CWA Midyear Meeting Offered Diverse Program
November, 2002
This year's CWA Midyear Meeting featured a diverse group of speakers, addressing issues for both working journalists and publicists. The meeting was held Friday, October 4, at the Tower Club in Chicago, IL.
The morning's first speaker was Charlie Carter, chief structural engineer for the American Institute of Steel Construction. Carter's presentation, "What's Next for WTC Collapse Investigation," focused on not only the current work and research being done by FEMA and other organizations, but also on the myths and realities of the tragedy. Carter addressed some of the findings of an as-yet-unreleased FEMA study of the Pentagon damage, and discussed work being done by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The Building Performance Coalition, noted Carter, is also playing a key role in determining new building standards; the cooperative alliance of standards development associations, building codes agencies, and engineering organizations is unprecedented.
David Schultz, adjunct professor at Northwestern University's Infrastructure Technology Institute, followed with "Strategies to Deal with Sprawl and Transportation Congestion." With more than 60% of travel in urban areas occurring in congestion situations, says Schultz, the impact on quality of life is staggering. Schultz examined the real state of congestion in the U.S. and offered 14 strategies for improvement, including: construction coordination; enforce traffic laws; disruption management; reverse-commute transit and ride-sharing; facilitate use of transit; rail grade crossings; traffic engineering; identify and remove bottlenecks; reinvent suburban transit; pricing; build roads; affordable housing; land use; and improved technology. Noting that the solutions he offered ranged from immediate and low-cost to long-term and high-cost, Schultz stressed the importance of using every opportunity to tackle the problems of congestion.
Mike Reilly, principal, Reilly Communications, spoke on "Creative Marketing Strategies." With emphasis on the need for construction writers to survive the cycles of the construction industry, Reilly shared his Top 7 Tools, including: build and maintain a good customer knowledge base; build a VIP entrance to your business; juice the Web site; perform surveys; start an awards program; create a promotional device; and appoint yourself. When it comes to marketing, says Reilly, experts agree the trend is moving toward "pull" instead of "push" strategies. Successful marketers are those who can attract and keep audience interest over the long term, he said.
Steve Nilles, AIA, Principal, Lohan Caprile Goettsch Architects, rounded out the morning's presentations with an overview of the UBS Tower at One North Wacker Drive, Chicago, which the group toured in the afternoon. Constructed for John Buck Co., the building had a 24-month schedule, and one floor was completed every two weeks. Now 96% leased, the 48-story building offers its tenants exceptional benefits and amenities. A dramatic lobby features a stainless steel, aluminum and glass curtain wall that creates a unique connection between the inside lobby and outside street access. The building is also a record-breaker: it features the highest strength caisson design of any building ever constructed in Chicago, with 220 tons per square inch bearing load per caisson. Next on the schedule for Lohan Caprile Goettsch Architects: a 50-story office building at 111 S. Wacker, Chicago -- again for John Buck Co.
Prior to the CWA Midyear Meeting, CWA offered its new course, Fundamentals of Construction Journalism, to an eager group of attendees. The lead-off speaker was photographer/architect David Seide of Defined Space, a Chicago photography studio. Seide showed slides of high quality architectural photography and discussed hiring professional photographers and copyright law as it relates to photography. Rod Sutton, editor of Construction Equipment magazine, Oak Brook, IL, presented a session on copy editing. Jason Grant, communications manager for Surety Information Office, Washington, DC, discussed persuasive writing skills.
The Construction Writers Association, founded in 1958, is a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization for professional journalists, writers, editors and publicists serving the information needs of the construction industry. In addition to its journalism and marketing communications awards programs, CWA provides educational and networking opportunities for its members. For more information, visit the Construction Writers Association website at www.constructionwriters.org .
For additional information
Deborah J. Hodges
Executive Director
P.O. Box 14784
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Telephone 773 687-8726
Fax 773 687-8627
info@constructionwriters.org