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From the President, May 2000
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Well, the Chapter’s fiscal year is drawing to a close as we enter the month of May. We finish off the year with a couple of fun events – the Awards Banquet on May 15 and the Golf Outing on May 26, two great opportunities to come together as an organization and celebrate the achievements of the past year, share some good times and create new memories with old and new friends and members. And for myself and the Board, it’s a time to reflect on what our goals were for the year, what we managed to accomplish, and what we’d like to see carry forward into the next year. Our primary goal this year was to increase participation in Chapter events by both members and non-members. As evidenced by the increased attendance at meetings, we believe we’ve managed to set the right tone, and with additional work to bring in quality speakers and presentations, we feel we’re on the right track. We can attribute some of the additional attendance to the new dues structure; but we are also pleased to note that we have not experienced a perceptible decline in our overall membership because of it. We saw an increased number of non-members participating in our educational seminars and the lunch-time meeting we held in October. We are hoping that next year’s lunch-time programs, of which we’re planning at least three, will enable many newcomers to attend, as well as attracting some members who can’t make the evening meetings on a regular basis. We will continue to work with other organizations, including AIA, AGC, ASHRAE, and BOMA to provide timely and informational presentations that reach a diverse audience. A second major goal was to increase awareness of CSI in the greater construction community. We have made some baby steps in this regard, by broadening our outreach programs to area educational institutions, including the University of Minnesota and Dunwoody; we have begun to develop stronger contacts with organizations such as AGC and ASHRAE to increase participation by their members, and we have instituted a program of outreach to those architectural, engineering, design/build, and contracting firms who currently don’t have members in the Chapter. These are all “works in progress”, and the response has been exciting. People out there want information: They want it simply, quickly, and in a manner they can readily use. Our Chapter has made a commitment to provide that information, and we will move forward during the coming years to meet that commitment with better speakers and programs. We hope to be able to capitalize on our reputation for quality information by further developing the education programs we offer and increasing their ability to generate income for the Chapter. We hope this will alleviate some of the burden we currently place on events such as the Product Fair and the Golf Outing, and give us a chance to explore other ways of hosting these events. Those serving on the Programs and Education Committees have their work cut out for them as they move from the overall Chapter planning process into their individual goals and objectives, but it is an exciting challenge we’ve given them – and I have every confidence we’ll meet it with our typical creativity and quality. The planning process went very well during April. We had over 25 people show up for the two sessions, and we had a chance to throw out some different ideas, try out some new philosophy, and make some great plans for the future. So, I’ll end with my, by now, typical refrain: Here’s the perfect time to get involved. There’s new blood at the committee level, new ideas in the works, and a real feeling of energy that has been generated. But as always, we need YOU, because YOU are what this Chapter is all about. Rebecca Foss, President |
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