Welcome to the May 2024 edition of the Open Channel. We continue to try new ways to get CASFM news to you and this year our Vice Chair Dan Hill is starting a more interactive webpage for information. This looks like a great way to get information out!  

As this is my first chance to address you, I want to take this time to thank all the volunteers who keep CASFM moving. As I transitioned into Chair, it became more apparent than before how many aspects of CASFM there are and how many people volunteer their time to keep each aspect going. Though there are many items out there, my focus as your Chair for 2024 has been to (a) organize, (b) increase network opportunities, (c) increase education opportunities, and (d) prepare for the next steps. CASFM continues to grow making it hard to keep every member aware of the great opportunities available.

Which begs a question, why are you part of CASFM?

Education? Great! We will continue to try and find good classes, both hard and soft, to help further your career and therefore promote our industry.

Networking? Awesome! Our regional representatives are working hard to find chances to get together to learn new items and meet new people. And our Annual Conference is the ultimate networking opportunity in the state for anyone in our profession.

Because my company puts me on their list? Now I need to challenge you. You are missing out on way too much to just sit there and check a box. Please explore the highlighted items below, the CASFM calendar and Committees on our website, or just reach out to me and I will find something you can gain from CASFM.

What a great conference we had in Keystone! Enjoy some photos from last fall's conference below (and some '22 MTB photos too).

We are ready to announce the Keynote Speaker for this year's conference: Michael Wigge. He's a motivational speaker focusing on leadership skills,  raising motivation, and improving negotiations. He's appeared on the Tonight Show and written the books How to Barter for Paradise: Trading Up from an Apple to a House In Hawaii, and How to Travel the World for Free.

Sponsorship opportunities should be going out by the end of May.

Keep an eye on our Conference page as the summer unfolds for more details.

While we've had the Events page for a long time, it's doing a lot more heavy lifting than it had in the past. Please make sure to take a look for upcoming events and trainings.

Thanks again to Russell Anderson at Michael Baker International for heeding the call to volunteer for this leadership role! Please reach out to him if you have any questions or issues he'd like to discuss within the region.

CASFM is looking to start a networking/affinity group (and possibly a committee in the future) geared toward project managers involved in the design and construction of municipal capital stormwater projects. This group will be tailored toward government or quasi-governmental employees who want to network and share their experiences, but open to all. 

Potential topics will include: 

• Navigating political landscapes

• Capital budgeting

• Operating budgeting

• Scopes of work for RFP/RFQ/RFB

• Different deliverable methods

• Managing project teams

• Procurement processes

• Review processes

• Collaboration with other work groups

• Helpful training

Look for a survey by the end of May to gauge interest in participation and potential topics covered. If you have any questions please reach out to Melanie Walter and Rachel Grafman.

The Floodplain Management Committee and the CRS (Community Rating System) Committee are merging. You can still contact any of the chairs: Leylin Marroquin, Connor Johnson, Monica Bortolini, and Stacey Thompson.

We are holding a HEC-RAS 2D training May 29-31 at MHFD, there are still spots open! There will also be a HEC-RAS 1D training held July 17-19, location TBD.

Are you presenting at the Annual Conference and need to brush up your public speaking skills? We are holding a 2-hour Public Speaking seminar in August, presented by Dave Skuodas. More info to come!

Interested in joining  the O&T committee? We are having a happy hour on May 15th in place of our usual committee meeting at Odell Brewing Sloan’s Lake Brewhouse (1625 Perry St, Denver, 80204). Come learn more about O&T!

We are finding a date for the May committee meeting.

We intend to create three sub-committees to focus efforts: Fundraising, Scholarship Application Evaluations, and College Outreach.

Fundraising efforts for the silent auction at the conference have started, reach out to Drew Roberts or Ben Liu if you have donation ideas or connections!