It is with Sad news that another one of the CSI 'greats' is no longer with us. Richard A. Eustis, PE, FCSI, Lifetime Member, CCCA, CSC passed away on January 26, 2016. There are several post on Facebook that I wanted to repost here and add my own tribute to him.

Welcome to the all new, yet old CSINext. At the end of 2015 CSINext got a very special belated Christmas Present. The virtual host got hacked...

Although it didn't seem like it at the time, one of the best parts of my CSI chapter's certification classes was reading the A201 - not selectively, but the whole thing, beginning to end. Being the heart of the construction contract, anyone who works on a project should know what's in it. I can't quote every part of it, but it's familiar enough that I can find what I'm looking for fairly quickly. I don't deal with much of it, e.g., claims and time requirements, but there are a few parts that I find of particular interest.

I remember being, as a new CSI member, somewhat confused by our election process. Having been a voter for many years, I knew that the US president did not take office immediately, but was a president-elect for a short time. So it seemed strange that, instead of voting for the next president of CSI, we vote for a person who won't take office as president for at least a year. The other problem I had had nothing to do with the process; I simply didn't know who was running for office! But we'll get to that later.

Greetings! We will be conducting our December Chapter Meeting and in the best CSINext tradition our Holiday party in the form of an Open Forum. We are honored to have CSI President Lane Beougher and Executive Director Mark Dorsey. Mark your calendars for December 9th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar event.

Greetings! We will be conducting our October Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "How Low-e Coatings Improve Building Performance" Presented by by Nathan McKenna, CSI with PPG. Mark your calendars for November 11th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar event.

In "Tell me again part 1" we looked at how proper use of reference standards can reduce the amount of text required by making those standards part of the specifications. In "Tell me again part 2" we saw how proper use of Division 01 can eliminate repeated requirements in specification sections in other Divisions. Now let's look at redundancies found on drawings and inspecifications.

Once again, I’m a day late and a dollar short. While contemplating a September President’s message (which turned into an October message and now possibly a November message if I don’t hurry), I was listening in on the September session of CSI’s Specifiers’ Practice Group. I think a lot about the fact that CSI is a well-kept secret in our construction industry, and it has occurred to me on more than one occasion that the practice groups are a hidden jewel within CSI. So, I was jotting some notes down about what the practice groups do, how the first one of which I was aware was the Product Representation Practice Group, how we all practice differently and yet the same. Then, as happens with most of us, Real Life took over and the notes were shoved into a Word document in a “possible president’s messages” folder.

In "Tell me again part 1" we looked at how proper use of reference standards can reduce the amount of text required by making those standards part of the specifications. Going back to the "say it once" principal, proper use of Division 00 and Division 01 can go a long way toward eliminating needless text.

In continuing to maintain the professional development units that obtaining a Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) requires I was selected to be one of the Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) to participate in the overall content review of the upcoming release of the PMI’s 4th Edition of the Construction Extension to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) 5th Edition.

Greetings! We will be conducting our October Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Architects Guide to Construction Specifications" Presented by by Nina Giglio, FCSI, CCS, SCIP with PerkinsEastman. Mark your calendars for October 14th at 12:00pm EDT. There is a lot to cover and we will be extending the program to 1.5 hours. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar event.

Welcome to the new fiscal year at CSINext! If you’re not familiar with us, we are CSI’s virtual chapter – a group of construction industry professionals who happen to live and work all over the world. We share an energy and enthusiasm for what we do in our paying jobs and for what CSI has to offer the construction world.

Greetings! CSINext September Chapter meeting will present "Designing Media Walls" Presented by Peter Lawrence and Chris Lookenott with Planar Systems Inc.   Mark your calendars for September 9th at 12:00pm EDT. We look forward to having you attend this free Webinar, please use the link below to RSVP!

For many years, there have been debates about the future of construction specifiers. Where will we find new specifiers? Are they all dying off? Is the profession no longer needed? While I believe there is reason for concern, I don't think much has changed.

We are upgrading the site to bring you new features and better security. Please excuse our mess over the next couple of days. Cheers!

Greetings CSINexters!
The nation’s election day has come and gone. Voters from across the country made their feelings known in a variety of races at all levels of government. In the next few months, you will start seeing news from CSI about the FY16 elections. Just like with the national elections, the future of the Institute depends on what you do. I implore you to study the candidates’ statements and figure out for yourself which person will represent you best at the national and local level.

Conventions are like state or county fairs: it seems they're the same year after year, and yet, if you compare this year's to the one a few years ago, there will be small differences. But sometimes, significant changes take place between one fair and the next.

Greetings! We will be conducting our November Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Solving Paint Problems" Presented by Kent Kile CSI, CCPR, he is the Architectural Manager for PPG Industries for TN/AR and So. MO, representing paint, glass and metal coatings. Mark your calendars for November 12th at 12:00pm EST. We look forward to having you attend.

Greetings! We will be conducting our September Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Cavity Wall Design and Construction" Presented by Brian E. Trimble, PE, LEED AP, he is the Reg. VP, Engineering Services & Architectural Outreach with the Brick Industry Associations. Mark your calendars for September 17th at 12:00pm EDT. We look forward to having you attend.

Greetings CSINexters!
It’s Back to School Time! There’s nothing like a fall football Saturday night in Tiger Stadium (AKA Death Valley) at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge! As you can see by the satellite view, Thomas W. Atkinson Hall (the School of Architecture) was just mere blocks from Tiger Stadium. We spent many a Saturday night hearing the roar of the crown well before the radio announcer told us what had happened. It wasn’t until I was out in the working world that I really experienced the true tailgating experienced that is a football game at LSU.