Obituary: Mark Casso, 70, Was Long Time Advocate for Industry CEOs to Boost Performance, Influence

Mark Casso, longtime president of the Building Trade Spherical Desk who led the Washington, D.C.-based group of about 130 main U.S. and world design and building agency CEOs that advocated for improved firm efficiency and business affect on authorities coverage, workforce improvement and innovation, died all of a sudden on June 25 at age 70, stated a Linked in post from the group.

The reason for dying was coronary heart problems, based on a supply near the group.

Casso led the group since 1998, when it was integrated as a not-for-profit affiliation “to be a pressure for optimistic change within the building business whereas serving to CEOs … enhance administration efficiency of their particular person firms,” says its website. 

Amongst different initiatives he championed is the National Design and Construction Competition, an annual occasion for highschool college students as a part of groups in collaboration with the ACE Mentor Program, to develop options to real-world design and building challenges, foster innovation, promote the business’s picture and supply a networking and training platform, says the business group. 

Entries from ACE Mentor groups are judged annually by Spherical Desk member executives. This 12 months the group stated an “unprecedented” 74 submissions representing 19 state ACE Memtor Program teams and 27 associates have been acquired. The highest three finalist groups vie for a prime prize of $5,000.  

“Mark was a person of nice brilliance and even larger humility. He carried no ego, and his intuition was at all times to supply assist to these round him. whether or not within the boardroom or in a quiet second of counsel,” stated Spherical Desk present Chairman Thomas V. Reilly,  president of Turner Building Co., who famous his efforts “to affect public coverage, elevate the business’s picture and foster significant connections amongst members.”

Diana T. Eisenshink, present ACE Mentor program president, termed Casso in a tribute notice as a “great associate and chief for our program for the previous 20 plus years. He might be missed.”

Joey Bahnsen: an architect and CannonDesign affiliate, who met Casso as a highschool senior competing within the Nationwide Competitors, and have become a number one ACE mentor as a younger skilled, famous “his lasting impression on myself and plenty of different younger folks and professionals throughout the US.” 

Previous to becoming a member of the Spherical Desk, Casso was deputy government vice chairman and normal counsel of the American Council of Engineers Firms (ACEC), an business commerce group with greater than 5,000 members, and director of presidency affairs for the American Institute of Architects. He additionally was an affiliate at a Washington, DC, regulation agency specializing in worldwide commerce and customs regulation. Casso earned a regulation diploma from Brooklyn Regulation College and a B.S. diploma in Enterprise Administration and Administration from The College of Maryland.

Particulars of a remembrance occasion for Casso are forthcoming, stated the Spherical Desk posting. No determination has been introduced on a successor as president.