At its June 2021 meeting, the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) Board unanimously voted for CSI to pursue a focus on DE&I as part of its program of work. To get that work started, the board appointed a DE&I Task Force, chaired by board member William Sundquist, FCSI, to draft a DE&I statement for consideration by the board. This statement was drafted over a series of meetings in the Summer of 2021 and was approved by the full CSI board during its August 31, 2021, phone meeting.
In October, CSI published its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement, and put out a call for volunteers to help direct and oversee this work. Find out more about why CSI launched this initiative and get a progress update at www.csiresources.org/institute/deandi.
CSI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Built for Everyone: Creating a Better World through Inclusion CSI recognizes the built environment impacts the health, safety, and welfare of millions around the world every day. To respond to the human needs of those different cultures and contexts, CSI:
• Seeks out and values every individual difference and contribution;
• Promotes dignity and respect for all;
• Continually increases its cultural competency and cultural humility; and
• Facilitates courageous conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the construction industry and beyond; and is inclusive by design.
And the Winner Is… Let’s Build Video Wins Emmy!
October marked the announcement of the 2021 mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards, which included news that ASR Media Productions’ story on Let’s Build, “Construction 101: Let’s Build Camp Empowers Girls” was a winner for distinction in television production excellence. Watch—and share—the video via this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqejehVapXs.
CSI Connect Community—Supply Chain Issues
The CSI Connect Community at CSIResources.org is the interactive, go-to digital resource for AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Owner) professionals to have real-time conversations about pressing issues, discuss current trends, and even talk about events outside of work.
A recent post asked, “Shipping and supply problems continue to plague business across industries. Amazon started its ‘Black Friday-worthy deals’ almost two months ahead of the holiday season to get out ahead of shipping demands. What supply issues are you seeing in the AECO Industry, and what creative solutions are you employing to minimize their impact on the work you do?”
Lana Abel CSI-EP, CDT replied, “I just heard a news story about glass coming into crisis mode—so if you have building schedules with lots of windows/special glass treatments in the next four to 12 months—you might want to figure out a way to lock in inventory for your clients. Being a contract administrator, I am trying to lock quantities several months in advance and trying to give the supplier as much of a ‘heads up’ as I can for their procurement logistics.”
Log-in at CSIResources.org to join the conversation.
