A publication of the Concrete Foundations Association
Concrete Facts Magazine Online
Feature
CFA Board of Directors Update
The CFA Committees and Board of Directors met for a full day on October 17 in Richmond, Virginia. Below is a summary of some of the more important discussions and actions from the meetings. Structural Task Group The board authorized the establishment of a Structural Task Group to research, study, and review current trends toward […]
Basement Contractors Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Education and innovation the keys to success for building a market “Constantly strive to obtain more knowledge,” may be the mantra for Mike Hancock of Basement Contractors, but “willingness to take a chance” are certainly the words most would use to describe the firm that has successfully built a basement market from scratch in Oklahoma. […]
Coastal Homes with Staying Power Coming to the Carolina Coast
Uniquely Disaster-Resistant Cast-in-place concrete homes promise to be the home of the future Topsail Island, a prized vacation and living destination on North Carolina’s Treasure Coast, will now feature a cluster of innovative homes of the future built to endure the region’s hurricane season with unparalleled luxury and comfort. Security Building Group (SBG) has six […]
The Building Code Process
Adoption of Codes The development of building codes is an ever evolving and ever changing process. It can be mystifying and frustrating to even those who understand the process. Most wall contractors operate under one of the current standard building codes, primarily the Uniform Building or the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling code. If […]
CFA/CHC in New Trade Shows
The CFA and the CHC will make appearances in two new trade shows this coming fall. These efforts are part of an expanded initiative to increase awareness of not only concrete in homes and bases but also the activities of the CFA and its alliance, the Concrete Homes Council. Both shows are inaugural events. The […]
Abfalter Brothers Concrete
“It is really quite simple,” said Gib Abfalter, president of Abfalter Brothers Concrete. “Customer satisfaction is a key priority and our goal is to ensure that our customers don’t have to make a lot of phone calls to get the job done.” A member of CFA since 1996, this business approach has allowed the Abfalter […]
Magazine Issues
Introducing ‘Management Moves’
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 […]
We Are Built of Concrete
Preparing for each issue of Concrete Facts, I have discussed with CFA Staff ideas on the Association calendar and the state of the industry.” Looking at the final issue for 2007 was no different and the message I received from them was one to perhaps offer an inspirational letter about staving off winter and the […]
Concrete Homes Council
The CFA recently went through the strategic planning process during which it mapped out its goals for the future. The Concrete Homes Council recently went through a similar, though less rigorous, self-analysis. The above grade market for concrete homes continues to expand but at a slower pace than anticipated. The consensus, however, is that there […]
Jim Niehoff Is New CHBC Chair
Since 1997, Jim Niehoff has served as the program manager for residential promotion at the Portland Cement Association. He has played an integral part PCA’s success in the growing residential market. While at PCA, Jim has served as the residential media spokesperson and as a liaison to NAHB and The New American Home. He also […]
Passing On Your Business
Look around today and your are likely to quickly see many discussions on transitioning your business to the next generation. Face it, the management minds that established the control of the residential industry by cast-in-place concrete are nearing retirement and the second or perhaps third generation of leadership now must take up the reigns. This […]
Eskers Celebrate 60 Years
CONGRATULATIONS Stay around the CFA long enough and you will meet some truly unique companies. We look no further this issue than the great town of Teutopolis, IL (some know it as Esker-ville) where the Esker family has celebrated 60 years of continual family-run business with their company, J.B. Esker & Sons, Inc. It’s hard […]
Marketing 101
It was once written, “These are the best of times, these are the worst of times…” and truly the residential industry feels that pain right now. Returning from the last two meetings we can truly say we’ve never heard such wide spread diversity to the message of the state of the industry. Places are busier […]
CFA Strategic Action Plan 2007
This past October, the CFA Board of Directors and several interested CFA members met in Salt Lake City, Utah for a daylong strategic planning workshop. This was the first such effort since 2003 when a similar workshop was conducted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The beginning of this effort identified one primary motivator for the theme of […]
It’s All About You!
Simply put, strategic planning determines where an organization is going over the next several years, how it is going to get there, and finally determining a system to evaluate and measure the progress. At the recent Strategic Planning Session held in Salt Lake City, the Executive staff, Board of Directors, and numerous other members began […]
CFA Plans For The Future
The Concrete Foundations Association spent an entire day last month locked in a room brainstorming about the future of the CFA (actually we were free to come and go as needed). Some great ideas were put forth and we feel the initiatives will help invigorate the Association while preparing it and the members, for future […]
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 […]
