Meet Ken Buschle, FCSI, (Member Emeritus), LEED-AP
Posted: Fri, May 02, 2025
I am excited to introduce you to a new member to the Knoxville Chapter who has many decades of experience serving in CSI. Ken Buschle has relocated from Southwest Florida to Loudon, Tennessee the week before Thanksgiving. I saw Ken at our Product Show in March but I first reached out to him when I was serving on the CSI College of Fellows Nominating Committee. I was seeking CSI Fellows who had interest in serving as officers in the College of Fellows. Ken kindly declined, due to his upcoming commitment to serve as Chair of the Jury of Fellows. (you cannot serve on both concurrently) He shared with me that he was in the process of closing life in Florida and relocating to Tennessee to be closer to his children and grandchildren who live in West Knoxville and Maryville. The pull of grandchildren is impossible to resist!
Ken’s journey into design and construction started when he obtained degrees in both Architectural Technology and Building Construction Technology from Saint Peterburg College in Clearwater, FL in 1988. He started working at GMA Architects and Planners (then Gora/McGahey Architects) as a Contract Administrator. GMA is a small architectural firm with a sole office located in Fort Myers, FL. They primarily serve commercial projects in several counties in SW Florida.
“I took over the role of Specifier and QA/QC Coordinator two years later, while continuing to oversee the CA Department. I tried to ‘retire’ but I’m still ‘helping out’ on an on-call basis, primarily with Specification review and RFQ responses.” Ken currently holds CDT and LEED-AP certifications but has previously held his CCCA and CCS certifications. In addition to this he was licensed by the Florida Department of Professional Regulation as an inspector in Building, Plumbing, Mechanical and Commercial Electrical.
When asked about his CSI background he shared this. “I joined the CSI Florida Southwest Chapter in 1997. Like most of us ‘old-timers’ I have served in just about every capacity at the Chapter level at some point.” In addition to chapter service, he has been active at the Region and Institute levels also. He served as President of the Southeast Region for 2 ½ terms (5 years), stepping in when the then existing president abruptly resigned. He has been a two term member of the Institute Board, chaired both the Institute Awards and Nomination Committees and he does peer reviews for the CSI Convention presentations. He was elevated to Fellow in 2016. Currently he chairs the Jury of Fellows.
In Ken’s spare time, he loves to fish from his kayak. Now he needs a little advice on how to fish Watts Bar Lake. I’m sure Ken would love to hear from any of you fishermen. Please introduce yourself and welcome Ken to East Tennessee.
