I’M BACK!

No, this is not a missive about how pleased I am for being re-elected to a second term as your President. Actually, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been rather quiet these past few months. I’ve spent the past 4 months tending to my father’s illness and subsequent passing. During this time, I have been dealing (and continue to deal) with very real end-of-life issues that all of us have or will have to face. I saw more than my fair share of hospitals and convalescent centers, and yes, my architect’s eye analyzed them all. I have an enormous respect for the doctors and nurses who give their all into the health and comfort of patients and families. It was a time of hell… and a time of heaven. I cannot thank enough the members of the Chapter Board, John Tomaszewski, Rich Freewalt, Howard Weiss, Magda Gomez, and Paul Bertram, to name a few who stepped up and filled in the vacuum I left while I tended to Dad.

When I say “I’m back,” I’m telling you that I am returning to my responsibilities as your Chapter President and am looking forward to another year of continued improvement of the DC Metro Chapter. By improvement, I mean another year of top notch speakers at our meetings… I mean resumption of our certification seminars in January… I mean having to relocate the meetings because you are attending meetings and maxxing out Tuscana West (we’ve been getting close!). I learned many things during my initial tenure and I want to apply my lessons next year. It felt good feeling the energy in the Chapter build last year and I want to keep it going.

I am looking forward to CONSTRUCT 2009 and the TFM Show in Indianapolis, Indiana beginning June 16th. I can’t wait to see old friends and meet new ones. I can’t wait to learn about new products and interesting issues that will be addressed. Are you coming? You should!

Last April 24th, I attended the business meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Mitch Miller has a lot going on! The region is still pushing each chapter to add members. DC Metro is no exception. Fortunately for us, the market has not turned too far south and we are holding our own with a slight drop in members. We discussed the upcoming Fall Region Meeting in Charlottesville, VA. The Central VA chapter has scheduled a really exciting program called “Sustaining Mr. Jefferson’s Legacy.” You have to book your rooms NOW because it’s also a football weekend. Finally, we were notified that the next scheduled CONSTRUCT conferences are scheduled for Philadelphia in May 2010 and Chicago in September / October 2011 (to not compete with the AIA and Greenbuild conferences). The latter date, if confirmed, will play havoc with the Mid-Atlantic Region’s fall meetings, but nothing can be done until the Institute commits to it.

There you have it! I’ll see YOU at CONSTRUCT and at our Awards Banquet on June 23.

Tom Feulner President