By Michael Pearsall, P.Eng., CVS, CVM, FEC – Director of Conferences, SAVE International
This month I am pleased to announce another excellent speaker who has been confirmed for the 2019 Value Summit in Portland, OR. On Tuesday, June 11 attendees will enjoy a keynote from Marie Olson of Sound Transit.
Readers may recall Sound Transit from our recent transportation column. Sound Transit is the public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area of Washington State. Sound Transit plans, builds and operates express buses, light rail and commuter train services. With a 2017 ridership of over 47 million passengers, they are one of the largest transit agencies and, as we have seen, they have a vibrant Value Engineering program.
Ms. Olson has been working in railroad operations for 15 years and is currently Acting Director of Operations Transit Expansion for Sound Transit. She was hired by Sound Transit in 2014 as the Light Rail Transportation Manager, and prior to that she worked for BNSF Railway (the largest freight railroad network in North America) for 10 years.
As part of her keynote, Ms. Olson will demonstrate the power of VE referencing Sound Transits recent operability assessment value analysis study. For the operability assessment value analysis study, she was Corridor Operations Director for the East Corridor. Transit and rail operations will relate worldwide to everyone and I guarantee attendees will walk away from Ms. Olson’s keynote with a lot to think about.
Many thanks to Rob Stewart and Rahul Nagalkar for the work they each did to secure this excellent keynote for us!
If you haven’t registered yet for the 2019 Value Summit, here is your reminder that the early bird registration deadline is April 15. In addition to a solid core Summit program, we have a great pre- and post-Summit workshops to offer. There will be something of interest to everyone, no matter your background or experience level. Please visit www.valuesummit2019.org/registration to register.
I also want to note that we are promising three concurrent educational tracks at all times this year. Your Summit Program Committee and the SAVE International Board of Directors want to make sure that in addition to having an enjoyable time, you also get the professional development units (PDUs) you need for your certification at this year’s Summit.
Don’t forget we have some special promotions this year to encourage attendance from new groups. First, we have introduced an opportunity for SAVE Chapters to sponsor one or more students to attend the 2019 Value Summit. Interested Chapters would be responsible for the travel expenses for the students, but the event registration for the selected students would be only $50.
Second, I want to remind everyone of our offer for you to introduce more value into your own companies and agencies. Your organization can receive a $75 discount on each registration if you have five or more individuals registering from the same organization. What a great opportunity to have more colleagues and co-workers learn the benefits and applications of the Value Methodology! This should go a long way in helping you promote value within your organization. So far, I have seen a number of people taking advantage of this, so don’t be afraid to assemble a group of co-workers.
“You Can Move Mountains with VE” in Portland – come experience the 2019 Value Summit in the shadow of Mount Hood and see what quirky aspect of Portland you and your companions like most.
And remember, it is never too early to jump in as a sponsor of the 2019 Value Summit. Sponsorship is very important – without it, SAVE cannot have a quality event at a reasonable cost. I am very thankful for those sponsors who have stepped up already and encourage everyone else to please take a look at the sponsorship opportunities we have available.
Your enthusiastic and dedicated Planning Committee, with the help of the SAVE Cascadia Chapter, is working hard to make the 2019 Value Summit the best one yet. We look forward to seeing you in Portland, Oregon June 8-11, 2019!
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