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
The 6 Basic Sales & Marketing Tools for Concrete Contractors
When it comes to sales and marketing, we need to focus our limited time and resources on the vital few things that work to bring in new customers and put money in our pocket. Below are the tactics and tools that do just that. My daughter is attending an advanced indoor soccer camp for a […]
Hiring Two Ways
For most employers, hiring is a routine process that involves the same steps for everyone…Yet for many contractors this process is far too complex for their everyday hiring needs. At CFA Convention 2016 I had the privilege of moderating a panel discussion on hiring practices with several members of the Board of Directors. They took […]
Overcoming Annoying Details and Situations
This issue’s ‘Trick of the Trade’ is shared by Dennis Purinton of Purinton Builders in East Granby, CT and current president of the CFA. Everyone knows that if you put a couple of contractors in a room together, before long an idea will be shared that results in a brainstorm for the other. Put a […]
Should You Hire A Salesperson?
Ask Yourself These Five Questions to Determine if One is Right for Your Company For concrete contractors, there are few things that can bring in new work like a salesperson. In our line of work, most sales are still made by good old-fashioned, face-to-face selling. The right salesperson can grow your sales and increase your […]
CFA Project Of The Year – Coming Out On Top
The 2016 Project of the Year Awards…continued excellence in the field of cast-in-place concrete. CFA’s Project of the Year Elevate Craftsmanship Each winter, the Concrete Foundations Association opens a competition to its membership for a broad spectrum of cast-in-place concrete projects. These projects evidence the skill, quality, craftsmanship and at times creativity of today’s cast-in-place […]
CFA Companies Making Important Moves
Two new states are now served by concrete professionals that have achieved the status of Certified Residential Foundation Company, Indiana and Utah. Custom Concrete Company, Inc. of Westfield, Ind. and Solid Concrete Walls, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah. CFA Convention is appropriately positioned near the start of the next fiscal year for the CFA. […]
CFA Announces 2016 Safety Achievement Awards
The CFA announced the 2016 Safety Achievement Award recipients at CFA Convention 2016 in Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, July 23, 2016. The Safety Achievement Awards program seeks to recognize the commitment to safety and risk management among the hundreds of professional cast-in-place contractors found in CFA membership. “Safety remains a top priority in our […]
Putting Sustainability Where Our Mouth Is
Take a poll of constituents in the public domain or even within the concrete construction sector that asks what the top buzz words are today and arguably one of them that will surface at a high percentage is sustainability. Whether forced by regulation or encouraged by intuition, the drive for sustainability in our homes, our […]
Privileged To Serve
I am honored to be the new President of the CFA and I thank everyone for all the support I have received. In the next two years I hope to be able to share some of the knowledge I have amassed over the last 32 years, much of that directly due to becoming actively involved as a member of the CFA. Why is it so important to be a CFA member? The […]
Are You Sure You’re Training the Right Things?
Not long ago a training consultant got a call from a sales manager who said, “We need sales training!” The consultant answered, “Are you sure?” The caller explained that some of their customer service reps were doing four times the volume of others. It had to be because they were better salespeople … right? So, they […]
Are You Ready for the URS?
Businesses big and small have vastly different goals and needs – that’s no revelation. However, nearly every company, no matter how big, where they are, or what they sell, agrees on this point: Simplifying and streamlining business practices helps everyone. Such is the intent of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Unified Registration System […]
Controlling Your Risks in the Ever-Changing Insurance Marketplace
Over the last few decades, the considerations involved in managing a company’s risks have drastically changed. Business risks that used to be inherent are much different today and, as a result, mitigation techniques are vastly different than those used in the ‘80s, ‘90s or even the ‘00s. As many business owners know, when it comes […]
