ORLANDO — The Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI) met at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center January 20-24 for its 2019 Winter Conference & Exhibition. This global leader in information and communications technology (ICT) education and certification is much less well-known by its longer name, and some may wonder how a consulting concern got into the cable and wire business anyway. That dates back to 1984 at the time of the AT&T breakup.
The history of BICSI is interesting but more to the point and direct from its bylaws: “BICSI's purview shall include, but not be limited to: Communications cable plant, wireless systems, data systems, voice systems, communications services, integrated audio video systems, distributed communications systems, intercom and paging systems, electronic/digital signage systems, tracking systems, in-building cellular, healthcare systems, hospitality and entertainment systems, clock systems, electronic security systems, building automation systems, and integration of multiple information and communication systems.”
So, obviously there is a lot more to the BICSI name than meets the eye — it’s not just cable and wire.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
The Winter Conference opened with comments from BICSI Executive Director & CEO, John D. Clark Jr., CAE, followed by Jeffrey Beavers, RCDD, OSP, CFHP, president of BICSI. Beavers provided a look back at 2018 and a glimpse of what’s to come at BICSI in 2019.
Thousands of industry professionals representing countries from all over the world, took part in more than 30 technical sessions and networked with nearly 180 exhibitors during the five-day conference. Attendees enjoyed events exclusively seen at BICSI Winter Conferences, including the New Product Pavilion showcase in the Exhibit Hall, the BICSI Annual Membership Meeting, the Cabling Skills Challenge and an exciting night of elegance and awards during Wednesday’s Annual Awards Banquet.
At the banquet, the ICT industry’s best received the following awards: Harry J. Pfister Award for Excellence in the Telecommunications Industry, presented by the University of South Florida College of Engineering to Roger Jette; Presidential Eagle Award: Bob Hertling, RCDD, OSP; David K. Blythe University of Kentucky Award for Outstanding Member of the Year: Rui Takei, RCDD, DCDC; Global Outstanding Member of the Year Award: Katsuji Furuichi; Larry G. Romig Committee Member of the Year Award: John Romanski, DCDC, ESS, OSP, WD, RTPM; BICSI ICT Woman of the Year Award: Michele Neifing; Emerging ICT Professionals Award: Fernando Chavez Jr., RCDD; BICSI 2018 Cabling Skills Challenge Installer of the Year: Jonathan Ouzts, TECH; The Ray Gendron BICSI Cares Scholarship Award: Rachel Higgins; and the BICSI New Product Pavilion 2019 Best in Show Winner: AFL, FOCIS Lightning MPO Fiber Inspection System.
On Thursday morning, BICSI Cares, the charitable arm of BICSI that supports children’s charities, donated to Cardiac Kids Foundation of Florida, dedicated to providing aid to families and their children with heart disease. BICSI Cares collected donations from attendees throughout the conference, and 100% of the funds were given to the charity.
The Closing Keynote address was presented by Mike “Wizzard” McCabe, former admiral and corporate CEO who teaches others to lead teams to reach their potential. As head of all Naval Aviation, McCabe oversaw some of the deepest technological shifts and changes in the U.S. Navy. His keynote focused on how ICT professionals can motivate their teams to reach the highest potential and empower their organizations to sustain excellence under dynamic change.
BICSI is a professional association that supports the advancement of the information and communications technology (ICT) community. ICT covers the spectrum of voice, data, electronic safety & security, project management and audio & video technologies. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, USA, BICSI membership spans nearly 100 countries.
For more information visit www.bicsi.org.
