Region 2 Newsletter

January 8, 2010

 

I hope that everyone had a great holiday season! As many of us tend to make resolutions for the New Year, I thought I would suggest a few resolutions that you could share with your members for them to consider:

 

• Attend a Chapter meeting (benefits include meeting new people, see some old friends and pick up a pointer or two during the technical presentation).

• Participate in an ASPE webinar (earn CEU’s while enhancing your knowledge).

• Attend the Convention in Philadelphia (benefits include networking with your peers, learn about the latest products on the market and increase your knowledge base, all while earning CEU’s).

 

BIM Webinar Info…

The next webinar titled BIM, Part 1: Content Creation for Plumbing BIM Models Utilizing Revit MEP 2010 will be held this Wednesday, January 13. It is not too late to sign up for the 2 PM webinar that will be presented by Marvin Titlow. The cost for ASPE members is $69.95 and $129.95 for non-members and each paying participant will receive continuing education credits.

 

College of Fellows Deadline is Approaching…

The deadline for nominations to the Kenneth G. Wentink College of Fellows is Friday, January 15^th. Please remember the nominee must be either a life member of the Society or a member in good standing for the past ten (10) consecutive years. In addition, the nominee must have made significant, sustained contributions to the plumbing engineering and design profession, the Society, and/or the plumbing industry in the areas of contracting and manufacturing. Nomination forms are posted on the ASPE website.

 

Don’t Miss the Society Open House…

The American Society of Plumbing Engineers open house is on Friday, January 22 from 4 to 7 PM. I would like to invite everyone to the office to enjoy a few drinks and appetizers. The office will be open for tours and is located at 2980 South River Road in Des Plaines, Illinois. We will also be holding our quarterly Board meeting this same weekend at the office so I will be available to give you a personalized tour.

 

Board of Directors Quarterly Meeting…

As I just mentioned, the Board of Directors will be getting together for the first quarterly meeting of 2010 at the new Society Office on January 22^nd and 23^rd. We will be reviewing the budget for 2010-2011, discuss technical issues, explore future educational programs, look for ways to enhance the membership experience and review current Chapter events. If you have any suggestions to better the Society or would like me to bring up an issue with the Board, please let me know. It is my job and honor to serve the members of Region 2.

 

National Engineers Week…

National Engineers Week will soon be upon us. The event will be held this year the week of February 14^th. This is the time of the year for us to celebrate our profession while we recognize our peers for their engineering accomplishments. It is also a time to introduce younger students to our profession. I would like to encourage everyone to participate in the festivities of Engineers Week.

 

More Website News…

Rich Albrecht, our Publication Manager and Webmaster is still adding content to the new and improved website. Even if you have already seen the site, I would encourage you to check it out again. The site is changing on a regular basis and has updated information on the webinars, membership information, links to PS&D Magazine and all you wanted to know about ASPE.

 

2010 President’s Meeting in Pittsburgh…

The Pittsburgh Chapter has been working very hard developing plans and making arrangements for the 2010 President’s meeting. We will be getting together on Friday, June 4^th with the meeting taking place on Saturday, June 5^th. The Pittsburgh Chapter has already sent out some information regarding the hotel and room rates, reservation deadlines, transportation and weather to be expected. If you have any questions regarding the Pittsburgh area or making reservations, please contact Don Ditter of the Pittsburgh Chapter. His email address is dditter@astorino.com. If you have any questions regarding the meeting, please give me a call or send me an email.

 

Region 2 Highlights…

Presently, I am not receiving everyone’s monthly newsletter so please make sure I am on your distribution list. I enjoy reading your newsletters and like to share your great ideas with everyone else in the Region. Here are the latest highlights from the Region:

 

• The Buffalo-Niagara Chapter held a holiday party last month and exchanged gifts with everyone in attendance.

• A Lead Free Movement, Alternative Joinery seminar will be offered by the Central Indiana Chapter this month.

• The Central Ohio Chapter also held their annual Holiday Party last month and had a blind gift exchange with the attendees.

• An Oil and Grease Removal Systems seminar will be presented by the Cleveland Chapter this month. The Chapter is also planning to tour a waste water treatment plant in April.

• The Eastern Michigan Chapter is holding two classes. The first class is on the Basics of Pumps and the second class is titled Pressurized Commercial Solar Thermal System Design.

• The topic this month for the Johnstown Chapter is LP Gas Systems.

• The Pittsburgh Chapter will be showing a DVD entitled Plumbing: The Arteries of Civilization which was originally shown on the History Channel. They are also publishing a 2010 yearbook for their members.

• The Rochester Chapter has started their free CPD review class which meets every two weeks.

• A Seismic Bracing seminar will be sponsored by the Southwestern Ohio Chapter later this month.

• The Western Michigan Chapter will be presenting a seminar on PVC Systems for Chemical Waste, DI Water and the Code this month. They are also presenting pins to (9) members who have reached their twentieth anniversary with the Chapter.

 

Just a few reminders…

• The CPD exam will be offered again in April on the 16^th and 17^th and there is a practice exam available on the ASPE website. The practice exam will help you prepare for the test and statistics have shown that you have a higher percentage of passing if you take the practice exam.

• The Board is still looking for someone to co-chair the 2010 Convention in Philadelphia. Frank Heine has already accepted one of the positions and needs a partner to complete the team. If you are interested in filling this position, please let me know as soon as possible.

• Please continue promoting membership. We all need to work a little harder to retain and gain new members. Our Society cannot exist without our members. Don’t forget, Society will still help any member who is in need of some help during these difficult financial times.

• Please make sure the information on the Society website for your Chapter is correct. The contact information for your Chapter Officers, meeting location, date and times should be accurate. Many people use this site for reference on a daily basis and we want to make sure all of the information is correct.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am here to help wherever I can.

 

Mitch Clemente, CPD

Region 2 Director