A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
CFA Presents Robert D. Sawyer Distinguished Service Award to Barry Herbert
Herbert has been member of the CFA since 1992 Mount Vernon, Iowa (September 18, 2009) — The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) – an international association dedicated to improving the quality and acceptance of cast-in-place concrete foundations and creating better businesses that construct those foundations – recently presented its highest honor, the Robert D. Sawyer Distinguished Service […]
2009 PROJECT OF THE YEAR
Concrete Facts magazine sat down with CFA Technical Director, Jim Baty to find out more about this program for you. See what Jim had to say about this very important membership benefit. Why should your members consider this award program? Awards programs are created to do two primary things. The first is to raise awareness of the professionalism and quality of the market that they surround and […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
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 […]
