A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Dennis “Hap” Anderson was awarded the Robert D. Sawyer Distinguished Service Award at the CFA annual awards luncheon Saturday, August 9, 2003, at the Kingston Plantation Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC. Hap, president of Anderson Construction Inc, is recognized for his contributions to the industry over the past four decades. A founding member of the […]
“They pour nice walls – straight and square,” said Dave Martinson of Martinson Construction in Waterloo, Iowa of B.E.P. Forming System Inc.’s new Big Panels. They also allow Martinson to do work in less time with fewer workers. Martinson Construction used the Big iPanels and power ties to construct a data center for Team Technologies, […]
A summary of the PCA market research’s The 2003 Homebuilder Report The Portland Cement Association (PCA) Market Research surveyed homebuilders across the United States in 2003 to assess the awareness and use of concrete above-grade wall systems and competing systems, as well as to measure the attitudes and perceptions of homebuilders toward these systems. In […]
Over the past couple of issues we have spent time together investigating the use of our member/non-member site access and dealing with the issues of membership maintenance and event registrations. This time around, I am taking you on an educational trip on the interaction with this site to view documents that we are providing to […]
Dr. Heather Brown, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Concrete Industry Management Program Middle Tennessee State University What could possibly go wrong? The better question to ask when talking about accurate cylinder breaks is what can’t go wrong. 6” by 12” concrete cylinders are the standard of checking in-place compressive strength for job performance, acceptance, checking mix proportion […]
The concrete testing process garners little attention from the construction industry – until a problem occurs. At that point, everyone is intensely interested and all the parties involved become, for the most part, adversaries. Here’s a true example from a personal experience. A commercial project with a lot of structural concrete allowed the general contractor […]
Western Forms and Mercedes Homes are pleased to announce Western Forms acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Solid Wall Systems, Inc. (“SWS”) from Mercedes Homes, Inc., a Melbourne, Florida- based homebuilder, effective May 9, 2008. Since its inception in 2001, SWS, has been a leading production builder of cast-in-place concrete walls in Florida and was featured in several publications and national broadcasts, such as the Bob […]
Consisting of a monolithic concrete stairwell and Bilco basement door, the PermEntry Basement Entrance system is used extensively in new home construction applications. It maximizes and expands lower-level living space by adding direct, safe and convenient access from the basement to the outdoors. Precast in one piece and thoroughly vibrated for maximum density, the stairwell can be installed on poured concrete and concrete block foundations. PermEntry is secured to […]
Fall has come and gone, at least for those in the northern half of the country. As the snow flies and the election energy draws down, we can begin thinking about what happened to those golden months of autumn. This fall was a great opportunity missed by many no thanks to the economy and the need to work harder. Still, some member companies took the […]
It seems like just the other day I was reading the farewell letter authored by Terry Lavy in Concrete Facts as his term of President of the CFA was expiring. In what seems like the blink of an eye, it is now my turn to do the same. As I step down I am both encouraged and excited about what has been accomplished and […]
I am writing this letter to the membership on a plane going home from the Fall Regional Convention that was held in Columbus Ohio. As I reflect on the conference, there are four topics that stand out for me, quality education, CFA certification exam, captive insurance and what a great group of people CFA members are. First, the quality of the education featured at our first […]
Just how bad is it? Many of you know – you are experiencing it on a daily basis. But how bad is it elsewhere? I recently completed a survey of foundation construction activity of members to put some actual figures on the state of the economy. The good news – I had a record number of respondents for a CFA survey. Forty-eight of […]
It’s been in the planning process for over two years. Countless meetings, conference calls, consultations, dry runs – but now its for real. The Concrete Foundations Association will roll-out the CFA Certified Foundation Contractor program at this summer’s Annual Convention. The details of the program will be covered in an in-depth article in the next edition of the Concrete Facts. This introduction will cover […]
by Robert Wilson What motivates you? That’s the question I’d like to ask in this inaugural column on motivation. Are you motivated by fame, fortune or fear. Or is it something deeper that fans the flames inside of you. Perhaps you are like Jeanne Louise Calment whose burning desire enabled her to do something that no other human being has done before. A feat so spectacular […]
The Bilco Company has announced its availability of its 2008 Residential Products Catalog. The catalog, which includes information on the company’s complete line of the IRC 2006-code compliant basement projects, is available free of charge by calling 800-854-9724 or emailing Bilco at bilco@bilco.com. The new catalog offers information on their full line of basement doors, including the Classic Series Sloped Wall and Steel Sided doors and […]
Dear CFA Member, Over the past year, our Management Committee has been working hard to develop the content for a new series of information products that deliver tips and tricks we all use for the management of our businesses. Attend one CFA event and the first thing you realize is how much collective business expertise exists between the companies of this Association, […]
My “From the Director” column two issues ago presented some of the details of the CFA initiative to form a CFA self-insurance “Captive”. The CFA Board of Directors is ready to move forward with the CFA Self-Insurance Captive, but we need member participation to make it happen. This has the potential to be the biggest single benefit […]
Western Forms Inc has created a new partnership with B.E.P. Forming Systems Inc, previously headquartered in Fayetteville, Georgia. The newly formed entity, B.E.P. Forming Systems, L.L.C. will be headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Greg Peacock, Founder of B.E.P. Forming Systems will serve as Vice President/General Manager of the newly formed entity. Mr. Peacock and his […]