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For the second month in a row I’d like to put a plug in for our annual CSI Golf Tournament, the proceeds of which go towards our Scholarship Fund. Dave Spice is once again heading this effort and is looking for sponsors. Please contact him at DAS Products, 480-838-0821 or dspice@dasproducts.com Our Scholarship Fund, managed by the Ken Lockhart Foundation is one of our most worthy efforts and I urge each of you to support it. Especially in tough economic times such as these it is important to be a sponsor or donor. If your company can’t do that, at least sign up to play a round of golf and bring a client. |
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Well it’s goodbye to the Oughts (or as some say, the Naughts). Time Magazine even called it “The Decade from Hell”. We all know too well all the bad things that happened this past decade but I would prefer that each of us look back and reflect upon all the good things that happened. To start off with the Y2K disaster never happened; the World didn’t come to an end as several groups predicted; the Red Sox finally one a World Series as did our new Diamondbacks; the Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl; Bernie Madoff was put behind bars for 150 years; gasoline did not stay at $4.00 per gallon; we did not go into a cataclysmic Depression, etc, etc. |
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To all of those who volunteered at the CSI Booth during Greenbuild in November, my sincere thanks. The people from CSI National that ran the show were very professional and they appreciated having you there to answer all the questions from prospective members about our Phoenix Chapter. We believe that we did recruit several new members for the Chapter. |
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Well it’s the time of year again where I begin to Market my favorite volunteer effort, the Future City Competition. This is a National Competition open to 7th and 8th graders from any school, Public, Private, Parochial, Charter or Home Schooled children. The Competition lets the kids design their version of a City of the Future using the SimCity4 Deluxe software. |
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How many of you regularly read The Construction Specifier magazine that each member receives every month? Most Architectural Product Representatives I’m sure read articles on their company’s products (and their competitor’s) when they appear. Most Contractor’s I’m sure read articles that pertain to projects that they are planning or have currently under construction and most Architect’s/Engineer’s I’m sure read articles that pertain to their latest buildings/systems they are designing. Hopefully those members dedicated to writing specifications read a majority of the articles. |
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It was great seeing all the CSI Phoenix members who participated in the Trade Show at the AIA State Conference this past week. I think all will agree that the show was a success.
As I circulated throughout the room though a problem surfaced that I would like to discuss. |
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Greetings all CSI Phoenix Chapter Members and welcome to what we hope will be an enjoyable year for us all, both business wise and socially as well. I hope you all have had a great summer. Those of you who were able to get away to a cooler climate during what was the hottest July on record in Phoenix are the envy of those of us who stayed here and suffered. We'll enjoy hearing about it but please don't rub it in too much. |
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I can honestly say that no leader has ever won a battle single-handed. No company, even Arcadia has ever produced a first-class product without first-class people and providers. We celebrate the tradition and power of bold thinking, collaboration and diversity. History proves that none of us can be the best at everything. But when all us combine our strengths, we can and will be the best at virtually anything. Great families, friendships and neighborhoods; great sports teams, communities and schools; great customers, colleagues and companies--each is celebrated. The miracle is this: Teamwork has its own arithmetic. |
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These days, businesses are focusing more and more on the bottom line and their mere existence. This needs to be true about our chapter as well, not in terms of profit, but in terms of product. The best intentions and the kindest hearts in the world mean nothing unless positive action follows. We have the ability to increase our limited resources by using member volunteers; we can increase our presence, position and power in the same way. |
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The concept of "purpose," even the word itself, is something held in high regard by many, perhaps even most. Some describe purpose as giving them a general direction for their lives, while others even go so far as to allow it to prioritize the key choices required in their day-to-day living. And yet, many might find it difficult to describe what purpose is and, even more difficult, to honestly point to how they will use it in the daily choices they make. |
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If you are a designer who wants to prepare clear drawings and project specifications to ensure that you give your clients exactly what they want, if you are a contractor who wants to submit the bids that win jobs, if you are a building product manufacturer or representative who wants to have your product successfully and correctly installed in a building, or if you are an owner who wants to limit your liability by getting all members of the team on the same page .....then you belong with us ......The Construction Specification Institute (CSI).
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Wouldn't you think, just a little touch of personal accountability, we could have avoided a good chunk of this financial cluster of a problem that is affecting every single one of us. So what do think? Don't you think it is about time that CSI truly starts to embrace the various construction delivery mechanisms exercised in today's markets? And discover how CSI can begin to integrate itself within each method to improve the process. |
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Let The Sun Shine In
Fenestration and daylighting work hand in hand. To elevate and enrich the human experience is the power of architecture. Connecting us to daily life, clarifying our relationship with one another and to the realities of place and time is also a huge roll served by architecture. |
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INTEGRATING BUILDING CODES—WHAT A NOVEL IDEA
In this glorious Age of the Information Revolution, design professionals are clamoring to explore all the gizmos and gadgets that could assist them with the delivery of better design methods and particularly understanding and incorporating code-compliant design provisions within their projects. |
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BIM and KEN
I don't know whether to run like you know what or embrace this new technology. Will BIM be the death of design? Or will it free designers to enrich the creative process? Is it true—will we see fewer change orders? Will it ease collaboration, enhancing the overall project quality? |
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Interesting twist, wouldn't you say ? There is no question times are changing. The construction industry is constantly changing as new materials come on the market, new applications are found for existing materials, and construction techniques and delivery methods continue to evolve. |
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It’s hard to believe it; we’ve almost wrapped up another successful year for the Phoenix Chapter. Although I didn’t accomplish all that I wanted to while president, the Chapter did have several successful accomplishments this past year: |
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Self-Improvement
There are thousands of books, websites, and other sources available for the sole purpose of making you a better person. They focus on topics ranging from weight control to increasing self-confidence to overcoming shyness. But, the type of self-improvement I’m highlighting is professional-based; I’m speaking of improving your position in your current career. |
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What Does CSI Do For You?
I’ve been hearing it for some time now…companies are cutting back due to the downturn in construction. In turn, the cutbacks frequently include company-funded memberships in professional organizations such as the Construction Specifications Institute. If you’re like me, you probably belong to several professional organizations; and, without financial support from your company, you probably couldn’t continue your membership in most if not all of them. |
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A Chapter on the Verge of a Crisis?
Is the Chapter having money-related problems? No, the Chapter is financially sound. Is the Chapter losing members at an alarming rate? No, the Chapter has seen a healthy increase in new members these past few months. So, what is it? What could possibly push the Phoenix Chapter into a crisis? |
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