Check out the “member” classifications listed for the 2008 MRCA National Conference at www.mrca.org. MRCA, NTRCA, Roof Consultants Institute (RCI), RCAT, American Institute of Architects (AIA), and Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA) are listed. Where oh where is CSI and why would we not qualify for the “members” registration fee? Very few of these roofing systems would be installed on commercial buildings if we did not specify them.
Could it be that Rodney Dangerfield has become the patron saint of construction specifiers?
We need to lodge a complaint! Bombard them with requests for member status! Protest! Picket! Sit-down! Boycott!
MRCA will certainly extend “member” rates to the specifying community and apologies for the omission. Simply mark CSI on your registration form. Thanks for the interest and hope to see you there. Kim Swartzendruber, MRCA.
See what an inquiry can accomplish? Kim was quick and gracious in response to my email. (I didn’t even get around to making up my protest sign - can you tell I’m a child of the 60’s?)
Nah!!!
On November 24th I received my monthly copy of Architect magazine compliments of Hanley Wood. Included in the mailing is a supplement entitled Continuing Education Fall 2010 Guide. Its a great piece, about 30 pages long, that lists a whole bunch of continuing education courses available through Hanley Wood and associated manufacturers.
So What, youre asking. The supplement includes three separate pages that list specific continuing education requirements for various professional organizations; one each for AIA, NAHB, and USGBC. Notice anyone missing from that list? CSI has continuing education requirements too. Given CSIs partnership with Hanley Wood, youd think they would have included CSIs requirements as well wouldnt you? Is this yet another glaring example of lack of awareness in the design/construction community about CSIs certification programs; CDT, CCS, CCPR, CCCA? Ive been on this soapbox for Years and really have not seen any improvement in our absolute lack of publicity for our certification programs (Except of course in Specifier magazine and other CSI publications where were preaching to the choir).
Im on a roll today, just received our annual Arcom MasterSpec dues invoice and noticed that CSI is no longer included in the listing of organizations eligible for the ten percent discount. Theres a line that says For CSI Member discount, call Arcom. So I did. A nice young lady explained to me that the relationship between Arcom and CSI has changed and the CSI discount is now Five percent. Why The Face? (inside joke) You dont suppose CSIs purchase of BSD has anything to do with that do you?
OK, its not really that big of a deal; would be about $90 for my firm but well still get the ten percent since we have AIA members on staff. But its the Principle of the thing to me. How is it that the professional organization of all specifiers isnt entitled to the best discount from the biggest dealer of master specifications? Go figure.
Doug, you speak straight from the heart for a lot of us.
On the later point of the discount, one wonders why indeed no discount. One would think that on a matter of marketing that the CSI/BSD deal would make ARCOM want to lure more to their fold. So, its not so short sighted on the part of CSI but more of a marketing faux pas on the part of ARCOM. What a missed opportunity on their part.
Frankly, if I were in their marketing, I would be pressing hard to make it an 11% discount to CSI members, not much, but it makes a statement on their part.
William
I don’t think it says anything about Arcom and it says a lot about how bone-headed CSI is in this relationship. As Doug says, the $90 isn’t that much in the scheme of things and if I worked for a firm that worried about that much money, I would pay the difference myself.
It may not be that much but it represents a critical issue to the independent specifier who has to budget these tools out of very tight funds. Not having the AIA membership to fall back on means that the lost discount will need to be made up in added revenues many of which are coming from contacts made through this very association that is supposed to be representing our/my interests.
It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out. My renewal for a number of ARCOM libraries will become due the end of May and maybe there will have been some added negotiations on this subject, in the meantime.