It all started over breakfast with my friend and CSC colleague, Cathie Schneider, six years ago. I informed her of my intention to run for executive council, which meant my current role as the chair of the Grand Valley Chapter was going to be vacant. Cathie was the perfect successor.
I was talking with a good friend of mine, respected specification writer Kaz Kanani, about a familiar phrase, “Good, cheap, and fast—you can only pick two.”
My dear friend Kim Tompkins, FCSC, CTR, is the newest elected member to the CSC Executive Council as 4th Vice President. We recently had a discussion on differences between emerging professionals and what she calls her “fellow advanced-age CTRs.”
While swapping business cards might not seem like a big deal to many people, it is still a highly esteemed practice of business etiquette in Japan. When someone hands you a business card there, it represents something bigger than a simple introduction.
This month, I become the new president of Construction Specifications Canada (CSC). One part of my responsibilities includes writing these articles in Construction Canada.
Recently, CSC’s Calgary Chapter held a student design competition. Both Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Mount Royal University (MRU) were eager to participate.
When we talk about ‘collaboration,’ we use a term that could have many meanings and inferences. There seem to be many different definitions when we search the Internet, depending on the scenario, but the basic sense is it involves working with others to produce something.
It was an interesting 2016—some markets saw steady growth, while others entered one of the worst recessions they have ever experienced. However, as the calendar turns to 2017, thoughts likewise turn to the coming year. For some people, this means setting personal goals for self-improvement.
In my articles, I have written of modern society’s obsession with making things faster and cheaper. On the surface, this efficiency sounds like a sensible, positive goal—I am happy my newest computer is one-third less expensive and three times more powerful than my last one. However, when it comes to construction, the pendulum may be swinging too far.
Today’s phones have more processing power than the Apollo space mission computers. However, even with all those capabilities literally in the palms of our hands, it is important to remember the tools do not make the job. Rather, it is the people who make things happen with the right tools at their disposal.
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