The venue is great, the price is right, and we have assembled what staff feels is our best program ever for the upcoming CFA Summer Convention to be held July 29 - August 1 at Amelia Island Plantation in northern Florida. The program is a mix of outside speakers, members with ideas to share and some things you should be considering if they aren't on your radar screen.
Here are some highlights from the seminar program:David Whitlock, the attorney who delivered the witty, informative, and well-received seminar on immigration law last year will be back. This year he tackles another subject many of you deal with (probably incorrectly) -- the subject of Employees as Subcontractors. David will discuss what you can and cannot do and the pluses and negatives of these contractual arrangements.
Several other presentations deal with the theme of this year's convention: "Why Waste a Good Recession?" We assembled a few speakers to help guide you through what you should be doing with your business to prepare for the future. You've already cut back as much as you can, but are you going to go back to the same old routines or are you going to improve your business for when the economy recovers?
Doug Staebler, CFO at Custom Concrete, will present a seminar called "Building It Forward." He will touch on several topics of interest that you might want to consider implementing while you have the time.
Brent Anderson will give you all you need to know to build "Concrete Decks." You have men, equipment and expertise on the jobsite so why not get a little more work out of every project you build. Concrete decks also provide the ultimate top restraint for your walls which should eliminate most of the problems associated with backfilling.
Sustainability is one of the hottest topics in the construction industry and will be for years to come. Are you prepared to answer the hard questions that builders and home owners have (or will have) about the greenness of concrete? Concrete is one of the greener building materials but you need to have the answers when confronted with uninformed or misinformed customers. Erin Ashley of the NRMCA will enlighten you on why you should be on the offensive, not defensive, when dealing with the issue of sustainability.
This is a convention you simply cannot afford to miss! Make your room reservations now. Our room block has been drastically cut from prior years. You can always register for the event later. Visit our web site at www.cfawalls.org for full information.
Ed Sauter is executive director of the CFA.
