MT. VERNON, IA - The Concrete Foundation Association (CFA) - an organization dedicated to improving the quality and acceptance of cast-in-place concrete foundations - recently completed its first qualification exam for the Foundation Contractor Company Certification Program. Exams were administered on Wednesday, August 2, 2008 and Saturday, August 5, 2008. They were preceded by a review seminar. Interested companies sent 21 persons to sit for the 2-hour exam.

"The response to this initial offering was staggering," states Ed Sauter, CFA Executive Director. "As we prepared for the Convention, we had just a handful registered to attend the certification component but that quickly swelled to twenty one examinees, several companies sending two representatives."

According to Sauter, the exam is a two-hour, open book effort that challenges more than the knowledge base of the examinee.

"This exam was designed to demonstrate that companies have the ability to use the resources at their disposal," states Sauter. "We did not feel that testing their specific ability to recall a fact or a process was as much of value as developing a solid understanding that they could use codes, standards and construction guides to answer the broader questions in the industry. Examinees found it was a much bigger challenge than some had estimated, but most felt it demonstrated the true value of knowing and understanding building code and safety standard publications."

This exam was the first, or the pre-qualification step for companies to become certified by the CFA as a Certified Foundation Contractor Company. The program seeks to establish a nationwide benchmark for contracting companies involved in the construction of residential concrete foundations. Following the exam, companies must then submit business records dealing with safety, operations, training programs, etc. They must then adhere to a continuing education requirement and periodic audits. The CFA sees this as the next big issue affecting construction across the country and is applying their expertise and status in the industry to create the most appropriate benchmark.