SOUTHWEST BREEZES
 ADVANCING BUILDING INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND EDUCATION OF
PROJECT TEAMS TO IMPROVE FACILITY PERFORMANCE 
March 2016

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UPCOMING SW REGION CONFERENCE

 Training, inspiration, education and connections, all in beautiful Salt Lake City!






TIME TO TRY A REGION CONFERENCE

 
Back in 2007 my career took me in a new direction.  I had earned a position within a roofing products company as a product representative.  I identified my first challenge, I didn't know anyone in the construction industry.  I decided to join CSI for the opportunity to network with anyone and everyone in the industry that I could.  In those early days it was all about what can CSI do for me.  But quickly I realized that I can't belong to something without getting involved.  So I approached the President of the Las Vegas chapter, Joe Morales RRO CSI, and asked if there were any opportunities for me to help.  My first role was House Chair, what a valuable experience that was.  I very quickly met and became friendly with the usual suspects that attend the monthly meetings. 

I was invited by the chapter board to attend my first Regional Conference organized by the Pikes Peak Chapter.  It was in Colorado Springs that I quickly realized that CSI is more than just what takes place at a chapter meeting.  I met so many great people and really understood what it means to be a part of CSI.  It wasn't about how can CSI make me more successful.  It became more about volunteering my time to help move forward the mission of CSI and make sure it continues to be there for the future. 

We are less than a month out from the 2016 Southwest Region Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you have never attended a Regional Conference I strongly encourage you to come join us in Salt Lake City.  CSI is more than just what happens at the chapter level.  It's a bigger community than realized by only visiting one a month at a dinner or luncheon.  It's okay if you can't volunteer for a position within your chapter.  You will come back with a renewed interest in how this great organization can benefit from having you as a member.  Even if you have attended a Regional Conference in the past I assure you this year is going to be an amazing event.  The Salt Lake Chapter has some great events and classes scheduled and plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy time with your fellow members.  This year my goal is to come away with some new ideas on how I can better myself as a Trusted Advisor not only for my clients but within CSI for members and non-members alike. 

Paul R. Ricciuti II, CSI
President, CSI SW Region

CSI West, Northwest and Southwest Regions Booth at ASC Competition

 
ASC Student Competition Report
 
Regions 6 and 7 of the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) held their annual student competition in Sparks, Nevada on February 10th through the 14th.  The West, Northwest and Southwest regions represented CSI at the competition.  Participating were Duane Johnson, Eric Camin, and Sheryl and Dane Dodd-Hanson from the West Region, Gene Fosheim from the Northwest region and myself for the Southwest Region.
 
This year's ASC Region 6 & 7 Student Completion consisted of 181 teams made up of 5 to 8 students representing 46 schools competing in 16 categories.  Each category consisted of problem statements developed and judged by a general contractor experienced in the field the category was based on.  For a complete listing of the schools in attendance, the categories competed in and the list of winners, visit the ASC region 6 & 7 website and go to the student competition page.
 
During the event, we were able to reach out to several educators who are very interested in exploring opportunities for our chapters to participate in their program.  The educators are all very aware of who CSI as it relates to topics such as MasterFormat®, unfortunately, they are unaware of how many resources CSI has that can assist them in their efforts. Even more impressive than watching 1600 construction students, collage faculty and contractors move through a buffet (man they can pack away some food...) was seeing the opportunity available to CSI to become more involved and relevant to the construction side of our organization.    My goal is to work with each chapter to follow up with these educators and increase CSI's visibility within the construction project management community.  Plan on hearing more from me very soon.
 
Mike Young, CCCA
Vice President, CSI SW Region





INSTITUTE REPORT

 

David A. Bishton, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, SCIP, Institute Board Member

FY16 has been a busy year for Institute leadership. President Lane Beougher and Executive Director Mark Dorsey have directed the Board into a detailed evaluation of our structure and goals, with the intent of improving both the Board's and staff's efficiency and to focus the Board on the health of the CSI "forest." This includes good evaluation techniques and understanding of accountability. It has long been easy for CSI leaders to be distracted in the "trees" (even branches and twigs) of operations in an organization like CSI. Staff are likewise frequently diverted from primary responsibilities in the complex web of communications and directives they receive.
We met face-to-face in January and will again in March to flesh out the structure and future directions for CSI. While at times the process seems agonizingly slow, the big picture for this evaluation is that  FY16 is just the beginning of an effective structure for CSI's long term future. More info soon at the Region Conference, I promise!
I'm glad to be on the ground floor of a new CSI and have enjoyed the Board experience so far. There are many, many good leaders on it. I look forward to seeing you in Salt Lake City.

Excerpts from Southwest Region Director Report to the Board, February 2016
  • Southwest Region membership: After declines of 7-16% in FY2015, membership in 7 of our 8 chapters has generally stabilized or increased slightly during FY2016 to date, with Denver and Phoenix Chapters showing the largest increases at approx. 4%. Overall Southwest Region membership, including non-affiliated, is down approx. 5% this fiscal year, which indicates our non-affiliated membership has suffered the majority of the loss. All chapters have ramped up efforts and activities both to retain members and to attract new members.
  • Southwest Region Conference: Salt Lake City Chapter is host for our region conference on March 31-April 2. This chapter has a reputation for great attendance and attraction of chapter events to the larger A/E/C community. The event website is found at www.csi-slc.org. Leadership training for incoming chapter officers will be held on Thursday, March 31. SLC Chapter will hold their annual education symposium and product show on Friday, April 1, along with social events, ice skating, and banquet. Closing leadership activities and the Region's Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 2.
  • Southwest Region leadership: President Paul Ricciuti, CSI of the Las Vegas Chapter has encouraged greater partnership of the chapters with local higher education institutions. To that end the Southwest Region was represented at the Associated Schools of Construction Region 6-7 Conference in Sparks, NV on February 8-11, 2016 along with members of the CSI West and Northwest Regions. It is hoped that contacts developed with universities, professors, and students at this large event can translate to increased chapter outreach and potential student affiliations.
  • Collaboration Opportunity:  CSI has opportunity to take advantage of its position at the nexus of construction industry coordination and quality control. While many specialty trade associations have expert product and installation knowledge within their scope of influence, CSI provides a broader and more vital service by coordinating the intersection of individual material and product expertise with overall construction quality. We need to emphasize the results and not duplicate or compete with the detail knowledge of these organizations.
To that end it is worthwhile to consider an associate membership category in CSI for members of allied construction product and contractor associations in order for CSI to enhance its role as the quality control organization and coordination resource of industry expertise. Reciprocating membership for CSI members in other associations should also occur. I believe this can be a groundbreaking benefit that can reduce competition for time, membership, and trade show participation for our industry members, and amplify the effect that each association has on the overall construction industry.
The effect could be significant on the presentation and offerings of CONSTRUCT, as well as the activities of our chapters in their local construction communities. It will enhance our relationship with engineering, project management, and contractor groups which are needed in CSI. It should also assist in eliminating the perceived competition with AIA, which has always been confusing both to our current and potential membership base.

http://www.csisouthwestregion.org/institute-news-fy16/

FY 2016

 

    

 

SOUTHWEST REGION CALENDAR
 
Have an event to add?
Email to:  
CHAPTER HAPPENINGS 
(check websites links below for more info)

Albuquerque Chapter   

What Do You Want From Your Product Representative?
March 14, 2016

 
Salt Lake City Chapter


Annual Symposium and Product Show & SW Region Conference
March 31-April 2, 2016


Denver Chapter
 
Denver CONSTRUCT
March 10, 2016


Pikes Peak Chapter


Tour the Velodrome in Memorial Park
March 16, 2015

and

Take your Relationships from Superficial to Beneficial
March 30, 2016



Phoenix Chapter

Lean Healthcare
March 10, 2016


Las Vegas Chapter
Terrazzo Installation at the Mandalay Bay
March 8, 2016


  
REGION OFFICERS
FY2016

PRESIDENT 
Paul Ricciuti, CSI

VICE-PRESIDENT 1
Mike Young, CSI, CCCA

VICE-PRESIDENT 2
Stay tuned
  
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Robin Snyder, CSI, CCS, SCIP 
e-mail Robin Snyder

PAST-PRESIDENT
Jori Smith, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP

DID YOU KNOW?

Liz O'Sullivan, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA, LEED BD+C, NCARB, SCIP, (Denver Chapter), publishes a blog titled 
Here's the link so you can check it out!

  
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CHAPTER WEBSITES    

Albuquerque:http://abq.csinet.org 
 Denver:  www.denvercsi.org 
Las Vegas:  www.csilasvegas.org
Phoenix:  www.csiphoenix.org
Pikes Peak:  www.pikespeakcsi.org
Salt Lake City:  www.csi-slc.org