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INDUSTRY EVENTS Women in Commercial Construction & Facilities Retreat Attendees lend insights into 2012 and what lies ahead I f there was one thing that attendees of the second Women in Commercial Construction & Facilities Retreat walked away with it was that good things happen when you keep moving forward. In an industry still moving past a continually sluggish economy, exec- utives from some of the industry's leading brands and vendors spoke optimistically about projects in the queue for this year and what lies ahead. Attendees took part in the event, held in August at the W Hotel in downtown Atlanta. Executives par- ticipated in three days of discussions and networking opportunities, which included a tour of the High Museum of Art. Commercial Construction & Renovation sponsored the event. Following is the first installment of our event coverage, including the wrap up of our Friday morning open- forum. For more information, visit us at www.ccr-mag.com. CCR: What is the most pressing thing on your to-do list these days? Jo-Ellen Askew, Starwood Hotels: My two most pressing items are the new Four Points Hotel in the Memphis area and the new Westin Hotel in Southwest Florida we are opening. Cindy Rotton, Solutia, a Subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Co.: The most pressing thing these days is showing a new technology called EnerLogic®. It is designed as an all-season window film to create energy savings all year-round, not just summer solar control. We are training our dealers and also work- ing with engineers to show how the numbers work in their favor to cre- ate better energy savings. Courtenay James, Retail Design Institute: I'm working with our part- ners overseas to develop stores. My biggest challenges include different codes and restrictions per country, setting brand expectations with new contractors, while overcoming lan- guage barriers. Kay Barrett, Cassidy Turley: We've experienced a lot of growth, so therefore we have a lot of new clients. My focus is on staffing for those new accounts. Because of the economy, I've seen a huge shift over the past five to six years on hiring. There are many available project managers out there. A large number of people who are available have 25, 30, 35 years of experience. We're flooded with resumes. So, it's a matter of finding the right balance of experience, insight and technology. Janis Williams, Tuesday Morning: Each month, we open several stores along with relocations. So, right now, I'm getting all the new stores 44 Commercial Construction & Renovation September/October 2012