Cogence Alliance Announces Addition of Kevin Thompson as Executive Director

January 18, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cogence Alliance Announces Addition of Kevin Thompson as Executive Director

Cogence Alliance is pleased to announce the hiring of new Executive Director, Kevin Thompson.   Thompson has a wealth of more than 25 years’ experience in association management.  In previous roles he served as Executive Director for statewide trade associations, including the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation, Ohio Lawncare Association, and Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association.  Most recently, Thompson served as Industry Relations Director at The American Ceramic Society, a large international scientific society.

Kevin Thompson is an accomplished non-profit, professional association executive with a proven track-record of implementing strategies to grow membership and creating membership value in support of the organization’s mission.  He began his role at Cogence Alliance on January 3 and will manage the day-to-day operations, while helping to lead the expansion of new chapters in the region.  Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, existing Cogence chapters include Northeast Ohio, Central Ohio, and Southwest Ohio.

“Ohio is “the heart of it all,” The Design and Construction industry is on the forefront of shaping the growing economic future for Ohio and beyond.  Projects are growing in complexity increasing the need for collaboration.” according to Cogence President, Pam Neckar, Bostwick Design Partnership, Cleveland, OH.  “As an industry, we need each other to execute a successful project and Kevin will be focused on bringing us together with the Cogence mission at the forefront every day.  He will lead us to making Ohio the most effective and efficient place to design and build.”

“This is a great opportunity for me to join an innovative, growing organization that serves a vital industry”, said Thompson.  “Its mission of collaboration and teamwork to improve construction project delivery is very motivating.  I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of this fine organization and look forward to helping expand into new markets”, he continued.

“Cogence” comes from a Latin word meaning “drive together” or “thinking that is well organized”. Cogence Alliance brings together owners, architects, engineers, construction trades, and affiliated parties, giving each an equal voice. Its goal is to transform the design and construction industry by improving project delivery and outcomes. The Cogence Alliance believes team-based project delivery methods create opportunities for all to succeed.

For more information, please contact:

Pam Neckar, President, Cogence Alliance

president@cogence.org

216-621-7900

Cogence Emerging Leaders Program – Application Period Open for Class of 2026

The Northeast Ohio Chapter of Cogence Alliance are now accepting applications for their Emerging Leader’s Programs – Class of 2026. Please pass this email along to potential Emerging Leaders in your office or to someone you feel would benefit from being a part of the EL program.

 

The Cogence Alliance Emerging Leaders program provides rising leaders in the design and construction industry with the knowledge and skills to lead with appreciation for the contribution of others. The industry’s next chapter of leaders will grow together to drive positive and effective outcomes, thus shaping and sustaining the future of design and construction. Focus areas of the program include: leadership development; cross-market association; and, mentorship.

 

The objective of this program is to provide emerging leaders in the design and construction industry the knowledge to understand the value of transforming our industry while empowering them to promote change that will lead to this transformation. Cogence also provides these emerging leaders with a voice to contribute and lead these changes by developing their core skills, expand networking options, and associating with cross market industry leadership.

 

Application:

The Program will be accepting Emerging Leaders for this year for the Class of 2026. Emerging Leaders do not require the sponsorship of a current program participant or Cogence partner to apply to be a part of the program.

 

  • Application Period: January 1st -February 15th
  • Notification of Acceptance: March 1st, declined applications will also be notified by March 1st, if applicable.
  • Program Start: Selected Emerging Leaders for that Class will be welcomed by the chapter in March. Participants are expected to pay annual dues of $650.00 by March 31st of that year.
  • How to Join Cogence: go to link https://cogence.org/about-cogence/how-to-join-cogence/ scroll to Emerging Leaders.
  • Please send completed applications and the signed commitment pledge to admin@cogence.org no later than the due date.

 

Expectations:

As an Emerging Leader, it is expected that a participant commitment to a three-year time-period of engagement and attend at least six (6) Cogence events per year, coming to each event fully engaged and informed. Similar to the expectations of partners, leaders are to avoid promotion of any special interest of their company and to work cooperatively with other members to move the Emerging Leaders program forward.

 

Program:

All Emerging Leaders are invited to Cogence roundtable discussions and other events as a part of their membership dues. Additionally, the Emerging Leaders program hosts leadership development events throughout the year, along with community service projects and other volunteer opportunities. Also, each Emerging Leader is assigned a mentor who has volunteered for the program. Each mentor may be in a similar partner group or functional area, and mentors are asked to meet (virtually or in-person) with their assigned Emerging Leader at least once per quarter throughout the calendar year.

 

Graduation:

The Emerging Leaders program is a three-year program for mid-career professionals. At the end of the third year, the graduating leader will be recognized in the January chapter event and receive a certificate of completion. At the conclusion of the program, Emerging Leaders can apply for full Partnership in Cogence.

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Southwest Roundtable – January 24

Project Leadership

Presented by: Greg Fox, Vice President, Lean Construction, Miller-Valentine Construction

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

4:00PM – 5:30PM

Join Cogence of SW Ohio to discuss the behaviors and best practices for Leadership to get Capital Asset Creation projects off to a healthy start.  The SW Cogence network of Owner Companies, Architectural and Engineering , Firms, General Contractors, Trade Partners and Professional Service providers will discuss the current best practices in Team Assembly, Tools, Methodologies and how this increases the benefits for all the project partners.  With the right team and smart adoption of innovation, proven tools and methodologies, Leadership shapes the environment and creates a team focused on the project that can consistently deliver lower project cost, increased enterprise value and faster paths to project completion and the ultimate goal to start-up the Owner’s Operation.

 

Click here to register or view more details.

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Northeast Ohio Roundtable – January 25

In-person NEO Roundtable Project Delivery

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

4:30PM – 6:30PM

Our initial roundtable for 2023 will discuss improved project delivery and more specifically discuss the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) methodology as well as alternative Design-Build applications which incorporate early collaboration and shared risk between contracted partners.  Our panel will include representation for both the application and management of projects utilizing these delivery alternatives.  Please join us as we look to start the year with a conversation true to the Advocacy of our organization.

 

Click here to register or view more details.

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Announcing the Winners of the 2022 Cogence Drive Awards

Cogence Alliance announces the winners of the 2022 Cogence Drive Awards.

Cogence created the Drive Awards to honor the best in project collaboration. The awards highlight the critical role and immense value that collaboration and innovation bring to building projects. The awards also demonstrate to the A/E/C community how their contributions are improving project outcomes.

Cogence accepted submissions in the following categories: Project Award (Extreme), Project Award (Large), Project Award (Mid-Size), Project Award (Small), Individual Award, and Emerging Leader | Rising Star. Submissions were evaluated by an independent, national jury.

The awards were presented Wednesday, September 28, at the Cogence Town Hall in Columbus, Ohio.

Drive Award, Small Project: Welsh Academy | St. Ignatius High School

Collaboration Highlights: The Owner brought the design and construction team on at the onset of the project. The collaboration and scope development accomplished in the design phase allowed for only Owner generated change orders during construction.

Project qualified for: Ohio’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit.

Highlights from the project:

  • The project consisted of the adaptive reuse and conversion of an abandoned 8,000 sf, two-story historic church building constructed in 1863 into a three-story 11,430 sf academy for sixth through eighth grade young men. The entirety of the interior was excavated down 1.5” for a slab on grade, then two elevated levels of structural steel and slab-on-metal deck were constructed inside of the existing building. A three-story addition composed of CMU and structural steel, brick veneer, glass curtainwall and elevator were built onto the existing building.

Drive Award, Mid-Size Project: Cleveland Clinic H Building Infrastructure Upgrades

Collaboration Highlights: Design and construction teams were onboard from the beginning. They collaborated to develop the design and plan construction. Live cost estimating allowed them to provide estimates that matched the design and installation. Even more remarkable, most construction work successfully took place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Highlights from the project:

  • How do you replace a hospital  building’s entire power system while keeping the building online? That’s what Cleveland Clinic needed to do with the H building, located on the main campus. H building is an active patient care facility, with services ranging from radiology to neurology to urology. Its operations impact the entire campus, as its electrical systems support the main cafeteria, the AGV robot systems, the pharmacy, and more. As a legacy building with aging and antiquated electrical systems, H building needed major system upgrades to avoid the risk of equipment or system failures.

Drive Award, Extreme Project: CWRU & Cleveland Clinic Health Education Campus

Collaboration Highlights: This project had two Owners, Architects, Engineers, and Construction Managers. The project embraced a culture of Continuous Improvement and the Last Planner System.

Accreditation: LEED Gold

Highlights from the project:

  • The four-story 485,000 sf building houses CWRU’s School of Medicine and Nursing, and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. The building houses dental, nursing, and medical classrooms, labs, simulation, dental operations including oral surgery, medical and nursing clinical skills and simulation labs, faculty offices, student study and learning communities, library, virtual anatomy lab, full-scale helicopter simulation, administrative offices, as well as ancillary services.

Drive Award, Emerging Leader | Rising Star: Rebecca (Becca) Tomlinson, Bostwick Design Partnership

 

Becca Tomlinson approaches project teams with a level of camaraderie that bolsters levels of communication…

Becca, an associate at Bostwick Design Partnership (BDP), is an integral team member on complex healthcare projects. She emphasizes innovative, collaborative cultures and confidence in delivering successful outcomes. She has become a mentor and provided technical leadership on several collaborative projects. Most recently, she was the interior healthcare planner and designer for Cleveland Clinic’s Mentor Hospital, which had a tri-party agreement.

In addition to being technically savvy, Becca exemplifies the Cogence Mission. She embodies a collaborative spirit and thoughtful approach on projects, transforming how teams deliver reliable results. Through intentional actions, behaviors, and effective collaboration skills, Becca creates an inclusive culture that enhances her teammates’ strengths. She earns respect and trust through her honest leadership skills and working side by side with all levels of each team. This provides insight to leverage everyone’s strengths, helping each team member reach their full potential.

The recommendation letters accompanying Tomlinson’s nomination emphasized her authenticity and engagement, as well as her desire to keep learning and growing.

 

 

Additional Awards Available for Order

 

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Town Hall Keynote Lars Johansson: Exceptional Outcomes and Delivery Through Inclusive Project Planning

Register Now!

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Intel: Cogence Alliance Welcomes Intel to Town Hall Event September 27th and 28th!

Join Intel and One Columbus to learn the macroeconomic impact of Intel’s commitment to Ohio. The Design & Construction Industry plays a significant role in economic prosperity for Ohio and beyond.

View additional program details here.

Discounts are available for group registrations!

Register Now!

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2022 TOWN HALL SPONSORHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILALBE

 

New sponsorship opportunity available!

$2000 Event sponsorship includes: 2 Town Hall registrations, signage at the event, and recognition at the luncheon.

To reserve your sponsorship email Tuwhanna Williams at twilliams@cogence.org.

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Cogence hosts its first Southwest Ohio Chapter Roundtable on April 5

How do you navigate projects in a time of unusual demand? TOGETHER!

Engage in an active dialogue with fellow Owners, Architects, Engineers, Construction Managers and Trade Contractors to develop solutions to inflation, labor shortages, and supply chain disruption.
The Mission of the Cogence Alliance is to drive our Industry together, holistically improving project delivery.

Current partners with an office in Southwest Ohio are encouraged to share this invitation with your colleagues.

When: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022
Time: Program 4:00 – 5:30 PM | Reception 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Location: Taft Center, 425 Walnut St, 2nd Floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202
RSPV to twilliams@cogence.org

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