Louisiana Cancer Research Center Construction Project

Presented by Keith Clement

Brice Building Company, Senior Project Manager

This month's venue: Andrea's

Register Here

During Keith’s presentation he will discuss his project staffing and their responsibilities, construction challenges (the construction of two separate structures within the same footprint) and the implementation of BIM (Building Information Modeling).

Project Management Institute Greater New Orleans - Biloxi Monthly Meeting

Registration: Use the "GNO Dinner Meeting" link under the Event Registration Menu on the left.  Select "2010 July Biloxy Dinner Meeting" for Event Name. 

Purpose:  The purpose of this meeting is provide a convenient location for our gulf coast members to attend a PMI monthly meeting and to see if there is any interest among gulf coast members in forming the PMI Magnolia Community, which would then move to full PMI chapter status at some point in the future.  This is an additional July PMIGNO meeting, our regular meeting is still set for July 21 at Andrea's.

Thursday, July 22, 2010 - Biloxi, MS - Salute Italian Restaurant ( http://www.saluteitalian.com/ ).

Program

• 5:30-6:00 Registration - Program and meal is $35/person, registration online at the www.pmigno.org site.  Also accepting cash, checks or credit cards (except AMEX) at the door.
• 6:00-7:00 Chapter Business and Magnolia Community formation discussion
• 7:00-8:00 Program - Wisconsin 345/138kV Transmission Construction Project - Jim Varnado will discuss how the principles of project management were employed to successfully construct 50 miles of 345/138kV transmission line across central Wisconsin.  Strict environmental compliance, endangered species, anxious landowners, strict cost and schedule requirements and sometimes-harsh weather conditions combined for an interesting set of challenges.
• 8:00-8:30 Action List, Door Prize and Close

Click here for Jim Varnado's Biography

Vickie Hoang and Joe Benigno are both PMI members from Biloxi and have lead the way in getting this meeting in place.  I need everyone to spread the word and invite co-workers and your bosses to attend.  If there is an opportunity for me to come and make a PMI presentation at your company location, I would definitely be interested in coming.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at jvarnado@gblpm.com.

Updates and reminders to follow.

Jim Varnado, PMP

President PMIGNO

jvarnado@gblpm.com

985.707.6419

Home Energy Conservation - Top Ten Tips

Presented by Rodney Bell 

Entergy, Senior Engineer

This month's venue: Andrea's

Register Here

Rodney’s presentation will center on the “top ten” energy efficiency improvements you can make to your residence or business to save money, conserve energy and help the environment.  Based specifically on our climate here in New Orleans, Rodney will discuss the “rating summary certification” which outlines specific improvement recommendations and projected savings.

Diversity and Inclusion – A Cultural Perspective

Presented by Phan Vuong 

Entergy, Project and Outage Management Services

This month's venue: Andrea's

Register Here

The recent business trends of globalization and increasing ethnic diversity are turning project manager’s attention to management of cultural differences. A well managed, diverse workforce will hold potential competitive advantages for organizations. This presentation will enhance the understanding of diversity and inclusion as well as address the cultural diversity and particularly offer an insight on the differences between the East and West cultures.

Phan Vuong's Biography

Phan Vuong is the former Chairperson of the Entergy Fossil Diversity Council.  This function is responsible for developing and implementing diversity and inclusion programs at power plants throughout the multi-state service areas of Entergy.  A graduate of LSU, Tulane, and UNO, Phan Vuong is an engineer with Master’s degrees in MBA, Engineering Management, and Mechanical Engineering.  He has spent 32 years with Entergy in numerous project management functions and is currently responsible for providing project and outage management services in the New Orleans area.

Looking for work? Looking for that special employee? At the Monthly PMIGNO meeting, use the Green Dot/Blue Dot system to identify yourself as a potential employee or indicate to others that you are seeking employees for upcoming opportunities. At the monthly meeting, affix a Green Dot to your name tag if you are looking for work or a Blue Dot if you are looking for employees. Also be sure to utilize the job posting option at http://www.pmigno.org/index.php?option=com_jobline&Itemid=121 to identify any potential opportunities. Good Luck!

Early Contractor Involvement Program at USACE

Presented by Tom Podany 

Chief, Protection and Restoration Office, US Army Corps of Engineers

This month's venue: Zea's on St. Charles Ave

Register Here

Full funding of contracts up front provides opportunities for alternative contracting methods.  One relatively new form in the Federal civil works program is Early Contractor Involvement (ECI).  Tom will discuss the pros and cons of this acquisition strategy in relation to design-build and traditional firm-fixed price methods.  He will provide a case study of the lessons learned in ECI on the West Bank and Vicinity West Closure Complex as well as a brief status on the progress of the hurricane risk reduction system in the New Orleans area.

Tom Podany's Biography

Tom Podany is currently serving as the New Orleans District’s Chief, Protection and Restoration Office.  This office is charged with execution of hurricane and flood control works associated with the flood control and coastal emergencies program.  For several years, the office was also responsible for implementing the Louisiana Coastal Area; Louisiana Comprehensive Protection and Restoration; and Coastal Wetlands, Planning Protection and Restoration programs.  The mission of the office is to execute a comprehensive and integrated flood control, ecosystem restoration, and hurricane and storm damage reduction system for south Louisiana.

The PMI GNO Chapter will host a one day Professional Development Seminar on Saturday, October 30th 2010. We are now accepting presentation proposals for the PDD.  All authors will receive an e-mail acknowledgement regarding receipt of their papers.  Deadline for the submission of abstracts is July 16, 2010.

Please submit your proposal to Jim Varnado - see contact information below.

 Proposal Requirements

Contact::
Jim Varnado, PMP
President PMIGNO
jvarnado@gblpm.com
985-707-6419

A great memory doesn't just happen...it's developed! Come experience the life changing benefits of a trained memory!

Presented by Harold Mangum

President of The Memory Technologies Institute

This month's venue:Zea's on St. Charles Ave (click for map)

Register Here

In this presentation you will learn techniques that will enable you to recall important client info and gain the competitive edge needed in today’s market! Never experience the embarrassment of forgetting a client’s name again!

Productivity will soar after achieving the lifetime tool of a Trained Memory:

• Meet clients and be able to recall their names next time you see them
• Ever had the name drop when the handshake drops? Meet potential clients in rapid fire introduction and be able to retain their name first time around
• Be able to deliver a presentation on any topic and never lose eye contact by referencing notes
• Load information during meetings and seminars and be able to walk out with instant recall of information

Harold Mangum's Biography

Harold Mangum is the President of The Memory Technologies Institute. Harold brings 27 years of training and development experience to the industry, 19 years of which he has taught memory training specifically. A psychologist educated at UT, he spent 13 years with ARCO Oil & Gas Company as Director of Training and Development in the Engineering and Operations Division.

Harold joined MTI in 1990 as corporate sales manager and became President of the company in 1991. He has conducted workshops in the general public throughout the U.S. and in house programs at Fortune 500 corporations some of which include TI, AT&T, Entergy, Sprint, Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, Xerox, Eastman Kodak, New York Life, Shell Oil, Schlumberger, Halliburton, 3M, Microsoft, and many more. He continues to help train individuals and companies through general workshops and one on one settings to achieve a trained memory in today’s competitive business climate.

Wisconsin 345/138kV Transmission Construction Project

Presented by Jim Varnado, PMI GNO Chapter President

Pictures from Meeting

This month's venue: Andrea's near Causeway (click for map)

Register Here

Details Here

At the January 20 PMI meeting, Jim Varnado, PMP will discuss how the principles of project management were employed to successfully construct 50 miles of 345/138kV transmission line across central Wisconsin.  Strict environmental compliance, endangered species, anxious landowners, strict cost and schedule requirements and sometimes-harsh weather conditions combined for an interesting set of challenges.

Jim Varnado's Biography

Facilitative Leadership

Presented by John Fish

Quality Assurance & Customer Relationships
Ford, Bacon and Davis, LLC
Baton Rouge, LA.

This month's venue: Andrea's near Causeway (click for map)

Register Here

As Project Managers we often find our teams consist of an increasing mix of gender, age, and cultural diversity. Many of our team members know more about their job and are much more technologically savvy than we are. The leader is no longer the strongest or the smartest. Thus the real challenge of the Project Manager becomes how to get the most out of a team. In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu says, "Of the best leader, when the job is done the people say 'we did it ourselves.’” Come to the February PMI meeting to gain an understanding of the principles for Facilitative Leadership. When applied properly your team will also say, “we did it ourselves.”

"It is amazing how much people can get done if they do not worry about who gets the credit."
Sandra Swinney

John Fish's Biography

John has over forty years experience in the Engineering and Construction industry (primarily refining and petro-chemical). He was the architect for the S&B/FB&D Internet Project Information Management System (iPIMS), a web based system for collaboration and information exchange.

John is considered one of the industry systems experts in Front End Planning, Systems Information Development, and Best Practice Execution. He has worked with numerous owners to assist them in the implementation of Project Management tools and best practices. He has authored several papers and is a frequent speaker on the national level for several professional organizations including Construction Industry Institute (CII), PMI, PIP, and FIATECH. He is a CII Board of Advisor and the Chair of the CII Front End Planning Community of Practice.

Change Is Impossible Unless You Change Your Mind

Presented by Traci Duez, Certified Coach & Consultant

This month's venue: Andrea's near Causeway (click for map)

Presentation Flyer

Traci Duez's Biography