• Superar la permeabilidad del concreto con tecnología multicristalina

    Thursday, June 25, 2026

    Por Mark Chew, vicepresidente de Ventas y Marketing para EE. UU. y Canadá, ICC Distribution Group Si bien muchas características del sector de los cimientos de concreto se han mantenido constantes a lo largo de los años, algunos cambios notables —como los avances tecnológicos y la llegada del cemento Portland-caliza (PLC), o concreto 1L— han […]

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  • CFA Tech Note 014: Interpreting Nominal Concrete Wall Thickness

    Wednesday, April 1, 2026

    Introduction  A frequent point of discussion between contractors, designers and code authorities involves the interpretation of “nominal” versus “actual” concrete wall thickness. This technical note provides clarification on this topic by examining relevant building codes and industry standards. Understanding the code-defined relationship between nominal and actual dimensions is essential for ensuring compliance and project continuity.  Analysis of Code Requirements  The International Residential […]

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  • Volver a construir mejor: Resiliencia

    Friday, March 13, 2026

    Cuarto artículo de la serie  De Joe Nasvik  Una vez que se toma la decisión de construir una casa, la siguiente cuestión que hay que resolver es cómo se debe construir. El mejor sistema de construcción es aquel que sea más adecuado para los ocupantes actuales y futuros. El uso de pautas de sostenibilidad y resiliencia […]

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  • Building Back Better Resiliency

    Friday, March 13, 2026

    BY JOE NASVIK  This is the fourth and final article of the Building Back Better series.  After the decision is made to build a house, the next issue to resolve is how it should be built. The best building system is one that will be best for the current and future occupants. Using sustainability and resilience guidelines is […]

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  • 2025 CFA Consulting Members Directory

    Friday, March 6, 2026

    CFA works with many great consultants. If you are looking for consulting services, visit one of the companies below: BIC bicauctions.com BIC is a used concrete equipment specialist serving contrac­tors, manufacturers and lenders nationwide. The company helps industry professionals unlock value from idle or un­derutilized assets—whether it’s a single unit or an entire fleet. Their […]

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Feature

Dec
8

Anderson Awarded for his Contributions to the Industry

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 […]

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Nov
15

BEP Big Panels – Saving Time and Manpower for Martinson Construction

“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, […]

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Nov
14

Concrete Above-Grade Wall Systems: What are Homebuilders Thinking?

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 […]

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Sep
27

CFA Website – Accessing and Working with Documents Online

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 […]

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Sep
27

Getting the Most Out Of Your Cylinders

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 […]

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Sep
27

Testing Concrete

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 […]

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Magazine Issues

Jan
27

WESTERN FORMS ACQUIRES SOLID WALL SYSTEMS

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 […]

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Jan
27

Bilco’s Permentry Offers Direct Basement Access

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 […]

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Jan
27

FALL REGIONAL CONFERENCE TAKES US TO OHIO

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 […]

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Jan
27

MOVING AHEAD WITH FAITH

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 […]

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Jan
27

FALL REGIONAL WAS FIRST CLASS!

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 […]

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Jan
27

CFA FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY SURVEY

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 […]

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Jan
27

CERTIFICATION DEBUTS

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 […]

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Jan
27

THE UN-COMFORT ZONE… What’s Pushing Your Buttons?

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 […]

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Jan
27

Bilco Company Offers 2008 Residential Products Catalog

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 […]

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Jan
27

Round Three of Management Moves is Ready!

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, […]

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Jan
27

CFA SELF-INSURANCE PRESENTATION IN OHIO

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 […]

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Jan
16

WESTERN FORMS CREATES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH B.E.P. FORMING SYSTEMS, INC.

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 […]

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