January/February 2014 Newsletter - Construction Specifications

Transcription

January/February 2014 Newsletter - Construction Specifications
NASHVILLE
SPECIFACTS
•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014•
www.csinashville.org
WANT TO ADVERTISE
YOUR COMPANY BY
HAVING YOUR
BUSINESS CARD IN
THE SPECIFACTS?
CONTACT
VICKIE LONG FOR
INFORMATION.
CONSTRUCT offers a relevant, accredited education program, an expansive exhibit hall floor filled with the latest
services, products and technologies, as well as a myriad
of networking opportunities. In conjunction with the CSI
Annual Convention, the event is coupled with technical
tours, activities and special events. CONSTRUCT is the
only dedicated national event specifically designed to
provide the commercial building team real-world, practical products and education solutions.
Find hundreds of exhibitors with the newest trends and
practices on the show floor and, with non-conflicting
hours, attend your choice of over 50 accredited courses. The education program sessions, taught by experts,
offer AIA LUs and HSWs and GBCI CE. Unparalleled networking opportunities include the Welcome Reception,
the CSI Night Out event and other social events.
We look forward to seeing you in Charm City.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 1
Benefits and Opportunities 2013-2014
As a CSI Nashville Chapter member, you get many benefits. As in all organizations, you must engage to reap the
rewards. Here are some of our benefits and how you can get involved.
Networking This is probably the single best benefit of your CSI membership. Monthly meetings and various
events throughout the year provide many, many opportunities to network. Also by volunteering and working
on committees, you can really get to know your fellow professionals. Many of our members have become best
friends for life. People tend to do business with folks they know, trust, and like. So get involved! Contact our
President, Jim Christain to learn more about committees needing help @ [email protected].
Certification The CSI Program of Certifications is designed to educate, inform and validate those in all areas of
design and construction. The Nashville CSI Chapter aggressively promotes the CDT program which is the basis
for the three certifications: CCS, CCCA and CCPR. Starting in January each year the Nashville Chapter provides
10 weeks of two hour classes focused on the Construction Documents Technologist criteria. The Construction
Documents Technology Certificate is a comprehensive overview for anyone who writes, interprets, enforces, or
manages construction documents. Classes are open to anyone interested. You do not need to be a member and
there is no cost to attend. To find out more about CSI and the CDT and other Certification program check www.
csinet.org and click on the Certification menu item. In addition to the CDT classes, the chapter provides assistance for candidates who intend to take the CCS, CCCA or CCPR exams. This assistance can be tailored to meet
specific needs. The CDT classes will cover MasterFormat, UniFormat, AIA A201 – 2007 General Conditions and
other documents commonly used in construction. For more information contact: Carl Manka @ Carl.Manka@
tbr.edu
Monthly Meetings Ten monthly meetings per year – held the third Tuesday of each month at the Adventure
Science Center at 11:30. Lunch is provided in local membership dues. You must RSVP prior to meetings. We
strive to provide AIA credits for many of our meetings. Networking with fellow professionals and learning about
new local projects are also benefits of attending. We do not schedule a meeting in July and December. The October meeting is our Product Show. Contact Devin Righter @ [email protected] to get on our meeting announcement and RSVP list.
Spec Heads This group meets the second Tuesday of every month and is designed primarily for spec writers. A vendor provides the program each month and complimentary box lunches for attendees. AIA credit for
attending. You must RSVP. Contact Jerry Curtis at [email protected] to get on the announcement list or to
provide an AIA program.
Product Show Held in October at LP Field, home of the Titans. We normally have many, many vendor booths
as well as seminars through-out the day that offer AIA continuing education credits. Free lunch and reception to
all attendees. This is our single largest event of the year. Contact Melanie Kenney at
[email protected] to find out more about our upcoming show Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 2
Benefits and Opportunities 2013-2014 cont...
Golf Tournament Contact Steve Honey @ [email protected] for information. This event
will be held at the Old Hickory Golf Course on Monday, May 12th 2014. We will be partnering with IFMA and
IIDA.
Holiday Party Sometimes we hold our own event and sometimes we partner with other groups.
Thirsty Thursday Events Thirsty Thursday events are held the first Thursday of each month at various local
restaurants where CSI partners with IIDA and IFMA to provide free appetizers and opportunities to meet fellow
construction professionals.
Awards Our chapter gives out awards to individuals who work hard for our chapter. We also submit for regional and national awards for our chapter and for individuals. We have a very special awards banquet every year to
celebrate those achievements, open to all chapter members. Contact Troy Williams @ [email protected]
to find out more.
On-Line Education
on Facebook.
Webinars are offered to CSI members regularly. Join a chat group on Linkedin. See us also
Emerging Professional Sponsorship Program There is a program available for folks entering their careers as
construction professionals (within three years of employment in the Nashville area) to receive a one year benefit of $50 total dues. CSI Nashville will pay the balance of the cost for selected recipients. Deadline to submit
applications is April 20th, 2014. Contact Jarrod Finger @ [email protected] for more information or an
application.
Regional Meetings The CSI Gulf States Region holds two meetings per year where you can get involved with
folks throughout the southeast. The Leadership Meeting that is held each fall is great for new members wanting
to learn about particular committees.
Institute Convention Once a year in the fall, there is a CSI Convention held in a major city. Nashville was the
designated city in 2013 and will be again because of the positive response and attendance from that event.
Many, many CSI Nashville Chapter volunteers made this event so successful.
CSI Academies Once a year, during the first quarter of the year, there is an educational gathering of CSI members and educators to discuss technical issues for Specifiers, Contract Administrators, and Product Representatives. The educational sessions are provided over a 2 ½ day period, providing education by presenters of various
backgrounds who use real world experience. The 2014 event will be held at the end of this month March 27-29
in Indianapolis, Indiana. Contact CSI directly for more information: [email protected].
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 3
JANUARY ANNIVERSARIES!!!
RANDY HOFFMAN
DALTILE
33 YEARS
JEFF E. MEYERS
20 YEARS
RICK JONES
T.W. FRIERSON CONTRACTOR, INC.
30 YEARS
GERALD SULLIVAN
GERALD M. SULLIVAN, INC.
20 YEARS
TIMOTHY YOKO
THOMAS, MILLER & PARTNERS
12 YEARS
DAVID E. SCOTT
McCARTHY JONES & WOODARD
26 YEARS
F. ODELL PULLEN
F. ODELL PULLEN, ARCHITECT/SCULPTOR
18 YEARS
SONNY McKELLAR
CARLISLE SYNTEC SYSTEMS
2 YEARS
DARREN PATTON
ISENHOUR DOOR INSTALLATION SOLUTIONS, LLC
4 YEARS
AJA BALDWIN
1 YEAR
CINDY SEARCY
McGRAW-HILL CONSTRUCTION
1 YEAR
NEW MEMBERS!!!
JEFFREY CASELLA
GILBERT McLAUGHLIN CASELLA ARCHITECTS PLC
FEBRUARY
ANNIVERSARIES!!!
MATT BETTINSON
PELLA WINDOWS AND DOORS
WARREN KIRKLAND
KINGSPAN INSULATED PANELS NORTH AMERICA
TOM WILLIAMS
WILLIAMS COATING CONSULTANTS
27 YEARS
ERIC J. LUNDQUIST
ATAS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
8 YEARS
ANTHONY COLLINS
INPRO CORPORATION
2 YEARS
RYAN BELL
ROYAL ADHESIVES
2 YEARS
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 4
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Welcome Spring and a big Thank You to the Gate Precast Company. Our
first field trip of 2014 was amazing. Those guys are problem solvers and
artists in concrete with a little reinforcing. If you ever consider precast you
should take this tour. Upcoming field trips planned so far: a sheet metal
shop, a new University building and a tilt up project. We would also like to
tour Ford Glass, or whatever the name is now, if you know someone.
I’ve been to California since the last newsletter. Those people are so funny. They are so PC/green and difficult
about everything but yet they won’t work on their problems. They have no reliable water sources yet they won’t
rebuild their leaky old distribution system. They are so concerned with energy yet most of their buildings are
uninsulated. I freeze when I’m out there. I am reminded of the old saying “you can’t see the forest for the trees.”
They do have urban living figured out. Even the worst parts of San Francisco have been renovated. Every building is occupied. The streets are full. Crowded roads, expensive gas and expensive parking encourage urban living
and using public transportation.
Our membership drive is showing results. All you have to do is get one new member and then we double. AIA
Middle TN, for instance, has as many EP members as we have members. Jarrod Finger is doing a magnificent
job revamping our old sponsorship program and focusing on emerging professionals. Please contact him if you
have a candidate.
The following is excerpted from Coleman Brown, GSR membership chairman.
“These chapters are up for the year to date Nashville + 30, Baton Rouge. +7, Mobile
+ 6. We have 1,034 members in our Region.
Here is a crazy success story that happened to me today that I will never forget.
Today’s CSI March meeting announcement is from CSI Baton Rouge President
Eric Kimbrough. It heralds our March 11 meeting promotion of Interior Design
Month to fellow LSU design students by Tracy Manual. Sadly this email can’t send
you the incredible design Tracy has for the engraved invitation too. I’m in tears,
because these two are in love with CSI and what you have given them. All I did
was buy them a $25 student membership. Tracy last fall and Eric several years ago.
Tomorrow morning, I’m meeting a contractor who simply can’t wait to join CSI.
He will get to give away a free one year membership in the Institutes Buy One get
one program underway. See more information about this great opportunity in this
issue of Specifacts.
Invest in CSI. What greater reward is there than mentoring students and fellow professionals with all the great tips and certifications we share daily.”
See you at the April meeting and please bring a potential member.
Your President,
Jim Christain
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 5
Emerging Professionals Sponsorship Program
The Construction Specification Institute continually strives to incorporate a variety of opportunities for members. Benefits and opportunities for members include many educational opportunities: access to webinars,
self-paced online education, live education during chapter meetings and free CDT (Construction Documents
Technologists) , CCPR (Certified Construction Product Representative), etc classes taught by local seasoned professionals, and an opportunity to qualify for those certifications. Many networking and fellowship opportunities
are provided to get you acquainted with fellow professionals in the construction field.
This year, we are striving to provide easy access to the CSI Nashville Chapter for those emerging professionals
who have recently been employed within the last three years in a construction related field and are operating in
the Nashville, Tennessee area.
This sponsorship offers assistance with Institute and local chapter dues providing access to the many CSI benefits
and resources and relieving most of the financial obligation of the member fees for the first year - the recipient
will only be responsible for $50 dues. All other fees and expenses will be absorbed by the CSI Nashville Chapter.
This is a benefit of $195 to the recipient to experience our organization and all that we offer for one year and to
get immediately involved in the Nashville Construction community. This opportunity is only available to those
who wish to pursue a career in the field of architecture, engineering, construction, product representation, or
any other “approved” construction-related field.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Be a recent graduate or a person within their first three years of employment within a construction or design
related field in the Nashville area. Non-paying internship positions will also be considered.
- Possess a serious career driven attitude, good character, leadership qualities, and well-rounded personal
development and be willing to commit to attendance at a majority of our monthly meetings held on the third
Tuesday of each month at the Adventure Science Center at 11:30 AM.
-It is recommended that applicants have a CSI member advisor.
Deadline for applications for the 2013/2014 fiscal year is April 20, 2014.
Those interested in applying for this sponsorship should contact:
Jarrod Finger
[email protected]
615.953.9474, ext. 704
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 6
Emerging
Professionals
Scholarship
Application
Emerging
Professionals
Scholarship
Application
Emerging
Professionals Sponsorship
Application
Purpose:
Purpose:
To
To encourage
encourage and
and assist
assist qualified
qualified emerging
emerging professionals
professionals and
and students
students who
who wish
wish to
to pursue
pursue aa career
career in
in field
field of
of
engineering,
engineering, architecture,
architecture, or
or other
other construction-related
construction-related field
field so
so they,
they, in
in turn,
turn, might
might further
further the
the goals
goals and
and exemplify
exemplify
the
the ideals
ideals of
of the
the Construction
Construction Specification
Specification Institute.
Institute.
See
See Attached
Attached for
for Eligibility
Eligibility Requirements
Requirements
(Please
(Please print
print all
all information)
information)
1.
1.
Last
Last Name
Name
First
First Name
Name
Middle
Middle Initial
Initial
Suffix
Suffix
2.
2. Current
Current Mailing
Mailing Address______________________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________________________
3.
3.
Permanent
Permanent Mailing
Mailing Address
Address (if
(if different
different from
from current
current address)
address)
4.
4. Current
Current Telephone
Telephone No..
No..
Permanent
Permanent Telephone
Telephone No.
No.
5.
5. Are
Are you
you an
an active
active student
student member
member of
of the
the Nashville
Nashville Chapter
Chapter CSI?
CSI?
Yes
Yes
No
No
.N/A____
.N/A____
66 Sponsoring
Sponsoring member
member or
or Educator
Educator (recommended,
(recommended, not
not required):
required):
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7.
7. IfIf you
you have
have graduated
graduated from
from or
or are
are currently
currently attending
attending aa post
post secondary
secondary institution,
institution, please
please fill
fill in
in the
the following:
following:
College/University/School
College/University/School
Major
Major
College/University/School
College/University/School
Major
Major
88 Please
Please indicated
indicated your
your area
area of
of concentration:
concentration:
Architecture____Engineering____Contraction____Owner____Product
Architecture____Engineering____Contraction____Owner____Product ____Representative____
____Representative____
Finance____Legal____Other,
Finance____Legal____Other, please
please explain______________________________________
explain______________________________________
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 7
9. List areas of interest of being involved in CSI or areas of interest (i.e. continuing education, networking, team
building, etc.):
10. Your Signature____________________________________________
Date_____________________
Applications must be postmarked no later than April 20, 2014 and mailed to:
CSI
Sponsorship/
CSI
Scholarship/
c/oc/o
WiSEngineers,
WiSEngineers, Inc.
Inc.
attn:
Jarrod
attn.:
JarrodFinger
Finger
4011
Armory
Drive
4011
ArmoryOaks
Oaks Drive
Nashville,
Nashville,TN
TN 37204
37204
WHAT YOU MISSED...
JANUARY CHAPTER MEETING: GIARRATANA DEVELOPMENT
1/21/2014
http://giarratana.com/
Current projects and their approach to contractor selection and construction pricing.
From Left to Right
Phil Meadows, CFO; Loretta Baltz; Ted Kromer, Development Director; and Rick Jones
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 8
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 9
WHAT YOU MISSED...
FEBRUARY CHAPTER MEETING: THE AMP
2/18/2014
Have you heard about the Amp?
The Amp is a proposed bus rapid transit
system that will make travel faster and
more efficient along a 7.1 mile route,
from Five Points in East Nashville, down
Main Street into downtown, across Fifth
Avenue to Broadway, then out West End
Avenue, ending at Saint Thomas Health’s
West Campus.
Jay Everett, ASLA, AICP, CLARB, LEED® AP
Jay Everett is a registered landscape architect and certified
planner who joined Lose & Associates in June 2006, having
graduated from Mississippi State University with a BLA and
a Minor in Fine Arts.
He holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master
Science in Sustainability from Lipscomb University. As a professional, Jay has developed a versatile range of planning
and design abilities.
He has worked on a wide variety of projects from planning
documents and master plans to construction documents
and details. He Co-Chaired the Middle Tennessee Section
of TN ASLA in 2010 and 2011 and is a member of the Board
of Directors for Transit Now Nashville, a non-profit transit advocacy group. He is an active participant in the Nashville
design and development community through ULI, NAIOP,
and the Nashville Civic Design Center. Jay is an advocate
for the application of smart growth principles and is passionate about incorporating sustainable practices into all areas of
real estate development.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 10
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 11
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 12
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 13
Up Next...Join us for our monthly CHAPTER meetings on
the THIRD Tuesday from 11:30-1:00
at the Adventure Science Center
APRIL CHAPTER MEETING
Ken Hinton, FAIA
Tuck Hinton Architects
http://tuck-hinton.com/
4/15/2014
THE TEMPLE MOUNT IN JERUSALEM: AN ARCHITECTURAL JOURNEY
Incredible architecture, fascinating history, religious intrigue, unsolved mysteries
Sanctus Locus
The Most Sacred Place on Earth
For centuries, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has been one of the most, if not the most, sacred places
on an ever-shrinking planet. It has contained several religious structures, architectural wonders documented in holy books and by noted historians. Currently, the site is the location of the spectacular
Dome of the Rock shrine, and a portion of the acropolis-like mount’s supporting wall known as the
Western Wall. It is an embattled place, one that has been repetitively sanctified, conquered, enlarged,
pillaged, destroyed, and reconstructed. Adaptive reuse is an understatement.
The purpose of this seminar is to explain the ancient history of the site, share the known information
about the numerous religious buildings that have been erected at this location, and explore the fascinating evolution of the property. Many myths surround this unique place, some based in fact, others in
fiction, and these will be examined. The seminar concludes with an overview of the location’s current
political status, existing structures, and recent archaeological investigations on its past architectural
masterpieces.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 14
Up Next...Join us for our monthly SPECHEADS meetings on the
SECOND Tuesday from 11:30-1:00
at Southland Brick and Block Design Center
Spec Head April 8th
Process Innovation – Rough Screed
Presenter will be: Tim Kehayias, Ardex Engineered Cements
In new construction applications, ARDEX Concrete Management Systems (ACMS) save time
and labor costs by eliminating the traditional
steel trowel step in the finishing process. Using
this system, the contractor will only place, consolidate, strike off and bull-float/restraighten the
surface and allow the bleed-water to dissipate.
Following a wet-cover cure (3 to 7 day min.) and
surface brush blast, a layer of ARDEX self-leveling underlayment is installed either immediately
after deflection or during interior build out. In
some cases, the system can be installed first
using an ARDEX Moisture Control System to
allow almost immediate installation of finished
flooring while mitigating any future risks resulting from moisture emissions from the slab. The
resulting finish delivers a concrete substrate capable of meeting the most demanding flatness
and levelness tolerances for both the flooring
and other interior trades while eliminating unplanned leveling and delays.
Spec Heads May 13th
Ardex
We will be giving a brief overview of our new
ACMS / Ardiflo, Ardex Concrete Management
System after the presentation.
Spec Heads August 12th
Ameristar Fence Products-Wayne Norman
Spec Heads June 10th
The Renaissance of Steel Windows
Spec Heads July 15th
Dal-Tile Flatwork Natural Stone National
This class is designed for Architects, Designers and
Landscape Architects to gain a full understanding
of natural stone as a building material.
Learn more about the various stones: granite, Limestone, Marble, Travertine, Slate, Onyx Serpentine,
Sandstone and Quartzite.
Obtain information about quarrying techniques,
fabrication and finishing methods.
With this understanding you will enhance your
ability to select the right stone, fabrication technique and finish for your project.
CSI NASHVILLE CHAPTER
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Visit our webpage at
http://www.csinashville.org/events.php
This calendar is a live Google calendar so anyone using an Android smartphone or iOS (Apple) can link
to it quickly and get chapter events on their calendars
and agendas. Please contact Devin Righter with any
questions.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 15
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS...
Gulf States Region Conference | May 16-17, 2014 | New Orleans, LA
Early registration for the conference ended on 1-20-14.
Let’s send a large group to represent the Nashville Chapter!
For more information visit: http://gulfstates.csinet.org/
And remember our monthly Hump Day Happy Hour now known as...
THIRSTY
THURSDAY
we can promise lots of fun networking with great people from three organizations
Be watching for more information on a tour
of the new MTSU Science Building. Scheduled to be Substantially Complete in May
2014, this $100 million project is the largest
in TBR history, and it is the first science building built on MTSU’s campus since 1967.
Thomas, Miller & Partners, LLC
Hastings Architecture Associates, LLC
HOPE TO SEE
YOU
THERE!!!
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 16
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 17
CSI BOGO
BUY-ONE/GIVE-ONE MEMBER REFERRAL CAMPAIGN
You already know involvement in CSI is a good investment. Now you
can share CSI with others who haven’t yet experienced the benefits of
membership. When you recruit one professional member who joins,
CSI will provide you with one membership to GIVE to a potential
new member.* You’ll be able to sponsor another colleague in CSI, and
make your network and chapter that much stronger.
How it works:
Recruit an individual to join as a professional member. Make sure they enter your name and member number under “Member Referral Information.” (They need to have the right information about you!)
CSI will send you a membership to give to a potential new member. We will mail you a special membership certificate to give to someone who is not a CSI member, good for one full year of CSI membership.
The person to whom you give your gift will need to join by the deadline cited on the certificate.
All new memberships are for one year. Renewal fees will be at full price.
This offer cannot be applied to renewals – including renewing your own membership.
Former members who left CSI more than two years ago are eligible to receive this gift.
Chapter dues are not covered by this offer.
With your help, we can recruit others in the industry to join our ever-growing community. For your help, CSI will
also award you 25 CSI Bucks for purchasing CSI products or services.
Don’t know your member number? To get credit for your recruiting efforts, the new member must put your member number on their membership form. Forgot your number? Look it up:
Log onto CSInet.org
Click “Update Profile”
Find your number under “Supplementary Information”
Contact CSI Member Services [email protected] at 800-689-2900 if you have difficulty retrieving your Member
Number.
Let your recruits know how valuable this gift is, why you gave it to them, and what they can get out of it. Encourage them to join a chapter, invite them to meetings, introduce them to other members, and help them start taking
advantage of CSI.
*This offer cannot be combined with other offers and is only valid for new membership. Former members who
left CSI more than two years ago are eligible to receive this gift. Chapter dues are not included in this offer. This
offer is currently for professional membership only.
For more information check out the link below:
http://csinet.org/Main-Menu-Category/Membership/Individual-Membership/Quick-Tasks-Individual-Membership/CSI-BOGO-Program.html
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 18
How did we get here? Membership
In the LinkedIn CSI Leaders group, Joy Davis recently began a series of discussions under the heading
#CSIStats. The goal, as expressed in the first post of the series, is "helping CSI leaders understand where
CSI stands by sharing facts about the Institute … to help you start and participate in discussions about who
CSI is and where the Institute should go in the future."
Each discussion has started with a few membership statistics about who members are and what they do,
followed by links for recommended reading, and a question to start a discussion.
As often happens, each discussion has had a brief flurry of responses, then died. Part of the problem, which
affects everything we do, is the limited number of participants. Because this is a locked LinkedIn group, discussion necessarily is limited to members of the group, who number 503. Still, these are by definition leaders
of CSI, so it's not a bad place to have a discussion, though it would be good to seek input from the general
membership. That is being done through the Institute website, where the posts are available to all. To date,
they have garnered a total of three comments. (Contrary to popular belief, posting something to a website
does little to get the word out, as few people visit websites except when looking for specific information.)
In Week 4 I posted a few statistics about the discussion.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Members: 11,000 plus or minus
Emerging professionals: 500 plus or minus
Board members: 18 (Only one is not a member of the CSI Leaders group)
Institute committees, task teams: 43
(I didn't count the members, but I suspect there are hundreds)
Participants in CSIStats discussion: 24
Board members in discussions: 3
FCSI in discussions: 12
Elders in discussions: 12
Emerging professionals in discussions: 0
To be fair, it's unusual for emerging professional members to be in leadership roles (though I'm sure they
would be admitted to this group if they asked), so their lack of participation here is not surprising. However,
similar statistics are found in other LinkedIn groups, in 4specs discussions, and elsewhere. In essence, it's a
problem that plagues us in all areas: we spend a lot of time preaching to the choir.
We advertise for members in our own publications, and we ignore the many potential members who are engineers. We claim to be an organization that represents all who are involved in construction, yet ignore two
of the most important groups: owners and contractors. We do a good job telling our members about coming
events, but rarely go outside to invite non-members to our meetings. We tell each other about awards members have received, but make no effort to tell others what our members have done or why the awards are
important. And we talk a lot about getting younger people involved, but it seems we spend our time talking
about them, not with them.
In the next few posts, I'm going to add some context to our discussions. The membership statistics that have
been presented on LinkedIn are interesting, but by themselves it's hard to know what they mean. How are we
doing compared to other organizations? It's obvious that we're suffering, but is that unique? Are other organizations facing the same problems? I'm not saying it's o.k. to have trouble recruiting new members because
everyone else has the same problem, but it would help to know if what we’re experiencing is a result of what
we do or don’t do, or if it’s a result of societal changes.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 19
By now, I'm sure most members are aware that our membership is declining, but I doubt that more than a few
know how our membership has changed over the years. The graph shows our membership curve, from our
beginning in 1948 to the present.
I'm not indicating specific numbers for a couple of reasons. For most years, I relied on anecdotal reports I
found in narrative histories written by various members, and those numbers didn't always agree. For the period 1999 through 2007, I used figures obtained from reports I received while serving on the Institute board.
There are many years before 1999 for which I have no information, but adding those numbers would not materially affect the curve. I recall seeing claims that our membership was near 19,000 several years ago, but I
was unable to find confirmation, so I left the curve as you see it, topping out at just over 18,000.
It has been suggested that part of the reason for the falling membership after 2000 has been the economy,
and indeed, we have had some bad times since then. However, during the first forty years, we went through
eight recessions, in 1949, 1953, 1958, 1960, 1969, 1973, and 1980. Despite those slowdowns, membership
grew. The graph indicates the economy probably had some effect, but the trend was always up.
Since 1988, we have had more recessions. As might be expected, they had an adverse effect on membership, but subsequent recoveries had no restorative effect. And now, even during an improving economy, the
trend continues down.
The question, then, is this: What is different now? Why did membership grow the first forty years, despite
economic conditions, and why is it not now responding to an improving business climate? It's easy to blame
the economy, but I don't think that argument holds up.
© 2014, Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CSC
Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments at http://swconstructivethoughts.blogspot.com/ and http://
swspecificthoughts.blogspot.com/.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 20
DIRECTORS
Mark Buck, Chapter Director
(615) 973-2013
[email protected]
Jarrod Finger, Chapter Director
(615) 953-9474 ext. 704
(615) 658-8145 fax
[email protected]
OFFICERS
Jim Christain, President
(615) 386-9962
(615) 495-1971 cell
[email protected]
Eric Lundquist, Immediate Past President
(615) 681-2484
[email protected]
Rick Jones, President Elect
(615) 367-1333
(615) 367-6918 fax
[email protected]
Kevin Russell, Chapter Director
(615) 767-6139
[email protected]
Melanie Kenney, 2nd VP
(615) 979-9497
[email protected]
Jack Potter, Treasurer
(615) 370-8500
(615) 370-8530 fax
[email protected]
Randy Huffman, Chapter Director
(513) 256-7360
[email protected]
Devin Righter, Chapter Director
(615) 690-7200
[email protected]
Jerry Curtis, 1st VP
(615) 790-2828
[email protected]
Dan Cress, Secretary
(615) 377-9773
(615) 370-4147 fax
[email protected]
Steve Honey, Chapter Director
(615) 533-7886
[email protected]
About Us...
Founded in 1948, CSI is a non-profit technical organization dedicated to the advancement
of construction technology through communication, research, education, and service. CSI
serves the interests of architects, engineers, specifiers, contractors, product manufacturers, and
others in the construction industry.
Specifacts is published monthly by the
Nashville Chapter CSI. This publication acts as
a moderator without approving, disapproving
or guaranteeing the validity or accuracy of any
data, claims or opinions appearing under a byline
or obtaining or quoted from an acknowledged
source. The Chapter does not constitute any
endorsement of products featured in advertisements.
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 21
COMMITTEE CHAIRS & CO-CHAIRS
Kevin Russell, Academic Liaison
(615) 767-6139
[email protected]
Devin Righter, Membership
(615) 690-7200
[email protected]
Troy Williams, Awards
(615) 356-9911
(615) 352-6737 fax
[email protected]
Tiffany Goulet, Electronic
Communication
(615) 333-1000
(615) 333-1006 fax
[email protected]
Jerry Curtis, Programs
(615) 790-2828
[email protected]
Beth Hargis, Publications/Editor
(615) 370-8500
(615) 370-8530 fax
[email protected]
Carl Manka, Certification
(615) 504-6625
(615) 366-3992 fax
[email protected]
Loretta Baltz, Friendship
(615) 844-1017
(615) 250-9425 fax
[email protected]
Jarrod Finger, EP
Sponsorship Chair
(615) 953-9474 ext. 704
(615) 658-8145 fax
[email protected]
Jerry Curtis, Technical
(615) 790-2828
[email protected]
Tom Parshall, Planning
(615) 399-5275
(615) 399-5285 fax
[email protected]
Melanie Kenney, Product Show
(615) 979-9497
[email protected]
Vickie Dyer Long, Product Show Vice-Chair
(615) 844-1017
(615) 250-9425 fax
[email protected]
Michael Gober, Education
(615) 351-7468
[email protected]
Nashville Chapter CSI
Contact Us
www.csinashville.org
Construction Specifications Institute
P.O. Box 25267
Nashville, TN 37202
BE SURE TO CHECK US OUT ON
LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK, AND TWITTER!!!
CSI NASHVILLE CHAPTER
SPECIFACTS•JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 22