Please meet Dipakkumar Patel, CSI. He says that people call him Dipak (pronounced Dee-puck). Dipak joined the Knoxville Chapter in June of this year, after visiting a CSI meeting with fellow employee, Kathryn Fuller. He is currently employed by MBI Companies Inc. as a Project Designer, where he focuses primarily on conceptual design. He has been with MBI for 7 years.
He said that he chose this field because “architecture / engineering combined strengths and passions [he had] as a young adult growing up.” Dipak attained his BA Hons Architecture at Birmingham City University, his Post-Graduate diploma at the University of Nottingham abroad in the United Kingdom. He completed his Master of Architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology here in the US. He came to Knoxville in the spring of 2010.
Dipak has family here in Knoxville: his parents, his wife, Karmi, and his two children, Abhi and Anjali. He has a brother in Franklin, TN and a sister in Williamsport, MD. In his spare time, he coaches soccer with FC Alliance, is a Big Brother Mentor and Board President with BBBS-ETN, plays soccer, watches One Knox/865, and follows a number of other interests.
When asked what he hoped to gain and why he joined CSI, he replied, “Access to learning materials to develop construction and engineering material/detailing knowledge. And to add myself to the local network of AEC professionals as a peer resource and increase my familiarity with the Knoxville community.”
When asked what areas he would be interested in being a part of and how could he see the chapter improving, he replied,” Chapter growth and involvement will be a by-product of offering the environment for building strong, deep connections with one another. This may be social activities beyond the seminar/conference/meeting room walls - and completely unrelated to our occupations. I'm excited to discover where my abilities and experiences can be leveraged!”
He closed with one thing that he would like people to know about him. “I believe, [in] almost all instances, being kind is better than being right. Everyone matters and is managing their own real struggle at any given time. Helping one another in the best way we're able is what we're built for.”
Our CSI chapter is like a family that helps each other grow in our profession. I think Dipak had found a great place to invest his talents. Please reach out and introduce yourself to him at our next gathering.
New Member News - Katie Goethert, CSI
Posted: Mon, Aug 21, 2023
Meet Katie Goethert, CSI
Katie Goethert has joined the CSI Board of Directors for the term 2023-2025 and should bring a fresh new vision to the chapter. She has a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture from East Tennessee State University. She joined CSI in January of this year.
Katie has worked at oysk3 Architects for 2 years and has had the opportunity to be involved on a wide range of projects including custom homes, cabins, duplexes, townhouses, mixed use buildings, treehouses, hotels, restaurants, and day care centers. She pointed out that her role is “keeping the principal architects informed of all deadlines, and of any problems that may arise during the design process.”
Katie shared how she migrated to the design and construction profession. “In 8th grade, I took a STEM class that had a green architecture/ design unit. During this time, I designed a shipping container house and completed several other modeling -based projects using Autodesk Revit. During this class I fell in love with design and continued to play with Revit and build my skill set throughout high school. I knew I wanted to choose a field where I could continue to grow using Revit, so I chose the Interior Architecture program at ETSU. “
Katie is from Oak Ridge where she currently lives and commutes to Knoxville each day.
When asked about her firm she replied,” Two firms merged in 2017 to form oysk3 Architects. The ‘3’ in the name stands for three key pillars- consistent, reliable, and responsive.
My favorite part about working at oysk3 Architects is having the opportunity to work on several different types of projects. I am currently working on a new community of Habitat houses in Loudoun County. This has been an enjoyable project for me, and I really love working for such an amazing non-profit organization.
“I learned about CSI through my good friend Ginger Azpurua. I attended meetings for several months as her guest before deciding to join. I ultimately decided to become a member because I loved meeting new people in my field, learning during the CEU lunch and learns, and being a part of the CSI community in general. “
Please reach out and meet Katie face to face at the next monthly chapter meeting.
CSI Golf Tournament Named for Wes Crow
Posted: Mon, Aug 14, 2023
Brent Williams, President announced at the 2023 CSI Awards and Officer Installation Ceremony on Tuesday night that the Knoxville Chapter Board of Directors had voted to name the CSI Golf Tournament after long time golf tournament chair, Wes Crow. Wes has managed the golf tournament for almost two decades and has developed it into a fabulous fundraiser.
Initially proceeds from the tournament went to build an endowment at UT College of Architecture and Design which has grown to provide scholarships to two students annually. The tournament helps fund many activities of the chapter.
The 2023 tournament will be held at Egwani Farms in Blount County on October 20 and will be the Inaugural Wes Crow CSI Knoxville Golf Tournament.
New Member News - Alexandria (Lexi) Anderson, CSI
Posted: Sat, Aug 12, 2023
Meet Alexandria (Lexi) Anderson, CSI!
Lexi joined the Knoxville chapter in June of this year. She began working at MBI while still at UT where she was studying architecture and took a permanent position with the firm in May after graduation. She said this about her firm, “MBI is a wonderful architecture and engineering firm. I have had the opportunity to work on multiple different project types, dabbling in nearly everything. MBI is very supportive, and I have enjoyed being involved in all stages of the construction and design processes."
“I’ve wanted to be an architect ever since I learned what an architect does, around age 7. I chose this field because I like creating and realized the biggest thing that I can make is a building”, Lexi said, “I am thankful to this day for being in a career field that I feel passionately about every day.”
Lexi was born in Knoxville but grew up in Minnesota. She returned to Knoxville in 2018 to enroll at UT College of Architecture and Design. While at UT she worked as a TA in Gary Bergeron’s class. Gary described Lexi as “one of my outstanding teaching assistants.”
Lexi has family residing in East Tennessee. She has grandparents residing in Johnson City and is engaged to Danny Diaz. She resides in West Knoxville with two malti-poos, Matcha and Ace.
She has had the opportunity to work on multiple project types in her short time at MBI. Currently she is involved in the East Tennessee Vet Clinic being built in Greenville, which she saw in its early stages during her internship. She said this about the project, “it is amazing to see the building come to a completion and see my first building be a beautiful success”.
Lexi has big plans. She is working on her architectural registration and plans to take the CDT to assist her with her career and the architectural registration exam. She said, “I learned about CSI through the CSI student chapter at UTK. Once I started working at MBI, I became involved with CSI through Kathryn Fuller, and through her encouragement, happily decided to become a member. As a member, I hope to build my understanding of the construction process and gain professional mentorship. I also just really enjoy the CSI community. Everyone is very nice and helpful.”
She also shared this insight, “I see how CSI greatly benefits me as a young professional, and I hope my fellow recent graduates and current students may enjoy these opportunities as well.”
Please introduce yourself to Lexi at our next meeting and help her assimilate into the design and construction community of Knoxville.
We Are Growing - Come Join Us!
Posted: Sat, Jul 22, 2023
The Knoxville Chapter is growing and what a diverse group we are! Our membership is currently at 50 members.
We are made up of 43 Professional members who include Architects, Contractors, Project Managers, Business Development Managers, Building Envelope Specialists, Marketing Managers, Interior Designers and more. We have one Emeritus member who served the design & construction industry for an entire career. We have 3 Emerging Professionals who sought CSI to help them grow in their careers, two Retired Architects who can't seem to actually quit, a Landscape Architect and one Student member.
Nine of our members have their Construction Document Technologist certification and one is a Certified Construction Product Representative and one more is a Certified Construction Contract Administrator.
The Membership represents 14 architecture firms, the city codes department, 3 universities, 4 general contractors, the builders exchange, and numerous suppliers and product representatives.
There is someone to learn from for everyone in the design and construction industry. Come and join us!
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