Specifications Writer- Open Position ...

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Author Message Colin Gilboy Senior Member Username: colin Post Number: 371 Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Friday, April 11, 2014 - 04:58 pm:    Flad Architects is looking for an experienced Specifications Writer to join our team in Madison, WI. Job Requirements This position is responsible for preparing project specifications, enhancing and maintaining master specifications and determining innovative ways to meet client needs through the construction specification delivery process. Assist project team members in resolving problems related to the use and installation of building materials and products that arise during design and construction phases. Comment on the proposed use of building products and materials, their suitability for the intended application, and alternative products when appropriate. Ten years of recent design and construction specification experience required, including seven years as a full time specifications writer; previous experience with large-scale, technically complex projects and multiple clients preferred. Bachelor’s degree in architecture or related field required. Proficient in MS Office and MasterSpec software required; familiar with BSD SpecLink software and other database programs. Knowledge of CSI principles and construction materials required. Specifications certification preferred. Professional Registration preferred. LEED AP preferred. Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. For further information contact Staci Sabel - direct number - 608-232-1309 or https://external-fladarchitects.icims.com/jobs/1136/specifications-writer/job Colin Gilboy Publisher, 4specs.com 435.200.5775 - Utah 800.369.8008 Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1809 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 03:21 pm:    This is current now, too! ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 757 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 03:49 pm:    Would they consider opening a satellite office in the Carolinas? Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1811 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 03:53 pm:    Sorry, no. We've tried satellite spec writers in the past and it didn't work well for us. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1100 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 04:38 pm:    Ken, how cold could it be in Madison? It could be a refreshing change of pace? Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1813 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 04:49 pm:    How cold could it get? Do you really want an answer to that question? ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 760 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 05:01 pm:    Coming from someone in south Florida, where snow is only found in the form of an illegal recreational product, that's a bit of an odd question don't you think Jerry? Just to keep things in perspective, please remember that there is an entire country north of Wisconsin. Explain that one to me. Having been to Calgary and Edmonton in January, I have little desire to experience Wisconsin in the winter, especially considering how the past few winters have gone. Lynn. I would love to work with you but I'd have to be able to live through the experience (winter, not you). Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1102 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 05:15 pm:    Sorry Ken, I assumed that was why Madison was not on your list of places to work. Just wanted to confirm it. My body prefers warmer weather, so I would never take a job anywhere else. Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 765 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 05:18 pm:    I can imagine that writing specs in a Satellite wouldn't be easy, but you'd have plenty of paper product. Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: rlmat Post Number: 649 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 05:55 pm:    Again, I'm with Ken. Having lived most of my life in New England, followed by 2 yrs. in AZ and 12 yrs. in SoCal, even being unemployed is not enough incentive to relocate to the "frozen north". Sorry Lynn. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1814 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 06:13 pm:    Your loss. Today has been in the 70's - sunny, a gentle breeze, low humidity, and clear blue skies. The lilacs are blooming, the daffodils and tulips are up, the hyacinths are fragrant. The prairie behind us is lush green with patches of yellow. There are blossoming trees everywhere you look. Critters are having little ones - I saw mom and dad crane with twins the other day, and the goslings are playing catch-up with the adults. ♪ It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ♫ Nathan Woods, CSI, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 583 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 06:18 pm:    The difference is...its like that every day here in SoCal. Unless there's an earthquake. The animals tend to hide then. Or unless there is a fire. Or unless there is a mudslide, in which case the prairie ends up in your house ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 761 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 06:23 pm:    Sheldon, considering some of the places I've worked, a satellite with plenty of paper products might be welcome. So Lynn, would the new Specifier be able to limit work time from April to October but still get paid for the full year? Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1103 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 07:30 pm:    Ken, you should consider SFL for work, we are plenty busy, sure you would have to accept less respect, less pay, and work longer hours to get the specs done in less time, but you do get all the snow you can snort for a price and plenty of sunshine. Sure sea level is rising and we may all be underwater soon, but I hear there's an app for that, and it has to be better than mud slides and wildfires (though we get wildfires too). We haven't had a hurricane in years (knock on wood). ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 762 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 07:46 pm:    As Ringo said when he covered the Hoyt Axton song, "No, no, no, no I don't do that no more. I'm tired of waking up on the floor..." Less respect? Less pay? Longer work hours? Hard to imagine. Besides, no one's making any offers that I know of. I always wanted a job at the beach though. Alan Mays, AIA Senior Member Username: amays Post Number: 191 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 07:49 pm:    Ken, I know a guy that gave up architecture and went to Hawaii to sell t-shirts on the beach. He made millions and retired early a very happy easy going guy. I should have listened to him. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1104 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 07:50 pm:    You won't get a job offer, if you want to work for a large firm, there are none, we are all independent down here....self-employed... Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: rlmat Post Number: 650 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 07:52 pm:    Lynn, Nathan's right. You're talking about current weather in May. What about October - April? I have a friend who grew up in Madison, she lives in SoCal and only goes back to visit. I spent a summer in Minneapolis, would not spend winter there either. Sorry. Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS Senior Member Username: rlmat Post Number: 651 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 08:30 pm:    I had a job at the beach (Newport Beach) when I first moved to SoCal. Office was on the water and the beach was about a block away. Then the economy took a nose dive. I've been layed-off twice since 2011. My feeling today is the firms out here figure they can hire a younger person, half my age, for half the pay, and they don't need go know anything, they'll just use the spec from the last job! Oh well! Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 766 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 08:46 pm:    Midwesterners are optimistic because they're always looking ahead. In the winter, we look forward to the nice warm days of summer, when we can go outside and sit on our decks. When summer finally arrives, we look forward to winter, when the mosquitoes and ticks and humidity are gone. The amazing thing is, even though we may have lived here for decades, as soon as the new season arrives, we completely forget about the one we just left. Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 1105 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 08:49 pm:    Beach, what's that? there's a beach? I wouldn't know I don't get out much anymore. Come to think of it Lynn, why couldn't Ken work in NC for 4 months of the year and the remainder of the year in your frozen wasteland. Seriously, I barely ever see my clients, just think of this talented specwriter who could add so much to your company left to beg for work. Its a travesty I tell you... ken hercenberg Senior Member Username: khercenberg Post Number: 763 Registered: 12-2006 Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 09:35 pm:    Thanks Jerry. I think. Actually I'm still happily employed here in the Paradise that is Charlotte. After spending a year in Massachusetts I'm staying south of the Mason-Dixon from now on. No need to shovel rain, far enough east of the mountains that we miss most of the severe weather, less than 2 hours from the Blue Ridge Parkway in two directions, nice people for the most part (they drive crazy but this is the home of NASCAR), lots of lizards who eat the nasty bugs. Who could ask for anything more? Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, May 22, 2014 - 08:47 pm:    Richard - I guess that's the new "standard of care"....use a copy of the last project! Once more firms do that (and establish the standard of care), I can start doing so...though, I'd not even edit the sections....just change cover title/date...that's commensurate with the fees that some expect to pay! Lisa Goodwin Robbins, RA, CCS, LEED ap Senior Member Username: lgoodrob Post Number: 245 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, May 23, 2014 - 08:47 am:    I can believe you are all passing up the opportunity to work with Lynn!! Surely her sunny disposition will trump the weather, in any season! - Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1815 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Friday, May 23, 2014 - 09:52 am:    Thank you, Lisa! Such a lovely thing to say - you've made my day, and quite possibly, my week-end (although it is the Memorial Day weekend, so there's a plus) AND the weather is forecast to continue just like it is for the entire week-end. A bit of rain, but that's how we keep the grass green. There are pluses and minuses to every location; I grew up on Long Island (yes, New York) and we had the 4 seasons - cold, damp winters going into either cold damp springs OR hot, damp springs sliding into hot, damp summers. Falls were crisper and usually not damp, but late summer and early fall carried the threat of hurricanes which even way back then wreaked havoc. When I lived in SoCal, my first year brought fires, Santa Ana winds, and an earthquake - and no change of seasons; Thanksgiving and Christmas surprised the heck out of me! All in all, even though we do have the threat of tornadoes, I think I like Wisconsin climate the best of the three coasts I've lived on. (although I do miss the smell of the ocean) Clifford Marvin New member Username: cliffordmarvin Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2014 Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 11:31 am:    Mister Rogers was one of my first passengers when I drove a cab in NYC (prompted by your beautiful day in the neighborhood quote). I love cross country skiing, and I lived in Alaska for three years, so snow is my friend. I submitted my resume, Lynn. After fifty years in NY, Wisconsin sounds just fine. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1817 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 12:46 pm:    Ah, I knew there was another one out there. Clifford Marvin Junior Member Username: cliffordmarvin Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2014 Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 01:43 pm:    Ha, ha. He asked me if I was one of his TV neighbors, so he was the same in real life. It was my first fare ever to LaGuardia Airport, and I had no idea where I was going, so of course I made a wrong turn and almost got lost. After profusely apologizing, I managed to get MisterRogers to his plane on time...barely. Did you know he was a marine? Thanks, MisterRogers, for helping make this country safe for us TV neighbors. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1818 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 01:48 pm:    I think I did know that. He was also a pastor, although the denomination escapes me at the moment. I agree - thanks, Mr. Rogers, for all you did. Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: presbspec Post Number: 249 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 - 09:59 pm:    I believe Mr. Rogers was a Presbyterian minister. David J. Wyatt, CDT Senior Member Username: david_j_wyatt_cdt Post Number: 83 Registered: 03-2011 Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 - 08:31 am:    This thread is a true rabbit trail, but I have to chime in. I always thought Mr. Rogers was hopelessly corny until I learned a little about the man by way of a documentary. He said there are many, many kids in this world who never receive a kind word. He felt it was his purpose to fill that void and he refused lucrative offers from network TV to syndicate his program. He wanted it kept in the free public domain so it was accessible to those who needed it most. Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1842 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2014 - 10:17 am:    OK, now that Jerry has retired, we're down to 3 of us here in Madison. Wisconsin is not only not a bad place to live, it's a pretty nice place to live - the people are about as great as anyplace I've lived. The environment at Flad is the best I've encountered. You're missing a great opportunity if you don't at least put in your resume! anon (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2014 - 12:33 pm:    OK, I'll bite. Great people, great place to work, great place to live/relocate, but the $164,000 question is... what's the salary range? Lynn Javoroski FCSI CCS LEED® AP SCIP Affiliate Senior Member Username: lynn_javoroski Post Number: 1845 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, July 02, 2014 - 03:53 pm:    Honestly, I don't know for sure. But when I started here 6 years ago, the increase over my previous position was almost 20%. It would depend on experience, of course. Because Flad has offices all over the country, salaries are not just based on the Midwest cost-of-living, either. Fill out the application! You can ask that question at some point in the hiring process...although I wouldn't make it my first question if I were you - grin.