A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
3rd Win for Balmer Brothers — CFA Basement of the Year
#1 Winner Jerry Balmer, Balmer Brothers Concrete Works, Inc. ——————— Balmer Brothers Akron, PA Contact: Jerry Balmer http://www.balmerbros.com What started as two brothers pouring sidewalks and curbs in the summer months in 1973 has become a successful company that has found a niche in upscale, large, unique and complex foundations in the Philadelphia area. Today they have 4 […]
Providing Improved Product Availability and First Class Services
With over 90 years of experience in the steel industry, Armtec can attribute it’s success to a team of valued employees who provide innovative solutions through a diverse line of quality products, exceptional customer service and effective communication. Armtec is a manufacturer and distributor of steel and high density polyethylene (HDPE) construction products for use […]
A One-Stop Shop
Griffin Masonry truly is a one-stop shop for homebuilders. Customers can consolidate five calls into one. Griffin Masonry provides masonry (brick and block), concrete basement walls, concrete finishing, brick cleaning, and stone masonry. They also have other divisions that provide concrete pumping (Griffin Concrete Placement), concrete mixer trucks (Blue Dot readi-mix) and commercial masonry (Old […]
Rebuilding the Gulf Coast Region Starts With Education
The Concrete Home Building Council (CHBC) and the Home Builders Institute (HBI) met for a post Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita Strategy Summit on Oct. 12 at the NAHB’s National Housing Center in Washington to define how they can work together to educate builders, displaced skilled workers, displaced un-skilled workers and communicate with other industry […]
It’s All in the Footings
Doug Reid began as a foundation contractor, so frustrated with traditional stake-and-wood footing forms that it drove him to develop and patent a new aluminum, panel-based footing system and form the company Fine Line Footing Forms. This forward thinking system eliminates the endless stream of wood, rebar, and nail purchases. Aluminum forms won’t bow or […]
Making the Case for Poured Walls
When I began construction on my home in 1988, I couldn’t find a poured wall contractor in the Pittsburgh area to do my foundation. I reluctantly had to settle for block. In my first year of living in the home, the builder was called back several times because of moisture and cracks in the foundation. […]
Magazine Issues
Code Corner: Impact of Codes
WHAT IMPACT ARE THE CURRENT CODES, REGULATIONS , AND STANDARDS HAVING ON YOUR COMPANY? The latest information on regulations, codes and standards that we have been tracking and working with has been prepared for your reference. What impact are these having on your company? What will be the largest hurdles in your implementation and preparation […]
The 2014 CFA Grand Project of the Year: A Madison Gardenesque
Another great year of project submittals demonstrating some of the most incredible construction feats is in the books. A record number of votes recorded on the show floor at the World of Concrete in Las Vegas this past January and a strong online voting contingent evaluated the seven projects vying to be named a CFA Project of the Year. […]
Moving Towards Profitability – CFA’s Annual Convention 2014
The largest gathering of residential cast-in-place contractors in the country! Convention Theme: Moving Towards Profitability When: July 31 – Aug 2, 2014 Where: Kalahari Resort, Sandusky, Ohio A focus on industry education and networking, an emphasis on a great family experience. SCHEDULE A jam-packed education and networking event. The schedule-at-a-glance is: Wednesday, July 30 Insurance Captive […]
The Greatest Gathering
An opportunity awaits you this summer (yes summer will arrive). It is the greatest gathering in the world of your peers in the residential foundation industry. Perhaps the hardest thing to visualize is the impact traveling to a convention can have on your daily business and we have certainly fielded that response numerous times. Yet, hundreds of times we […]
The CFA Young…The CFA Experienced
Dear CFA Friends, I am glad to see old man winter give way to spring! Spring is my favorite season because it brings optimism and new energy, which is critical for our businesses. My father and mentor, Buck Bartley, always says, “Make your changes in the winter so they are ready come spring.” The change of seasons reminds […]
The Time Has Come
Letter from the Executive Director Those who regularly receive this magazine know I have written several times about the formation of an insurance captive for CFA members. Over the past months the insurance market, as well as efforts to start this captive, have taken significant turns – one for the worse, one for the better. […]
Tired of Breaking Even?
Letter from your president, Jim Bartley Dear Friends, Our long, tough recession has had one of two effects on most concrete foundation contractors. Either we went broke, or mastered the art of breaking even. If you are reading this, my guess is you are a fine-tuned, break-even machine! I know I am. Now that we […]
What Should You Expect from 2014?
Codes, Standards, Rules, Regulations and Insurance…It is All Changing It really doesn’t matter that your profession is the concrete industry. Were you in just about any industry, the rules for doing business and the parameters that shape your industry are likely to be changing such that business next year, perhaps even tomorrow, will most […]
Irving Equipment Announces Arrival of Loop Belt® Truck Mounted Conveyors
Irving Equipment is pleased to announce the arrival of Loop Belt® truck mounted conveyors. Offering the LB32T4 and LB40T5 models, they are 100% designed, patented, and built in the US. Boasting several brand new patents on each model, with others pending, both units offer advantages and applications that outperform other competitive placing systems. Loop Belt® […]
Shut Down: DOT Compliance in the Twenty-First Century
Shut Down: DOT Compliance in the Twenty-First Century What do you think about DOT compliance? Do you consider it your number one concern? Number two? Number three? The chances are it is not something that you think about very much. In your industry, DOT compliance has simply not been that big of a problem […]
CFA Now Offers Members A Hot Line
CFA adds new member benefit…Hotline You’ve asked and we’ve listened. Although there are two different forums available through LinkedIn, the private CFA Members group and the public Concrete Foundations group, we realize that this may be more difficult to use than you prefer. Following the CFA Board Strategic Planning effort in Minneapolis this Spring, CFA […]
CFA Online News
CFA Continues to grow online presence for Concrete Facts… CFA’s publication Concrete Facts has received a new online presence. We are pleased to announce that current news and an increasing amount of historical articles, press releases and information is now available directly from our homepage. Searchable archives by issue date, keywords and primary subjects or […]
