While those other professional groups, such as the Georgia CIO Leadership Association, are larger and more formal, the nature of the ad hoc group gives it a unique feeling of camaraderie, its members say. "We feel safe to be open because there is no real competition," Lucia says. "We are very honest with each other, and we have gotten so we really care about each other."

"As CIOs, we can't walk out onto the floor of our organizations and share our pain in particular areas," says Larry Frey, CIO at BlueLinx Corp. "The CIO lunches are an opportunity for us to share some of the pain among the CIOs."

The group has no formal membership criteria, but it limits itself to a small number of the most senior IT executives -- those whose job it is to concentrate on long-term IT strategy. "As senior CIOs, we look three to five years out," says Fran Dramis, CIO at BellSouth Corp.

The CIOs also encourage intercompany collaboration among their more junior IT managers, who typically get together to discuss more-focused, tactical issues.

The house that IT built