The state of North Carolina is the latest state to lay claim to residential concrete foundations constructed by a concrete professional that has achieved the status of Certified Residential Foundation Company, according to CFA Executive Director, James Baty. Doggett Concrete Construction of Charlotte, North Carolina has been approved this fall having met all program requirements and has been elevated to certified status.
The Certified Foundation Company distinction is a program rating established by the Concrete Foundations Association of North America (CFA) offering third-party quality assurance for professional concrete foundation companies.
Recognizing the need for a national program to establish a consistent base of knowledge and quality assurance for the cast-in-place concrete foundation industry, the CFA created the Certified Foundation Company a decade ago. The program now recognizes certified companies in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska and now Indiana and Utah.
“The Certified Foundation Company program was a natural by-product of the introduction of Certified Foundation Technician,” states Baty. “Introduced in 2007, the technician program established a grueling examination of the knowledge base for understanding the codes and standards that shape the minimum requirements for today’s residential concrete foundations. However, having a person on staff, or even multiple project managers that know the important sections of code documents, was just the start. This industry needed a recognizable standard for operation of a quality foundation company.”
Doggett Concrete Construction – Charlotte, N.C.
A long-time member of the cast-in-place concrete industry and a member of the CFA for more than twenty years, Doggett Concrete Construction has met some tall challenges throughout the state’s foundation industry. Considered one of the elite cast-in-place concrete companies in the state, Doggett Concrete excels at both residential and commercial concrete construction projects throughout the Carolinas. Their project range spans from large commercial work such as stadiums and parking decks, hospitals and shopping centers to more intimate and personalized projects for homebuilders and residential customers for even projects as small as patios and sidewalk enhancements. Doggett Concrete is a specialist for helical pier installations as well as foundation repair and stabilization along with their new construction.
Company president, Doug Doggett began working becoming a certified company, knowing it would be an excellent opportunity to elevate his company among the many industry participants in the region. “What I wasn’t anticipating,” Doggett says, “was the value of this certification in helping me and my company develop a much deeper and more thorough understanding of the way we can shape and own the future for our project work here in this state.”
What Doggett came to discover, which is in stride with companies throughout the program, is the development of a working understanding of the technical documents for design and construction of high-quality concrete foundations. Largely left to the minimal information found in the IRC, the program emphasizes awareness of many other technical standards and codes that contractors can use for a collaborative approach to higher quality and more effective constructions. In addition, the program establishes a communication platform for working with engineers, code officials and building inspectors to determine a more effective vocabulary for concrete foundations based on the local variables. “We have already transitioned to a higher level of communication with our building departments, helping them learn about the latest acceptable standards and determining what are the best paths to compliance and specific application here in North Carolina,” states Doggett.
CFA Manager for Certifications, Ed Sauter, was impressed with the commitment to safety found in review of Doggett Concrete’s application. “It is imperative that safety plays a role in these companies and for the program, it is an essential component,” stated Sauter. “Doggett Concrete was very impressive with their commitment to OSHA certification for their crew chiefs and their weekly commitment to safety training. These elements certainly support the excellent safety record they have developed.”
CFA has further validated this commitment safety, recently awarding Doggett Concrete with the CFA’s Most Improved Safety Award for 2016 (numbers based on 2015). For more information on Doggett Concrete Construction, please contact Doug Doggett at (704) 554-9200 or visit their website, http://doggettconcrete.com.
For more information on the CFA, please contact James Baty, Executive Director, at (866) 232-9255 or [email protected] or visit the Association website at www.cfawalls.org and go to keyword Certification.
For more information on the American Concrete Institute and their individual certification programs visit their website, www.concrete.org.
