the annual gulf state region csi conference

Newsletter of the Gulf States Region CSI

Alabama ● Arkansas ● Florida Panhandle ● Louisiana ● Mississippi ● Tennessee

The Annual Gulf State Region CSI Conference

The Gulf States Leader March 2015

The Construction Specifications Institute

Leadership Training

Camaraderie Education

Region Awards

Region Business

Inside This Issue

We welcome our members to submit

articles of interest for publication in the

GSR LEADER. Please forward articles to:

John Dunaway, CSI, CCS, AIA

[email protected]

All region wide e-mail “blasts” are to be distributed by the Region Electronics

Communications Chair, John Murray, CSI, CDT. Please limit region wide e-mail blasts to events of region wide interest such

as Product Shows, Chapter anniversaries,

and seminars offering 4 CEUs or greater.

Forward to: [email protected]

The Construction Specifications

Institute is a national non-profit technical organization dedicated to the improvement of specifications and

building practices in the construction industry through service, education, and research. Founded in 1948, CSI

provides a forum for architects, engineers, designers, specification

writers, contractors, manufacturer's representatives suppliers and all others in the construction industry.

Membership is open to all who are

involved in the built environment.

Submissions to the GSR Leader

The Newsletter of the Gulf States Region of the Construction Specifications Institute

The Gulf States Leader is published by the

Gulf States Region of The Construction Specifications Institute. This publication does not approve, sanction, or guarantee

the validity or accuracy of any data, claims, or other opinions stated in the articles or advertisements. Editorial copy does not

constitute an endorsement by the Gulf

States Region CSI nor any of its members.

Page 3 - President’s Message

William Sundquist, CSI

Page 4 - Vice President’s Message James Bagley, CSI, CCS

Page 5 - Institute Director’s Message

Jimmy Lail, CSI

Page 5 - It’s Awards Time

E. Lantz Kuykendall, CSI, CDT

Page 6 - The 2015 GSR Leadership Conference

Page 7 - Conference Schedule, Registration Information, and Hotel Reservations

Page 8 - Conference Speakers

At least those booked so far

Page 9 - Conference Speakers

Page 9 - Invitation from Mississippi Chapter to

Ride the Bus and Have some Fun

Page 10 - Region Leader Contact Information

Deadline for Submissions

Do you have something to submit to the GSR Leader? Articles, reports, and photographs of interest to GSR members are due no later than June 1, 2015 to be

included in the August GSR Leader.

Greetings fellow Gulf States Region CSI members,

I trust everyone had a wonderful holiday season with their friends and family. As we begin 2015 I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that our CSI Gulf States Region goal for the fiscal year 2014/2015 will be to increase its

membership by 10 percent.

This goal will be accomplished by everyone’s support of the mission of CSI which is as follows: CSI is to advance building information management and education

of project teams to improve facility performance.

As I travel around the Southeast the promising news is that most of the architects I speak to are encouraged with their work load verses previous years. In addition, the commercial index predicted a seven percent increase in construction spending in 2015 vs. 2014 which saw a three percent increase.

To me all of these indicators means we have an opportunity in front of us to tell our great CSI story to

potential members.

Over the last six months of my presidency I would encourage you to speak with individuals you know in

the construction industry about CSI.

What is the elevator pitch you ask? To me it’s simple; Knowledge!

If the person is a new graduate from architecture school or a recent transfer to the industry we provide knowledge of how a building becomes reality. And anyone who calls themselves an industry

professional should be part of an organization that does exactly what we do.

So my challenge to all the members is to ask yourself who could benefit from what we do. You know that architect, contractor, or product representative better than I do. Reach out to them and ask them to

invest in what we do so we can stick true to our founding fathers’ goal of “improving the quality of

construction.”

In addition, start thinking outside the box. I recently meet with a property manager of a multiple apartment complex. What better organization for her to be a part of than ours since she is constantly

building and maintaining buildings. Do you have a construction lawyer in your group or perhaps a

commercial banker? These professionals could certainly benefit from our CSI product.

I would also like to remind everyone that the only time we are going to gather as a Region this year will

be in Lafayette, hosted by the Acadiana Chapter April 17 and 18. This will be a time for us to nominate new officers (Institute Director, Vice President, and Secretary), conduct our all-important leadership

training, and present annual region awards.

Please make your plans to attend this all important conference so you can fellowship with CSI members

from around the Gulf States. There is more information about this conference in this newsletter.

Lastly, I would encourage all of you to consider serving at a Region level. I can tell you that I have learned and benefited so much from my service to the GSR. I know sometimes service can be viewed

as an obstacle in life but where better to serve than the industry that provides our living?

As we begin this year I look forward to seeing the Gulf States Region of CSI grow and continue its

tradition of developing successful construction professionals.

Thank you for your time and commitment the CSI….See You in Acadiana!

William Sundquist, CSI

President’s Message

Message from Vice President

The primary goal for this fiscal year has been to increase membership by 10%

(2014/2015). I think our Montgomery Chapter is already there, and we are still working hard to go further. Where does your chapter stand? I understand that with the Institute data base down, probably an individual who keeps up with your Chapter’s membership

may be your only source to find this information. Regardless, we need to stay focused on this goal and work to achieve it. I hope we can do it again next year, as the economy appears to continue improvement. As of February 1, 2015, the following is on

the Institute data base (though we cannot see it), and they told me the numbers with an

asterisk (*) may be lower since they have not deleted anyone since October 1, 2014:

Hospitality may be one of the keys to attracting new members, keeping current members, and getting

former members to rejoin. A simple definition is kindness, while anticipating people's needs and exceeding their expectations. This is often where we begin to attract new members and keep our current members. It can be as simple as having someone to greet and welcome people as they arrive at a

meeting, and to thank them for coming, and encourage them to return when they depart. Having everyone at a meeting introduce themselves, what they do and where they work at the start of a meeting

is another simple way to make a visitor feel welcome.

I have often told people that CSI is the only professional organization in the design and construction industry where every member is on an equal basis as every other member. I believe this is still true.

Also, that it is rare when I need information for a project or a specification that I have not already met the person I need to talk to through CSI or I have met someone who knows who I need to contact. This is

invaluable and essential to efficiently and accurately doing my job.

We also offer people continuing education in their fields and in other fields that they can benefit from

knowing about. We offer people basic and advanced certification in their disciplines, and I believe still the only training and certification for a product representative. We encourage education in these ways, as well as in our communities by making our meetings available, having product shows, joint meetings

with other professional groups and special programs. We encourage students through giving scholarships to help them obtain their college degrees. Education combined with the other benefits of CSI are the future of improvement in our professions and the design and construction industry. We need

to continue to help educate the next group coming along with us and behind us.

An easy lead-in I have found to discussing CSI benefits and membership is when someone calls on me

or when I am in a meeting and someone hands me a business card. If it has CSI behind their name, I start a conversation about where they are a member and ask about their chapter. If it does not have CSI behind their name, the first question is “Are you a member of CSI?”, and go from there. Many

salespersons think that their company is a member of CSI, when they are not, but that provides an opportunity to talk about individual membership as well as one of our newer offerings of corporate

membership.

What works for you? Do you keep a few current membership applications available to hand out to people? Do you remember to explain that they need to join CSI and a local chapter? Then comes

sharing you can join additional chapters in your area or territory just by paying the local dues. If interest

is shown, then I go into CSI’s various certification programs.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the Gulf States Region Leadership Conference and Annual Meeting in Lafayette, Louisiana on April 17-18, 2015, hosted by our Acadiana Chapter. This will be our

only annual meeting in 2015, and I hope many of our members will be able to attend. Training for our leaders, our annual meeting and reports, continuing education sessions, good food and company, and

“hospitality” will be served. I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Gulf States Region: Without Unaffiliated Members Total Membership Unaffiliated = Prospects

7/1/14 758 907 149

2/1/15 761* 856* 95

James Bagley, CSI, CCS

Message Institute Director, Jimmy Lail

It's awards time! We just finished having the Oscars! One of many awards that are

out there; the Tony, Grammy, Golden Globe and Emmy just to name a few. Well if you haven't heard, get out from under your rock, it is time for the illustrious Gulf States Region CSI Awards. Much fun will be had by all as we eat, visit, and

recognize all those individuals who make the Gulf States Region top notch.

We have better membership/leadership in this region than any other region in CSI.

But I am disappointed that we do not recognize these people like they should be recognized. Did you know that out of 16 Chapters that make up the Gulf States

Region that only about 6 or 7 chapters submitted awards last year? That is less than half of our region! Come on, you know that every chapter has people who deserve recognition for their

support and tireless efforts for your chapter. Our pay scale is not so high, so let's show our appreciation to these men and women who push us to the top of our organization and the construction industry, constantly proving that CSI is the one organization that continually strives to keep this industry on the

cutting edge of technology, ethics, and leadership. The deadline is fast approaching and all submittals

must be in by 15 March 2015.

Please recognize those in your chapters who continue to create excellence both in the built environment and CSI leadership.

Hope to see all of you in Lafayette!

Send your submittals to:

Email: [email protected]

E. Lantz Kuykendall, CSI, CDT

GSR Awards Chair

601-214-1824

It’s Awards Time! Lantz Kuykendall

Not much to update you on this time.

Institute is still working out the kinks with the new data base. Hopefully by the time you are

reading this staff will be all up to date on the workings of the new data base.

Being the board liaison on the Awards Committee it sure would be nice to see every chapter from the Gulf States Region submit for the Outstanding Chapter Commendation.

Along with that make sure you look over all the Institute Awards and see if there is not an

Award that someone in your chapter is deserving of.

There are a couple chapters within the Gulf States Region that Institute is keeping an eye on (watched chapters) for various reasons. Please if you have any questions about anything do not hesitate to contact

one of the offices of the Region or myself. If one of us can’t answer your question we can ask Institute or

one of our own GSR experienced members.

There is a task team and a search firm working on looking for a new executive director and there work is

progressing right along. If you have not heard, Greg Ceton is the acting interim executive director until

one can be found. Please if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks

Jimmy Lail, CSI

The GSR Annual Conference 2015

Page 5

This will be our first Annual Conference. In the past we’ve had two opportunities per year to visit with

and learn from GSR colleagues but in order to provide better service to GSR members this will be the norm for the foreseeable future. So...this is your only chance this year. Please don’t let this great

opportunity pass. Register ASAP.

Mark the date now and make sure you plan to attend this once a year event. That's right, only one

meeting a year, so make the most of it by joining us at the Conference. The Awards Banquet will be Friday night, April 17. Be there while your CSI colleagues are recognized for their achievements. On Saturday you can learn and grow as a CSI leader in the “Leadership Workshops” presented by our

GSR Chairs. Get up-to-date education on materials, products, systems, and much more in Friday’s

Technical Education Sessions.

And of course "Lots of Fun" is on the agenda. It is, after all, in Lafayette and hosted by the Acadiana Chapter. When have you not had fun visiting with our friends in Acadiana? Ride the bus and enjoy a

relaxed trip. See page 9.

There is so much to do in Lafayette where do you start? Well, start by visiting the official tourism site

http://www.lafayette.travel/ and see what all there is to do. With Cajun music and dancing, great outdoor scenery and adventures, food to die for, museums, and historic as well as contemporary architecture there's just too much to do in a weekend. Don't forget the shopping too. I'll be bringing back some good

Cajun food and spices.

The Hotel Acadiana, where the conference will be held, offers full service amenities in a friendly and regal setting. The hotel is conveniently located minutes from downtown, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and area shopping and business. The friendly staff is ready to ensure a great stay for

guests. The hotel offers oversized, well-appointed guest rooms, each equipped with expanded cable television and free wireless internet access. The hotel features an outdoor pool, exercise facility, business services, and dry cleaning. The Hotel Acadiana also boasts meeting space that is perfect for

the GSR Conference. The best part is the room price of only $89 per night.

What a deal! Visit http://www.thehotelacadiana.com/ or call 1-337-233-8120.

So "Laissez les bons temps rouler". I will see you in Lafayette.

GSR Annual Conference

The Schedule

Thursday April 16, 2015

3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Registration

5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Hospitality Suite Open

6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Dinner on your own

9:00 - 12:00 a.m. Hospitality Suite Open

Friday April 17, 2015

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Breakfast & Registration

8:00 - 8:50 a.m. Seminar 1 CEU

9:00 - 9:50 a.m. Seminar 1 CEU

10:00 - 10:50 a.m. Seminar 1 CEU

11:00 - 11:50 Seminar 1 CEU

12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch Acadiana History -1 CEU

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Board Meeting

3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Opening Session

4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Working Smarter - 1 CEU


6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Awards Banquet

9:00 - 12:00 a.m. Hospitality Suite Open

Saturday April 18, 2015

7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Breakfast & Registration

8:00 - 11:50 a.m. Leadership Round Table 8 Training Sessions 4 CEU’s

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch Serving as a Young Leader, 1 CEU

1:30 - 3:00 p.m. Closing Session


6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Open or Explore Downtown Lafayette Transportation provided on the Mississippi Chapter Charter bus

Registration Cost Conference Attendee Registration

Includes Friday Breakfast, Friday Lunch, Friday Night Banquet, Saturday Breakfast, Saturday Lunch, Friday Seminars, Saturday Leadership, General Meeting & Access to Hospitality Suite

CSI Members:

$245.00 Early Registration, Ends March 20

$275.00 Late Registration, After March 20

Non CSI member:

$290.00 Early Registration, Ends March 20

$325.00 Late Registration, After March 20

$95.00 Student (with valid Student ID)

$150.00 Spouse, All meals & Banquet

$60.00 Spouse, Banquet only

Contact Information: Jason Bethany, Acadiana Chapter CSI

121 W. Vermillion St.

Lafayette La 70501

Tel: 337-237-2770 Fax: 337-237-2772

Event Flier Link

On-Line Registration Form Link

Payment Links

Problems or questions contact Jason Bethany

Page 8

Hotel Acadiana $89 per night

Link to Reservations

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5DPL7Rhu5iva1h0eHdoRTZNalU/view?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MtLyp-coweQOAxSbK0BQ5xQ4zjkBl8L_vwZbggKjBd8/viewform

https://gallery.mailchimp.com/7bec69bb5d5b1aa26613af4f0/files/2015GSRConference.pdf

https://bookings.ihotelier.com/The-Hotel-Acadiana/bookings.jsp?hotelID=77357&groupID=1356494

GSR Annual Conference Speakers

Serving as a Young Leader Saturday - 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Stephen J. Ortego is best known for defending Louisiana's rich culture, fighting for Louisiana's historic Charity Hospital system, and working hard to improve education for Louisiana's children. Lafayette's Daily Advertiser calls him a "fresh face” whose

“ideas for improving the state's education system and making us competitive on a global level come from a well-rounded education and top-notch training". The Independent said "Rep. Stephen Ortego dove head first into the political arena …

when he led the Acadiana delegation's charge to save University Medical Center

from some of the most devastating budget cuts to ever come down from the state"

In 2011, Stephen Ortego was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives campaigning on putting Louisiana families first through cultural and economic initiatives. Stephen learned the importance of

serving working families as a Catholic missionary leader in Honduras where he designed and built homes. He is the founder of EcoLafayette, a design-build firm specializing in energy-efficient homes and

communities in Acadiana.

Stephen was raised in Carencro, Louisiana. After graduating from Carencro High School he went on to

earn a Bachelor and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University in New Orleans. He has been at the forefront of promoting education bills that make Louisiana children competitive on a global level. In 2013 he was the lead author on updates to the Immersion Choice Act, making it a right to language

immersion education. Stephen has said "We are doing something right here! Why not do more and prepare our children for the global economy while preserving our heritage language.

Architectural History of Lafayette Friday 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Lynn Guidry has been an advocate for the northern part of Lafayette Parish for many years. He graduated from Cathedral in downtown Lafayette (class of 1966), and then

USL where he gained a degree in Architecture. He met his future bride, Gayle, at St. Anthony Catholic Church, and they were married in 1969. They have two children, Anjanette and Martin, and two grandchildren, Chapin and Emory. Lynn’s 92 year old

mom, Anita Guidry, lives in Carencro and is known as “the meat-pie lady”.

Next to his family, Lynn loves his profession. He has been a licensed architect since 1975, and has been

the owner or co-owner of his own firm since 1978. His projects include Parc International & Parc Sans Souci, Carencro City Hall, Renovations to Lafayette High School Auditorium, the Council Auditorium at

Lafayette City Hall, the Jr. League Building in River Ranch, Lee Verret’s State Farm office building, the Carencro Community Center, the Melancon Funeral Homes, and Northwood United Methodist Church. He co-authored the City of Carencro’s Performance Land Use Ordinance with UL Professor Tom

Sammons, and is currently working with Tom on a similar study for the City of Youngsville. He is

currently working on multi-million dollar projects in Lafayette, Carencro, Scott, and Texas.

Lynn’s hobby is politics, both as a spectator and as an active participant. He served on the Carencro City Council from 1982 to 1987, then on the Lafayette Parish Council from 1988 to 1996. Although he

currently does not serve in elected office, he does not concede the possibility of running for office again. He continues to be involved in activities such as the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, where he served on the Board of Directors for six years, and twice as a Vice President. He was a member of the

Premier Class of Leadership Lafayette (1987) as well as the Premier Class of the AIA Leadership

Institute in Washington DC in 1997.

Lynn also enjoys public speaking, a skill he once feared more than death. He has developed a fascinating presentation on the history of Lafayette, which he has presented to almost every civic club in Lafayette, and most recently to the Kiwanis District Convention. In fact, Upper Lafayette’s first television

show featured Lynn recounting our local history.

Continued on next page

The Mississippi Chapter is already making travel plans that involve a Charter bus and lots of fun. Contact Chapter President, Paul Tauchar, for more information. You don’t want to miss out on this educational trip. The bus will leave Thursday afternoon, April 16 at noon from Jackson, Mississippi and return to Jackson on Sunday morning, so come join the Mississippi Chapter as we leave the driving to Cline Tours, have some fun,

and learn and grow as a CSI members. Seating is limited so

call Paul to see if a spot is still available.

GSR Annual Conference Speakers

Working Smart: Friday 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

This seminar is divided into three interrelated topics Comprehensive Planning Goal evaluation, goal setting and sub-task development

Effectively Communicating What forms of communication should I use and when? Strategic Organization

How to swim when you are drowning in electronic info These are relatively simple techniques that can be applied to your job, business, and home.

John Murray graduated with a Bachelor in Architecture Degree from Mississippi State in 1983 and spent 7 years on active duty with the Army as a part of forward deployed combat engineer units. He has led and trained many others while building construction projects all over the world. John speaks multiple

languages and holds several specialty designations in addition to construction. Throughout his military career he was always rated in the top five percent of all Army officers Nationwide and achieved the rank

of Captain before leaving service. Since 1990 John has worked with three different Architectural firms. He currently works for Canizaro Cawthon Davis, Architects where his role ranges from project management, construction document

production, PR submissions and Contract Administration. Over the course of the last 24 years he has

completed 123 projects managing an average of 5 projects / year.

While serving five consecutive terms as Soccer Commissioner for Northwest Rankin Athletic Association (1992-1997) he designed and helped construct their 16 field soccer facility. He also helped plan and execute Annual Soccer tournaments and hosted two state level tournaments each involving over 1,000

players including crowd control/parking for over 2,000 in attendance each year.

From 2001 through 2011 John served in a variety of roles with the video and broadcast outreach for his church. He has served as a technical director for live production video broadcast with over 2,500 hours and over 500 hours working with HD camera systems and production. He has a working knowledge of

theatrical lighting systems, programming and production.

Over the last 35 years John has worked with schools and teachers, mainly in small groups helping to get them organized for more effective control and use of their limited resources. He uses the principles explained in this session to organize and manage multiple projects, achieve goals and still live a

balanced lifestyle with family and friends.

John is a Construction Document Technologist, and is active in his CSI chapter. He has served as Secretary, Programs Chair, House Committee Chair, Vice President, Membership Chair, Product Show Chair, President-elect, President and Past-President. He is currently serving as the FY 2015 GSR

Electronic Communications Chair.

Page 8

Ride the Bus from Jackson to Lafayette

PRESIDENT

William Sundquist, CSI Tel: 423-509-3627 Email: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT

James Bagley, CSI, CCS, AIA Tel: 334-271-3200 Email: [email protected]

SECRETARY Cindi Brooks, CSI, CDT

Tel: 423-827-4848 Email: [email protected]

TREASURER Amy Fleming, CSI, CDT

Tel: 423-267-2288 Email: afleming@triad‐elec.com

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Billy Mathis, CSI, CDT


COMMITTEE CHAIRS

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Kent Kile, CSI, CCPR (1st Yr.)


AWARDS Lantz Kuykendall, CSI, CDT (3rd Yr.)


CERTIFICATION Christopher Young, CSI, CCS (1st Yr.)

Tel: 504-524-4634

Email: [email protected] EDUCATION (1st Yr.)

Michael Sanders, CSI, CCS, CCCA Tel: 501-514-2791

Email: [email protected] ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS John Murray, CSI, CDT (1st Yr.)


FINANCE Randall Lewis, CSI, AIA (1st Yr.)


FUND RAISING/PRODUCT SHOWS Floyd Sterling, CSI, CDT (1st Yr.)


MEMBERSHIP Mike Davis, FCSI, CDT (1st Yr.)


OPERATING GUIDE Cindi Brooks, CSI, CDT (2nd Yr.)

Tel: 423-827-4848

Email: [email protected] PLANNING Bruce Martin, CSI, CDT, RRC (1st Yr.)


PUBLICATIONS John Dunaway, CSI, CCS, AIA (1st Yr.)


TECHNICAL Gary Bergeron, CSI, CCS (1st Yr.)


SPECIFICATION COMPETITION Robert B. Swan, CSI, CCS, CCCA, AIA (1st Yr.)

Tel: 504-586-9303

Email: [email protected] NOMINATING

James Bagley, CSI, CCS, AIA Tel: 334-271-3200 Email: [email protected]

GULF STATES REGION INSTITUTE DIRECTOR

Jimmy Lail, CSI


FY 2015 GSR Officers and Committee Chairs

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the annual gulf state region csi conference

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