BIMBO

Some weeks back I was planning on having lunch with a CAD/BIM manager from a competing firm HDR. We had become friends when I worked for Avatech Solutions. I spent quite a bit of time at his firm consulting, and we still like to get together to discuss CAD and BIM issues. Out of the blue another CAD/BIM from manager from Schemmer who was a student of mine called to say that some old Avatech buddies were going to take him out to lunch that same day and maybe I would like to join in. I thought yes, but I can't blow off my HDR friend so I invite him. Then I think I have a friends at Leo A Daly, Merrick, Commonwealth Electric, Lamp Rynearson, E and A Consulting, and ASD Stanley J. How Architects, why not invite them all? Why not let them invite any one they know?

The result has become BIMBO. The BIM Board of Omaha. We are a sort of a Revit super users group. The issues we discuss are common to any firm adopting BIM and IPD, but instead of working in a vacuum or with contacts on the web that we may have never met, we meet with each other in person once a month. Because we are comprised of people from engineering, architectural, civil, and contractor firms we are in the unique position to not only help each other on internal problems, but also address the issues that arise when Revit models are shared. We work better and we work better together. Oh, that's catchy.

The group has just started but already we are thinking of big things and have improved the conditions in our firms. I write this post because it is really working for us and it might prove to be a great thing for you as well. It felt awkward to think about at first because there were people in the meetings that I directly compete with, but in the context of what BIM and IPD are about, we are just doing what are clients want.

I wrote more on sharing in an article for AUGIs AEC Edge. Check it out on page 26.