Acoustical Interior Construction magazine

A C O U S T I C A L WINTER 2015 Cover Story— Kenpat USA, LLC Nemours Children’s Hospital Join Us for the 65th Anniversary Convention in Sunny Long Beach, CA

CISCA Business Library: Actionable tactics to create a postive life

INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION THE RESOURCE FOR THE CEILINGS & INTERIOR SYSTEMS CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Las Vegas, NV Featuring: Perforated, Lay-In Panel Ceilings

CBS RADIO Dallas, TX Featuring: ALPRO® Acoust-X® Baffles

DEAN SMITH CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA Chapel Hill, NC Featuring: Aluma Vault 3000 Ceilings

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGES Washington, D.C. Featuring: Aluma Vault 3000 Ceilings with Integrated Light Coves

RELY ON GORDON TO DELIVER • Unrivaled Customer Service and On-Time Delivery • Elegant and Acoustically Effective Ceiling and Wall System Designs • Unparalleled Quality Materials and Finishes • Unbeatable Simplicity of Installation • GUARANTEED SATISFACTION

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INSIDETHISISSUE

WINTER 2015

Volume 57, Number 4

ON THE COVER: Nemours Children’s Hospital Orlando, FL Submitted by:

Kenpat, Inc.

Other CISCA Members

Armstrong World Industries CertainTeedCeilings/Decoustics Rulon International Marjam Supply

Architects:

Perkins + Will

FEATURES 8 Cover Story Nemours Children’s Hospital An outstanding project in scope and execution 16 On the Road to Los Angeles CISCA staff visits Elljay Acoustics

21 CISCA Convention Information Sign up now for all the fun

COLUMNS

4 65 is no time to rest 5 What do you think when you hear —

25 INTEX Exibitor Prosepctus Good booths still available for CISCA members

Construction Excellence Awards

30 Project of Note The New School

60 Acoustics at Large Forum

56 Legally Speaking

40 CISCA Business Library Winter Tuneup Edidtion Four business stories intrinsically linked

58 Cybersecurity Tips Fundamental tips for all our safety

62 Ad Index

DEPARTMENTS

6 New Members

ACOUSTICAL INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION

Executive Director: Shirley Wodynski • Publisher/Editor: Rick Reuland • Advertising Sales: Debbie Rauen EDITORIAL: For advertising rates and information or editorial comments or questions, contact: Rick Reuland, Association Publishing Partners, Inc., 6S252 Cornwall Road, Naperville, IL 60540 • 630-637-8632 • 630-637-8629 fax • rmgi@comcast.net ADVERTISING: For advertising rates and information contact Debbie Rauen • 940-368-2468 • debbie_int_const@yahoo.com © Copyright 2014 Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association.

This publication may not be reproduced, photocopied, stored in any electronic retrieval device or transmitted by facsimile without permission of the publisher. All rights under U.S.A. and international copyright laws are reserved. Publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.

INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION (ISSN 0888-0387) is published quarterly by the Ceilings and Interior Systems Construction Association, 1010 Jorie Blvd., Suite 30, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

Subscriptions: $40.00 per year. • POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Acoustical Interior Construction at 1010 Jorie Blvd., Suite 30, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION | WINTER 2015

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innerworkings

65 is no time to rest

By Pete welly

2

015 is CISCA’s 65th Anniversary. While 65 is the year at which most people start thinking about retiring from their jobs and doing something different, CISCA has decided 65 is a time to make some changes and to also mix things up a little.

• We have increased our contractor membership by more than 14%.

• We are producing quarterly videos that are emailed to our members to watch as time permits. They are intended to be short but provide some timely training.

• We have changed up the schedule at the convention this year: — We have moved the presentation of the awards to dinner from our traditional breakfast.

— We have allowed more time for educational sessions and meetings

• More companies entered projects into the Construction Excellence program this year vs last year.

• More companies are entering projects in the Boutique Category – which was created to allow smaller projects to be in the program.

• Two Contractor Peer Groups were formed for Key Employees.

• We have updated the Metal Ceilings Handbook and are working on two white papers – Acoustics in Restaurants and Acoustics in the Open Office.

• We have completed a Metal Ceilings EPD for our metal ceilings members.

— We have added a golf outing at the picturesque Trump National Golf Course • We have selected Innisbrook in Florida as the site of the 2015 Fall Leadership Conference – a family friendly location. We encourage all attendees to bring their families and join us from September 28th-October 1st.

• Most importantly we are thankful to our sponsors, who are listed in this issue, for their continued support. Without this critical financial investment we can’t continue to deliver the value for our members.

Please join us to celebrate our 65th Anniversary in Long Beach, April 26-30, 2015!

• We are nearing completion on a Ceilings EPD for use by all our members 4

WINTER 2015 | Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION

Pete Welly Foundation Building Materials 2014 – 2015 CISCA President pete.welly@fbmsales.com 714-380-7535

2014-2015 Board of Directors President Pete welly Foundation building materials

President-Elect Jason Gordon Heartland Acoustics & Interiors

Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Oates Jacobson & Company, Inc. Immediate past president Eric Mau Mau, Inc. Executive Director SHIRLEY WODYNSKI CISCA Directors adam bessert thorne associates, inc.

Eric Brown CertainTeeed ceilings jeff hudepohl valley interior systems David Kovacs Kamco Supply Corp. james moynihan rockfon LLC scott qualls USG Steve Udolph Tectum Inc. Jim Walaszek Chicago Area Building Specialties advisors Ron Bishop Elljay Acoustics Inc. Mike Granatino Winroc/spi

What do you think when you hear — Construction Excellence Awards Program?

C

ISCA’s Construction Excellence Awards Program is a great way for companies, large and small, manufacturer or contractor, to showcase their work.

Projects are entered into the following categories: • Ceilings • Interior Finishes • Acoustical Solutions • Renovation • International • Boutique The categories are then divided into regions (for all but boutique and international): • North • South • East • West As I talk to members I try and promote the awards program. I hear members voice a variety of reasons why they have not entered the program. These include the notion that “It is difficult to compete with the bigger companies;” they “don’t have time;” they “Won’t win;” “It’s too expensive;” or they “Don’t know which project to enter.”

As you plan your work for the upcoming spring, summer and fall, keep these things in mind: 1. The boutique category was created for the smaller projects.

2. Projects are judged against others in the same category and region 3. Projects are judged anonymously so the judges do not know the name of the project, the company that submitted the project or any of the companies that worked on the project

4. The cost is minimal when compared to the benefits one receives for entering (win or lose): a.

All projects are included in the event program b.

All projects are included in the magazine c.

All projects are included in the video d.

Winning projects receive a crystal award e.

Winning projects are included in the video for the award they win f.

Pictures of winning projects are displayed in the CISCA booth during the INTEX Exp 5. It does not take that much time to submit an entry: a.

Take pictures during all phases of the project so you can pick the 10 best to submit b.

Write about the project – telling the judges about it c.

Submit a short paragraph for the magazine d.

Submit the payment Submitting an entry is this easy.

So, for the 2015 Awards Program (to be presented during the 2016 Convention), submit one project.

Then for the 2016 program you will know how easy it is and you can submit more.

Have a great rest of your winter.

See you in Long Beach!

Shirley Wodynski CISCA Executive Director Shirley.Wodynski@cisca.org 630-584-1919.

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NEW MEMBERS COMPANY

Acoustic Contracting Inc Allegheny Millwork ArmCom Distributing Company ArmCom Distributing Company Armcom Distributing Company Baker Triangle - San Antonio Balfour Beatty Construction Bayside Interiors Byggmester Sagen AS Decorative Ceiling Tiles Inc. Delta Construction, LLC Diamond Beach, Inc. DBA Acoustic Specialties Dixie Acoustical Constractors, Inc. DPR Construction Eagle Rock Contracting Ebenistrie Beaubois Environmental Interiors Inc EPI Construction Euro Deco Tile Floor to Ceiling/Carpet One Grani Installations, Inc. Jamail & Smith Construction, LP Lasco Acoustics & Drywall Leonard A. Kraus Co., Inc. Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. Midwest Drywall Co., Inc. Millard Drywall & Acoustical Construction Mortenson Construction One Source Building Services, Inc. Ozburn-Hessey Company Pabco Construction Pillar Construction Precision Walls, Inc. Premier Acoustics Inc. R-S Products, Inc. Schommer Construction LLC Simms Hardin Company, LLC Sound Acoustic Solutions Swinerton Builders Tight Line Construction, Inc. TriCity Acoustics, Inc. Vergith Contracting Warco Construction, Inc. 6

WINTER 2015

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Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION

CITY

Hutchinson Crofton Sioux Falls Fargo Rochester San Antonio Orlando Fremont Stavanger Margate Kansas City San Jose Montgomery San Diego Albuquerque Saint-Georges, Quebec Nashua Nixa Sarasota Fargo Las Vegas Austin Dallas Baltimore Coppell Harrison Austin Golden Valley Plano Nashville Farmingdale Alexandria West Columbia Corona Ellisville Colorado Springs New Orleans Bedford San Francisco Boston Redlands Henderson Charlotte

STATE

KS MD SD ND MN TX FL CA Norway FL MO CA AL CA NM Canada NH MO FL ND NV TX TX MD TX AR TX MN TX TN NY VA SC CA MO CO LA OH CA MA CA NV NC

INSTALLATION

SY S T E M S

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PROJECT OF NOTE

r e Cov

y r Sto

Nemours Children’s Hospital Orlando, FL

By Meta L. Levin

H

ere are the statistics: 277,000 square feet of seven different types of ceiling tile; ¾ of a mile of numerous types of architectural trims and 72 miles of acoustical ceiling grid. Installation work on the Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, FL was not a small project, but Kenpat USA, LLC stepped up and, in the process, earned a CISCA gold award, ceilings, south region.

Built on 60 acres of the 650 acre master planned Medical City in Lake Nona, FL, the 630,000 square foot, 95 bed, children’s hospital was designed by (continued on page 10)

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Submitted by: Kenpat USA, LLC Other CISCA members involved with the project:

Armstrong World Industries CertainTeed Ceilings/Decoustics Rulon International Marjam Supply Architect: Perkins + Will

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PROJECT OF NOTE (continued from page 8) Perkins+Will Architectural Firm, based in Boston, MA. Kenpat won the $1.9 million acoustical ceiling installation contract for the project.

Construction took three years.

Of that, installing the ceilings alone, was done over a period of nearly 12 months and required meticulous planning and coordination with the MEP contractors. To insure meeting the high quality standards, Kenpat incorporated a quality control plan in collaboration with Skanska, the construction management company on the job. As Kenpat completed each area, its team inspected the work, then turned it over to the Skanska Management Team for a final inspection. This not only insured that high quality was maintained, but allowed the owner’s schedule to be met.

As with most hospitals, there were significant numbers of MEP items that ran above the ceilings.

“Corridors were critical, as so much overhead MEP items were installed it gave little room for the acoustical ceilings which had to finish off the space,” says Phil Klote, Kenpat’s vice president. All of the surgery ceilings were in custom sizes, with all parts and pieces tying into the drywall ceiling and the MEP trades. All of the wood ceilings were curved and had to be custom fit for the proper layout.

The complex utilities that ran above every ceiling meant that there had to be allowances made for access. For instance, the Decoustics Saint-Gobain Claro product was used in the lobby with Decoustics Ceilencio ceiling suspension system.

“All of the panels swing down for 100 percent access,” says Christian Kellet, Decoustics Saint-Gobain director of sales and marketing.

“There was a complex layout of utilities above the ceiling.” There were 500 panels or about 3,500 square feet of the Claro product. (continued on page 13) 10

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PROJECT OF NOTE

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(continued from page 10) With a 9 NRC that absorbs 90 percent of the noise that hits the panels, Claro is an acoustically transparent finish that looks like drywall or plaster and can be colored to match. In this case, it was solid white. “The lobby had a lot of glass and hard surfaces, so this was the only opportunity for sound absorption,” says Kellet.

He noted that the system also facilitated integration of a special band of linear lighting fixtures that were placed between the panels.

There were, however, some challenges, including a significant number of irregular panels, some necessitated, because walls on the west side of the building came in at an angle. “Every panel was a custom shape, requiring a high degree of precision,” says Kellet. Another area required smaller angled panels.

In every case it was necessary to maintain consistent lines with reveals that were positioned so as to match exactly.

Kenpat provided field measurements, which Decoustics used to create shop drawings in AutoCAD, says Kellet. “All of the panels were made to fit the space exactly. There was no field cutting required.”

This is not the first time that Decoustics and Kenpat had collaborated on projects. “They are a good customer and provide accurate field dimensions,” says Kellet.

Marjam Supply Company provided the Armstrong World Industries suspended ceiling products used in the Nemours Children’s Hospital project. “We made at least one trip every day to deliver product,” says Ian Marshall, Marjam’s Florida Regional Manager. That went on for about 12 months, but Marshall notes that the company had been working with the architect and Kenpat for about a year before that.

“We worked closely with Kenpat on the specifications and to make sure that we had the right product,” (continued on page 14) Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION | WINTER 2015

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PROJECT OF NOTE (continued from page 13) he says. This is not the first time that Marshall and Marjam have worked with Kenpat, which Marshall considers a “good customer.”

The suspended ceilings were high end, says Marshall, costing approximately $30 per square foot. In the entrance area, Marjam provided laminated wood ceiling tiles, in this case, real wood affixed to aluminum panels.

“It is a phenomenal project; extremely high quality,” says Marshall.

Rulon Company provided linear wood ceilings early on in the project, says Jesse Reyes, the company’s marketing manager. Designed to install easily and quickly, the Rulon

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product is designed to be problem free. Rulon provided 21,000 square feet of red oak linear open ceilings, all of which carry FSE (Forest Stewardship Council) certification.

The linear wood ceilings use a “cliprail” system, eliminating heavy metal framing and support wood.

Installers suspend the cliprails from the deck, allowing them to snap the linear boards into place.

Kenpat officials felt that the unique designs in the Nemours Children’s Hospital project, combined with successfully overcoming the challenges they presented, showed that its attention to accuracy and quality workmanship helped lift the results above and beyond expectations.

WINTER 2015 | Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION

Do you have a question on acoustics?

Ask an acoustician.

Send your question to: Keith@kpetersonassociates.com

Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION | WINTER 2015

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W

ho is Ceilings Plus?

A Manufacturer member of CISCA since 1988, Ceilings Plus is a manufacturer of engineered ceiling and wall products that has been in the acoustical ceiling business for the past 30 years. In 1935 the company began with lighting fixtures. In 1985 two smaller companies joined forces to form Ceilings Plus. All of their work is project designed and they can do pretty much anything you want.

Recently, Ceilings Plus worked on the Doha International Airport delivering more than 4,500,000 SF of metal and wood ceilings. This project took several years of planning before the project even went out for bid. Ceilings Plus worked with the design team to help develop details as well as specifications.

Ceilings Plus makes multiple shapes and sizes, such as large scale beam profiles.

Clarice Briones, a design engineer at Ceilings Plus, easily carries the lightweight 2” x 6” wood bars. “Engineered for the field installers, that is how we quote and manufacture our projects” says Tom Peterson, Senior Estimator.

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Tom Peterson was a field foreman for 25 years before coming to Ceilings Plus and keeps a steady hand in the installation approach. Ceilings Plus provides hanging points for complex geometry. BIM and 3-D models are common.

Mock-ups are made prior to fabrication to review any potential design improvements for the field installer.

Large, light weight metal and wood panels made with recycled aluminum cores helps the installer and the access to the ceiling plenum.

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CISCA on the Road

by Shirley Wodynski

P

rior to the Las Vegas Convention last spring, we stopped in Orange County, California to visit with Ron Bishop of Elljay Acoustics, Inc. Ron is a Past President of CISCA and has served on many CISCA committees over the years.

Ron and his wife Linda met in high school. Ron was an aspiring baseball player and received a college scholarship for baseball. As it turned out, it was the same college Linda and her girlfriend had decided to attend. During the next several years a stark reality struck Ron, as he realized he could not hit the curve. And thus ended his dream of the major league.This precipitous moment led to a change in colleges and a serious change in his focus.

During this transition Ron started working for Elljay Acoustics. After graduation Ron accepted a full-time position with the company. Ron knew Elljay was a very well established company having been in business since 1966 so he jumped into all aspects of the operation learning as much as he could. At this time, Elljay was owned by three individuals.

Ron’s inner voice was telling him to buy

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Shirley Wodynski is joined by Ron Bishop outside the Elljay Acoustics headquarters in sunny Placentia, CA, virtually within earshot of the Anaheim Angels baseball stadium.

into the business when one of the partners decided to retire – fortunately, he had the good sense to listen to himself. As the others retired he bought their shares and today he is the sole owner of Elljay Acoustics, Inc. Today, Elljay is a very well recognized and respected contractor whose work encompasses: • Acoustical ceilings systems • Acoustical wallpanels • Interior contracting services • Interior systems contracting • Integrated ceilings • Metal and specialties ceilings • Specialty ceilings • Wood ceiling systems • Projection screens

ers. Ron said the reputation of Elljay is built on personal character, as well as professionalism, which trickles down to all levels and extends to every architect, builder, contractor and suppler they work with. From speaking with Ron, his employees and others, that is certainly true!

This feeling is aptly summed up by a plaque inspired by Ronald Reagan which sits in Ron’s office and proclaims, “It CAN Be Done.” Great words to drive any company.

Ron attributes his success to going “beyond mere functionality and adding resourceful, innovative, creative design solutions in the mix. “ A tour of the Elljay office introduced dedicated employees who are eager to go the extra mile with all their custom-

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Save the Date!

2015

Convention

April 27 - 30, 2015 The Renaissance Hotel Long Beach, CA 2015 is CISCA’s 65th Anniversary.

Come help us celebrate.

Mark your calendar now to attend the 2015 CISCA Convention and INTEX Expo in Long Beach, California, April 27 – 30, 2015.

CISCA’s hotel is The Renaissance.

The group rate is $239 a night.

There are many outstanding events being planned.

Don’t be left out – plan now to attend.

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CISCA Convention Monday — April 27, 2015 CISCA Registration Desk Open 2:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. CISCA Convention Golf Outing

Enjoy a challenging round of golf at

one on Southern California’s premier

golf courses — TRUMP National.

11:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

Tuesday — April 28, 2015 CISCA Registration Desk Open

7:15 A.M.-5:00 P.M. Independent Manufacturers Rep Meetings

8:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M. Distributors Meeting

10:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M.

CISCA Educational Sessions

1:00 P.M.-5:00 P.M.

Greet friends and associates as we

embark upon another outstanding

convention experience

1:00-2:45 P.M.

Marketing Stategies and Tactics

Jim Ackerman presents— The Delta

Initiative - How to Change Whatever Sucks in Your Business or Life

3:00-5:00 P.M.

CISCA Panel Discussion

How Can Acoustical Contractors

Help General Contractors?

Emerging Leaders Reception

4:45 P.M.-6:00 P.M. 65th Anniversary Reception Cruise 6:30 P.M.-8:00 P.M. 22

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FREE Evening — Enjoy!

Wednesday — April 29, 2015 CISCA Registration Desk Open

7:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M. CISCA Educational Sessions

8:00-9:15 A.M.

Kieth Peterson presents—

Use Your Acoustics Knowledge to

Enhance Profitability and Margins

9:45-11:00 A.M. Craig Fisher presents— Latest Tech Trends — What Will Be the Norm Within Five Years?

Thursday — April 30, 2015 CISCA Registration Desk Open

7:45 A.M.-10:00 A.M. Small Manufacturers Meeting

8:00 A.M.-9:00 A.M.

Show Opens — 10:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.

Bob Treadway’s Economic Forecast and Brunch - Sponsored by USG

11:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M.

Show Opens — 12:30 P.M.-5:00 P.M. IMR Meeting 12:00 P.M. – 1:00 P.M.

Awards Dinner & Motivational Speaker

6:30-9:00 P.M.

Enjoy a great

evening of fun,

food and

entertainment.

See all of the award-winning projects

and people who made them happen.

Witness the 2015 DeGelleke Award

presentation. Back by popular demand,

hear speaker Dale Henry.

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CISCA Convention + INTEX 14 Registration Form INSTRUCTIONS: •

Attendee Information

Please photocopy for each additional registrant, or register online at www.cisca.org

First

Last

Badge Name

Company Address City, St., Province Zip Country Phone Fax Email Spouse/Guest (An additional company employee is not considered a companion) First Last Badge Name Home Address Full Registration (includes entrance into all individual events and exhibit hall for attendee.)

Fees & Payments (payable in U.S. Dollars)

CISCA MEMBER

Early - On or Before March 20, 2015

Full Convention 1st person (FULL)

q

$695

q

$895

Full Convention 2nd or same firm (FULL)

q

$545

q

$695

q

$845

q

$995

q

$745

q

$800

q

$175

q

$195

Regular - After March 20, 2015

Amount

Non-Member

Full Convention 1st person (FULL)

Full Convention 2nd or same firm (FULL)

Spouse/Guest

Spouse/Guest Registration (SG01)

Individual Events (Included in Full and Spouse/Guest registration)

CISCA Reception

Tuesday

How many?

$125per person

$175 nonmember

Awards Presentation & Keynote Dinner (DINNER)

How many?

$175 per person

$225 nonmember

CISCA Education Pass

How many?

$250 per person

INTEX Trade Show Pass

Wed. $50

Thu. $50

CISCA Golf Outing at Trump National

Includes: golf and transportation

q

How many?

Club Rental How many?

q

$250 $85 __ Right

Method of Payment Card No.

$300 nonmember Both Days $90 q

__Left

TOTAL

q Check q Visa q MasterCard q American Express

Exp. Date

Signature Is this your first CISCA Convention?

CVC # Yes

Name on Card List any food allergies: Cancellation Policy Registration will not be processed without payment.

If you must cancel, your registration fees will be refunded

Return this form with a check or credit card information to CISCA Convention + INTEX Expo 15, 1010 Jorie Blvd., Suite 30 Oak Brook, IL 60523; Phone (630) 584-1919.

If you pay by credit card, you may fax your registration to (866) 560-8537.

in full, less a $100 processing fee, if we receive your cancellation in writing by March 20, 2015 No refunds will be issued after March 20, 2015, or for no-shows. Individual tickets are not refundable.

Questions?

Call CISCA Registration at (630) 584-1919 or email cisca@cisca.org.

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No

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WINTER 2015 | Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION

Are you a CISCA Member?

Have you seen the NEW CISCA video series?

It is currently available for Members use.

Join today and get access to this fresh presentation of some valuable information.

Do you have a question on acoustics?

Ask an acoustician.

Send your question to: Keith@kpetersonassociates.com

Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION | WINTER 2015

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THEINSIDESTORY

The New School Architectural Components Group, Inc.

New Orleans, LA

Gold Award - Acoustical Soulutions - South Region

Other CISCA members involved with the project: Component Assembly Systems Architect/Design: SOM

By Meta L. Levin

W

hen Architectural Components Group, Inc. (ACGI), which manufactures wall and ceiling systems, successfully bid on The New School’s new 16 story University Center, they knew it would be a big and complex job. It turned out to be that and then some.

“There were a lot of challenges,” says Dan Shum, ACGI’s project manager on the job. “And I usually like a bit of a challenge.” Successfully meeting those challenges helped ACGI earn CISCA’s gold award, acoustical solutions, east region.

Shum and the ACGI team were faced with complicated requirements that included aesthetic and acoustic considerations, as well as documentation for FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and LEED certification, two and three-dimensional shop drawings, multiple field measurements to accurately make the components, unique angles and various planes that were important features in the auditorium and lecture halls.

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Timing was dictated by crucial coordination between the installation contractor and the trades working with HVAC, lighting and audio-visual elements. These had to be integrated between rows of acoustic panels within tight tolerances.

Envisioned to be the heart of student life on The New School’s New York City campus, the University Center included multiple lecture halls, an 800 seat auditorium and performance hall, a library and dormitories.

ACGI engineered and manufactured all of the wood acoustical ceilings and walls, working with bamboo (technically a grass, not wood) in the performance/ auditorium and lecture halls, something that added a heightened degree of complexity to the work. “We had worked with bamboo before, but not nearly to this extent,” says Shum.

The project, which was fairly long, ended with the almost inevitable time crunch. John L. Tishman, (continued on page 32)

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THEINSIDESTORY (continued from page 30) chairman emeritus of Tishman Realty and Construction Co. and a New School trustee, had donated money to the school for the auditorium and wanted his 80th birthday celebration in the new space, requiring some urgency at the end, says Shum.

To facilitate work on the larger and more complex auditorium, work first began on one of the lower level lecture halls, with a similar layout.

They used lessons learned there to make the work on the auditorium go smoother.

Shum, who worked closely with installation contractor Component Assembly Systems (CAS) to insure the walls and ceiling panels in the

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auditorium and lecture halls were layered and angled, with reveals that had to be aligned from floor to ceiling, says that everything came out right. The ceilings sloped up, came to a point then began their layered slant back down.

Early on in the installation process, Shum visited the job site, taking pictures of some of the more challenging pieces. As the project progressed, however, Anthony Prag, Component Assembly Systems ceilings foreman, took picture after picture with his cell phone, sending them to Shum for clarification and, in many cases, new shop drawings.

It took 4,000 panels to finish the auditorium and Shum notes that the

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team tried to do everything without the necessity of field cutting. ACGI provided detailed diagrams to show Prag and his team the proper location of each panel. Delivery was accomplished during a seven month period from April 2013 through May 2014, but a lot of material was kept on site in areas already completed and climate controlled.

Unlike many auditoriums, the one in The New School was not configured solely with music in mind, says Shum. This one was geared toward presentation as much as it was toward sound, although there was an acoustician involved and the panels were perforated for acoustical value. (continued from page 34)

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THEINSIDESTORY (continued from page 32) “The focus was more on lighting and visual presentation,” says Shum.

This is because The New School encompasses a variety of programs and schools, including the Parsons The New School for Design; The New School for Social Research; Public Engagement; Jazz and Contemporary Music; Drama; Mannes College The New School for Music and the Eugene Lang College The New School for Liberal Arts.

Although the architect, SOM, provided drawings, it was up to ACGI and CAS to make it all work, a sometimes daunting task. “I had worked with SOM designs before, but nothing like this,” Prag says.

He and his team took all of the field measurements. At some points

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Prag insisted on actually seeing such things as the exact lighting fixtures that were to be installed in between the layers of panels to measure them himself.

The bamboo panels had to be configured in an array of angles, returns and reveals that required complex mitered joinery, just a part of the challenges in manufacturing and engineering with which ACGI and CAS were faced. The panels needed mitered returns and were installed at angles to accommodate recessed lighting that was interlaced throughout the side walls and ceilings.

There were two of what Prag termed “eyebrows,” jutting out and down from the ceiling over the seating. Each of these was chock full of audio-visual equipment and lighting. Building those was a challenge.

The space had to allow for all of the

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equipment and the framing had to support the weight.

Once the framing was initially completed, the audio visual people told Prag about other requirements, necessitating some re-engineering, removal and reconfiguration of the framing. “I had to use my imagination to envision how it was all going to fit together,” he says.

A 60 foot by 40 foot wall at the front of the auditorium that is designed to serve as a projector screen and will raise up and down, proved to be another challenge. It was conceived to be covered by the bamboo panels, but, once the metal frame that covered the concrete wall was built, Prag and Shum were faced with a limit to the amount of weight that it would hold. They had intended to use ¾ inch plywood framing with the panels affixed to them, but that proved to be too heavy. (continued on page 38)

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THEINSIDESTORY

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37

THEINSIDESTORY (continued from page 34) Five-eighth inch plywood with ½ inch thick bamboo panels still exceeded the limit. ACGI couldn’t make the panels any thinner, so Prag came up with a plan to use ¾ inch plywood strips, instead of full framing, affixing the panels to the strips and using extra cables to stiffen the frame and hold it square.

CAS hired a rigger to erect scaffolding on the slanted floor where auditorium seats would eventually be installed.

Installation began with the ceiling. Prag stationed people on the floor with lasers to make sure that everything was even and straight. “Every couple of feet we set a laser to make sure that we were still on track,” he says.

Normally the installation of such a design would begin at the bottom of the wall and work up, but in this case it made more sense to start with the ceiling and work down. It took one person standing on the catwalks above the ceiling to lift the bamboo panels up while another fastened them in place.

As each row was installed, they had to make way for the appropriate trades. Lighting went into the reveals, the eyebrows were installed in wall panels, as were other aspects of sound and lighting installation. The architect also wanted some ambient light for the interior hallways.

To accomplish this, windows were installed on the inside walls of the rooms which lined the halls. “The windows were a remarkable feat,” says Prag. “The drawings can only show lines on paper. (Shum) and I had to figure out how to make it work.”

Epilogue: No sooner was the project complete than an old (1870) 36 inch New York City water main underneath 5th Avenue broke, right at the intersection where the building was located. Shum and Prag found themselves back on the job, redoing some of the basement lecture halls, as well as replacing three rows of panels in the auditorium.

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CISCA BUSINESS LIBRARY

WINTER TUNEUP EDITION

The “Old Smart” Isn’t Good Enough for the 21st Century With the influx of technology into the way we work, traditionally accepted concepts of “smart” are simply outdated.

M

aybe you graduated at the top of your college class. Maybe you have an MBA or perhaps you complete the New York Times crossword puzzle in one sitting. Maybe you pride yourself on your ability to correct your colleagues’ grammar and email typos. Unfortunately, says Professor Edward D. Hess, none of that will matter as we advance in an increasingly tech-driven world.

“You might consider yourself a great intellectual, but book smarts won’t be all that relevant as companies increase their use of robots and smart machines,” says Hess, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business and author of the new book Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization (Columbia Business School Publishing, 2014, ISBN: 978-0-231-17024-6, $29.95, www.

EDHLTD.com).

“What will matter is being an adaptive learner—someone who knows what you don’t know and how to learn it by asking the right questions, someone who can think critically and innovatively, someone who can really listen with an open mind and collaborate well with others. And more importantly, someone who is able to overcome 40

the aspects of human nature that can make those accomplishments difficult to achieve.”

In order to stay competitive, it’s time to upgrade your skills and capabilities by embracing 21st century learning skills. The skill set Hess describes is so important because it will enable today’s professionals to stay relevant throughout their careers. No matter how rapidly knowledge advances (or how quickly a particular skill set becomes outdated), good adaptive learners have the best chance of winning.

Here, Hess examines the 21st century learning skills you will need to be successful in a tech-driven world.

Get comfortable with “not knowing”

None of us are as smart as we think we are. And smart people know this! To learn, we need to know what we don’t know, and not get defensive about it.

“In the technology-enabled world, how much you know will be irrelevant, because smart machines and the Internet will always know more than you,” says Hess. “What will be more important is knowing what you don’t

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know and knowing how to learn—in other words, the smartest people will be focused on continuously learning.

“And in order to learn well, you will need to accept that humans (yes, that includes you!) are not optimal learners,” he adds. “Cognitively we all are naturally fast, lazy, reflexive thinkers who seek to confirm what we know.

It is important to learn how and when to make your thinking more intentional and deliberate. You must actively seek to develop your critical thinking and innovative thinking skills.”

Quiet your ego to embrace open-mindedness

Humans are naturally unwilling to listen to challenges to our thinking. But to become a more effective learner, you’ll have to train your brain to be emotionally non-defensive. You can no longer define yourself by what you know or by your ideas. Rather, Hess says, you should define yourself as a good learner who uses good thinking, listening, and collaborating processes.

“Today people must learn to stresstest their beliefs and preconceived notions, not constantly seek to confirm them,” he notes. “It takes courage to enter the world of the unknown and

learn something new the first time. To make that process easier, people will have to learn to separate their ideas from their self-worth. Changing a previously held belief doesn’t mean you are a bad or stupid person. It simply means you’ve learned to adapt your thinking based on new information or facts that you’ve received.”

Be an “inner-directed” learner

Too often people are driven primarily by external rewards. Seeing learning as a way to obtain more money, respect, or love can result in your not accepting challenging learning opportunities because you want to avoid failures and making mistakes. In a business world where human contributions will come primarily through innovation—a process in which failure is a given—those moti-

vated to avoid mistakes or failures will not be successful.

“In a tech-driven world, those who are able to be the most successful and fulfilled will be those who are driven by curiosity and a love of learning,” explains Hess. “You’ll need to see learning as its own reward.

Develop a learning mindset. Then, whenever you’re learning, you’re successful. The speed and quality of one’s learning is what will keep one relevant and competitive.”

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

Along with the fear of failure discussed above comes a fear of making mistakes. To proceed more courageously into the future, you need to adopt a different mindset

about mistakes. Rather than look at them as something you’ve done wrong, it’s important to begin looking at them as learning opportunities.

“Learning is not an efficient 99 percent defect-free process,” explains Hess. “Far from it. So mistakes have to be valued as learning opportunities. In fact, as long as you aren’t making the same mistakes over and over again, mistakes can be good. The key is making sure you’re learning from them. And the faster and better you are at turning mistakes into learning, the less likely it is that some smart machine will replace you.

Learning from mistakes, knowing and working around one’s weaknesses, and continuously stress-testing one’s assumptions and beliefs are good strategies for 21st century success.” (continued on page 42)

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CISCA BUSINESS LIBRARY (continued from page 41)

Be willing to try

People who are confident in their own ability to meet a challenge or take on the unknown (within reason) are more likely to try new things. They believe they will be okay dealing with newness or uncertainty. “This confidence is called ‘self-efficacy,’” notes Hess. “To put it most simply, if we believe we can do something, we are more likely to try it. People can build self-efficacy by putting themselves in challenging situations that they have the ability to handle well. As their confidence grows, they’ll be more willing and capable of taking on even more challenging tasks.”

Develop your emotional intelligence (EI)

Emotional intelligence, generally understood, is the ability to be aware of and manage one’s emotions. It plays an important role in your ability to recognize and appraise verbal and nonverbal information, to access emotions in order to aid in creativity and problem solving, to process your own feelings and assess those of others, and to regulate your own emotions and manage those of others.

“Why is developing your EI so important?” asks Hess. “Because whether you’re working with human clients or as part of a team inside a company, the ability to collaborate effectively will be an essential skill in years to come.

The powerful work connections that will be needed to build successful organizations will result from relationships that are built by authentically relating to another person, recognizing their uniqueness, and doing so in a respectful way that builds trust. If you can’t manage your own emotions, read those of others, or connect with the people around you on more than a superficial level, then you won’t be a successful collaborator.”

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Seek out constructive feedback

In his book, Hess writes about “Mr. Feedback,” one of his early mentors.

Mr. Feedback taught Hess how essential negative feedback is if you want to become the best in your field and the importance of pausing and reflecting rather than automatically defending, deflecting, or denying when you receive negative feedback. Hess writes that as he moved forward in his career, he realized how difficult it can be to get this kind of constructive feedback.

“Rather than getting the kind of specific, constructive feedback that can help us improve our skills, most of us will receive guarded or politically correct feedback that is fairly useless in practice,” notes Hess. “Thoughtful and constructive feedback is a valuable thing, especially when you can foster your mindset to absorb and not deflect it, and it will only become more valuable as our workplaces become dominated by technology. Of course, all of this ties back in to becoming more emotionally intelligent. When you develop those skills, you will become better at receiving constructive, productive feedback.”

“We’re entering a world in which companies can no longer rely on traditional competitive advantages like location, capital, lack of choices for customers, and lack of market transparency,” says Hess. “They’ll have to rely on their ability to learn and innovate in order to compete. Today, the 21st century learning skills require one to be good at thinking critically and innovatively and listening, collaborating, and emotionally engaging with others.”

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About the Author: Edward D. Hess is a professor of business administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and the author of 11 books, including Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization, by Columbia Business School Publishing (September 2014).

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Habits to Avoid at Work in 2015

Winter is an excellent time to expunge work habits that irritate coworkers and make you less effective.

“A

chieving success requires more than just doing the right thing,” says Geoffrey James, contributing editor and award-winning blogger at Inc.com and author of Business Without the Bullsh*t: 49 Secrets and Shortcuts You Need to Know. “Success also means changing the behaviors that hold you back.”

Here are nine habits you can do without in 2015 —

1

Doing the bare minimum If you accept a task, you owe it to yourself and to others to make your best effort. If you don’t want to do something, have the courage to refuse the task. Doing a half-*ssed job is just being passive-aggressive.

2

Telling half-truths Honesty is the best policy. However, if you’re afraid to speak the truth, it’s cowardice to tell a half-truth that’s intended to mislead but leaves you “plausible deniability.”

Either tell the whole truth or tell a real lie—and accept the consequences if you’re found out.

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3

6

Finger-pointing Few human behaviors are more pointless than fixing blame. In business, it’s usually irrelevant who’s at fault when something goes wrong.

What’s important is how to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Schadenfreude Taking a secret pleasure in the failures of others makes your own success less likely. You end up gloating over what other people did wrong, rather than doing whatever it takes to make yourself more successful.

Bucking accountability Finger-pointing is common in business because some people aren’t willing to admit their mistakes. If you’re going to take credit for your accomplishments, you must also take credit for your failures. The two go hand in hand.

Workplace gossip As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” When you spread gossip, you’re identifying yourself as small-minded and also showing that you can’t be trusted to keep secrets.

Hating on successful people When you direct your hate at success, you’re telling yourself that being successful means being hated. Since nobody in their right mind wants to be hated, you’ll subconsciously sabotage yourself so that people will continue to like you.

Creating your own stress While work may be stressful, you make it worse when you fail to disconnect on a regular basis. Rather than answer yet another email, take a walk, read a book, or listen to some music. Turn off your phone when you go to bed; whatever it is, it can wait.

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7 8

9

Giving or accepting flattery An honest compliment is always welcome, but flattery truly gets you nowhere.

When you flatter, everyone knows that you’re brown-nosing. Similarly, when you accept flattery, you’re marking yourself as gullible and self-absorbed.

Adapted from Business Without the Bullsh*t: 49 Secrets and Shortcuts You Need to Know by Geoffrey James.

About the Author: Geoffrey James is a veteran business journalist who now writes a daily column for Inc.com. His latest book, Business Without the Bullsh*t, won the following praise from Publishers Weekly: “The author’s pithy and frank style matches his title...a quick, impactful primer for anyone wanting to be more effective on the job.”learn something new the first time. To make that process easier, people will have to learn to separate their ideas from their self-worth. Changing a previously held belief doesn’t mean you are a bad or stupid person. It simply means you’ve learned to adapt your thinking based on new information or facts that you’ve received.”

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Habits to Make 2015 Your Most Positive Year Ever

Actionable tactics to help you create a more positive life— one that attracts great people and opportunities

M

ost of us start each new year intending to make it a good one. But even when the Universe is helping out by providing things like a growing economy and job security, creating a positive life for yourself is easier said than done.

“A Pollyanna outlook just isn’t enough to sustain us through life’s slings and arrows, whether they come in the form of fender benders, annoying colleagues, mortgage payments, a lingering flu bug, or something more serious,” says Jon Gordon, author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy (Wiley, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-470-100288, $23.00, www.jongordon.com). “It isn’t enough to want a positive attitude.

To develop and sustain one throughout adversity and challenges, you have to cultivate habits that lead to resilience and mental toughness.”

The best news, says Gordon, is that positivity isn’t just another feel-good buzzword. It has the power to infuse your life with purpose, creativity, accomplishment, and energy. When you live your life with positive energy, he says, you attract positive opportunities and people.

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Here, Gordon shares 18 real-life positivity tactics you can put into practice throughout 2015—and beyond.

1

Become a selective listener and focus on the positive You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible, says Gordon, or you can trust that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible. Yes, this really is a choice you make for yourself every day.

2

Zoom focus Each day when you wake up in the morning ask, What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire? Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions. “Often, we allow our attention to be captured by each new shiny ball that rolls by, or by each minor fire that needs to be put out, and we end up channeling our time and energy toward tasks with smaller rewards,” Gordon notes.

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3

Watch where you’re directing your energy We all have a finite amount of energy. Don’t waste yours on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control. “Instead, invest your energy in your purpose, people, and the positive present moment,” Gordon suggests.

4

Focus on “Get to” vs.

“Have to” Each day, focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. For instance, think, I get to go to a job that utilizes my talent and strengths and that is full of opportunities, instead of, Ugh—I have to go to work today. “Life is a gift, not an obligation,” Gordon says.

“This may seem like an insignificant mental shift, but it will have a noticeable impact on your happiness and satisfaction.”

5

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11

Talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself We all know what it’s like for our fears, worries, and what-ifs to completely hijack our minds. These negative trains of thought can hold us back, wreck our selfesteem, and impact our health in a very real way. The good news is, you have the power to change the conversation happening inside your head. “Instead of listening to your complaints, fears, and doubts, talk to yourself and feed your mind with the words and encouragement you need to keep moving forward,” Gordon suggests.

Take a morning walk of gratitude Weather permitting, wake up your body and mind by taking what Gordon calls a “Thank-You Walk” each morning. As you walk, challenge yourself to list things you’re grateful for: blessings in your life, events you’re looking forward to that day, and opportunities that have come your way. “Even a five-minute walk around the block will help create a fertile mind ready for success, but if you have the time for a longer stroll, the physical and mental benefits will be even greater.

Tap into the three greatest success strategies of all: love, serve, and care “Experience has taught me that these strategies are every bit as valuable as those taught in top business schools,” Gordon states. “Build your life and career around them, and never forget that people and relationships are at the heart of everything we do in every aspect of life. When you love, serve, and care about those around you, you’ll attract greater success, and you’ll stand out in a world where most people don’t love, serve, or care.”

Choose faith instead of fear Faith turns adversities and dead-ends into detours to a better outcome than you thought possible, Gordon points out. “That’s not to say you’ll never feel fear—you will,” he comments. “You can use it as a tool to make smart decisions and to manage risk. Just don’t use it as an excuse to quit. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.”

Switch up your portion sizes Make your first meal the biggest and your last meal the smallest. After all, you need the most fuel at the beginning of the day!

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card,” Gordon suggests.

Focus on your purpose every day Remember why you do what you do. Think about your purpose and the legacy you want to leave. Try to distill this idea down as much as possible— perhaps even into one word that’s clear and easy to remember. “We don’t get burned out because of what we do,” Gordon observes. “We get burned out because we forget why we do it.”

6 7

Don’t chase dollars or success Decide to make a difference and build meaningful relationships, and success — specifically, lasting, meaningful success — will find you.

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10

Get more sleep “You can’t replace sleep with a double latte,” Gordon notes. “When you’re well rested, your brain, body, attitude, and relationships will all operate at higher levels.”

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Remember, there’s no such thing as an overnight success This is easy to forget in a world that’s increasingly built around instant gratification. (Think overnight shipping, fast food, video streaming, and more.)

“While more and more things are available to us the moment we want them, I don’t think personal and professional (continued on page 48)

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CISCA BUSINESS LIBRARY (continued from page 47) success will ever be on that list,” Gordon says. “Don’t forget that there’s no substitute for hard work.”

13

Implement the “No Complaining Rule” Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

Complaints are full of negative energy and fail to enhance our lives in any way. They don’t offer strategies, solutions, ideas, or encouragement. “If you are complaining, you’re not leading,” Gordon says.

14

Read more books than you did in 2014 The more you feed your mind, the stronger and more agile it grows. The more ideas and viewpoints you consider, the more innovative and empathetic you’ll be.

“Focus on reading books that help you learn, that inspire you, and that push you to consider life from new, unexplored angles,” Gordon advises.

15

Don’t seek happiness Yes, you read that correctly The truth is, the things we think will make us happy often don’t. “Overall, remember that lasting happiness rarely comes from ‘stuff’ or accolades,” Gordon states. “Instead decide to live with passion and purpose, and happiness will find you.”

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16

Do a “positivity assessment exercise” each evening Gordon suggests completing the following statements, either mentally or in a journal, each night before you go to bed: I am thankful for __________.

Today I accomplished____________.

“Going to bed in a positive mood will improve the quality of your rest,” Gordon observes. “This exercise will also train you to place your focus on what’s good in your life—something that, unfortunately, doesn’t always happen naturally!”

17

Smile and laugh more There’s no need to be stoic and serious at every turn. “In fact, smiles and laughter are natural anti-depressants,” Gordon says.

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“My final piece of advice is to enjoy the ride” “You have only one ride through life, so make the most of it and enjoy it. Sure, there will be stressful situations and challenges you’ll have to overcome in 2015. But those things don’t have to define your year. So, how will you choose to make 2015 more positive?”

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About the Authors: Jon Gordon’s best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and college coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and the Goldfish, Soup, The Seed, and The Positive Dog; he is also coauthor of One Word That Will Change Your Life. Jon and his tips have been featured on Today, CNN, Fox & Friends, and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include the Atlanta Falcons, Campbell’s Soup, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Novartis, Bayer, and more. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations, and teams.

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WINTER TUNEUP EDITION

The Learning Curve: A Sustainable Advantage You Can Develop O

ld-school competitive advantages that depend on all-knowing leaders and better mousetraps are dead. In today’s competitive, rapidly evolving global marketplace, says Professor Edward D. Hess, the only way to develop and sustain a competitive advantage is to create a “learning organization.” Here, Hess explains what that means and shares four key points to keep in mind as your company makes the transition.

Like all business leaders, you know that your organization’s survival and success depend on maintaining a competitive advantage. So you’re constantly focused on reaching more of your target market, making your product that much better, and expanding your services.

Those are great strategies to drive your goals…if you have a time machine and are doing business in the previous century. But today? Technology has reduced the capital needed to start and build businesses, reducing an historical barrier to entering the marketplace. And new competitors can reach your customers from thousands of miles away. Technology has also given customers tremendous power in comparison shopping your product and telling the world how happy or 50

unhappy they are with your product or service. That doesn’t bode well for the staying power of the better mousetrap you’ve just built (or for the lifespan of your company, or for your job security).

Standing still is a losing strategy in many cases.

“To stay relevant, companies can no longer rely on traditional competitive advantages like location, capital, lack of choices for customers, and lack of market transparency; instead, they must transform themselves into ‘learning organizations,’” says Edward D. Hess, author of the new book Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a LeadingEdge Learning Organization (Columbia University Press, 2014, ISBN: www.

EDHLTD.com). “Today’s technological and marketplace developments necessitate faster adaptation, and adaptation requires institutional learning processes such as critical and innovative thinking, critical conversations, and experimentation.”

In other words, the only way to sustain a competitive advantage is to make sure your people have the tools, motivation, and support to learn better and faster than your competitors. In his new book, which is packed with research and case studies, Hess shares his detailed formula for building what

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he calls a High-Performance Learning Organization (HPLO). Here, he spotlights four key points to keep in mind when building a learning culture: Leadership must shift toward “coaching-ship.” Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that command-and-control structures with Theory X leaders, who think management’s job is to use rewards and punishment to direct, motivate, control, and even modify employees’ behavior in order to get organizational results, are on their way out. If we want adaptable learning organizations, we need to humanize our management models, and that requires many leaders and companies to fundamentally change their attitudes and behaviors toward employees.

Personal and intellectual humility, empathy, emotional intelligence, and self-management are required leadership capabilities within HPLOs, because these qualities nurture the very human capabilities that are at the root of adaptation and innovation: the ability to ideate, create, emotionally engage, and learn in conditions of uncertainty, ambiguity, and rapid change. (continued on page 52)

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CISCA BUSINESS LIBRARY (continued from page 50) “Instead of ‘knowing and telling,’ which can cause progress-limiting dependence, leaders should work with employees as coaches, or even allow them to experiment on their own,” Hess instructs. “I recommend following Intuit’s example by consciously choosing to bury the ‘modern-day Caesar’— the kind of boss who gives thumbs up or down on all decisions. In India, this policy allowed young Intuit innovators to conduct an experiment on helping farmers get the best price for their products — even though management initially wasn’t interested in the idea.

The result: 1.6 million Indian farmers now use the successful program these innovators developed.”

Your work environment must be an emotionally positive one. Positive emotional work environments are no longer negotiable. They’re a requirement.

Positive emotions are associated with openness to new ideas, better problem solving, openness to disconfirming

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information, less rigid thinking, resilience, creativity, collaboration, better recall of neutral or positive stimuli, and mitigation of ego defenses. (Negative emotions inhibit all of these things.) So a positive emotional state is essential to developing employees who are motivated, productive learners.

“If you still feel that building a positive workplace environment is too ‘soft’ to suck up your organization’s limited time and energy, consider that none other than the U.S. Army has recently begun an initiative to promote positive psychology,” Hess says. “The training includes learning about emotions and their effects on the body and mind, learning how to manage emotions, reducing the frequency of negative emotions, and increasing the frequency of positive emotions. It’s directed toward producing soldiers and leaders who can adapt to new and challenging situations and uncertainty—that is, learn.

“Your people may not be tested on a literal battlefield, but these skills will

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still be crucial in helping you maintain a competitive advantage as your organization navigates the cutthroat landscape of the global marketplace,” he adds.

High employee emotional engagement is a necessity. It stands to reason that if employees don’t have an emotional investment in your company and their futures in it, they won’t be motivated to learn. But how do you transform “engagement” from a meaningless buzzword to a reality? Hess says the research of Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan and their Self-Determination Theory shows us it comes down to meeting employees’ needs for autonomy, effectiveness, and relatedness.

And these needs are most likely to be met when individuals feel respected, trusted, and cared for, and feel that they can trust the organization and its leaders.

“These concepts are easiest to understand when you look at them in action, and UPS is one of the best

examples out there for operationalizing emotional engagement,” Hess shares.

“Founder Jim Casey viewed employees as partners, and maintaining his values over the decades has led to policies that are employee-centric and hold management mutually accountable to employees: an egalitarian ‘open door’ policy for employee input, an employee ‘free agent’ program that allows any UPS employee to move anywhere in the company and advance, mentorship and training programs, and more. As a result, UPS has maintained a high retention rate and built a deep bench of long-tenured, adaptive employees.”

Employees need permission to TRY and FAIL. Abraham Maslow aptly stated that an individual would engage in learning only “to the extent he is not crippled by fear, [and] to the extent he feels safe enough to dare.” Building that type of environment requires many companies to adopt different mindsets about “mistakes” and about what “being smart” means. Learning is not an efficient 99 percent defect-free process (far from it), so mistakes have to be valued as learning opportunities. Employees must be given conditional permission to fail within proscribed financial tolerances, with the knowledge that they won’t be punished for their mistakes so long as they learn.

“Some companies are already on this journey,” comments Hess.

“Bridgewater Associates, the biggest and one of the most successful hedge funds in the world, is passionate about the power of mistakes. Bridgewater actually encourages employees to get excited about their mistakes because each error that employees learn from will save them time, energy, and stress (and the company money) in the future. Employees are instructed not to feel bad about their mistakes or failed experiments, or those of others.

Acknowledging mistakes, confronting weaknesses, and testing assumptions, the company believes, is a reliable strategy for long-term success.

“Another company that puts the permission-to-try-and-fail principle into action is W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., which is known for manufacturing innovative products like GORE-TEX® fabric,” Hess adds. “All associates are encouraged to experiment using the ‘Waterline Principle.’ There’s an understanding among the associates that if they see a need, and failure isn’t going to sink the entire ship, they should just go do something about it. If it does look to be risky, however, consultation with other associates is required before taking action.”

one, including you, to those standards.

Then—and only then—will you earn the enthusiastic buy-in of your learners and set the stage to build and sustain a competitive advantage.”

About the Author: Edward D. Hess is a professor of business administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and the author of 11 books, including Learn or Die: Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization,

by Columbia University Press (September 2014).

“One final point to keep in mind: Transforming an existing organization into a learning organization requires the change to start at the top,” Hess concludes. “If you’re a leader or manager and you want to change your organization, the best advice I can give you is to change yourself first. Good intentions are not enough. Behaviors are what count.

“So role model how to think and communicate better. Admit your ignorance and your mistakes. Be authentic. Act with caring humility. Engage people so they feel like they have some control over their destinies. Be honest, have high standards, and hold every-

Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION | WINTER 2015

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Sponsors 2014-15 Armstrong World Industries CertainTeed Ceilings Formglas Products Ltd. Hunter Douglas Architectural Prducts Rockfon, LLC Rulon International Tectum Inc. USG Building Systems

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Contributing Sponsors 9Wood, Inc. American Retention Components CDM Investment Group, Inc. Ceilings Plus Foundation Building Materials Freudenberg Performance Materials LP Glasteel Golden Valley Supply Company Gordon Incorporated Heartland Acoustics & Interiors Mainstay Materials, Inc. Mau, Inc. On Center Software Plexxis Software Drywall ERP Shannon Corporation Sound Acoustic Solutions The Estimating Edge Thorne Associates, Inc. Winroc-SPI

Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION | WINTER 2015

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LEGALLY SPEAKING

Value of Corporate General Counsel

by Daniel N. Myers

T

he way legal services are delivered to corporations is undergoing a change, as is the nature of the general counsel’s job. Many legal departments and their leaders are now shouldering more responsibility in-house than before, and at the same time they’re dealing with increased regulation and enforcement.

A new survey of general counsel from the Consero Group indicates that although law departments are getting more of the resources they want, they are also facing more risk. In other words, it’s both a good time and challenging moment to be a GC. The “2015 Global General Data Counsel Survey,” which Consero developed with CDS Legal and CPA Global, uses responses collected from general counsel in Fortune 1000 companies.

It found that these general counsel are seemingly getting more support, both in funding and human resources. Some 59 percent of respondents said their department budget has increased over the last 12 months; and 70 percent had experienced increases in staff over the last year. “The good news is budgets are increasing, which indicates that large companies are investing more resources into their legal functions,” Paul Mandell, founder and CEO of Consero, told CorpCounsel.com.

In spite of these improvements, not all general counsel feel they have all the resources they need to manage their departments effectively. A substantial number, 45 percent, said they could still use more. “It’s no surprise that despite having more resources and bigger budgets, general counsel still feel they need more help to manage risk more effectively,” said Mandell. He pointed to the growing regulatory obstacles that corporations face, which often fall into the lap of the law department.

Some 34 percent rated compliance and regulatory as their top area of focus in the coming months, followed by data privacy and security at 25 percent, and labor and employment at 24 percent. Regulatory and compliance also ranked as the biggest predicted impediment for law departments in the coming months; 30 percent of general counsel were most concerned 56

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about this area.

It appears the situation is especially difficult for GCs when it comes to regulations issued outside the U.S. Only 44 percent indicated that their legal departments were sufficiently familiar with the foreign regulations impacting their business. “It’s a high number, and it is indeed a reason for some concern,” said Mandell. “But it isn’t altogether surprising. There have been lots of regulatory changes across the globe over the last few years.”

The survey asked general counsel about their policies around technology and cyber-security as well and found that GCs are dealing with more data breaches.

In the spring 2013 version of the Consero survey, 31 percent of general counsel said their companies had experienced a breach in the trailing 12 months. By the time the current survey was conducted, in November 2014, 37 percent were reporting they had experienced a breach in the previous year.

It appears from the data that some GCs feel their companies are better prepared to defend against these attacks than others. Some 53 percent said they felt their companies were adequately prepared to defend against threats, while the rest were not. Mandell believes that companies are in a period of real change when it comes to how they protect their networks. “I do expect that we’ll see more investment of time and resources and technology in cyber-security,” he said, “because as far as threats go, these as much as any other kinds have the ability to disrupt business on such a very large scale.”

When it comes to dealing with outside attorneys, GCs appear to be pretty happy with their law firms.

Some 71 percent characterized their relationship as “positive,” and 20 percent said it was “very positive.”

However, that doesn’t mean all respondents thought they were getting the most bang for their buck: 41 percent did not believe their outside counsel provide sufficient value for what is spent.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint particular causes, Mandell said he thinks part of this value judgment is

because the allocation of work to outside firms isn’t necessarily being done as well as it could be. The right firm doesn’t always get the work it can do the best and most efficiently. But once general counsel and law firms fix this, outside counsel will benefit too.

“As that value increases, we’re likely to see more work sent to outside counsel than we are today,” Mandell said. Currently, most GCs don’t appear to be keen on moving more work in the firms’ direction. In the survey, 70 percent of respondents said they were not sending more work to outside counsel than they did a year earlier.

© 2015 Daniel N. Myers PC. This information is not intended to provide legal advice or opinion. Such advice may only be given when related to specific fact situations that the law firm of Daniel N Myers PC has accepted an engagement as counsel to address.

Acoustical Grid Drywall Grid Metal Ceilings Clouds and Canopies Acoustical Baffles Integrated Ceilings and Lighting

Please visit our website: www.highprofile.us Acoustical INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION | WINTER 2015

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SPECIALFEATURE

Cyber-Security Expert Offers Tips to Safeguard Your Information By: Gary S. Miliefsky

W

e’ve all lost our identity at least three times, with more than 930 million records breached, lost or stolen to hackers and cyber criminals, says consumer advocacy non-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.

Why don’t we do all we can to stay safer online?

According to StaySafeOnline.org, more than a quarter of Americans say they lack the information necessary.

So, here it is – everything you need to know to enjoy the shopping experience without losing your privacy and identity or putting your children’s safety at risk: • Assume you’ve already been compromised. Whether it’s your baby monitor, your SmartTV, the Webcam on your laptop or apps you installed on your smartphone or tablet, your antivirus is not enough protection. It’s time 58

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to take those devices’ and apps’ privacy policies, and the permissions you grant them, much more seriously.

• Change your passwords – all of them. Now. And do it as frequently as you can tolerate. Also, if you don’t want to change it often, then use any unique characters you can think of, such as a dollar sign ($) or exclamation mark (!), or replace an “oh” with a “zero” (0). This goes a long way in preventing attacks against your password.

• Turn off wireless and geolocation services. Protect your smartphones and tablets by turning off WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and GPS, except when you need them.

That way, if you are at a local coffee shop or in a shopping mall, no one can spy on you using nearby (proximity) hacking attacks and they can’t track where you were and where you are going on your GPS.

• Assume most of your apps are creepware. Do you really need them? Delete all of the apps you aren’t using too often. Replace apps that ask for too many permissions and take advantage of too many of your privacy settings -- like GPS, phone and sms logs, personal identity information – with similar apps that don’t.

• Opt out of sharing your information. Opt out of every advertising network that you can. Visit the National Do Not Call Registry and register your smartphone and home phone numbers at www. donotcall.gov. If you use a Google email account and have an Android phone, even with your GPS off, it’s tracking your every move. (Log in to maps.google. com/locationhistory/b/0 and see for yourself.) Go into your smartphone or tablet settings and turn this feature off. In your Android phone, go to Settings, then Location, select Google Location Reporting and set Location History to off. The same holds true for the Apple iPhone, iPad and iTunes. You need to find the location and privacy settings and turn off access under Settings, then Privacy then Location.

• Your browser is a double agent – keep it clean. It is spying on you for advertisers unless you block and remove cookies and delete the cache frequently. In your web browser settings, delete your history, all cookies and passwords and the cache. You should do this frequently so you don’t leave personal information sitting around on your computer, smartphone or tablet.

• Remove third-party Facebook plugins. Third-party plugins are mini applications designed to eavesdrop on your behavior in Facebook and possibly grab information about your habits within that social network. Some websites you visit will require you to log in using Facebook, and then you have to trust them to connect to your Facebook account. This is very risky. Read their privacy policy and make sure they are a legitimate business before you risk doing this.

• Only shop on the websites of companies you already trust. If you don’t know where the merchant is located, don’t shop online there. If they don’t have a corporate address or are located in another country, it is risky for you and you may never see the goods you think you purchased. Also, if their shopping cart experience is not an HTTPS browser session, then everything you type in, your name, address and credit card information, is going over the internet unencrypted -- in plain view.

• Turn off geotagging – your photos are full of information. Twitter and Instagram as well as your iPhone will give away your location. Most people don’t realize Twitter and Instagram both use geotagging for everything you send out. Geotagging stores the latitude and longitude of your tweet or image. Pictures you take on an iPhone usually store geotagging information, as well.

The less information you give out about where you are located, the safer you are.

• Don’t use cash or debit cards – use credit cards, wisely. Credit cards allow you to travel with less cash, and if you’re purchasing online, it’s safer to give your credit card than your debit card information. The same holds true when you visit your local retail outlet. The reason? If you experience identity theft, credit card laws allow you to keep all of your credit, with no responsibility during an investigation. With a debit card, your bank can tie up your money in the amount equivalent to the fraudulent transactions for up to 30 days.

About Gary S. Miliefsky Gary S. Miliefsky is CEO of SnoopWall and the inventor of SnoopWall spyware-blocking technology. He is a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and serves on the advisory board of MITRE on the CVE Program, and is a founding board member of the National Information Security Group.

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ACOUSTICS at Large

Q: Is Articulation Class (AC) a rating that has gone by the wayside or is it still relevant?

by Keith Peterson

I

recently had the pleasure of giving a presentation on acoustics for the Emerging Leaders group. There were several good questions that were asked after the presentation. Kyle Larson the chair of the meeting had a question that struck me as being quite relevant to current office design. He asked me if AC (Articulation Class) is a rating that has gone by the wayside or if it is still relevant? As I first considered this, I responded that it has gone by the wayside, and I really don’t see it much. This is true, but that raises the question: Should we be using it more? AC is a single number value for evaluating ceiling systems for privacy in an open office plan. It is basically telling us how much speech is absorbed and not reflected into other areas of the space by the ceiling system.

Open office floor plans continue to be very popular in today’s architecture. It is a more cost effective office design, using less materials to be built, reducing on equipment costs through sharing, and requiring less utilities through natural light and decreased heating zones. Open offices also contribute to teamwork and employee recognition; the ease of communication

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reduces the need for formal meetings and leads to increased productivity.

However in my opinion, the major disadvantage to the open office plan is speech privacy. Speech privacy is important for confidentiality, and even if it is not confidential, intelligible speech that is unwanted is a distraction.

For example, right now I am on my computer, using its dictation software to compose this article. I am speaking very loudly and in a robotic type rhythm, so the computer can transcribe my words accurately.

Think about trying to do this in an open office environment. I would certainly be conscientious about who is listening and if I am disturbing others. These are factors that should be considered by the designers when they are putting together the programming for these spaces.

The goal in an open office plan is for speech to not be intelligible when coming from other areas of the space. If the listener can’t understand what is being said, then it is not as distracting, and the concern for confidentiality has been addressed.

I hope this gives you a better understanding about

the concept of Articulation Class, and why it is important. I think our industry needs to promote the availability of this type of information and offer solutions to consultants and designers when we can. The way that we can do this effectively is by providing the acoustical data required, so designers and consultants can plug in these values and achieve their design goals.

I encourage you all to fire away more questions about acoustics for the next issue. I also hope to see you at the CISCA Convention in Long Beach CA, where I will be giving the following presentation: Acoustics: How to Use Your Acoustics Knowledge to Enhance Profitability and Margins Wednesday, April 29, from 8 - 9:30 am at the Renaissance Hotel, Pike II-III room, 1st floor.

Keith Peterson is currently the President and Co-Founder of New England based K. Peterson Associates Inc, an independent manufacturers’ representative firm specializing in high quality architectural products. He holds a degree in acoustics.

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