INSIDE CSI
Lane Beougher, FCSI, CCS, CCCA
Lately, I’ve been giving a great deal of thought to the future. As my year as CSI president approached, I contemplated how we can leverage our past successes to increase our positive impact on the construction industry. Last year, President Bob Simmons charted a course to focus on our educational offerings, and I agreed to carry this forward through my term. Education is one of the foundational principles of CSI’s existence—it is responsible for the word “Institute” in our name and part of our mission statement as “education of project teams.”
Speaking of our mission, it should be no surprise our FY2011−2015 Strategic Plan is due for review. At its February meeting, the board began exploring its operational strategy for the next three to five years, along with the chairs of our certification, education, membership, and technical committees and CSI staff. This strategic direction allows us to deploy resources to the programs where these objectives can be achieved.
Following the departure of our executive director shortly after CONSTRUCT, we engaged in the process of searching for our next chief executive. In May, our search committee identified two candidates to take us to the next level. These candidates were presented to the board in June, with a visionary leader selected. The aim is to have a contract negotiated in time for that person to participate fully in the activities of CONSTRUCT and the CSI Annual Convention in St. Louis this September.
We want to engage this new CEO in the process of refining our strategic plan. Since this person will be responsible for implementing that plan, it is imperative the incoming chief executive be a key participant in its creation. We also want to engage you in this process. There will be surveys going out to CSI members and customers to better understand the nature of the world-class construction education needed to achieve your goals.
One of the educational areas we are most interested is leadership development. Going beyond the chapter and region leader training we have been doing for years, the goal is to provide skills for young professionals to rise to higher levels of responsibility in both their career as well as within CSI. This initiative begins with an exploratory process. (That’s right—more surveys.) I hope you will take the time to give us the benefit of your experience and answer a few questions. With your input, we can implement programs that better serve your needs and may even transform your life.
There will be exciting changes in our certification program as well. The board has committed to align our credentials with requirements for accreditation that did not exist when the program began. This is essential to broader acceptance throughout the construction industry and by governmental agencies.
In our technical department, we will provide subscriber access to OmniClass through a value-added web services portal, and release updates to MasterFormat and our Practice Guides, beginning with the Project Delivery Practice Guide. The MasterFormat.com website will also be enhanced.
In addition, we will review our membership model and complete a member benefits analysis. These initiatives will determine what roadblocks discourage a construction professional from becoming engaged with CSI. The aim is to create a sustainable model for the future and increase CSI’s relevance.
I would be remiss if I did not recognize and thank Greg Ceton, our interim executive director. His leadership and willingness to embrace new ideas is greatly appreciated. In fact, I would like to acknowledge the extra efforts of our entire staff for pitching in during the leadership transition. I also want to thank our chapter and region leaders for their patience and support.
I am excited by the potential I see in our organization. We have many significant opportunities and must seize this moment to create a better CSI. I hope you will join me as we work together to make CSI a great organization.
Lane Beougher, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, is CSI’s president for FY2016. An architect with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (formerly the State Architect’s Office), with more than 30 years of facilities planning, architectural design, specifications preparation, and construction contract administration experience, he served as Ohio’s State Architect from February 2011 to September 2012. Beougher is the CSI liaison to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Contract Documents Committee. He can be reached at lane.beougher@ofcc.ohio.gov.
