A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
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 – […]
Recapping the CFA Convention 2008 What Defines Success?
The 2008 Summer Convention has come and gone and with all the concern building up to this event for the industry, the economy and the ability to make such a business decision weighing; ask anyone in attendance and they’ll say the CFA hit a home run. We don’t need to convince you of the scenery or the quality of the hotel that was chosen […]
PROVIDE UP TO 8 FEET OF HYDROSTATIC HEAD PROTECTION …UP TO 8 TIMES GREATER THAN COMPETITION Breakthrough Product Formulations
Tremco Barrier Solutions, North America’s leading provider of residential new construction waterproofing, is taking basement waterproofing performance to a new level by protecting below-grade foundation walls from up to eight feet of water pressure! New TUFF-N-DRI® H8 is the industry’s first and only national brand of polymer-modified asphalt emulsion membrane with the ability to withstand up to eight feet of hydrostatic pressure. That’s more than eight times greater […]
THERMOMASS BUILDING SYSTEM
The THERMOMASS Building System is a patented, highly energy-efficient insulation system for concrete sandwich walls, developed and manufactured by Composite Technologies Corporation (CTC). The two components of Thermomass are rigid insulation and CTC manufactured fiber-composite connectors. They combine to create a load-bearing, durable, moisture resistant, highly energy-efficient concrete sandwich wall. This remarkable insulation system offers unlimited design flexibility and is durable […]
PUTZMEISTER AMERICA, INC. INTRODUCES 70Z-Meter Truck-Mounted Boom Pump
PRODUCTION BEGINS ON WORLD’S LARGEST BOOM PUMP Further expanding the reach and capabilities of its broad line of truck-mounted concrete boom pumps, Putzmeister America, Inc. will launch its innovative 70Z-Meter truck-mounted concrete boom pump in mid 2008. Continuing in the Putzmeister tradition, and as seen at the ConExpo-CON/AGG 2005 release of the BSF 63Z-Meter, the company will again take the […]
Big Capabilities in a Small Package!
The Trimble® LM80 Layout Manager is pocket-sized, personal layout manager that lets you carry, manage, work with, and lay out your jobsite blueprint, regardless of the method and instrumentation you use. The LM80 lets you: input blueprint dimensions to build a digital replica of the layout plan guide the layout of the major points, add string dimensions […]
Magazine Issues
What You Miss When Time Can’t Be Made
Here we are amid the torrid pace of autumn. To most of us it is the 3rd quarter of a very busy year, perhaps the best year even for some. At the CFA, it is the 1st quarter of what our staff and our Board of Directors sees as presenting another opportunity for continued growth and a dramatic […]
Tearing Down the WALL: The 4 Keys to Building Rapport
Emily, a sales manager in a large organization, was having significant challenges with her team. Communication with team members was inconsistent, and she continually struggled to motivate them. Her team was regularly missing their monthly objectives, and failed to provide meaningful status updates. The core issue Emily faced is all too common. Anytime you are […]
CFA Member Obituary: John ‘Jack’ Easton
John Thomas “Jack” – Age 93, of Linden, died Tuesday, July 28, 2015. Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Saturday, August 1, 2015 at Sharp Funeral Homes, Fenton Chapel, 1000 Silver Lake Road, Fenton. Chaplain Hank Messing officiating. Burial in Fairview Cemetery, Linden. Visitation will be held at the funeral home Thursday from 6-9 […]
OSHA Was Off. Way Off.
OSHA was off, way off! That’s according to a new report by the Construction Industry Safety Coalition (CISC), which found that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed silica standards for U.S. construction industry will cost the industry $5 billion per year—roughly $4.5 billion per year more than OSHA’s estimates. The coalition cautioned that the flawed cost estimates reflect deeper flaws in the rule and […]
TOTAL COST OF RISK: The Five Fundamentals of Insurance
HAVE YOU EVER CALCULATED THE UNEXPECTED HIDDEN SOFT COSTS THAT BECOME A PART OF YOUR TRUE INSURANCE EXPENSES? By Christopher J. Mowery, ARM CRIS Client Service Supervisor Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Everyone knows that premium, losses, and exposures contribute, but the true nitty-gritty of how a company could meaningfully impact their Total Cost of […]
Five Critical Mistakes That Blunt Leadership Effectiveness
SINCE 2000, ACCORDING TO NUMEROUS NATIONAL SURVEYS, LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OF WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR WORK AS MEASURED BY THEIR INVOLVEMENT, ENTHUSIASM, AND COMMITMENT TO THEIR WORK. IF YOU SIMPLY REFLECT ON YOUR MOST RECENT ENCOUNTER AS A CONSUMER AT YOUR LOCAL RETAIL STORE, RESTAURANT OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY, YOUR OWN […]
OSHA New Confined Space Rule
OSHA CLAIMS NEW CONFINED SPACE RULE WILL PREVENT 780 INJURIES A YEAR The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a final rule to increase protections for construction workers in confined spaces. Confined spaces are described by OSHA as spaces not designed for people yet large enough for workers to enter and perform certain jobs. They […]
MARKETING SPOTLIGHT: E-Marketing To Your Market
AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON ELLS ABOUT CUSTOM CONCRETE’S “THE CONCRETE POST” By James Baty CFA Executive Director Perhaps one of the biggest challenges today is finding the right combination of message and vehicles to reach your customers and elevate your company above the competition. There is no doubt you’ve thought of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, […]
CFA PROJECTS OF THE YEAR
THE CFA PROJECTS OF THE YEAR AS DETERMINED BY YOU…. What work is your company proud of most when completed? How many foundations have you scrutinized during estimating, fought during construction and perfected through closeout? When the project is completed, does your crew and your company for that matter get a chance to pause a […]
A Year In The Life Of A Concrete Contractor
What is perhaps the most unique part of your company, your business, your professional life? While this question begs you to think of the accomplishments you have made or the challenges you have faced, what I believe it to really be is the isolation you have as a company. The practice of concrete construction at […]
You Have A Very Important Decision To Make!
I’m composing this letter in my head during a recent relaxation trip to South Dakota. While in the midst of the great setting and the many casts mixed with the every attempt to stay out of business, I did find my mind fixated on CFA Convention 2015. You’ll read a lot about this event in […]
IRVING EQUIPMENT ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 4.4 MILLION DOLLAR EXPANSION
Irving Equipment has announced that plans are underway on a 4.4 million dollar expansion. This includes a 40,000-square-foot building on 8 acres of land located at 1785 CR 1, near its existing facility in Tiffin, Ohio. The expansion became necessary due to growth and increased demand for products, such as concrete pumps, and cranes. The […]
