By Michael Pearsall, P.Eng., CVS, FEC – President, SAVE International
Turn up the Heat on Fellowship & Sharing
I am almost sad to see June come to an end and July start. June was a busy month for me in many aspects, yet also energizing in many ways. I started the month welcoming our two new SAVE International Board Directors, Mark Gabel and Marc Pauwels, and quickly the rest of the month flew by.
A huge milestone for June was the SAVE 2022 Value Summit in Glendale, Arizona. This was the first in-person event SAVE had hosted since 2019 and I went into it with a lot of trepidation. I am pleased to say that the Summit was everything I had hoped for and more. As expected, it was very hot outside; however, it was worth it to get together with old friends and make some new ones. Besides, we were quite comfortable having our Tuesday night “Backyard BBQ” inside. You can read more about the entire event in John Corcoran’s Summit column.
We have been having a lot of discussion lately about the benefits of virtual and in-person events and this was a constant topic in sunny Arizona as well. I have spoken to people who say they are only doing virtual studies now and they want all virtual events. I have similarly spoken to people who only do in-person studies and they want only in-person SAVE events. Of course, I have also spoken to a lot of people at various points on the spectrum in between. Personally, I think we have successfully shown that both can work well, and the future is in fitting the correct workshop approach to the team and subject matter – one-size does not fit all. As for future SAVE Value Summits, we continue to explore ways to make a hybrid model work.
I am normally a naturally introverted person; however, I will say that I needed the boost of energy and enthusiasm I got from the 2022 Value Summit being there in-person. The fellowship that took place constantly in the halls between speakers and at meals was priceless – not only should we turn up the heat on value, but I say turn up the heat on fellowship as well.
At the Value Summit, I also had the pleasure of meeting again with the SAVE international affiliates. These meetings are very beneficial and enlightening to help us keep in touch with what is going on globally. This was also a great opportunity to introduce our new Director of Global Affairs, Marc Pauwels, to the role.
I want to congratulate again, all eight deserving recipients of the SAVE Honors and Awards this year, plus our newest Fellow, Jeff Hooghouse from USACE. For a complete listing of award recipients, please visit www.value-eng.org/HonorsandAwards.
Speaking of the USACE, it was my pleasure to be involved in the official signing of the partnering agreement between SAVE and USACE. Many thanks to all of those who worked hard to bring this agreement together.
Finally, back at home in Ontario, Canada I am pleased to share those months of effort by my good friend Rakesh Shreewastav have paid off. Rakesh lined up two presentations to senior government officials in June and another two in July. Spreading the word about the Value Methodology is not always easy – we all have a part, and the efforts will eventually all pay off. It is also up to us to turn up the heat on sharing and continuing the good efforts of the people who helped us get started by sharing and mentoring more.
Enjoy the heat!
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