The Project and Construction Management Technology Committee (PCMTC) met Nov. 17–19, 2008, in Dearborn, Mich. Tom Zacharewicz of ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc. started off the meeting by welcoming the attendees and thanking them for the good turnout despite the weather. Mr. Zacharewicz also thanked Dave Morris of Severstal Dearborn for hosting the tour of their new blast furnace. Ken Buker of Continental Design volunteered to take the meeting minutes. Tom Sloan of General Physics provided an update on the 2008 Project Excellence Award. The committee decided to extend the submittal deadline until Jan. 31, 2009, with the final submittals due by March 1, 2009. The award subcommittee will then judge the entries and present the award at the PCMTC meeting during AISTech 2009. Mr. Zacharewicz and Al Riebel of JNE Consulting provided a review of the benefits and value they received by attending the AIST Leadership Development Conference that was held Nov. 5–7 near Jacksonville, Fla. The PCMTC developed their technical sessions for AISTech 2009, including a “Project Management Tools, Techniques, and Systems” session, a “Completed Projects” session, and a joint session that will include a round table with the Maintenance and Reliability Technology Committee. The PCMTC discussed a need for a Project Management 101 beginner training course for entry-level project managers. Mr. Zacharewicz and Mr. Sloan were given the task of researching possible curricula for the training course. The next PCMTC meeting will be held Tuesday, March 10 in Merrillville, Ind., and will coincide with the local chapter dinner meeting.

The Project & Construction Management Technology Committee (PCMTC) held an Officers Transition Meeting at AIST headquarters in Warrendale, Pa., on July 15, 2008. The PCMTC officers include Tom Zacharewicz as chair, Al Riebel as vice chair, Eugene Arnold as programs chair, Tomas Sloan as papers chair and Al Soltesz as past chair. The purpose of the meeting was to plan upcoming meetings and establish topics of value for the membership. The group agreed that the next meetings should be located in the South and in the Chicago area. The officers tentatively scheduled the next PCMTC meeting for late October in Mobile, Ala. The winter meeting is tentatively scheduled for late March in Merrillville, Ind., and will include a round table on project development and execution.

The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee (PCMOC) met at AISTech 2008 on May 5. The committee chair, Al Soltesz of S/D Engineering Inc., welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for their time and participation. Kenneth Buker of Continental Design and Management Group volunteered to take the meeting minutes. Eugene Arnold of ArcelorMittal Steel reviewed the AISI/AIST committee integration progress and explained the new committee structure. The PCMOC was renamed the Project and Construction Management Technology Committee (PCMTC) and joined three other committees in Technology Division VIII: Plant Services and Reliability. An update on efforts toward a future training seminar was given. The committee hopes to have a one-day course paired with a PCMTC meeting and plant tour. The course topic and audience will be determined during the committee’s Leadership Transition Meeting, scheduled for July 15, 2008, at the AIST headquarters in Warrendale, Pa. The election of officers took place, with Tom Zacharewicz of ArcelorMittal Dofasco being elected as chair, Al Riebel of JNE Consulting Inc. as vice chair, Eugene Arnold as program chair, and Tomas Sloan as papers chair. The committee members were asked to review the committee’s mission statement and submit their suggestions to for final review at the Transition Meeting. The fall meeting date and location were also to be decided during the July 15 meeting. The committee presented Mr. Soltesz with a plaque for his exceptional service and dedication as committee chair for 2007–2008. Look for additional information online at www.aist.org.

March 10 , 2008 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee (PCMOC) met on March 10 in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Middough offices. Vice chair Tom Zacharewicz welcomed the committee and reviewed the meeting topics. The committee roster stands at 44 members, with two new members added: Greg Saul from United States  Steel Corporation and Al Varga from ATSI. The PCMOC does not have an AISI counterpart, so committee chair rotation, AIST board of directors selection, and benchmarking data availability were discussed. Eugene Arnold, papers chair, proposed a reduction in the PCMOC AISTech 2008 sessions from three to two, due to the round table on benchmarking techniques for capital projects being cancelled. AISTech session chairs were determined for the Monday and Tuesday afternoon sessions. Tom Zacharewicz will contact CII for a possible training session for 2009 planned around a local Member Chapter event and PCMOC meeting site. Tom Sloan reminded the committee of the importance of the Project Excellence Award, and nominations are needed for the 2008 recipient. The PEA winner will be finalized at the Fall 2008 committee meeting. Committee chair nominations for 2008–2009 are Tom Zacharewicz for chair, Al Riebel for vice chair, Eugene Arnold for program chair, and Tom Sloan for papers chair. New committee officers were to be voted on during the PCMOC meeting at AISTech 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pa. During the latter part of the PCMOC meeting in March, Mike Lucek hosted a tour of Alcoa’s Cleveland forging plant. Two of the world’s largest operating forges, along with a variety of other forging operations for truck wheels and aircraft parts, were displayed. Don Salsbury introduced Paula Selvaggio from Selvaggio, Teske Associates, who specializes in professional E & O insurance for engineering and architectural firms. Her presentation discussed noncompliance to contract terms and conditions that appear in agreements. The subjects of indemnification and professional liability insurance were discussed in detail. The PCMOC thanked Don Salsbury and Middough for hosting this meeting.

September 13-14 , 2007 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee (PCMOC) held a meeting Sept. 13–14 in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, that included a tour of Dofasco Inc. Committee chair Al Soltesz of S/D Engineers welcomed everyone to the meeting. The meeting started with a discussion of whether the committee should move from Technology Division X: Project and Plant Management to Technology Division IX: Maintenance and Reliability. The consensus of the committee is to remain in its current Technology Division. The results of a recent member survey were then discussed. It was decided to have each committee member solicit peers to provide additional survey responses in order to determine what topics of interest are the most requested for the committee to pursue. The committee, led by papers chair Eugene Arnold of ArcelorMittal, then selected abstracts and arranged them into three sessions for AISTech 2008. Session chairs were also elected. The topics for the next training seminar, tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2008, were reviewed, and it was decided to have Tom Zacharewicz, committee vice chair, investigate viable topics. The next operating committee meeting is tentatively scheduled to be at Middough’s facility in Cleveland, Ohio, March 10–11, 2008. When the meeting concluded, the group was treated to a tour of Dofasco’s No. 2 continuous pickle and cold mill.
The PCMOC presented the 2007 Project Excellence Award to Dofasco at the AIST Northern Member Chapter’s dinner meeting on Oct. 2. Tom Sloan, of General Physics Corp., presented the award to project representatives Rick Howchin, utilities tech manager, and Denis Burella, project manager. Two other Dofasco project team members were Brian Marcotte and Roger Tang Poy, both of whom had significant roles in getting the project approved and started. Dofasco recognized JNE, UVK, Barclay, Walters and Aker Kvaerner for their engineering, process equipment supply, and foundation, structural steel and installation construction services. The project was selected for the award due to the “outstanding business and technical success, safety performance, and project and construction management of the No. 3 Acid Regeneration Plant Project.”

July 17, 2007 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee (PCMOC) had an Officer’s Transition Meeting at AIST headquarters in Warrendale, Pa., on July 17. The PCMOC officers include Al Soltesz as chair, Tom Zacharewicz as vice chair, Eugene Arnold as papers chair and Al Riebel as programs chair. The purpose of the meeting was to plan upcoming meetings and establish topics of value for the membership. A member survey was finalized that is to be completed by each member to help determine the topics of interest of the entire committee. The officers scheduled the next PCMOC meeting for Sept. 13–14, 2007, in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, including a tour of Dofasco Inc.

May 9, 2007 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee (PCMOC) met at AISTech in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 9. Their mission statement was reviewed and approved for the upcoming year: “To improve the implementation, safety and start-up of steel industry projects via improved project and construction management techniques. The PCMOC will provide opportunities for publication, training, technology exchange, and networking to personnel serving the steel industry as producers, suppliers, contractors and consultants.” Officers were also elected for the upcoming year. Al Soltesz was elected chair; Tom Zacharewicz, vice chair; Al Riebel, program chair; and Gene Arnold, papers chair. Plans were made for the officers’ transition meeting in July. This meeting is held each year to provide a smooth transition and continuity between the outgoing and incoming officers. The PCMOC also discussed the entries for the Project Excellence Award, as well as their plans and schedule for the evaluations. Before closing, the committee discussed future programming and discussion topics for upcoming meetings.

March 5-6, 2007 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee (PCMOC) met in Charleston, S.C., on March 5–6. Al Soltesz welcomed everyone to the meeting and reviewed some opening items. This was followed by a discussion on the recent AIST Leadership Conference. Because of some previous shifts of Operating Committees to other Technology Divisions, it was recommended that this committee move to the Maintenance and Reliability Technology Division. They will pursue a meeting with the officers of the Operating Committees to resolve this issue. Tom Zacharewicz updated the group on the status of the PCMOC sessions for AISTech 2007, identified the session chairs and reviewed the PCMOC topics for the AISTech 2008 Call for Papers. An update on the committee’s Project Excellence Award was provided by Tom Sloan, and volunteers were identified to review and evaluate submittals. They also discussed future plans for the committee and items for possible future Specialty Conferences. They discussed methods to attract more participation from all areas involved in project management, including producers, equipment suppliers, engineers and contractors. The possibility of pursuing collaborative efforts with another organization was also discussed. Al Riebel, the current programs chair for the committee, had organized a panel discussion on construction management topics. For this discussion, he invited Ted Vrehas of Graycor, Brian Lempriere of Comstock Canada, Harry Mertz of Stevens Painton Corp. and Doug Smith of JNE Constructors Ltd. Mr. Riebel opened the discussion by asking the participants, “As a project construction manager, when you start a project, what do you do in the first month?” This open discussion forum afforded everyone at the meeting the opportunity to volunteer information or ask questions. Some of the topics covered during this discussion included construction management systems, construction management techniques, project execution methods and trends in construction management. There were still topics remaining for discussion at the end of the four hours allotted for this discussion, so informal discussion continued over a group dinner. The next day, a tour of Nucor Steel–Berkeley was held.

November 14, 2006 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee (PCMOC) met Nov. 14, 2006, in Birmingham, Ala., immediately following the Project Management: Executing Small Projects Specialty Conference. Dr. Gary Smith of North Dakota State University, who taught the course, was invited to participate in the meeting. The committee’s first item of business was a review of the Specialty Conference. Many committee members indicated that their expectations of the course were met, but others thought it needed to address more basic principles. An update was then given on the status of the project and construction management sessions for AISTech 2007, and the program was finalized with session names and the selection of chairs. Plans for 2007 were discussed, and members were encouraged to bring discussion topic ideas to the meetings. The PCMOC will meet again on March 5–6 in Charleston, S.C., and will have the opportunity to tour Nucor Steel–Berkeley.

May 2, 2006 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee met on May 2 in Cleveland, Ohio. The meeting began with the election of committee officers for the upcoming year. The committee then discussed various types of programming they hope to offer for the balance of 2006 and into 2007. Additional discussion ensued regarding the formation of a programming subcommittee. The committee agreed to proceed with offering a Specialty Conference on small project planning in the fall of 2006 based on a Construction Industry Institute training module. A transition meeting was planned to allow the outgoing and incoming committee officers to exchange information.

February 27–28, 2006 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee held a meeting in Oakland, Calif., on Feb. 27–28, 2006. An update on the status of their sessions at AISTech was provided, and session chairs were identified. A report was provided on the Inter-Technology Division meeting that was held in Phoenix, Ariz. A report on the status of their AISTech panel discussion on risk assessment in project management was also provided. The committee decided to proceed with offering the Project Excellence Award, and plans were made to resolve outstanding issues. They plan to develop a call for entries by early May. The committee has been planning to offer a one-day training seminar based on a module from the Construction Industry Institute; they are moving forward to offer this one-day training program on small project planning in the fall of 2006 in conjunction with one of their meetings. The afternoon involved a round table discussion on project scoping and estimating. Brief presentations were made on several topics, including project delivery systems and design for start-up. The presentations were followed by open discussion. The following day, a tour of USS-POSCO was held, with a focus on the coupled pickle line and tandem cold mill.

September 13, 2005 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee met in Dearborn, Mich., on Sept. 13 at the offices of Severstal NA. They began by identifying themes and topics for their sessions at AISTech 2006. These topics include technologies for project management, completed project reports and risk assessment in project management. The committee also determined chairs for their sessions. They discussed future programming for the committee, including a training session and a round table discussion. The awards for their Technology Division had not yet been identified, so plans were made to discuss this with the Energy and Utilities Operating Committee. They would like to include an award for project excellence. A presentation on Severstal NA was provided.

May 11, 2005 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee held a meeting in Charlotte, N.C., on May 11. The first order of business was to elect officers for the upcoming year and to discuss the progression for officers. They also discussed holding an officer transition meeting to ensure continuity for the group. They provided their input for the location of future AISTech conferences. Discussion ensued on types of programming the committee would like to hold, and ideas for Specialty Conferences, round table discussions, training and technical presentations were shared. They also reviewed a previous survey they conducted to determine what types of programming were needed in their area.

February 15, 2005 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee held a meeting at the Middough Associates offices in Cleveland, Ohio, on Feb. 15. Following introductions and some discussion on membership as it relates to AIST guidelines, sessions for AISTech 2005 were finalized. Participation and the format for the panel discussion on Project Selection and Preproject Planning were reviewed. Discussion ensued on a conference planned for the fall of 2005 on Executing Small Projects. With the change of AISTech to a spring conference, different formats for scheduling future meetings were discussed. Also discussed was the establishing of a progression for officers of the committee. Plans were made to hold officer elections in May. It was also requested that all members begin thinking about topics and potential papers for AISTech 2006. A tour of Middough’s office took place before the meeting was adjourned.

December 8, 2004 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee held a meeting in Warrendale, Pa., on Dec. 8 at AIST headquarters. Various responsibilities within the committee were reviewed. Sessions for AISTech 2005 were planned and aligned to best fit the conference format. Following this, the committee discussed types of training that could be useful for members and methods to further these plans. The committee also discussed plans for officer succession for the group and the next meeting.

September 16, 2004 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee met at AISTech 2004 in Nashville, Tenn. on Sept. 16. The committee reviewed the results of a survey they had conducted to aid them in developing their activities and programming. They also discussed future training needs for the industry, as well as the format these programs should have. There was discussion regarding their sessions at the conference with respect to the number of sessions, format and quality. Members then talked about how they could generate interest and value for those attending and participating in upcoming meetings.

May 18, 2004 - The Project and Construction Management Operating Committee held a meeting at the conclusion of their specialty conference, Managing Technology Featuring Nucor Steel–Berkeley, in Charleston, S.C., on May 18. They reviewed the status of their sessions for AISTech 2004 and made plans to finalize these sessions, including the selection of session chairs. A draft of the mission statement for the committee was circulated for discussion. The committee recently conducted a survey, soliciting input on the type of programming they could offer that would most benefit the industry. The results of this survey were examined. A review of the Managing Technology conference was held, and there were many positive comments, particularly regarding input from the attendees and the assistance and hospitality afforded by the Nucor representatives.

April 6, 2004 - On April 6, the Project and Construction Management Operating Committee held a round table discussion and business meeting in Hamilton, Ont., Canada. The round table was entitled, “The Additional Challenges of Project Management Outside Your Normal Environment.” Representatives of producer, engineering, training and construction companies made presentations on this topic. Presentations were followed by a question-and-answer period. During the business meeting that followed, attendees reviewed the round table topics and discussed a programming survey already in progress. An update on the status of the Managing Technology Specialty Conference was then provided. After some discussion on the sessions for AISTech 2004, the committee worked to develop some of their future plans.

January 22, 2004 - On Jan. 22, the Project and Construction Management Operating Committee held their initial meeting at AIST headquarters in Warrendale, Pa. After a review of the structure of the Technology Divisions and Operating Committees, they discussed selection of papers for their sessions at AISTech in Nashville, Tenn. An update on the status of the Awards Committee was provided with consideration of a Project Excellence Award. Several topics were identified for round table discussions at their future meetings, and plans were finalized for their Managing Technology Conference featuring Nucor Steel-Berkeley from May 17-19, 2004. The committee also worked on plans to develop a survey to find topics for future conferences that would be of general interest to the steel community.