Pro-Fair must be the headline this month. What a great event – a fascinating speaker, great turnout, and an inspiring event for all who participated. Many thanks go to Edwin Essary, Pro-Fair Chair for the second year, and his excellent committee. It’s an enormous effort, and a very important one for our Chapter. Speaker Paul Doherty is founder of The Digit Group – early to the BIM revolution and now exploring new technologies that offer enormous potential for energy production and urban integration. If you were not able to attend, you may want to check out The Digit Group website for more inspiration. There’s lots to read, and links to many provocative articles. Smart Cities is a topic that offers an antidote to environmental anxiety.

Next month, we hope you can join us for our annual Economic Forecast presentation. Please see the announcement for more details. It’s an interesting year, and I think we’re all trying to anticipate the impact of new leadership in Washington on businesses across the country. Our April meeting promises to be thought provoking, and we hope you’ll be able to attend and bring a colleague or friend.

In May, we plan to be CSI-centric, hosting an event for students and emerging professionals that will be a departure from our monthly meeting format. We hope this will become a successful annual event, scheduled to coincide with the end of the academic year.  

More changes: Many of us have wonderful memories of Herman Hoyer. Herman passed away last month, and those of us who had the privilege of knowing and working with him remember him with fondness and respect. He was a wonderful exemplar of CSI at its best. Please read on for an appreciation of Herman Hoyer, contributed by Lawrence Merrion. CSI/ AIA, and Paulette Salisbury, FCSI - friends and colleagues.