INSANITY DEFINED: Doing the Same Things, Expecting Different Results

I listen to those around me. I don't always apply what they say to my life, but I listen and try to understand the reasoning behind their words. A couple of people in my world (both I trust) feel strongly that you must stay in touch with the culture around you and for very different reasons. One keeps up with trends in music because it helps him stay young and stay in touch with his kids. Another believes strongly that in order for the church to have an impact in the world around it, it must embrace the gifts of the culture and utilize them to effect change.

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"If you always do what you've always done,   

you'll always get what you've always got." ~ Henry Ford 

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The culture is not waiting for our industry to catch up; they love green, and we're not talking money. Green Building and Sustainability are a gift to us and we are doing very little with it. We are green building; we are sustainability; yet our building community continues their search for the "green" product to utilize in their new designs. Concrete is Florida's building material and NO building should be constructed in Florida with anything but concrete.   

We don't pay attention. I've heard it explained to me that we have the attention span of gnats, but I think it's just laziness. Information is shared with us and we wait until it is crisis time to react. Somehow, someway, we must get in front of technology and lead the charge. We must embrace the gifts surrounding us and use them to effect change for the better. We're out of time. The election results are not what we wanted or needed to help our industry. The Knight is not riding in to rescue us in the eleventh hour. We must brush the dust and cobwebs off and get to work planning for tomorrow.We must take every opportunity and pursue a different way of doing business. We owe this to ourselves and the future of construction in Florida. The days of marketing concrete in the same old same old are behind us and the future is here.

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"The world we've made, as a result of the level of thinking

we have done thus far, creates problems we cannot solve

at the same level of thinking" ~ Albert Einstein

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Lionel Lemay, Director of Sustainability with NRMCA, addressed our members and shared the history and an overview of sustainability and the green arena, on Tuesday, November 27th. He also provided marketing ideas of which I plan to utilize on the FICAP website. The NRMCA have a wealth of resources available, so take a few moments to review their website. For pennies, there may be a brochure or handout you could place in your reception area and easily start promoting your "green" concrete.

I've mentioned many times over the years how much I love the Christmas Season; the music, the weather, the planning, the baking, catching up with friends and family, and rejoicing in the Savior. The time spent focusing on the positives that surround us. It's so easy to get caught up in the negatives, but if you take just a few moments, you can come up with a long list of positives. We take so much for granted; our health, our families, our resources, the sun, the moon and stars; the list could go on and on. Start a list (really, physically write a list) of all the positives in your world and you may just amaze yourself and those around you as the negative outlook and attitude disappear. One small step for man...

Merry Christmas!

Michele Stropoli

Executive Director   

January 29, 2013 - Roving Meeting   

4-6 pm 

Maschmeyer Plant, Debary 

February 12-13, 2013 - Concrete Days 
Florida Concrete Coalition, Tallahassee

March 26, 2013 - Coalition Meeting   

Orlando 

April 23, 2013 - Roving Meeting

A-1 Block, Sanford     

May 21, 2013 - Roving Meeting

Jahna Concrete      

June 20-23, 2013 - Annual Convention 

Palm Coast    

It began in 1912 as a dream and vision of H. B. Zimmerman. What was then kn  own as the Florida National Vault Company is now known to most locals as Cement Products & Supply Co., Inc. Zimmerman once commented in the early days of the company that "you are living in the concrete age and we are in the concrete business." The focus of Cement Products & Supply has remained the same for 100 years - the manufacture and distribution of concrete and masonry materials.

Over the past 100 years Cement Products has survived the Great Depression, the booms and busts in the Florida construction market, a devastating fire in 1986, and the current economic crisis, to become one of the oldest companies in the industry and our community.  

After graduating from Georgia Tech, C. W. "Connie" Zimmerman returned to Lakeland in 1936 to join his father in the business, and helped make Cement Products one of the early companies to adopt modern methods in the manufacture of concrete block that became essential to the post WWII boom in Florida.

Cement Products has helped build Lakeland through the years by supplying masonry materials to many notable projects-landmarks like LRMC, Watson Clinic, Curtis Peterson State building, Polk County Court House, Polk State College (both campuses), the recent additions to the Florida Southern College campus, and approximately 20 complete schools including George Jenkins High School, Tenoroc High School, Lake Gibson High School, Highland Grove Elementary, and Spessard Holland Elementary.

Cement Products & Supply feels their longevity and success can be attributed to providing a quality product with timely and personal service at a fair price. In addition, their success is based on solid relationships with their customers, suppliers and competitors. After the fire in 1986, their competitors immediately called and offered block at discounted prices for the approximately 3 months it took to rebuild the plant and install new equipment. It was a testament to the respect for Cement Products in the industry.

Barry Zimmerman and Jim Russell continue the family tradition at Cement Products as they guide the company into its second century of serving the construction industry in the Lakeland area.

The current management team of Barry, Jim, Gary Clements and Ron Hatfield would like to thank the construction industry and the Lakeland community for the many years of loyal support.

FICAP Members are invited to share significant company milestones  

with our readers. Please forward the details to the FICAP office.  

Rising building-material costs may dampen new-home market

Just as Central Florida's new-home market prepares to finish its strongest year since the housing slump, prices for drywall, cement and lumber are fast outpacing inflation. At a time when inflation is running about 2 percent, lumber prices... Read More 

Jacksonville building permits up more than 90 percent

Building permits pulled in October were up significantly year-over-year, with Duval and St. Johns counties leading the way...Clay County posted the largest year-over-year... Read More 

Florida adds 4,200 construction jobs

Florida added 4,200 construction jobs, an increase of 1.3 percent, in September compared to a year ago, the Associated General Contractors said in a report based on labor data. Read More  

Today, almost every concrete manufacturer uses concrete admixtures to improve the quality and durability of their products. Whether the application is Ready mix, Precast/Prestress or Block and Pipe, concrete admixtures help in many different ways. Besides the evident performance improvements such as, lower water / cementitious ratio, faster set time or... Read More   

Q: We have never used the services of a collection agency and are considering doing so. How does one choose a collection agency?  

A: Very carefully, seriously. There are many collection agencies out there today, many are good but as in every profession there are a few bad apples. You want the agency to not only be experienced and reputable but also licensed and bonded. And not just in the state where they are located but also the states where your customers are located as well.   

Their fees should be competitive with others in the industry and their services should be contingency. Meaning that if they don't collect, you don't pay. You want to make certain that you control the collection process. This means they report to you on the customer status at least once a month, that you approve any proposed payment plan or debt forgiveness and that no account is referred to legal unless you specifically okay it first.   

I would want the agency to be a member in good standing with the Commercial Law League of America or another commercial section of a nationally recognized collection association. I recommend that you contact your competitors in your industry and ask who they use for their third party collections. You should see one or two names that are often repeated.  

- From Creditworthy eNewsclip - Oct. 2012

TRI Form R Reporting heats up for the concrete industry

Did you see the recent news bulletin from the USEPA about a concrete producer who was fined a considerable amount for failing to conduct required Toxic Release Inventory, also known as TRI Form R reporting, of the processing of toxic chemicals at their concrete plant? The Washington state concrete.... Read More 

Scientists create type of concrete that heals itself

Work being conducted by a team of engineers and scientists at the University of Michigan could one day yield building materials capable of repairing themselves. The substance is a form of concrete, and its makers predict that roads and buildings would be free of potentially dangerous stress fractures if it was widely implemented. Read More 

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Orlando's population up 4.2% in past 32 months

Population in the metro Orlando region increased 4.2 percent between April 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2012, according to a new On Numbers analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. In April 2010, the Orlando area's population stood at 2.13 million. As of Dec. 1, 2012, the population had grown to... Read More  

November Credit Managers' Index Jumps to 55.2

The latest iteration of the Credit Manager's Index (CMI) issued by the National Association of Credit Management (NACM) returned to form in some key factors, and jumped almost... Read More  

What small businesses told the FL Chamber of Commerce  

Economic uncertainty and access to capital continue to be the overwhelming top two issues facing Florida's small businesses.  Nearly 60% of respondents identified either economic uncertainty (31%) or access to capital (27%) as their top issue.  The majority of respondents (66%) are somewhat worried or very worried that regulations, restrictions and taxes will negatively impact their ability to do business compared to 30% who are not very worried or not at all worried.

Highlights of the results include hiring expectations and overall business health:

• 31% of employers plan to hire employees during the next six months, while only 4% plan to lay off employees - these numbers saw no change from our Quarter 3 survey in June.

• 39% percent of respondents identified economic uncertainty as an obstacle preventing them from hiring new employees, while 35% say it is lack of sales keeping them from hiring.

• 28% of respondents believe their business is better off than it was six months ago, DOWN 9% from last quarter. Comparatively, 35% believe their business is worse off today than it was six months ago, UP 25% since June.

• At the end of this year, the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts are set to expire if Congress does not act to extend to them. If the tax cuts are not extended, 17% of small businesses will stop their current plans to hire new employees, and even worse, 39% are unsure how their hiring plans may be impacted.

Read the full report   

Real Estate Boom on the Horizon?

The latest assessment of house prices in 2013 from JP Morgan Chase holds that there will be a sharp increase - somewhere between 3.4% and 9.7%. This aggressive forecast would mean that housing is set to be a major contributor to the economy next year. This is seen by some as the first real sign that all the Fed's encouragement is starting to take hold. Read More 

Q: We have just been contacted by a trustee concerning a preference payment allegedly received from a customer whose bankruptcy was discharged over two years ago. I thought there was a statute of limitations on preference claims from creditors? What should we do?

A: Yes, there is a statute of limitations but it is not based on the filing date but rather the date of the "entry for the order of relief". The "order for relief" is not automatic and has been known to commence several months after the date of the filing of the bankruptcy petition.  

We suggest you get a court register of the case filings (it can be acquired from PACER for a nominal fee) and see when the "order of relief" was entered. Secondly, contact a creditors rights attorney to review the documents and determine what to do.

- From Creditworthy E News 12/4/12

If you have a question, please submit it to the FICAP office
and we will publish the answer in our next newsletter.

Three Ways to Improve Customer Service   

• Ask and listen: It builds team spirit.
    
• Go the extra unexpected mile: It pays off in word-of-mouth advertising.    
• Personally connect with your customers: You may make a customer for life.  

- Dr. Alan Zimmerman