CSI is pleased to recognize the 2018 CSI Award Winners. Recipients will be honored during the CSI Honors and Awards Ceremony at CONSTRUCT 2018 in Long Beach, CA, Thursday, Oct. 4th. You can register to attend the ceremony in person
here.
Scott M. Conwell, CSI, CDT will be honored as a member of the Class of Fellow at the ceremony. Here, he discusses what the award means to him, and how CSI has impacted his life and career.
What does being a member of the 2018 Class of Fellows honorees mean to you?
Becoming a Fellow is a great honor, and I am grateful to be recognized for my contributions. The other 2018 inductees are especially impactful in our industry, and I am humbled to be included in this group. Becoming a Fellow also imparts a responsibility to build on the work I’ve done, and to continue to deliver practical education in masonry, tile, and stone, in whatever form that may take. I also feel a duty to set an example for younger CSI members by leading and helping to cultivate new leaders in the Chicago chapter.
As Fellowship acknowledges contributions to the advancement of construction technology, of all your contributions to CSI, which are most significant to you?The contribution most significant to me is education. Because I am in the unique and enviable position of working closely with skilled union craftworkers, apprentice instructors, and contractors, the insights I am able to deliver to designers, whether through seminars, articles, or hands-on workshops, provide education that is practical and meaningful.
How has being a member of CSI informed your life and career?
In our industry, it’s easy to make hasty assumptions or decisions based on one’s limited experience. Being active in CSI has broadened my perspective and taught me that there are often many solutions to a problem. CSI has provided me a network of product representatives, designers, specifiers, and contractors, each with a unique approach to solving a problem. In my experience, CSI members are always eager to help fellow members in the name of sharing knowledge for the greater good. My CSI membership gives me access to some of the greatest minds in the industry! And likewise, I am happy to share my niche expertise with those who seek it out.
What has been your favorite aspect of making your career in this field?Choosing to specialize in masonry early in my career–just months after I became licensed—was not an easy decision, but if I had to do it all over again, I definitely would. I have always had a love for masonry (Louis Sullivan’s ornate terra cotta detailing; Frank Lloyd Wright’s modular Usonian block; the simplicity of Mies van der Rohe’s brick architecture at my Alma Mater, IIT). I can think of no other material or system as beautiful, durable, or sustainable as masonry, as well as being structural, low maintenance, cost-effective, non-combustible, and adaptable to any design aesthetic.
But merely using great materials does not guarantee a great building, which brings me to the second reason I love my job. I have developed a deep reverence for the knowledge, skills, and pride of the craftworkers and contractors belonging to the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC). I’ve had the privilege to work with and learn from master journeyman masons who now teach in the apprenticeship program of the International Masonry Training and Education Foundation (IMTEF). I have not only seen the products of our skilled labor—the beautifully designed and equally beautifully constructed buildings—but I have seen the work as it goes in. I have witnessed the sweat and the pride of the BAC bricklayers, stonemasons, tile setters, plasterers, tuckpointers, and terrazzo workers. These men and women are skilled at their craft, and my respect for them runs deep. My career with International Masonry Institute has charged me with representing the best material and the best installers, while advocating good design principles. If you can get those three things right—materials, design, and installation—you have a good building.
Is there anyone you would like to recognize for supporting the work you do?
For over 23 years, I have reported to IMI’s national director, David Sovinski, who I sincerely admire, thank, and credit for leading me and IMI’s entire Industry Development team. Dave has always encouraged me to have big ideas and has equipped me to execute them. If there is a tool I need to do my job, he makes sure I have it. Over the years, he has trusted me, advised me, supported me, and redirected me when needed. I can’t imagine working for anyone else. Additionally I am grateful to Raquel, my wife of 21 years. Raquel has endured my sometimes unpredictable work, meeting, and travel schedules without ever once letting me sacrifice my home life. She makes sure I know where I need to be, and which children’s activities can’t be missed. She loves me despite my quirks, and has given me the best years of my life.
What advice would you share with newer CSI members about how to have a career as fulfilling as yours?
I suppose my formula for having a fulfilling career is to choose a specialty that interests you, keep yourself informed in that sector by reading, networking, and seeking out mentors. CSI provides a great platform for all of this. Stay ahead of the changes in your field, and adapt to them. As you gain knowledge and experience, you will be the one effecting the changes in your chosen sector, not reacting to them. That is fulfilling.