From: Janes, Mike
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2000 9:27 AM
To: 'gail.evans@turner.com'
Subject: Architects can be great news sources!
Greetings, Gail--Mike Janes here at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Washington.

I'm writing to 1) make the introduction, 2) to let you know about some of the relevant news sources we can provide, and 3) suggest the possibility of a brief meeting there in Atlanta.

Here's some quick background. AIA has about 63,000 members around the country (and in Europe) who have expertise in a wide range of 'newsy' topics and issues, such as urban revitalization, innovative school design and modernization, office design, natural disaster response and preparedness, affordable housing, suburban sprawl, and many others. We're a great resource, with articulate and engaging members who are involved "in the trenches" in issues such as these. A few recent examples: the Los Alamos fires, where NM architects were involved in damage assessments and rebuilding plans; the recent ADA anniversary, important to architects since they're the ones ultimately charged with designing accessible facilities and public spaces (which is why our government affairs team is lobbying DOJ for increased clarity and certainty to the law); and school modernization and construction.

Gail, I've established working relationships with a few CNN producers/assignment folks around the country (such as Veronica McGregor out in LA, Linda Roth, Mike Cahill, etc), but I'd like to develop closer ties to Atlanta's booking crew. I'm hoping you'll agree that it makes sense.

I imagine you're driven by the news day and may be hard-pressed to commit to anything, but I figure summertime is as good a time as any to get together. Let me know if it's a possibility and we can tentatively pencil something in, perhaps as early as this month.

All the best,

Mike Janes
Director, Media Relations
The American Institute of Architects
(202) 626-7467
mjanes@aia.org

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.