February 27, 2002

Design Detailings: Building performance talk on Thursday

Jim Whytock, building performance executive at Johnson Controls, will speak on "Creating and Maintaining High-Performance Buildings" at noon Thursday in Gould Hall 100 at University of Washington.

The presentation is about building design, operations and maintenance as well as the technologies needed to ensure sustainability. Faculty respondents will be Vikram Prakash, Ian Robertson and John Schaufelberger. For directions go to washington.edu/home/maps/northwest.html. For other questions, e-mail Vikram Prakash, associate dean for external affairs, vprakash@u.washington.edu.

SMPS scales the heights of leadership

The Seattle Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services on Thursday examines leadership and management principles through the context of high-altitude mountaineering. The luncheon, "Mountain as a Metaphor: Leadership and Management Lessons in the Himalaya," will be held at the Washington Athletic Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The event will feature Rob Ziegler, a 20-year mountaineer, who has climbed the world’s toughest ranges, including the Himalayas. Ziegler will share how his expedition experiences parallel the workplace. His experience also includes conducting motivational business seminars.

The cost is $30 for SMPS members, $35 for member firms and $40 for non-members. To register, contact Tosha Vandegrift at Berger/ABAM Engineers, (206) 374-9795 or visit www.smpsseattle.org.

AWA celebrates 5th anniversary

AWA Electrical Consultants of Lynnwood recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. With 10 employees, AWA's main client base consists of architects working in the educational, medical, retail and public works areas.

March marketing series by SMPS

Hiemstra

The Seattle Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services in March will host a four-session education series titled "Marketing Dynamics for a Fast Changing World: Senior Marketers as Leaders, Change Agents and Innovators." The series includes:

• March 6. "Thinking in the Future Tense." Glenn Hiemstra, futurist.

• March 13. "Shortcuts to Useful, Strategic Planning." Ed Edelstein, management consultant.

• March 20. "Pre-emptive Public and Media Relations." Leslie Meagley, director of client development, Preston Gates & Ellis; Karen Courtney, marketing director, NBBJ; Valerie Williams, principal, Notkin Engineering.

• March 27. "Reinvention through Innovation," Amy Wirtanen, marketing manager, new product development, Starbucks/Pepsi. Also speaking will be Felix Banel, deputy director, Museum of History and Industry; and Brent Ballbach, senior director of marketing and events, Seattle Sonics and Storm.

• April 17, bonus session. "Start Managing Change Before it Happens," Richard C. Bevan, C2K Consulting.

The cost for SMPS members is $70 per session or $280 for all five sessions; for member firms $75 per session or $300 for all five sessions; and for non-member $80 per session or $320 for all five sessions.

For more information about the Education Series, contact Norm Schwab at Triad Associates at (425) 821-8448.

ACEC links with Web conferencing

American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington recently announced a partnership with CSG Interactive Web Conferencing, which provides live, interactive Web conference training for the architecture, engineering and construction industries.

The partnership provides ACEC/W members access to CSG Interactive Web Conferencing's 40 live, interactive Web conferences on contract negotiation, risk management, project management improvement and design/build. ACEC/W has more than 200 member firms in the engineering profession, representing more than 6,000 employees.

Since its launch in January 2001, CSG Interactive Web Conferencing has provided live, interactive Web conference programs to meet design professional training requirements. Training is designed to supplement existing in-house and professional liability insurer/broker training. Programs are designed to meet all state relicensing requirements for professional engineers.

Per connection pricing allows large groups to participate in Web conferences at low costs. Archived programs are also available. For more information, log on to contractsolutionsgroup.com or contact program director Terri Lindow at (206) 463-7487.

Roth Hill wins workplace award

The Association of Washington Business recently honored Roth Hill Engineering for going the extra mile in creating and maintaining better workplaces.

Roth Hill’s award for an Innovative Benefit/Compensation Program was presented during AWB's board meeting at the Marriott Hotel in SeaTac. Roth Hill received the award in the 26-to-100 employee category.

The annual awards program recognizes AWB member companies that create workplaces that are family-friendly, promote safety and enable employees to achieve their best. The awards also draw attention to workplace policies that boost morale, increase productivity and reduce training costs.