Member News

Member News

Member Spotlight Nominations

Would you like to nominate someone for the CSI Charlotte Chapter Member Spotlight?
They will be featured below and in the Chapter Newsletter, ProSectus. 

Member Spotlight: Rayo Daroowalla

RayoDaroowalla_web

Rayo Daroowalla, AIA, LEEP AP, CCS, CCCA | LS3P

Rayo is a Senior Project Architect with over 22 years experience. He has volunteered to lead a group of 22 from various offices in his company in a CDT Training Session. As a member of CSI Charlotte, he has also volunteered to host a CDT Bootcamp for those in the Charlotte area.
We would like to recognize his dedication to the education and advancement of others in the industry.

CSI Charlotte goes to #CONSTRUCT2018

Members of the CSI Charlotte Chapter flew to Long Beach, CA to attend the national CSI conference, CONSTRUCT. They were able to see over 175 exhibiting companies, choose from 50+ accredited sessions, attend fun networking events and exciting show floor activities.

This event is the only dedicated national trade show and education conference for commercial building teams that specify and source building products. CONSTRUCT offers a variety of different solutions-driven learning opportunities for you to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, work smarter, boost your career, and earn continuing education credits. 

The three-day event offered the opportunity to share best practices, learn the latest in industry design and processes, specifications, contract administration and BPM education, see the latest in products and services, and network with industry peers from all disciplines.

CSI Charlotte sponsored two young professionals, Leanne Byrd and Erica Kennedy, to attend this year's event.
Click here for more information about CONSTRUCT.

Charlotte hosts the Southeast Region Leadership Training Day

Members from all across the CSI Southeast region came to Charlotte, NC for a leadership training event. The event was hosted in Uptown at the UNCC Center City Building. 

2018 - Spring Training Group Photo

Chapter Presents CSI Charlotte Foundation Check

On Thursday, April 13th, 2017, the CSI Charlotte Chapter held its Annual Golf Tournament. This year’s event was held at Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation, in Mint Hill.

This year’s tournament was a remarkable success. With 56 golfers participating and a dozen companies helping to sponsor this year’s event, a total of $3,000 was raised for the CSI Charlotte Foundation. The money raised will go toward scholarships for UNCC students participating in the construction-related curriculum.

“This year, the sponsors were encouraged to hold special games or contests at their sponsored holes”, said Tournament Co-Chair T.J. Gottwalt. “Many of the sponsors, such as Roxul, used the opportunity to interact with the attendees in a manner that they’ll remember. We want to make sure everyone has fun.” Whether it was teeing off with a marshmallow, or answering technical product questions, everyone seemed to have a great time with the hole sponsors.

The tournament wrapped up with a silent auction, a delicious BBQ buffet, and the awards presentation with many door prizes. “We want to continue to improve this tournament each year to draw more attendees. This year was a big step toward establishing this as a huge annual event to benefit the CSI Charlotte Foundation”, said Gottwalt.

A very special “Thank You” to our generous sponsors, as well as the volunteers who made this all possible: Erica Kennedy, Amy Hockett, Lisa Yagla, Kerry Kalish, Rachael Adams, Russell Hansen, Kris Benton, Sean King (Co-Chair), and T.J. Gottwalt (Co-Chair).

Sponsors Included: National Gypsum, Thermomass, Inpro, Sherwin Williams, Hall a/e/c, USG, Roxul, Rockfon, Centria, Premier Building Products, Allegion, and Foresight Building Solutions.

Plans are already underway for the 6 th Annual CSI Charlotte Golf Tournament, to be held in April 2018. Be on the lookout this Fall for sponsorship opportunities and golf registration.

CSI To Elevate Ten Members to Fellowship at Annual Convention

TJ Gottwalt
Fellowship

Alexandria, Va. (June 23, 2017) – The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) announced today that the organization will elevate ten members to Fellows of the Institute during the Honors & Awards Ceremony at CONSTRUCT 2017 & The CSI Annual Convention in Providence, Rhode Island, on Thursday, September 14, 2017.

Fellows are nominated by their colleagues and selected by CSI's Jury of Fellows in recognition of their accomplishments in advancing construction technology, improving construction specifications, educating people in the construction industry or advancing the goals of the Institute.

CSI members joining this distinguished group in 2017 are: 

Edmund C. Buch, CSI, CCS of CSI’s Los Angeles Chapter
Brandilyn B. Fry, CSI, CDT of CSI’s Akron-Canton Chapter
Frank E. Fuller, CSI of CSI’s DallasChapter
Thad Goodman, CSI, CDT of CSI’s Columbus Chapter
Timothy J. Gottwalt, CSI, CCPR of CSI’s Charlotte Chapter
Marvin Kemp, CSI, CDT of CSI’s Baltimore Chapter
Billy J. Mathis, CSI, CDT of CSI’s Little Rock Chapter
J.W. Mollohan, CSI, CCPR of the Kansas City Chapter
Daryl G. Robinson, RA, CSI, CCS of Pikes Peak Chapter
Anne Marie Roeper, CSI, CCPR of Jacksonville Chapter

Timothy (T.J.) Gottwalt works for Allegion as Strategic Architectural Account Manager, living in Trinity, North Carolina, with his wife, Margie.  T.J. is active in the Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham Chapters of CSI as well as the Southeast Region.  T.J. serves on the Institute’s Certification Committee, and Chairs the Product Representation Practice Guide (PRPG) Task Team. He also holds professional credentials with the Door & Hardware Institute (DHT, AHC, CDC, FDAI) and Associated General Contractors (CM-BIM).

In the organization’s 69-year history, less than 450 members have been elevated to Fellowship. For more information on CSI Fellows visit the CSI Fellowship page on CSIResources. CSI members and colleagues are encouraged to attend the CSI Honors & Awards Ceremony where the Fellowship Investiture will take place. There is no charge to attend the Ceremony. Immediately following the Ceremony, there will be a Celebration of Fellows Reception ($). To register to attend the Ceremony and Celebration, visit the CONSTRUCT 2017 & The CSI Annual Convention website at www.constructshow.com.

News Archive

Distinguished Membership – the Institute’s Highest Honor

At CONSTRUCT in Austin this year, CSI Charlotte’s own Dennis Hall was honored with the highest honor bestowed on a CSI Member by the Institute, that of Distinguished Member.

Not many people know much about the honor so it seemed important to take the opportunity to draw attention and inform our membership about this prestigious award.

Distinguished and Honorary Membership, along with Fellowship which are all classified as “Institute Honors” are bestowed on recipients as the result of extensive contribution which support the mission of the Institute, not from a specific accomplishment.  Distinguished Membership was initially titled Honorary Membership, but in 2006 the designation was clarified that CSI members would be titled Distinguished Members and Non-CSI members would receive the title of Honorary Member.    Since the inception of the honor in 1954 only 49 members including the 2 elevated this year have been bestowed with the honor.  Dennis Hall is the first Distinguished Member from CSI Charlotte and it has been over 20 years since the Southeast Region has had a member receive this honor, Larry Dean of Atlanta was elevated in 1994.

There are times when CSI Distinguished Membership and the CSI Distinguished Service Award are confused.  The Distinguished Service Award is awarded by the CSI Institute Awards Committee to a nominee who has provided notable and significant contributions in one of four specific areas, at the Chapter, Region or Institute level, this is certainly a high form of recognition bestowed by one’s peers.  Distinguished Membership is conferred on individuals who have performed distinguish service to the construction industry in fields of activity related to the purposes of CSI.  The CSI Institute Board is the body that bestows the honor of Distinguished Membership on the nominee, and the responsibility of maintaining a very high standard of excellence is not taken lightly by the Board.

The Distinguished Member Nomination consists of the member’s dossier, nomination forms, and letters of endorsement. This is not a process that cannot be completed quickly, and is best complete by a team, the participation of the nominee is critical, and only in very rare situations can the nomination be submitted without the knowledge of the nominee themselves. Often times the most difficult step in the process is convincing the member that it is appropriate that the nomination occur. Most, if not all of the Distinguished Members, have not made the contributions that they have made over the years in order to be recognized for their efforts but instead because they want to make the industry better and advance the way we all practice.

While the nominee’s dossier outlines the achievements, accomplishments, and notable contributions, the Letters of Endorsement are critical to the nomination because a strong letter written by a peer supports the information in the dossier. CSI Honors and Awards Guide limits the number of endorsement letters to a maximum of 10. In preparing the nomination for Dennis Hall, there was a very long list of people who were willing to submit letters of endorsement, but in order to support the nomination the endorsers were asked to write letters and focus specifically on areas where they had direct knowledge of his contributions and the impact of those contributions on the industry.

Dennis’ nomination was based on his continual work in the industry through development and improvement of industry standards and practice tools, and for sharing knowledge which has educated the profession, improved communities and advanced the construction industry. While Dennis’ previous efforts are recognized by this honor he continues to work tirelessly to move the industry forward.

Young Professionals Helping to Make a Difference

Jamaica is best known in the States for its beautiful beaches, coffee, and Red Stripe. For me, however, when I think about Jamaica, I first think of marl, zinc, and rebar. The past four years I have spent my vacation in Harmons, Jamaica. Harmons is located three and a half hours away from the stunning all-inclusive resorts of Montego Bay, and requires a treacherous cliff hugging drive through the mountains and rain forest. I devote my time and complete this journey each year to come back to the community I have been helping build since my first visit to Harmons.

Immediately upon arriving we are greeted at the Harmony House by American and Jamaican staff members of Won by One. They partner with us all week to teach us their techniques and show us the ropes. The Harmony House is a small compound with the capacity for 100 guest and staff. There are two large bunk rooms for the visiting team and several smaller bunk areas upstairs for staff. We definitely get to know everyone really well on this trip. The first night we unload each of our two 50 pound suitcases and sort all the donations we have brought. These items will go in the Blessings store
for purchase. The store is run by Jamaicans and there is a limit to how much you can purchase a week to allow everyone a chance to shop.

The majority of our time is spent out on the work sites building homes, usually building two homes by the end of our stay, if not three. Marl comes to my mind first when thinking about Jamaica, because this is a native stone named marlstone that we mix with cement to make the concrete mixture to build these homes. A previous visiting team will leave two 12’ x 15’ foundations for us to begin the next home.
The foundations are set up and have four feet of rebar protruding up for the next team to attach the four inch Styrofoam and wire mesh wall panels to.

After placing the wall panels we then cut the openings for doors and windows. Next we place the frames for the doors and windows. The roof is framed, sloping from one side to the other with zinc being used as the roof. Much like a true stucco wall, we use a trowel to push the first layer of the marl concrete mixture up the walls. The second layer is applied by a technique they call flashing. This is simply throwing or slinging another layer of concrete on the wall. There is definitely an art to this and they are skilled at it! The Jamaicans make it look really easy; meanwhile, the Americans are struggling to keep
the concrete on the wall.

By the end of the week the houses are done, mostly by the Jamaicans. The point of this week is not just about the houses; it is also about building relationships and working side by side. After all, Won by One’s motto is ‘Changing Lives by Changing Lives’. I always leave a part of my heart in Harmons and I cannot wait to go back next year! If you want to learn more about Won By One you can visit their website here: www.wonbyonetojamaica.com.

Centria Promotes Dave Donovan to Product Manager

CENTRIA, an industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of architectural metal wall and roof systems, announces that Dave Donovan has been promoted to Product Manager - Insulated Panel Systems.

Donovan brings more than 35 years of experience with CENTRIA to this role. Notably, Donovan was part of the team that originally introduced the innovative Formawall Dimension Series insulated metal panel system to the market in 1999. Most recently, Donovan served as the company’s district sales manager in Charlotte, N.C. He will focus his efforts on growing overall business, managing the insulated metal panel product offerings and stewarding new product development.

“Dave has been an asset to CENTRIA for more than three decades, and we’re excited to welcome him to the product management team,” said Greg Lusty, Director of Product Management and R&D, CENTRIA. “His broad knowledge of CENTRIA’s product offering, overall understanding of the market needs and passion for the future success of our business will be critical in this role.”

Donovan will be responsible for product management for all of CENTRIA’s exterior insulated metal panel systems. He will lead the vision and strategy behind CENTRIA’s promotional materials, training and
competitive research to further the company’s competitive advantage in this product category.