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April 2010
You’ve Won A Boger Award.
But Who Is Boger?
Every year since 1975, CWA members have competed for the association’s journalism awards in hope of walking away with a Robert F. Boger Memorial Award for Excellence in Construction Reporting. But ask a member who Robert F. Boger was and you’re likely to be met with anything from “I haven’t the foggiest idea!” to “Wasn’t he one of those guys from CWA’s early days?”
While the latter response is, in a general sense, correct, we thought it time to enlighten new generations of our membership about just who Robert Boger was and what he did to merit such immortalization by CWA.
Robert F. Boger was a long-time McGraw-Hill employee and publisher of Engineering News-Record, Construction Methods & Equipment and Aviation Week magazines. Among his accomplishments was the transformation of ENR from a monthly publication to a weekly, adding coverage of business, finance and labor to its formerly all engineering content. He later became a McGraw-Hill vice president, right hand man to the company’s president.
“A publishing genius” is how Arthur Fox, a 40-year Mc-Graw-Hill staffer, chief editor of ENR for 24 years and former Boger colleague, described him. “He was fiercely protective of the editorial integrity of his magazines,” said Fox, noting how Boger never let business interests interfere with what was written, a trait that endeared him to his writers.
Another colleague called Boger “a brilliant man who ran a tight ship. He was also a great strategist but a quiet person.” An active supporter of American Business Press (ABP, now known as American Business Media), Boger believed strongly in paid circulation. “He promoted high standards among the editors to put out a product that served the readers well, built a strong loyalty among them and maintained continued revenue growth.”
Boger “‘invented’ CWA,” said Fox. The idea stemmed from Boger’s involvement with the Aviation Writers Association. The construction writers should have a similar organization to represent them, he thought. With Gene Halmos (who today’s older CWA members might remember) doing much of the organizational legwork and the support of a handful of industry veterans, CWA came into being in 1957 and incorporated in 1958.
Thank you, Mr. Boger, for your wonderful “invention.”
CWA’s Annual Conference: Your Guide to “Embracing the New Normal” Oct. 25-26, 2010, Chicago
Get involved!
Do you have hot-button education topics that would be a good fit for the conference? Suggestions for presenters you think would be of interest to CWA members? Please share them with the conference chair, Don Marsh. Are you interested in a sponsorship? Contact the sponsorship chair, Don Talend.
Planning is well under way. Features include sessions on key issues affecting the industry, roundtable peer discussions, top project “insider” presentations and tours. And new this year: a grand awards dinner will recognize all of the 2010 winners of CWA’s major awards programs.
Confirmed sessions include:
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Federal economic and environmental policy update, with Deere Construction and Forestry’s director of public affairs, Nate Clark |
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Transportation and highway bill outlook with president and CEO of the Associated Equipment Distributors, Toby Mack |
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Construction outlook, with the Portland Cement Association’s chief economist, Ed Sullivan |
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Risk Communication: How to Answer the Most Difficult Questions with Potomac Communications Group’s, Inc. senior program manager, Nathan Petrillo |
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Social media and the latest tips, with Barton Malow’s marketing manager, Dana Galvin |
Social media continues to evolve, and editors and marketing communications professionals can share ideas and tips during one of the roundtable/round robin sessions.
“Top projects” presentations include the “Revive Wacker Drive” reconstruction of Chicago’s historic double-decker roadway and more high-rise, commercial, and roadway projects. A tour is set for the Chicago’s new Children’s Memorial Hospital—a $1 billion project set for 2011 completion and near the conference hotel.
To ramp-up the networking, the conference, hosted at the Hilton Suites on Chicago’s famed Magnificent Mile, will feature a Grand Awards Dinner on Oct. 26. The event celebrates recognition presentations for all CWA awards, including Journalism, Photography, Marketing Communications, Website and Electronic Communications, Silver Hard Hat Award, Hall of Fame, and the Build a Future Scholarship Award.
It’s shaping up to be a great conference, and a kind one for strained travel budgets with good deals on rooms and flexible, low-cost attendance options. Help us make it even better. Content is king! Please share your suggestions with the conference chair, Don Marsh.
For more information about the conference, visit Embracing the New Normal.
For more information about sponsorship and your company’s recognition, visit Sponsorship.
On Blogging
Mark Buckshon offers a bit of advice for those considering a blog:
In late 2006, I decided to start a daily blog, Construction Marketing Ideas as a resource for our business clients. Thinking with the philosophy of giving rather than selling, I sought out other relevant blogs focusing on the architectural, engineering and construction industry, offering them free hyper-links without any expectation of reciprocation.
Much to my surprise, despite an extensive search through the Internet, I found at most two or three blogs, and these appeared to be ill-maintained.
Today, the story is much different. In the past two months, we have co-ordinated a "Best Construction Blog" competition. The contest attracted more than 40 blog nominations and more than a thousand votes. A few days after the results were published, someone sent me an email saying the winner didn't deserve the credit and that another blog - he sent the URL - really deserved the recognition. Indeed, I didn't know about the recommended blog. It is excellent.
If you ask me the question: "How many A/E/C-related blogs are there today?" I simply would not be able to answer, but I know there are many, far more than the entries in my competition indicate.
Why are there so many blogs? Some attribute the volume of blogs to efforts at search engine optimization. Google and the other search engines appear to index and rank well-maintained blogs highly. The search engine success has spurred some to create "splogs," or a version of spam-type blogs. Of course, as is the case for most marketing initiatives, the blogger who is first within the niche achieves the highest results and it is hard to dislodge the early success. (Now I am thankful for my early start.)
Are blogs effective and worth the time and effort? Undoubtedly, I can quantify some profitable business developed through relationships which started with the blog, but most of the advantages are indirect. I've always earned my living through writing and journalism, so blogging doesn't require much effort and reflects my skills. Since I own the business, I don't have to get the boss's approval before writing. I imagine blogging would be much more difficult if you need to get corporate approval for every word you write. The words would be stilted and massaged to such an extent that no one would really want to read them.
So my advice about blogging is simple. If you write well, enjoy the craft and have the authority to blog in your own name (or your company gives you the freedom to express yourself without constant controls on your content), go ahead. The world probably won't come beating to your door, at least right away. However, if you let me know about your blog, I'll be glad to index it on my site and, if nothing else, you'll gain a little bit of search engine recognition.
Mark Buckshon is president of the Construction News and Report Group of Companies, which publishes several regional construction publications and the Design and Construction Report (http://www.dcnreport.com). His Construction Marketing Ideas blog (http://www.constructionmarketingideas.com) is updated daily.
CWA Journalism and Photography Awards
This is the best year to win an award with the changing economy and a great need to stand out and above the crowd. Time is running-so don’t delay! Submit your winning entry for the Journalism and/or the Photography Awards. The deadline is April 15, 2010 and each entry is $125. You can find more information on the past winners, entry requirements, and the entry form on the website. More Journalism Awards and Photography Awards.
CWA Adds Career Center
Great news-you can add your resume or search for new job’s with CWA’s new Career Center now. This is a 24/7 service. Members can post their resumes anonymously, set-up a personal jobs alert account, and check out the numerous job listings with the new on-line service. It is very easy! Employers can search for right people to fill their important positions and post a job. This is one more way that CWA connects you with the construction industry. Check it out now.
CWA Members News
RBI to Shut Down Remaining 23 Magazines
About nine months after putting the brands published under the U.S. arm of Reed Business Information on the block again, Reed Elsevier announced on 4/16/2010 that it is closing down the magazines it has not been able to sell or does not intend to keep. In total, the number of magazines to be closed down is 23.
To conclude the divestment process, the publishing operations of the remaining RBI-US controlled circulation titles are to be closed: Building Design+Construction, Chain Leader, Construction Bulletin, Construction Equipment, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, Control Engineering, Converting, Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, Graphic Arts Blue Book, Graphic Arts Monthly, HOTELS, Logistics Management, Material Handling Product News, Modern Materials Handling, Plant Engineering, Professional Builder, Professional Remodeler, Purchasing, Restaurants & Institutions, Semiconductor International, Spec Check, Supply Chain Management Review and Tradeshow Week.
Anderson joins Randall-Reilly in January 2010
In January 2010, Randall-Reilly, the premier business media and information company serving the construction and trucking industries, announced the addition of Michael D. Anderson to the company’s Construction Division. “Mike is well-known and respected throughout the construction equipment industry,” says Marcia Gruver, editorial director, construction division. “We’re excited about the leadership and professionalism he brings to our products.”
As senior editor of Better Roads and Equipment World magazines, Anderson will work on a variety of projects that will make use of his extensive background in the industry, which began in 1996 as editor of Equipment Journal in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Most recently, he served as senior editor of Construction Equipment magazine of Oak Brook, Illinois. Anderson has received a number of honors throughout his construction journalism career, including three national awards for his work while at Construction Equipment. He also served as president of the Construction Writers Association in 2007-08 and continues to serve work with association’s board of directors.
“We’re looking forward to adding Mike to the stellar staff of our industry-leading construction publications,” says Dan Tidwell, senior vice president/group publisher. “Our readers will be well served by his industry insight, deep relationships and broad knowledge base.”
White rescued and re-launched 13 construction magazines that were shuttered by
Reed Business Information
In April 2009, Reed Business Information shuttered all but one of the magazines published under its Associated Construction Publications Group, which consisted of 14 regional construction titles. That created an opportunity for John White, the original co-owner of the ACP titles. More »
Illia Receives 2010 Bronze Quill Award
Tony Illia received the 2010 Bronze Quill awards for Best Feature Writing from the Las Vegas chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators for his article "Inside a Safety Turnaround," which appeared in Engineering News-Record last year. He additionally received the Judge's Choice Award for Best Overall Writing for the second year in a row.
Welcome New Members
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Donald R. Berry Dana Galvin Norah Lally Roger Nielsen Charlotte Perham |
Amy Pyle Ken Promersberger Steven Rizer Jon Thorp Jeff Winke |
Calendar of Events and Important Dates
April 15, 2010 Deadline. Call for Entries for the Journalism Awards and the Photography Awards. For more information, visit http://www.constructionwriters.org/awards/journalism/.
April 15, 2010 HESNI Second Quarter Meeting on Master Planning and the new Central Plant at Palos Community Hospital in Palos Heights, IL. For more information, visit http://www.hesni.org/event_details.asp?eventID=23.
April 19-25, 2010 Bauma 29th International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines, Construction Vehicles and Construction Equipment, Munich, Germany. For information, visit www.bauma.de/en/Home.
April 25-28, 2010 American Council of Engineering Companies 2010 Annual Convention at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC. For information, visit www.acec.org/calendar/conferences.cfm.
May 2-4, 2010 Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) 2010 Leadership Forum at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta, GA. For information, visit http://cmaanet.org/conference.php.
May 5-7, 2010 Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) 2010 Spring Owners Leadership Conference at the Pittsburgh Hilton in Pittsburgh, PA. For information, visit www.coaa.org.
May 6-7, 2010. HESNI 2010 Annual Conference Sustaining by Maintaining will be held in Downers Grove, IL (Chicago, IL ). For more information, visit http://www.hesni.org/.
May 11-14, 2010 TAUC Leadership Conference 2010 Phoenix, AZ. For more information, visit www.tauc.org.
May 15, 2010 Deadline. Build A Future Scholarship. Candidates can submit their applications now and it will be presented at the 2010 Annual Conference. For more information, visit http://www.constructionwriters.org/awards/scholarship/.
July 16, 2010 Deadline. Hall of Fame. The call for nominations is open and the new candidates will be inducted at the 2010 Annual Conference. For more information, visit http://www.constructionwriters.org/about/hall-of-fame/
October 25-26, 2010 Embracing the New Normal. The 2010 CWA annual conference will be held at the Hilton Suites Chicago on the Magnificent Mile. Over eight awards programs are part of this fabulous conference! All current CWA members will receive FREE admission to the activities on October 25, 2010-Welcome Reception and construction tour of the new 1 billion Children’s Memorial Hospital. For more information, visit http://www.constructionwriters.org/events/
October 26, 2010 CWA Grand Awards Dinner will be held in the evening during the 2010 annual conference: Embracing the New Normal. In 2009, over 25 awards were presented and 2010 promises to be interesting with all of the awards in one event! This is great event for networking. For more information, visit http://www.constructionwriters.org/events/
Build A Future Scholarship
CWA is offering a $2,000 scholarship to undergraduate students majoring in Journalism, Communications or Public Relations as they apply to the fields of architecture, engineering, or construction.
Students are eligible for the Build A Future Scholarship if they are enrolled in an accredited college or university in the United States and Canada, are in their sophomore, junior or senior years and are pursuing a degree in Journalism, Communications or Public Relations with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0.
In addition, the Build A Future Scholarship includes a full conference registration to the CWA Annual Conference in October 2010, and a travel stipend up to $500 for a total value of $3,500.
Qualifications, judging criteria, and an application form are available at www.constructionwriters.org/awards/scholarship. The deadline for applications is May 15, 2010; judges will contact the winner by July 15, 2010. For more information, log on to the website or send an e-mail to info@constructionwriters.org.
Please forward this information to students who you think would qualify. To be sure your alma mater is aware of the scholarship; please send contact information for your school to info@constructionwriters.org.
For more information on CWA’s Board of Directors visit:
http://www.constructionwriters.org/about/board-committees
For more information to sign up for CWA Committee click here.
Please contact CWA for permission to reprint any articles from this publication. No part of the this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information-storage system without permission in writing from the publisher.
Send comments or queries to Construction Writers Association at info@constructionwriters.org
Published and distributed by the Construction Writers Association. Copyright 2011.