Willamette Valley

WORDS FROM THE PRESIDENT 

It has been a remarkable experience serving as the Chapter President since this summer, and I eagerly anticipate the year ahead. Over the past few months, I had the privilege of attending both our Regional and National conferences, and I return to our Chapter filled with renewed energy and optimism for the future of CSI.

These recent years have presented us with a mix of challenges and opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to reevaluate our priorities and adapt to innovative ways of connecting. During this period, our Chapter has expanded its reach geographically. However, we have also seen a few members retire or transition to new jobs and careers. Despite these changes, we've managed to host successful events that have enabled new members to connect within the industry.

Furthermore, we've continued our traditions, such as the Projects in the Pipeline and Economic Forecast dinners, while embracing new ones like the golf tournament and holiday parties. Additionally, we've organized numerous events, providing our members with opportunities to earn LU's.
In the coming months we have several exciting things planned and I invite you to engage actively with our chapter by attending our events and sharing your knowledge and experience with fellow members. Your input, ideas, and feedback are invaluable to us, and I encourage you to reach out to me with any suggestions or concerns you may have.

In closing, I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for our Construction Specifiers Institute Chapter. Together, we can elevate our profession and make a difference in the construction industry. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to connecting with all of you in the coming year. 

Sincerely, 

Sydney Mills, CSI, CDT

President

CSI Willamette Valley Chapter

UPCOMING EVENTS

AIA/ASLA/CSI Holiday Party – December 13

Projects in the Pipeline – January 18

RECENT EVENTS

Last week, we held a joint AIA/CSI Tour of OSU Cordley Hall and Happy Hour. Thank you to Vante Johnson and everyone who helped make this happen. 

We tried a couple new meeting formats in past months, testing out different meeting types and times of day. Randy Nishimura led an engaging conversation on artificial intelligence in the AEC industry over pizza during the Learning and Libations event in June. See Randy’s blog post about it HERE.

In September, the brunch chapter meeting included discussion of how CSI serves you and what attendees are interested in seeing in the future.

The second annual golf tournament was a great connection-building event that drew many golfers on a hot July day.

From left to right: September Brunch Meeting, Tour of Cordley Hall, and Second Annual Golf Tournament. 

RANDY'S CORNER

We would like to thank Randy for his many years of dedicated service to our chapter as he steps back to embark on his retirement. He has taught our certification classes and been chair of the certification committee for the past decade. Randy has had an impact on multitudes of professionals in our industry. Randy, thank you for your enduring commitment to our organization and education within our community.

We have not yet found a replacement for Randy to teach our certification courses. Because of this, Willamette Valley Chapter will unfortunately not be offering any certification courses in the coming year. Cherise Lakeside FCSI, CDT teaches an excellent certification course virtually from Portland. More information on her course and registration can be found HERE. For a listing of all certification prep courses, please click HERE.

Click HERE for a blog post by Randy discussing this transition and his tenure on the certification committee.

NEW MEMBER HIGHLIGHT: VANTE JOHNSON

Welcome new member Vante Johnson to the Willamette Valley Chapter! 

Vante is one of the rare people who goes all in on everything he does. A student athlete throughout his college career and a dedicated Big Brother volunteer for several years, Vante approaches his work with the same total commitment to what's at hand. 

His value of relationships and construction experience in multiple regions of Andersen Construction has ushered him through the ranks to his current position as Business Development Manager in the Mid Willamette Valley region of the company.

A big thank you to Vante for our recent Cordley Hall tour in Corvallis!