Welcome back to the CBC Edifice newsletter. We have conducted several meetings since my last writing, completed the 2006 Directory, and commenced a new round of Merit Awards judging. All in all, we have a busy year underway!

Carl Tannenbaum helped us launch 2006 at the January 18th meeting with his annual “Economic Forecast” program. As Chief Economist of LaSalle Bank, Carl always draws good attendance with a witty and insightful presentation. Once again, we partnered with CFMA, the Construction Financial Management Association, to host the meeting.

The 2006 edition of our CBC Directory has been printed and distributed, with more pages and some improvements to the format. I am now pleased to report that this project turned an economic corner this year and became self-supporting for the first time through advertising sales. Many thanks to WBBM NewsRadio 78 Traffic Reporter Bart Shore for contributing that wonderful cover photo of Millennium Park, with tall buildings looming all around the stunning development.

Pat Hughes drew CBC Cub fans to the friendly confines of the Union League Club on February 15th, entertaining our group with lively stories about the club, the game, and his good friend, Ron Santo. We may plan more meetings of this sort, to vary our program topics from a steady diet of building industry news.

This month, we returned to business with a look at the world of very tall buildings presented by Bill Baker, Partner, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. He focused upon two projects, one close to home (the new Trump Tower in Chicago) and one far away (the World’s Tallest Building, now being built in Dubai).

I was really intrigued by Bill’s explanations of how aerodynamics and wind tunnel testing play such a large role in developing the vertical airfoil design of these needle-shaped ultra-tall buildings.

Our last luncheon meeting of the season will be held on April19th at the Union League Club, with Lori Healey, Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development for the City of Chicago appearing as our featured Guest Speaker. Judging by the early registration response, this will be a must-attend event, as Lori shares her knowledge and insights on navigating her Department. A sign-up form is enclosed with this issue.

May heralds the advent of our 2006 CBC Merit Awards Dinner, scheduled for the evening of the 17th at the Union League Club. Our Merit Awards Jury has selected 16 finalists at this writing from a field of some 40 entrants, and will conduct two more judging sessions to narrow the finalists down to one winner in each of four categories. We have announced the 16 finalists elsewhere in this issue, and also enclosed a registration form and sponsor application with this mailing. Recognizing this as the 50th Anniversary of the Merit Awards, we are preparing special black granite cornerstones with gold lettering for the awards.

Finally, I must call your attention to the 2006 CBC Golf Outing, that will conclude the year at Bloomingdale Golf Club on June 21st. Foursomes are over half sold already, so act now if you wish to play golf! We are enclosing a sign-up form which indicates remaining available sponsorships.

We look forward to your continued support in the coming months as we embark upon a really exciting calendar of Spring and Summer events.

Last year, CBC brought back the annual Golf Outing following an absence of many years, and attracted a sell-out contingent of duffers and real golfers from Chicago’s great Building Industry. This year, we are running early on selling foursomes, so book yours now! We still have Sponsorship opportunities available, and will accept donations of prizes and giveaways for the Starter Kit. Don’t get left out of this terrific annual event...take action today!