Herbert Construction Company Becomes First Certified Foundation Company in Georgia

This article originally appeared

in Concrete Facts Magazine

on May 29, 2018.

Mt. Vernon, Iowa – Concrete foundations constructed in the state of Georgia will now be produced by the state’s first CFA certified foundation company, Herbert Construction Company based in Marietta, Georgia.  “Certified Residential Foundation Company” is a program rating established by the Concrete Foundations Association, headquartered in Mount Vernon, Iowa, www.cfawalls.org, 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 Concrete Foundations Association™ of North America (CFA) created the Certified Residential Foundation Company over a decade ago. The program recognizes certified companies in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and now Georgia.

“The Certified Foundation Company program was an ideal extension of the Certified Residential Foundation Technician that is offered through the American Concrete Institute,” states Jim Baty, Executive Director for the CFA.  “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 knows the important sections of code documents was just the start.  This industry needed a recognizable standard for operation of a quality foundation company.”

Herbert Construction became involved early on in the program as company President, Doug Herbert, participated in the formation of the market development package offered to companies achieving the benchmark.  The aggressively growing economy set the wheels in motion for the company to follow up on its original intent to become a certified company. “It became increasingly important and eventually essential for us to show our region that we are serious about our foundations and this program,” states Doug Herbert.  “I became an ACI/CFA Certified Technician several years ago and all along it has been my intent to have the company follow suit.  This shows our current and future customers that we are committed to being the best company that we can be.  We’ve put in a considerable effort to become a Certified Residential Foundation Company.  Our employees are what makes this certification possible, and we believe this will set our company apart from other construction companies as we continue to hire great people to join our company.”

Company certification was the obvious next step in Herbert Construction’s consistent involvement in the CFA. From their multiple awards in the CFA’s annual Projects of the Year competition, to their leadership and involvement in the association’s Board of Directors. That was instilled in the second generation, family-run company early on from founder and CEO, Barry Herbert, his daughter and V.P. for the company, Amanda Morris and now Doug Herbert. A member of the CFA since 1992, the process to become a certified company forced the family to look deeper into their processes, understanding their safety culture and identifying new ways to step forward in their commitments.  “Certified companies must prove their safety programming, commitment to workforce safety and performance, financial stability and quality of relationships,” states Ed Sauter, CFA Manager for Certification Programs.

“I’m quite proud of the statement this certification makes to our company culture and to our customers,” states Barry Herbert.  “Our goal has always been to commit ourselves to leadership through our processes, our relationships and our performance.  We are very pleased to have been through this process as it demonstrated just how much we already knew about our company but also some new ways to improve our processes and our commitments.”

Message from Doug

Learning and Getting Better

It has been estimated that there are more than 150 concrete contractors in Metro Atlanta. Before the Great Recession, that number was well over 200 concrete contractors plying their trade in this metropolitan area.

That’s a lot of foundation contractors. In spite of that large number, our company was the only local contractor at the recent Concrete Foundations Association Convention – an event where concrete contractors go to learn how to be better contractors. (You can read more about that event on page 2.)

So, why is that? Why were we the only concrete contractor in all of Georgia to attend that important event? Are we the only foundation contractor in Metro Atlanta that cares about building better basements? Where were the other contractors?

If your concrete contractor isn’t interested in keeping up to date on codes, reducing jobsite injuries, and improving their business, then what are they interested in? Are they interested in doing the right thing? In ensuring that you are getting a straight, square, correct foundation?

If you have a problem with a foundation they put in for you, will they still be around in a year to fix it? Do they know how to prevent problems from occurring in the first place?

What kind of company have you chosen to construct your foundations – the most important part of your house?

They say that if you aren’t growing, then you are dying. I believe that. I think a similar truth can be said about business: If you aren’t getting better, then you are getting worse. Is your concrete contractor getting better or worse?

To Your Success,

While in Utah for the concrete convention (see article here...), my kids and I went to Moab, which was our home base for hiking in Arches National Park.

Herbert Construction Co. Attends Concrete Conference

We recently attended the Concrete Foundations Association Convention in Midway, Utah.

The Concrete Foundations Association is comprised of concrete foundation contractors throughout North America who are industry leaders in their local markets. Herbert Construction Co. has been a member of this great association since 1991.

We attend the Convention every year because it helps us become better contractors. It also allows us to stay on the leading edge of what is going on in our industry. We meet with other concrete contractors from around the country to learn best practices.

Herbert Construction was recognized during the awards dinner for becoming the first
Certified Foundation Contractor in Georgia. More on that in next month’s newsletter.

During the Convention, we attended seminars on important issues affecting our business such as:

¨ Jobsite Safety

¨ Hiring Laborers

¨ Risk Management

¨ Crane Safety

¨ Finances

¨ Leadership

¨ Company Operations

¨ Concrete Testing

In addition to seeing a great lineup of educational seminars, we shared ideas and learned about solutions by networking with our peers. Often, we’ve solved problems we were having just by talking with a fellow contractor that went through the same issue.

Doug Herbert Becomes
Vice President

Herbert Construction Co. has been active in the Concrete Foundations Association at the Board of Directors level for many years. Barry Herbert served many years on the Board and is a Past President of the association. Amanda Morris also served many years on the Board. Doug Herbert currently sits on the Board of Directors and was elected as Vice President of the association at the Convention.

Barry Herbert Joins
Legacy Committee

The association created a new committee within the organization, called the Legacy Committee. It is comprised of a select group of people that have contributed in a substantial way to the advancement of the association and the industry. It was created so the association can benefit from the vast amount of knowledge and experience these members have. Barry Herbert was chosen as a charter member of this committee.

Barry Herbert  (left) was chosen as a  charter member of the CFA’s Legacy Committee.

Doug’s Presentation

Doug Herbert was a seminar presenter at the convention. He gave a presentation to the attendees titled, “Increase Profits by Creating Systems in Your Company.” During the presentation he outlined his six steps to creating effective systems within a business that produce consistent, reliable results. The presentation was similar to his popular seminar that he often does in Las Vegas at the World of Concrete convention.

Doug Herbert gave a presentation that showed attendees how to
implement systems in their businesses.

Herbert Construction Is at it Again…

Each year the Concrete Foundations Association of North America hosts a competition to highlight the most challenging and technical projects completed throughout the country. Herbert Construction has won awards in this national competition for the last 6 years in a row.

For 2017, it is no surprise that we have submitted two more projects into this contest for “Project of the Year”.

Bildon Construction and Development

The first project we entered was a very large basement and multiple retaining walls for Rick Fierer at Bildon Construction and Development.

This project was so large that the bidding process took almost two years to finalize due to the complexity and plan changes that needed to be made. There were drastic elevation changes (50’ change from the street to the first floor) that required 11 different footing sizes. In addition, there were multiple radius walls in the project totaling 773 vertical feet of angled corners.

t-Olive Properties

Our second entry was very technical and consisted of 6 phases of construction for Brian and Randy Schiltz of t-Olive Properties. There were several things going on with this project, including concrete walls for a pool house with a slab on grade, a garage addition to the existing house and a stairway wall.  The most interesting part of this project is the elevated concrete structural slab that we constructed. This concrete slab is suspended above the garage to provide a lanai and open deck space as part of the renovation.  To add to the complexity of this project, the site was located in Midtown Atlanta and the property lines were so close that it was difficult to access the job using traditional equipment.

We love doing projects like these and would like to thank Rick Fierer, Brain Schiltz and Randy Schiltz for trusting our expertise and including us on these challenging projects.

Herbert Const. Co. Wins National Project of the Year Award

Glenn Gilbert (right) of Outsource Const. receives a 

Project of the Year Award from Doug Herbert.

Earlier this year we completed a commercial project for Glenn Gilbert of Outsource Construction. The project consists of two buildings that will house trendy restaurants and retail stores near the popular area of Howell Mill Rd. at I-75.

The project was so unique and interesting that we entered it into the Project of the Year competition held by the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA). For this competition, the best concrete contractors throughout North America submit their most challenging projects to vie for the prestigious award.

The entries are viewed and voted on at the World of Concrete convention in Las Vegas. More than 60,000 attendees from around the world attended this year’s convention.

And the Award Goes to…

We are pleased to announce that our project won the Project of the Year Award in the Commercial/Multi-Family category. This is our sixth year in a row to win a Project of the Year Award from the CFA.

The focal point of the restaurant/shopping area is this highly technical 

architectural concrete wall, which was constructed by 

Herbert Const. Co. and winner of a national Project of the Year Award.

For Glenn Gilbert of Outsource Construction, the project spanned nearly two years from inception to its current state. Glenn is building out the interior of Building 1 for a restaurant and professional offices. He is also beginning the shell of Building 2 now that the tenant profile has been firmed up.

Glenn has enjoyed seeing this project come to life and has been very satisfied with the outcome. Recently, we were able to speak with Glenn about his progress and marvel at the finishing touches being made since we completed the concrete work.

We presented Glenn with an award plaque as a way to say thank you for including us in this complex endeavor. We also imprinted a cake with an image of the concrete wall that we constructed as a fun way to celebrate the Award.

This project was smaller in nature than almost all of our other projects that we have submitted for the Project of the Year Award. However, what it lacked in size it more than made up for in its complexity.

Architectural Concrete Walls

The first building required highly technical work to create an architectural concrete wall that would serve as the focal point for the whole project.  What made this wall so special was that a large 12’-2 1/2” radius opening was created in the 18’-6” tall concrete wall. Patrons will walk through that concrete arch to enter the restaurant on the ground floor.

The architect and owner were very specific regarding the look they wanted to achieve for the architectural concrete wall. So, we decided that a different forming technique with specialized materials would achieve the aesthetic look.

We used a special forming system to attain the 

architectural concrete finish on the wall.

We chose an MDO plywood forming system to construct the wall. The large form for each section was built on the ground and tilted up into place using our boom truck. The form tie hole pattern was selected to provide a clean and uniform appearance. Also, to achieve the smooth finish requested by the architect and builder, a 4500 psi small aggregate concrete mix was used.

Our wall crews are accustomed to using our aluminum wall forms on a daily basis, so the plywood forming segment of this project required the assistance of Barry Herbert, CEO, who has extensive experience using this particular forming system. In addition, Mike Herbert, our Vice President of Construction, was called upon to supervise this unique project.

Tight Site Conditions

The second building that we constructed involved concrete footings and walls that would create a terrace level foundation. This building was squeezed into a very tight location, which required shoring of the existing soil to allow for a safe working area for our guys. 

The main level floor is concrete on metal decking, supported by steel I-beams. To accomplish this, 168’ of continuous angle iron was cast in place in the top of the 12’-0” tall wall. Eighteen beam plates were embedded in the face of the wall, and 80 anchor bolts were placed in the top of the wall for steel columns.

In addition to the structural steel considerations, a metal door frame and three window openings were placed in the wall.

The concrete walls had rebar reinforcing horizontally and vertically, on both faces. Vertical contraction joints in the wall with water stop added to the complexity of the project.

A Special Concrete Contractor

To celebrate the award, we gave Glenn Gilbert a cake that 

had an edible image of the project applied to the top of it.

When we spoke with Glenn Gilbert regarding the completion of this project he explained that he has never had to work with a poured wall contractor before. He stated, “I needed a special company, someone who had the knowledge to complete this type of concrete work to the specifications that were set. I was referred to you guys and I was impressed with your ability to accommodate our plans.”

There are very few concrete contractors in Metro Atlanta that can construct architectural concrete walls that match the design qualities that architects require.

“I consulted with Herbert Construction through several variations of this project. Once the development was released for construction, I knew that they were the ideal concrete contractor for this project,” Glenn said.

During our recent walk-through of the buildings, it was really nice to see how the architect, Andrew Robertson of ASD/SKY, designed them to fit in so well with the community in which they were built. Unique features include open Amphitheatre seating, stacked rock benches and exposed brick work inside the restaurant. We are proud to be a part of this project.

Thank you, Glenn, for involving us in this project. We hope to work with you on many more projects.

Vote for the Project of the Year

Voting Made Easy

If you would like to vote for one of the projects that we submitted to the Project of the Year competition for the CFA, it’s very easy to do! Just go online to www.CFAwalls.org and cast your vote from their website. 

Project # 6 is in the Single Family (greater than 5000 Sq. ft.) category.   

 

Project # 9 is in the Commercial/multi-family category.

World of Concrete Convention

By Doug Herbert

Concrete contractors and suppliers from around the world gather to discuss and
view innovative products and strategies that are currently available to our industry.

“How do we make our company an irreplaceable part of our clients’ business?”

“How do we continue to make ourselves more and more valuable to our clients?”

Those are some of the questions I had in mind as I attended the World of Concrete convention in Las Vegas last month.  I was searching for answers to these questions while walking the convention floors, as well as during my discussions with our peers in the industry. 

I was also looking for technology and equipment innovations that would save money, reduce manpower requirements, and speed up productivity.  While chatting with our contractor friends, I was listening for tips, tactics and strategies that could help us find and train new employees, and reduce labor costs.

As Treasurer of the association, Doug Herbert attended
the Concrete Foundations Association Board of Directors
meeting while in Las Vegas.

The World of Concrete convention is the largest annual gathering of concrete contractors in the world.  Attendees come from all over the globe.  This year’s event was the largest in seven years, signaling an overall improvement in the U.S. economy.

While at the event, I was able to find some answers to those questions.  I learned a few tools and techniques that will make us a better company.  These are things that will provide more value to our clients, improve our ability to hire and train laborers, be more productive, and remain the most professional foundation contractor in the southeast. 

Speaking Engagement

I was also at World of Concrete to give two presentations.  The organizers of the

The gold lot at the World Of Concrete is teeming
with vendors demonstrating many of the new
advancements in our industry on a sunny
Las Vegas afternoon.

massive event hired me to speak for two education sessions. 

During the first presentation, I showed 300 attendees how to create systems within their business for repeatable, predictable results.  For the second presentation, I shared effective marketing techniques that concrete contractors can use in their businesses.

This was the third year that I’ve been asked to speak at the event.  It was a great experience.  It is true that the teacher always learns more than the student.  This year was no exception to that.

Project of the Year Entry

Two Atlanta projects were on display at the convention.  Herbert Construction Co. completed the projects and entered them into the Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) Project of the Year competition.

The CFA is the voice and recognized authority of the residential foundation industry.  Our company is a long-time member of that great organization.  Each year the CFA holds its Project of the Year competition for the finest foundations constructed in North America.  Any of the 60,000+ attendees of the World of Concrete can vote on the Project of the Year entries during the convention.  Our company is a five-time winner of the award.

This year we submitted two projects for that competition.  The first project is an enormous single-family residence foundation that we constructed for Brody Dernehl of the Dernehl Company. 

The second project we submitted was in the commercial category.  That project includes a beautiful architectural concrete wall and building foundation at a shopping complex for Glenn Gilbert of Outsource Construction.

The voting for the competition ends in a few weeks.  Wish us luck!