Blueprint Detroit: CSI Metro Detroit Monthly - January/February 2025 
Calendar of Events
Save The Date!
- February 11th: 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Panel Discussion - "Delegated Design or Design Assist?"
- February 20th: 12:00pm to 1:00pm
CEU with a Gold Sponsor
- March 11th: 4:30pm to 8:00pm
Cosentino Center Fabrication Tour
- May 29th - May 31st
CSI Great Lakes Region Leadership Conference
Event Review
CSI Joint Panel Discussion with AIA and BEC
The joint meeting between BEC Detroit, AIA and the Detroit CSI Chapter was recently held at the Vis Ta Tech Center in Livonia, Michigan. The event, titled "We'll figure it out in CA": A case for NOT kicking the can, was a lighthearted exploration of the pitfalls associated with deferring design decisions to the Construction Administration (CA) phase.
Substitution requests vs. submittals vs. RFI’s… who’s getting paid? And most importantly… READ Division 1! These were some of the highlights of the talk that were unpacked and shared with attendees.
The session started with a panel discussion that delved into the challenges design professionals face today—compressed schedules, intricate construction detailing, and the management of numerous specialized consultants. The discussion underscored the risks (and sometimes the necessity) of issuing incomplete design documents and the subsequent complications during the CA phase.
Moderated by Sean Gross, AIA, NCARB, Project Architect at Smith Group, the panel featured esteemed professionals:
- Lindsay R. Woods, AIA, NCARB, LEED Green Associate, Senior Associate and Senior Project Manager at Stantec Architecture Inc.
- Amanda Cassidy, RA, SMSI, AIA, NCARB, Senior Architect/Team Leader/Assistant Group Leader at SME Building Enclosure Services.
- R. Bruce Comstock, CSI, CCCA, CDT, Senior Certified Construction Contract Administrator at Smith Group.
- Amy Baker, AIA, CSI, CDT, SCIP, Principal at Amy Baker Architect.
Each panelist brought a unique perspective, discussing the complexities of project coordination, the importance of thorough documentation, and best practices for engaging with specialty consultants during the design phases. The emphasis was on proactive planning to mitigate issues during construction.
The event was balanced with a lively Q&A session, where attendees engaged with the panelists, followed by a wonderful dinner at HopCat, as always with CSI - fostering further networking and discussion.
This meeting was a valuable reminder of the importance of comprehensive design documentation and early collaboration among all construction and design professionals to ensure project success.
Welcome New Members
New Members for January 2025:
- Nicole Bennett Florio, Enterprise Account Executive, Sherwin Williams
- Chris Cardelli, Architect, Stantec Architecture
- Brett Carte, Vice President/Director of Construction Administration, TMP Architecture, Inc.
- Nathan Davis, Architectural Business Development Manager, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope
- Ryan Grabow, Senior Associate, WJE
- David Horning, Hardware Specifications Writer, Spec Solutions
- Katherine Kirschnick, Engineering Specialist, ASC Engineered Solutions
- Philipe Ledent, Executive Director, Masonry Institute of Michigan
- Tyler Mohr, Project Manager, Commercial Contracting Cooperation
- Natalie Wilson, Project Designer, Redstone Architects
- Lyndsay Woods, Architect, Stantec Architecture
- David Ziemer, Senior Project Manager, StructureTec
Member Anniversaries
Member Anniversaries for January and February 2025:
- Thomas Young, Professional Lifetime, 61 years
- Jerry Reed, President, Reed Architectural Solutions, 38 years
- Ricardo Aranguren, President, Specialized Roofing Sales, Inc., 17 years
- Jeff Blackford, Co-Owner / President, The Eisen Group, 15 years
- Abdulnasser Almadhoun, Sr. Project Engineer, NTH Consultants, 14 years
- Erin McGaw, Commercial New Construction Sales - CET, DH Pace Overhead Door Group, 14 years
- Dawn Peterson, Director of Specifications, Neumann/Smith Architecture, 13 years
- William Stinson, Owner/President, Elite Fence Products, 12 years
- Michael Strother, Development Manager, CBRE, 11 years
- Nicholas Mendenhall, MWA Commercial Roofing Solutions, 7 years
- Anna Swiontoniowski, Technical Representative, Johns Manville, 7 years
- Buthayna Taha, Rayhaven Group Inc, 7 years
- Tyler Davis, Specification Consultant, Allegion, 6 years
- Ryan Grabow, Associate III, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., 6 years
- Timothy Kaye, Architectural Services Manager, Allegion, 6 years
- Kjartan Kristoffersen, Designer/Specification Writer, 6 years
- Matthew Biermann, Specification Writer, Allegion, 3 years
- Rebecca Black, Materials Consultant, 3form, 3 years
- Kendal Bowman, Principal, Arcos Studio, LLC, 3 years
- David Milligan, Sr. Project Architect, Stantec, 3 years
- Alex Waypa, Senior Staff Environmental Engineer, Brown and Caldwell, 3 years
- Kyle Wheeler, Sales Representative, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, 2 years
- Kristen Fantin, Architectural Manager, Schluter Systems, 2 years
- Lisa Harvey, Architectural Sales Manager, Glass and Metal Craft, 2 years
- Nivin Jamil Boersma, Project Architect, 2 years
- Corissa Leveille, Architect/Project Manager, Amy Baker Architect, 2 years
- Morgen Panning, Assistant Project Manager, Artisan Tile, Inc., 2 years
- Kyle Renbarger, Senior Manager Architectural Services, dormaKaba, 2 years
- James Judd, Director, 1 year
- Julie Judd, Interior Designer/Specification, 1 year
- Stephen Barcus, Consultant, Olde City Builders, 1 year
- Max Mancini, Mechanical Engineer, GM, 1 year
- Analise Pietras, Architect, 1 year
Member Focus
Our new member spotlight this issue is on Tyler Mohr, Project Manager for Commercial Contracting Corporation.
From Tyler:
"I’ve had some great nicknames throughout my life, but friends and family call me Ty.
When I was 15, my dad took me shopping for boots, a tape, a pouch, and my very own 24 oz. Estwing hammer! He dropped me off with one of our wall crews to show me the ropes. From 15 to 22, through school and sports, I worked for J.J. Poured Walls, working with foundation crews.
After graduating from EMU, I went to work for Brix Corporation and took in great experiences on a variety of projects, often governmental: GSA, USCG, EPA, USACE and U.S. Marshals.
I moved to Barton Malow in 2012 and was heavily involved with their Concrete teams for years. This afforded opportunities to meet and learn from some of the top technical advisers (at the time maybe) in the concrete industry. I also became heavily involved with their self perform Ironworkers, Boilermakers and Millwrights teams at power plants and steel mills.
I moved again in 2020 to CCC and was invited to be a part of their Steel division. At CCC, we fabricate and erect structural and miscellaneous steel, and I manage many of our projects. I recently spent 18 months in Kokomo, IN at the Stellantis StarPlus Battery Plant with our team of Ironworkers and the larger collective of our CM team on that project (partnership with Walbridge).
I’ve been involved with many groups over the years: American Concrete Institute and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences with CSI from the perspective of a builder and construction manager."
We are glad to have you in our ranks Tyler, welcome!
