March 12, 2025
March 19, 2025
Session 2 April 2, 2025 Session 4
Microsoft
EXCEL BASIC SERIES
Microsoft Excel is one of the most powerful tools in the Office Suite, yet many shy away from it because it seems complex and overwhelming. Our MBI LIVE Microsoft Excel Basics series is designed for beginners and infrequent users who want to master essential functions like formatting, calculations, and data sorting. In this series of live, virtual workshops, our expert instructor from ZenTek Consultants will guide you through practical, real-world examples, with tailored insights relevant to your field. Whether you’re looking to streamline business tasks or organize personal projects, these sessions will help you gain confidence and efficiency with Excel.
These live, instructor-led sessions, held every Wednesday virtually via Zoom from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, are designed to help you take your skills to the next level. Best of all, these courses are completely free for members as part of your membership benefits and offer 2 Project Management MBD credits per session to those that register and attend. You can choose to attend one, or all these Microsoft Excel Basics sessions.
SESSION ONE: UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS
March 12, 2025 | 9:00am - 11:00am
Master Builder Designation: Project Management - 2 credits
In this introductory session, we will cover the essential elements of Microsoft Excel, starting with how to understand and create worksheets. You’ll learn how to navigate through multiple worksheets, as well as how to work with cells and columns, the core building blocks of any spreadsheet. We will walk you through the basics of formatting and aligning cells to ensure your data looks clean and organized. Additionally, we will explain how to manage different types of data, how to edit them, and how to format, merge, and control cells for maximum efficiency. This session will provide you with the foundation to feel comfortable working in Excel, whether you’re entering data for the first time or refining an existing worksheet.
SESSION TWO: FUN WITH FUNCTIONS & FORMULAS
March 19, 2025 | 9:00am - 11:00am
Master Builder Designation: Project Management - 2 credits
In this session, you’ll take your Excel skills to the next level by learning how to use functions and formulas to automate calculations. We will begin by showing you how to control worksheet views for easier navigation and presentation of data. Then, you’ll explore Excel’s automatic fill features, which save time when entering repetitive data. A key focus will be understanding how to work with formulas using the formula bar, as well as learning some of the most commonly used functions and formulas to streamline your work. We’ll also show you how to use formulas across multiple worksheets, making it easier to handle more complex data and calculations.
The Master Builder Designation program will offer credits for completion of this course. For more information on becoming a ‘Master Builder’, please visit MBI’s website at www.MBI.Build/mbd.
SESSION THREE: DELVING INTO DATA
March 26, 2025 | 9:00am - 11:00am
Master Builder Designation: Project Management - 2 credits
David Mills
ZenTek Consultants
Hackensack, NJ
This session is all about organizing and analyzing your data effectively. You’ll start by learning how to use data filters to quickly find the information you need in large sets of data. We’ll cover sorting techniques to help you order your data based on specific criteria. You’ll also learn how to identify and remove duplicate values, which can clutter your spreadsheet and lead to inaccuracies. Additionally, we’ll show you how to merge and split data cells, allowing you to manipulate your data more effectively. Finally, we’ll introduce you to data validation, a powerful tool to ensure that the data you enter follows specific rules and maintains integrity.
SESSION FOUR: SUMMARIZING SIMPLIFIED
April 2, 2025 | 9:00am - 11:00am
Master Builder Designation: Project Management - 2 credits
In our final session, we’ll teach you how to present your data clearly and efficiently. You’ll start by learning how to control page layouts to ensure your documents look professional when printed or shared. We will also show you how to insert images and symbols to add visual appeal to your worksheets. You’ll then discover how to create simple charts to make your data more accessible and visually engaging. We’ll guide you through the process of editing chart display options to customize your charts for better clarity and presentation. Finally, we’ll introduce you to pivot tables, a powerful feature that allows you to summarize and analyze large datasets in just a few clicks.
Presenter
David Mills has been working within the construction industry for nearly a decade. He has developed commercial and healthcare projects ranging from $100,000 to $100,000,000+, while working in various positions, including Estimator, Project Engineer, Field Engineer, and Assistant Project Manager.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was an Owner’s Representative on a large healthcare campus in Michigan. This project had several Construction Managers on it using different software products, which Mr. Mills successfully taught team members to use efficiently.
Mr. Mills joined ZenTek Consultants as a Technology Specialist in early 2023. During his time at ZenTek, he has developed custom solutions and training for clients, as well as written numerous articles and blogs on using Bluebeam and Procore efficiently. His knowledge of software does not end at Bluebeam and Procore, as he is proficient in Microsoft Office, Revit, PlanSwift, PlanGrid, Smartsheet, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Have Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Janel Haynes at JHaynes@MBI.Build or 515-461-9237.
David Mills, ZenTek Consultants - Hackensack, NJ
Microsoft EXCEL BASIC SERIES
4-Part Online Training Series
The sessions below are scheduled for a la carte registration allowing attendees to participate in the
Please mark which online session(s) you would like to connect to:
Session 1: Understanding the Basics
March 12, 2025 | 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Session 2: Fun with Functions & Formulas
March 19, 2025 | 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Fee: No Charge / MBI Members
$160 Per person / Per Session / Non-Members
Session 3: Delving into Data
March 26, 2025 | 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Session 4: Summarizing Simplified April 2, 2025 | 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Only the individual whose email address is used to register and is attached to the Zoom connection is eligible to receive Master Builder Designation credits. Zip:
A 3% processing fee will be charged on all credit card transactions.
Cancellation Policy: Registration cancellations must be submitted to Master Builders of Iowa via email to NFry@MBI.Build. Cancellation requests submitted at least 14 days prior to the start of this program will be refunded 100%. Cancellations received between 7 and 14 days prior to the start of this program will be refunded 50%. No refund for cancellations less than 7 days prior to the start of this program. No refund for no-shows.
Please send registration and payment
4100 Westown Pkwy | West Des Moines, Iowa 50266
Attn: Nichole Fry NFry@MBI.Build
Further information and instructions for each of the online sessions will be forwarded to participants upon receipt of registration.
For more information, please contact Janel Haynes at JHaynes@MBI.Build or 515-461-9237.