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.

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! 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.

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 y...

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.

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.

In the last post, "Where have I heard that before?" (http://bit.ly/1maQmDs) I used several excerpts from a 1920 edition of the American Architect magazine. The comments showed a general concern about the importance of specifications, and about the absence of specifications in architectural education, stating "the preparation of specifications receives less study and attention in proportion to its importance than any other phase of architectural or engineering practice."

Greetings CSINexters,
Welcome to the start of our new fiscal year, FY15!  Things are off to a great beginning for the only virtual chapter in the Institute. It’s going to be a terrific year and I am excited to be at the helm.  That said, I have a wonderful board of directors working with me.  This truely is a team effort and I am honored to be part of this group.

"It is probable that few members of the profession will disagree [that] the preparation of specifications receives less study and attention in proportion to its importance than any other phase of architectural or engineering practice. It is generally conceded that there is need for accurate, concise, yet comprehensive specifications in order to secure the best results from any set of plans. In our architectural schools … instruction in specification writing has been neglected to such an extent that those to whom the task of specification writing has fallen have usually been forced to educate themselves. As a natural sequence of this condition we find too many inaccurate and incomplete documents accompanying drawings under the guise of specifications."

So, evidently this will be my last president's message. I know the second half of this fiscal year has been pretty quiet from my end... changing jobs does that sort of thing so my apologies. I would like to thank everyone who has made this such a productive year. We have had quite an active board and Daniel Hargreaves continues as the backbone of our chapter. We have had a very full year of chapter meetings and I think most everyone on the board has at least chipped in once to bring a program on board. Programs, evidently, are a very important asset of our chapter. According to a survey done by Institute, members value good webinars. People like quick meetings and meetings that are quick to get to. CSINext are the easiest meetings to get to since we are right at your desktop! By the way, we are always open to requests if you have a topic you would like to see at a chapter meeting, just let us know! Thank you to all of our great presenters who provided us with interesting chapter meetings. Thank you to PPG for funding our meeting software. Also a big thank you to all of YOU, our members, for supporting our chapter through your membership. Cindy, all the best to you for your year as President!

Thirty or so years ago, when I graduated from architecture school, we had a couple of types of finish schedules. They were fairly simple tables, but, in conjunction with the specifications, they did a pretty good job of showing what finish materials were used where, and what colors of finish materials were required. 

Greetings! We will be conducting our June Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Implementing BIM with AIA's Digital Practice Tools" Presented by Kenneth W. Cobleigh, Esq. Managing Director & Counsel with The American Institute of Architects. Mark your calendars for June 13th at 3:00pm EDT. We look forward to having you attend.

Greetings! We will be conducting our May Chapter Meeting and the presentation will be "Basic Contracts" Presented by Jeff Rutledge, Attorney at Law. Mark your calendars for May 9th at 2:00pm CDT. We look forward to having you attend.