Business briefs 02-23-21

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Taggart gets SDSU employee honor

BROOKINGS – Whether it’s having a leading role in a pharmacy commercial or designing a poster, Jim Taggart’s easy-going personality puts everyone at ease. 

And since the COVID-19 pandemic started, it’s his friendly voice you hear on the phone when you call University Marketing and Communications. 

For his many talents, Taggart has been named the South Dakota State University’s Civil Service Employee of the Month for February.

An auto racing enthusiast and history buff, Taggart works as a graphic artist at UMC. He started at SDSU in 1982 and worked here for two years before leaving. He returned in June 1990 but began working in the South Dakota Board of Regents system as a summer employee in 1970.

“Jim is a terrific collaborator, and it is a pleasure to work with him. I believe Jim represents our institutional values in his work and in his dealings with various constituencies across campus,” said J.D. Ackman, professor and director of theater in the School of Performing Arts. “I have known Jim for many years and have worked much more closely with him for at least the past decade or so. We collaborate on numerous projects including, but not limited to, theatre and dance production posters and programs, print ads and copy, digital ads, season brochures and other promotional materials for State University Theatre and Dance and Prairie Repertory Theatre.

David Reynolds, director of the School of Performing Arts, echoed Ackman’s thoughts.

“Jim is one of the most pleasant individuals on this campus. He brings a flexible, calm attitude to the projects he undertakes. The complexity of our publications often requires a dozen revisions as we solicit input from faculty and students. Jim has always been understanding of our need to include so many in the editing process,” Reynolds said. “We are appreciative of the creative choices he offers to us in our publications. He possesses the ability to take any project and make it a memento of the occasion. The School of Performing Arts depends on his talent and expertise to create high quality and professional programs for our concerts and conferences.”

Caldwell completes training

SIOUX FALLS – Design Technician Evan Caldwell now is a CDT-certified specialist. The designation means he has completed advanced training and testing in construction Documents Technology. The comprehensive program encompasses topics such as writing, interpreting, enforcing, and managing construction documents. 

It’s one more set of skills in Caldwell’s toolbox to give TSP clients the highest value and enable them to move forward with confidence in their projects.

The CDT curriculum, designed and administered by the Construction Specifications Institute, takes learners on a full tour through a project’s life cycle. “I’m involved with a much narrower part of that timeline right now,” said Caldwell, whose models and drawings help clients envision new spaces and inform their decision-making.

“What I do takes place during a highly critical point in the project’s lifespan, but it’s still a relatively short amount of time,” he said. “I predominantly fill in a bit during pre-design, from schematic design to construction documents, and then sometimes in construction administration. This training gave me the long view. It was enlightening to think about a project in the context of all the other things that have to happen along the way. It’s really given me a better understanding of my role within the project.”

Caldwell, a Brookings native, earned his associate of applied science degree in architectural engineering technology from Southeast Tech. He put that learning to use for a structural firm before joining TSP in September 2019.

In addition to covering the full project structure and the ins-and-outs of bidding, the CDT training comprised relationships among design firms, owners, and contractors – including various delivery methods. “My testing group also had engineers, architectural graduates, and senior architects,” Caldwell said.