The Eugene Wetzel Award for Communications Excellence
Just what is the Eugene Wetzel Award? The Eugene Wetzel Award for Communications Excellence is described in the Gulf States Operations Guide as the most prestigious of the Standing Awards and will be given to a member having at least five (5) years of continuous membership and who has portrayed exceptional communication skills and levels of communication with CSI members and/or other affiliated people in the design/construction industry promoting the Gulf States Region and to the principles of The Construction Specifications Institute.
For a little background on the Award, first you have to know a little about the Man. Mr. Eugene Wetzel was a very well-recognized member of the New Orleans Chapter and the Gulf States Region. The Eugene Wetzel Award is primarily based on Mr. Wetzel's efforts in keeping everyone in his Home Chapter apprised of what was going on and his ability to communicate his thoughts and those of the New Orleans Chapter at the Gulf States Region Level. Within the New Orleans Chapter, he personally notified members of upcoming meetings and for many years was involved in their publications committee and the success of their newsletter. Gene also was the mouthpiece for the chapter and made sure the New Orleans Chapter was well represented by attending many Region Conferences and Leadership meetings over the years. Mr. Wetzel's personality and charms were well known within the New Orleans Chapter and by many others within the Gulf States Region. Gene always had some type of humor to interject into any situation, while at the same time, he was extremely serious about CSI, its members and its impact on the Construction Industry.
When the decision was made to create this Award, the criteria of the award was identified as requiring a package submittal that clearly showed the communications skills of the applicant and how it benefited CSI, the Region, and/or the Chapter. Submittals are to be presented to the Region Awards Chair for review by the Awards Committee and if a recommendation for presentation is made, final approval by both Region President and Vice-President are required for the award to be presented.
How you submit the award and the specific requirements that will be judged are listed in the Operations Guide under the Awards Committee. If you have someone who is a fount of knowledge and information with the willingness and ability to communicate with the Chapter, Region and/or Institute, then you should really consider this award. It takes some time and as I have addressed in my articles on "How To" prepare nomination packages, you should be working on gathering the necessary information and examples of communications. Keep in mind, the award is for communication excellence in one or more media. I know there are great communicators out there who deserve this Award. It is your responsibility to identify them and prepare the nomination package to get them recognized. I hope to see at least one nomination this upcoming year.
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Billy Mathis FCSI, CDT®
Administrative Assistant for Architecture
Taggart Architects
North Little Rock AR
501-951-1061
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