CFA Names Lance Jordan Contractor of the Year

“Based upon elevated death rates for residential construction and the continued technological advances that have occurred in the construction safety industry over the past 10 years, it is easy to understand why OSHA felt the need to remove the blanket exemption for fall protection, as it relates to residential construction,” states Mary Wilson, President of Michel Concrete Company from Springfield, Ill. a member of the CFA Board and lecturer on the topic of fall protection systems for residential concrete. “However, because there have been no technological advances regarding safety equipment for concrete foundation construction, since the initial OSHA exemption, and because contractors have been very successful protecting their workforce through implementation of OSHA supported alternative fall protection measures, the rational for initially exempting residential foundation construction from the conventional fall protection requirement is still valid. Lance has worked very hard to make sure the “right people” are aware of this fact, and hopefully his efforts will result in a concrete specific standard, regarding fall protection.

Founded in 1971, Stephens & Smith Construction Company has been providing concrete solutions as a full service concrete contractor in the Lincoln and Omaha Metro area committed to delivering a superior product and the highest level of service to their customers. They provide services that cover the width and breadth of all things concrete including residential, commercial and industrial concrete construction of any size. Stephens & Smith Construction Company is employee owned, with over 200 employee owners allowing them to offer the personal attention of a company owner on every project.

When asked about the value of the CFA and why he and his company have contributed so much to the collective effort, Jordan had this to say: “The CFA has contributed immensely to the growth of our company. The CFA and its members have always seemed to be on the ‘cutting edge’ of new technologies and pertinent current issues that affect our industry. The CFA organization itself has helped us come to terms with such issues as Cold Weather Concreting, Contractor Certification, job site safety, insurance and labor law. Also, the individual CFA members, over the years, have given us guidance in the selection and usage of new technologies such as crane systems, computer assisted drafting, surveying and robotic total stations. At the conventions, the CFA vendor members have always demonstrated to us innovative forming techniques, new foundation components, equipment and related processes. All of these, I believe, have contributed to the continued success of our company, over the last three decades. The least we could do was offer our effort at this influential problem and leverage the relationships we were building.”