A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
Malisch to Receive Coveted National Ready Mixed Concrete Association Award
Senior Managing Director of the American Concrete Institute Voted as Recipient of Richard D. Gaynor Award Farmington Hills, Michigan (November 15, 2007) – Ward R. Malisch, Senior Managing Director of the American Concrete Institute (ACI), will be awarded the 2008 Richard D. Gaynor Award, presented by the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA). The award, which will […]
CFA Announces Call for Entries for 2008 Basement of the Year Awards
Mt. Vernon, Iowa (November 5, 2007) — The Concrete Foundation Association (CFA) – an influential organization within the construction industry that serves as an informational and networking tool for its members and carries out a multitude of educational and promotional efforts for the advancement of concrete foundation technology – has announced the call for entries for […]
Crisis Communication Plan Crucial to Successfully Surviving the “What Ifs” in Today’s Marketplace
One element of a communications plan that is often overlooked is the all important crisis communication plan. While the construction industry is accustomed to having a written plan for a jobsite accident, such documents also are essential to guide your firm should the media call you and put you in a reactive position for a variety of other scenarios, ranging from layoffs to a disgruntled employee or a […]
GPS Management Tools That Work
The costs of running a business, any business, are rising. Talk with any owner and you are not likely to find any argument to that statement. So as the rising costs of operation tighten the hold on profitability—what are the options to fight back? What are proven means you can employ to improve your chance of maintaining margins or possibly […]
Now Is The Time For Training!
The fall rush is almost upon you. You hope. Wow, residential construction is down. Down a lot. Earlier this year, the Portland Cement Association (PCA) predicted that residential construction would drop 20.5% in 2007 vs 2006. This is quite a dramatic loss of potential work and its associated profits. Everyone knows work would be down. […]
Trends in Information Technology
There is a common saying “Work smarter, not harder”. This saying was never more true than in the use of computers (or Information Technology) in your everyday business. The title of this article could be named “Trends in Information Technology Which You Can Use to Improve Your Business”. This article is not so much about […]
Magazine Issues
RISK MANAGEMENT: Cyber Crime: An Evolving Threat
NOW IS THE TIME TO REVISIT THE TOPIC OF CYBERCRIME AS CRIMINALS HAVE ELEVATED THEIR GAME AND CONTINUE TO CARRY OUT MALICIOUS ATTACKS ON AMERICAN BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS By Kristen Long, Senior Vice President, Arthur J. Gallagher In September 2014 I wrote an article titled “The Threat Posed by Cyber Criminals.” In the article, I […]
The Salesperson’s Handbook: FIVE COMMON OBSTACLES AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
Lucy was a brand new salesperson who wanted to make a big impression. She did everything she could think of to establish relationships with prospects and wow them with her proposals. While she was not failing as a salesperson, Lucy was certainly not leading her team in sales either. After nine months of below average […]
CFA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: What Comes Around Goes Around
ASK MOST ANY CONCRETE CONTRACTOR FOUND IN TODAY’S CAST- IN-PLACE CONCRETE INDUSTRY AND HE/SHE WILL TELL YOU THAT THEIR BUSINESS IS A GENERATIONAL AFFAIR…AFTER ALL, CONCRETE DOES GET IN YOUR BLOOD AND ONCE THERE, IT NEVER LEAVES. Ask most any concrete contractor found in today’s cast-in-place concrete industry and he/she will tell you that their […]
Concrete Reinforcement Changing
THIS ARTICLE RECOUNTS THE PROCESS CONDUCTED BY ABI CORPORATION, STARTING IN SEPTEMBER 2103, TO INTERNALLY VALIDATE THE MERITS OF USING HELIX MICRO REBAR IN PLACE OF REBAR IN BASEMENT FOUNDATIONS WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING LABOR. The requirements to pass the test were simple: the process must save labor and the quality of the finished […]
It’s A New Dawn, It’s A New Day…
Turning the calendar to 2015 has ushered in a great deal of excitement and anticipation here at CFA headquarters. First of all, I recognize that those of you reading this are in one of two camps; the many knowledgeable individuals working for CFA members that have relied on Ed Sauter for a great many years; […]
How Do We Stack Up?
If your company is like mine, right now you see everything turning up. The weather is turning and the forecast for Spring is starting to look real. We see jobs breaking and more pushing toward our involvement. Better yet, we know the struggles that have been faced over the last four months are all but […]
A Day in the Life of a Leader
CFA Professional Awards CFA RECOGNIZES MARY WILSON OF MICHEL CONCRETE WITH M.V.P. AWARD Sonny Newman, president of contract manufacturer EE Technologies was quoted in Business News Daily in defining leadership as “influencing others by your character, humility, and example. It is recognizable when others follow in word and deed without obligation or coercion.” This quote is […]
The CFA Projects of the Year Competition
EACH YEAR, PROFESSIONALS IN THE CONCRETE INDUSTRY THAT ARE MEMBERS OF THE CFA SUBMIT PROJECTS OF VARYING SIZE, SCOPE AND CHALLENGE FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO BE CONSIDERED AS A PROJECT OF THE YEAR. MULTIPLE CATEGORIES OFFER RECOGNITION FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ANY SIZE AS WELL AS TYPE OF PROJECT. This year, ten projects […]
CFA Members Exhibiting at WOC 2015
The Concrete Foundations Association is a co-sponsor for the World of Concrete. We are also an information and network hub for a vast amount of education and information available in seminars and throughout the show floor. Interested attendees can register at the lowest attendance rates for WOC through the CFA and our unique link of […]
Cold Weather Slab Testing
EARLIER THIS YEAR, A CONTRACTOR AND A TEAM OF MANUFACTURERS AND INDIVIDUALS, PERFORMED A SERIES OF COLD WEATHER TESTS ON 15 DIFFERENT PANELS TO REPLICATE 15 DIFFERENT FIELD CONDITIONS. HERE ARE THEIR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS. As seen in Earlier this year, a contractor and a team of manufacturers and individuals, performed a series of cold weather tests […]
Reflection & Farewell
This month’s letter from the CFA Executive Director: Reflection & Farewell It has been nearly twenty-two years since I took the helm of the Concrete Foundations Association at the suggestion of Larry Clark. We now live in a different world. The country, the industry, and the Association have undergone great change in that period. We […]
Letter from the President: What My Toolbox Looks Like…
This month’s letter from the CFA Board President: What My Toolbox Looks Like David Martinson Martinson Construction davem@martinsonconstruction.com If your company is like mine, the start of the new year, while certainly not a surprise, brings forward a list of what we didn’t get accomplished last year compared to what we did manage to achieve. […]
