address. We live in an ever-changing world, and I have come to realize and understand the need to […]
Tricks of the Trade: Rebar Racks for Crew Trucks
This issue’s Trick of the Trade is shared by CFA member, Doug Herbert of Herbert Construction in Marietta, GA. Doug continues the challenge to you the reader to think about the ways you’ve overcome annoying details and situations to be more effective and economical in your work. If you are from an active CFA member […]
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 […]
