CSIA: 2008 conference business, new chairman

Savanna, GA – The 15th annual Control System Integrator Association Executive Conference included record attendance, membership expansion, greater recognition for the CSIA Certified Member program, new leadership, and advice for attendees.
The 2008 three-day meeting in Savanna, GA, included two days of business management and operations seminars. Parallel “business” and “execution” sessions that focused on a wide range of topics– from KPIs, ROI, and PM (key performance indicators, return on investment, and predictive maintenance) to strategic planning, increasing effective sales capacity and plant automation in the future – were offered to the more than 200 CSIA members at morning, afternoon, and Saturday programs.
Other highlights of CSIA’s 15th annual conference:
•

Ed Diehl was named CSIA chairman

for the 2008-2009 term (see photo and more information). He is executive director of Albany, Oregon-based Concept Systems Inc. and takes over for Bob Zeigenfuse, president of Advanced Automation (Exton, PA).
• The association expanded its global reach; members attended from South America, Europe, the Mideast, Asia, and Australia, as well as Canada and Mexico.
• Ray Bachelor, president, of Bachelor Controls Inc. (Sabetha, KS), was recognized by the association as winner of its 2008 “Remember Me” Memorial Award. The honor, which memorializes Charles Bergman, considered the driving force behind the establishment of CSIA in 1993, was presented to Bachelor by the award’s first winner, Tom Wilson, founder of PCS UtiliData (Spokane, WA), who received the award in 2001. • GE Fanuc (Charlottesville, VA) and Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, WI) won “CSIA Partner of the Year” awards. The GE Fanuc company representative to CSIA, Glenn Graney, earned the individual “Partner” award, and Rockwell was honored as the “Partner” company.
• More than 70% of CSIA Partners, including many of the nation’s and world’s largest suppliers of automation hardware, software and communications products, participated in a table exposition– a dedicated mini trade show – on the opening night of the conference.
• CSIA members attending the association’s initial executive conference in 1994 were honored. “These 21 honored companies not only laid a‘rock-solid’ foundation for the association,” said Norman O’Leary, executive director of CSIA, “they have continued to nurture it by providing the direction, vision, and support that have enabled us to grow in size, stature, and influence.”
Also see: CSIA records set: New members, May 1-4 conference
– Edited by Mark T. Hoske , editor in chief
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