The SWR Institute Program Planning Committee is constantly reviewing potential presentations for upcoming Technical Meetings. This is a great opportunity to share your expertise with your industry peers!
The committee is looking for a variety of business/technical presentations with topics ranging from the following suggested items. They are interested in both presentations for a 45-minute time slot and the 20-minute Project Showcases. The committee is also actively searching for projects focusing on sealants and waterproofing as the backlog is a bit thin on these topics.
Possible topic presentations
- Unforeseen Conditions: Numerous unique cases about what you encountered and how you handled the situation?
- Green & Sustainability: What it means in general and to your company?
- Applicable industry ASTM standards: Presenting in layman’s terms applicable tests for sealants, waterproofing and other commonly used products. It could be as simple as reviewing the product validation tests, how they are performed and the underlying meaning and intent.
- Job Gone South: How to prepare for arbitration/mediation/litigation regarding a case involving design flaws, material failures or workmanship related issues. How do you handle a lien on real property or funds and what to do when a vendor files bankruptcy?
- Forensics Associated with Failures: Presenting various case studies on product failures; identifying the testing and research performed to confirm the root cause; followed by offering any corrective measures.
- Safety: Language barriers or age & accidents or confined space entry programs/permits or spotlights
- Contract Verbiage and Word Tone: Reviewing various contracts and identifying clauses you want to avoid. In addition, recognizing key words and how they may be perceived in a different light than you intended causing consternation.
- Effective Marketing/Management in a Downturn Economy: Identify proactive measures to employ during a slowdown or recession so as to catapult and rebound effectively when the market changes.
- Insurance 101: Discussion identifying the plethora of exclusions in your policy. Recognize various forms to avoid, importance of additional insured, what waiver of subrogation legally means and what is covered if workmanship is not?
- Effective selling: Do you really know your company? Identify effective internal tools and controls resulting in the accumulation of corporate data needed to negotiate work.
- Manpower: Where do we go from here? Where is the labor source being found? What are you doing to train and educate your employees? How are you bridging any communication gap? How are you retaining good workers? How are you coping with uneducated external sources? Etc.
- Bridges: Department of Transportation Update. Identifying the impact if any the Stimulus has on roads and bridges, both new construction and repairs. Recognize common states of deterioration to corrective measures. Review a possible failure case study.
- Hurricanes, Tsunamis & Earthquakes: Economic Impact of Catastrophes Review the systemic effect of catastrophes within our market from liability insurance impact, material availability to servicing everyday clients. Local interest projects?
- Unique “Out of the Box” Project(s): Brief overview on out of the ordinary industry related projects (i.e. wind turbines, tunnels, dams, bridges, ships, lighthouses, historic monuments, amusement parks, zoos, etc.)
The topics listed above are only a suggestion of ideas; the program is by no means limited to the above topics.
