July 20, 2004 |
For information contract: Deborah Hodges Construction Writers Association 1-773-687-8726 info@constructionwriters.org 
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CWA Welcomes Record Attendance At First Three-Day Annual Meeting
(Buffalo Grove, IL) More than 90 people attended the Construction Writers Association's Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Highlights included a tour of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project in Alexandria, Va.; a tour of the U.S. Capitol Visitors' Center construction project; the annual journalism and photojournalism awards dinner; election of directors and officers, education sessions on Fundamentals of Construction Journalism and the Annual Meeting program featuring construction-related topics.
On Wednesday afternoon, early arrivals boarded a bus and toured the Woodrow Wilson Bridge reconstruction project. The tour was sponsored by three companies involved in the project -- Edward Kraemer & Sons Inc., American Bridge Company, and Trumbull Corp. The tour sponsors also hosted a welcome reception at the National Building Museum. The American Society of Civil Engineers sponsored our use of the Pensioners' Room at the museum.
Thursday morning's Fundamentals of Construction Journalism session was held at the National Press Club. It began with a presentation on Speechwriting by Ed Rehfeld, communications manager with Laborers-Employers Cooperation/Education Trust. Rehfeld's session not only described the components of a good speech, but also gave tips on speech presentation, particularly when using or abusing PowerPoint.
Jeremy Pomeroy, senior counsel with the legal department of Reed Business Information, discussed the definitions of Copyright, Libel, Plagiarism and Trademarks and provided often-humorous examples of real cases and their outcomes. Questions throughout the session indicated a real concern among CWA members about these topics, particularly when working with press releases and second- or third-party material.
Jenni Grover Prokopy, principal of Orange Grove Media and a CWA vice president, moderated a panel on Fostering a Freelance/Publication Relationship. Participants included David Wood, a New Hampshire freelancer, Marge O'Connor, president of TMC Resources, and Julie Gasper, editor in chief of Kieways, published by Peter Kiewit Sons. The session not only addressed concerns of freelancers, such as creating and maintaining freelancing opportunities, but also the questions many editors had about developing positive working relationships with freelancers. Attendees particularly praised the panel's handouts, including resource lists and sample specifications for articles and photos.
Following the morning's educational sessions, attendees had the opportunity to take a box lunch tour of the U. S. Capitol Visitors Center. Sponsored by Centex Construction Company, and led by Tom Fontana of the Architect of the Capitol's office, CWA members toured the construction site for the new visitors center, being built underground on the east side of the Capitol.
Following CWA's board of directors' meeting, the day ended with dinner at the City Club and presentation of CWA's Journalism and Photojournalism Awards. The dinner was sponsored by CIT Equipment Finance. George Scott of CIT commented on the company's annual construction industry forecast and distributed copies of the current forecast brochure.
At the Friday Annual Meeting, also held at the National Press Club, CWA members heard a range of speakers discuss key issues relating to the construction industry. The meeting began with presentation of CWA's highest honor, the Silver Hard Hat Award, to Charles Thornton, principal of Thornton-Tomasetti-Cutts, founder of the ACE Mentor program. CWA members also elected 2004-5 officers and directors during a brief business meeting.
Keynote speaker Albert J. Bertini, P.E., of the Iraq Reconstruction Program Management Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, discussed the Corps' Role in the Reconstruction Efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bertini, who has visited Iraq, said "I came back emotionally recharged. You hear a lot of things that are negative, but there are a lot of people over there who are very determined to make a difference." Bertini said that one of the greatest challenges for Corps personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan has involved managing the logistics associated with overseeing multiple construction projects involving hundreds of Corps personnel and construction workers. "Logistical planning has to happen," he said.
Tom Temin, editor of Government Computer News; Jan Tuchman, editor-in-chief of Engineering News-Record; and Edward Soule, assistant professor at Georgetown University's Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business, participated in a panel discussion on Construction Journalism Ethics moderated by Don Marsh, editor of Concrete Products magazine and 2004-2005 CWA President.
According to the panelists, recent scandals in the journalism world involving Jayson Blair at The New York Times and Jack Kelly at Gannett's USA Today point to the fact that no publication is entirely safe from commercial pressures or the possibility that ethical lapses can occur. "Editors all the way down have to be vigilant all the time," said Tuchman. Referring to the recent journalism scandals, Temin noted, "The fact that well-established editors had to resign over the ethical lapses of people several layers beneath them is testimony to how important ethics really are." Temin, who is active with American Business Media, the association of business media companies, distributed copies of the ABM Editorial Code of Ethics and Guide to Preferred Practice on the Web.
Soule added that colleges and universities can help instill ethical values among students by creating a culture that values ethical integrity over simply getting ahead academically.
Following the ethics panel, Peter Davis, president of David Capital Investment Ideas; Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America; and Dr. William R. Buechner, vice president of economics and research for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, participated in a panel discussion on Construction Economics. Davis said that overall, the economy is doing well, although job growth has lagged because of business uncertainty and rising health costs. How fast employment grows for the rest of the year will be a key factor in the 2004 presidential election, he said.
Simonson said that the big story affecting construction costs is the spike in steel prices. "Steel prices have shot up at unprecedented rates," he said, adding that the last time steel prices had a comparable increase was in 1973-1974. "How much this shows up in the ultimate costs on projects depends on a variety of factors," he said.
Buechner updated attendees on the status of reauthorization of the federal surface transportation spending bill, known as TEA-21. While both the House and Senate had passed legislation reauthorizing the bill, the Senate bill was more generous than the House bill, providing $318 billion for transportation projects, compared to $275 billion. A conference committee will ultimately reconcile the two bills, but "it's anybody's guess what will happen" in terms of the amount allocated in the final bill, Buechner said.
In a third panel discussion led by 2003-2004 CWA President Jack Roberts, senior editor of Equipment World, Mike Traficante, director of governmental affairs, New England Laborers, Health and Safety Fund (LIUNA); John Woodman, executive director of the ACE Mentor program; and Jane Howell, director of communications of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) discussed Efforts to Attract Young People to the Construction Industry.
Traficante described a charter school program, established through a partnership between the New England LIUNA and the Cranston, R.I. school district. They seek to provide students with strong reading, science and math skills in conjunction with experience in environmental remediation and construction work. In its second year of operation, the Construction Career Academy is the first public school of its kind, Traficante said.
Woodman described the ACE program, a nationwide program that recruits companies and individuals from the architecture, construction and engineering professions to serve as mentors for high school students as a way to attract more young people to the building industry. With a stated goal of helping get kids to colleges that offer architectural, construction and engineering coursework, ACE provides scholarships to help encourage enrollment in construction programs. Since the program was founded in 1994, ACE has awarded $843,000 in scholarships, Woodman said.
Noting that civil engineering enrollment declined 17 percent between 1996 and 2001, Howell said, "It's important to demonstrate [to young people] that civil engineers are leaders in their communities." To that end, ASCE has developed a number of initiatives that show the fun side of engineering. In the past, the industry has "done a bad job by telling kids that engineering is all math and science," she said. ASCE is "working to change that," Howell said, by showing kids that "they are natural engineers."
Michael Sherman and Elizabeth Miller of the National Capital Planning Commission spoke at lunch, covering Urban Design Issues, Related Technologies, Security Planning. Sherman outlined the role of his federal agency in Washington DC-area planning and discussed the technology they use. Miller talked about innovative strategies being used to protect buildings in Washington DC -- berms, trees, retainins walls, fences, bus stop shelters, permanent benches, and more. She said that the design community is working to make these barriers more attractive.
Other sponsors of the annual meeting included: American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Associated Builders & Contractors, Associated General Contractors of America, Caterpillar Inc., Clark Construction Group Inc., CONSTRUCTOR magazine, McGraw-Hill Construction, Randall Publishing Company, and Reed Construction Data's Associated Construction Publications.
CWA is a nonprofit, non-partisan, international organization for professional journalists, writers, editors, publicists, and marketing communications professionals serving the information needs of the construction industry. Updated information on the association's activities is posted on the CWA website, www.constructionwriters.org . Annual meeting coverage includes a pictorial report, information on journalism and photojournalism award winners, and announcement of the election of 2004-5 CWA officers and directors.
2004 Journalism and Photojournalism Award Winners
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