Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 6

39 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6 unique Owner Training Institute®(OTI), which features 12 courses presented by three-person instructor teams comprised of an Owner, design professional, and builder. Additionally, the association’s Value Proposition speaks to education, events, and people with clear distinctions of why COAA offers something different and better. Another key aspect is The COAA Way concept. It relates to People, Best Practices, and Culture and the idea that COAA events, COAA Owners, and the projects led by COAA Owners are different… better in tangible and intangible ways. As of January 2021, COAA had approximately 2,700 members from about 290 organizations. Owner organizations represent about half of that 290 figure, but more than 90 percent of the head count. Most Owner members are governmental or institutional entities – higher education campuses; Federal, state, county, and city-level agencies; K-12 school districts; healthcare organizations; and airports – but developers and the private/corporate sector are also well- represented by research/pharm, insurance, financial services, and other business types. “Associate” COAA membership is reserved for the service providers Owners partner with on capital projects, including architectural and engineering design firms, CM/GC builders, and software vendors. Some of the nation’s leading firms are both members and sponsors of COAA, including The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Autodesk, and HGA. 2020 and Current Initiatives Like many organizations in and outside of the AEC industry, COAA suffered financially in 2020 due to its reliance on in-person events. Still, the THE CONSTRUCT ION OWNERS ASSOC I AT ION OF AMER I CA