THE EAST SIDE
Editorial comment from Steven A. East President
of CSM Group
GREETINGS.
It’s a season of celebrations, so in this
edition of Construction Sights™, I’d like
to share with you some celebratory
news. Let’s call it:
“25 YEARS...The Story of an
Overnight Success.”
That’s right! CSM will celebrate its 25th
anniversary in early ’08. The exact date
of our initial incorporation was March
14, 1983. The exact date of our
celebration will be May 1, 2008, at our
annual Spring Summit. We are
currently in the planning stages for this
event and as you may expect we are
very enthused about this occasion.
As we come closer to the date, I
feel compelled to look in the
rearview mirror for a glimpse of
the road we’ve taken to get here.
My first revelation is that I am
pleased to find we are on a linear
path and not just coming around
for another lap on the same track.
We’re always getting better, and
that’s exciting.
Secondly, I am grateful and thankful
for all the great friends we have
made along the way. When people
ask me to describe the success of
CSM I simply state, “It's the 3 R’s”—
Relationships, Relationships,
Relationships. Over the years, we
have been blessed and supported by
a multitude of extraordinary friends.
It is with great anticipation that I look
forward to thanking all of them at
our Summit.
Next on the list—our CSM
teammates. It goes without saying,
especially if you have ever visited our
office, where every CSMer is proudly
displayed in our main conference
room, that our great staff is the single
most important element of this
organization. Each one of them is
selected for his or her talent, trained
and equipped with the latest
information and technology and
empowered to create customer
advocates on a daily basis. Their
collective, outstanding efforts
provide incredible pride that I find
difficult to put into words.
I think our Director of
Communications and Guidance,
Josh Rohs, put it best when he
said, “Steve, it's as simple as this.
Either we all go over the wall
together or none of us do.” When
they say, “Culture eats Strategy for
Breakfast,” they’re talking about
that kind of pride, determination,
and teamwork. Something I am
most proud to be a part of.
And finally, in our 25 years of
existence we will have put well
over a billion dollars’ worth of
construction projects into our
communities. We are proud to
have been involved with a wide
variety of endeavors during that
time, including award-winning
healthcare facilities, state of the
art educational buildings, high
profile commercial and industrial
projects and some of our favorites:
the many not-for profit entities that
help create and sustain the fabric
of the places we call home.
“We're Not Done Yet.”
That is right, just as we get ready to
celebrate this milestone anniversary, I
am also pleased to inform you that
due to our continued growth, we will
be re-locating our main office in early
2008. Many of you are familiar with
our current headquarters on Michigan
Ave in Galesburg along I-94, which
we have inhabited for 10 years. You
may not be aware that prior to that
time, our main office was also located
on Michigan Ave. (445 West) in
downtown Kalamazoo. Coincidently,
we occupied that office for 10 years
also. And now, I am pleased to tell
you that we will be once again
located on...Michigan Ave. This time
we will inhabit 100 West Michigan
Ave. in the Radisson building.
It’s an exciting time. We’re proud of
our past, excited about our present,
and optimistic about our future. We
look forward to continuing our great
service to all our clients, including
old-time friends, and all the new
friends we’re about to make.
As we embark on this “season of
celebrations”... from all of us at CSM,
I would like to wish all of you and the
people dear to you a very happy
holiday and a rewarding new year! |
