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Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday
SUNDAY, MAY 6
7 am - 7 pm
Registration
7 am - 8:30 am
Leadership Breakfasts
8 am - 5 pm
Sales & Marketing Forum
9 am - 1:30 pm
Board of Directors Meeting
2 pm - 5:30 pm
CEO Roundtables
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
NAECE Meeting
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
NAECE/ACEC Staff Reception
6:30 pm - 10 pm
Opening Reception and “State Dinner”
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MONDAY, MAY 7
7 am - 8 am
Breakfast
8 am - 9 am
Opening General Session: Chris Matthews
As host of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews and NBC News' The Chris Matthews Show, Chris Matthews has become one of the media's most recognizable political pundits. Formerly a speechwriter for President Carter and aide to house Speaker Tip O'Neill, Matthews will bring his insider's knowledge of American politics to comment on likely future political developments.
9 am-12 noon
Federal Markets Insights
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; NAVFAC; GSA
The chief engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be joined by agency leaders from the Naval Facilities Command, the General Services Administration, and other agencies in giving presentations on future funding priorities and business opportunities for the industry. Emerging security issues will also be addressed. All firms that do work for federal agencies will want to participate in this informative event.
9 am-12 noon
'Think Like A Member of Congress'- Session #1
Tara Smith, National Association of Manufacturers
ACEC members will become "Members of Congress" as an expert facilitator walks participants through exercises aimed at building an understanding of how elected officials think, make choices, and arrive at decisions affecting the industry and the nation. This "hands on" experience will give participants unique and invaluable insights that they can use in their visits to Capitol Hill and their state legislatures. Three repeat sessions will be offered. Each session limited to 70 attendees. Advance sign up is required.
9 am-10:15 am
Concurrent Sessions
Improve Performance for Olympian Leadership
Megan Neyer, Ph.D, Advanced Management Institute
A former world champion and Olympic swimmer, Neyer brings her professional and personal experience in high performance consulting and leadership development to the concrete challenges of the workplace. The well-established tenets of sports psychology and physiology, combined with insights from elite performances in athletics, arts and business, can guide leaders to perform optimally in their own business environments. This interactive workshop will teach participants practical skills for professional development.
Building and Leading High-Performance Teams
Mark Goodale, Morrissey Goodale LLC
Learn what it takes to create and lead a high-performance team, transforming the way work is done in your organization. In this highly interactive and entertaining workshop, you'll also discover how to deal with dysfunctional teams, identify and optimize individual team members' strengths, and build reliability into your firm's operations.
What You Want-and Don't Want-in Limitation of Liability Provisions
Gilson Riecken, Esq. and Terence J. Scanlon, Esq., Terra Insurance
Limitation of Liability (LOL) provisions are good risk management. But that is true only if they hold up to legal challenge. LOLs in subconsulting agreements can increase your risk exposure. Presenters will discuss the rationale underlying LOLs, key elements to writing a sound provision that will withstand legal challenges, the risks and problems with owner and subconsultant LOLs, and effective strategies engineers can use when negotiating an LOL
9 am-11:45 am
NAECE Meeting
10:15 am - 10:45 am
Break with Exhibitors
10:45 am - 12 noon
Concurrent Sessions
Crafting a Successful Deal: An Overview of Merger and Acquisition Activity in the A/E/C Industry
Steve Gido, ZweigWhite
The last three years have seen robust merger and acquisition activity in the A/E/C industry, as many leaders have followed an acquisition strategy to achieve growth. Seventy-eight percent of firms report planning such moves in the next five years. Yet only half of these deals are usually deemed a success. Discussions will review the current merger and acquisition environment, outline factors driving industry activity, and look at what motivates buyers and sellers. In addition the session will identify the hot markets and examine the challenges in structuring successful transactions.
Transformative Networking: Build Long-Term Relationships and Your Bottom Line
Karen Susman, Remarkable Associations!
Differentiate yourself. Build alliances, relationships and visibility. Learn what to say after you say "hello" and what to do with those business cards you collect. Get referrals. Build relationships. Boost profits. Learn why introverts make superior networkers, how to avoid 10 networking no-no's, how to keep your name in front of customers, and valuable ways to maximize networking effectiveness.
12 noon - 2 pm
Keynote Luncheon - George Will
Pulitzer-winning columnist and political commentator, George F. Will presents a penetrating and incisive commentary on the Washington political scene, offering a glimpse into what the future holds for public affairs, public policy and American society. Bringing the headlines to life for his audiences, George F. Will provides penetrating and trenchant commentary on the current American political and economic scene.
2 pm - 5 pm
'Think Like A Member of Congress'- Session #2
Three repeat sessions will be offered. Each session limited to 70 attendees. Advance sign up is required.
See description above.
2:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Success and Succession: Leadership Continuity
Raymond Kogan, Kogan & Company, LLC
Effective leadership is the single most crucial asset a firm must have in order to succeed continuously. Companies that need money can borrow, those seeking more business can market, but firms that lack solid leadership-today or in the future-are in big trouble. This session will identify the characteristics of effective leadership, apply a simple assessment tool that can be used personally or with colleagues, and offer concrete methods for achieving leadership continuity in organizations.
Arbitration and Mediation...for the People Who Write the Checks
Darrel V. Holmquist, CTL/Thompson Texas, LLC; Robert Meade, American Arbitration Association
Arbitration and mediation can be coordinated for better results. This session explains the processes-how to control the cost, time, and often the outcome-and provides the tools to make these things happen. It also addresses the often-cited reasons for avoiding the Alternative Dispute Resolution processes that are "too long," "too costly," and offer "no appeal." Active participation by the principal and use of contract clauses and post-dispute agreements can limit discovery and provide for a short, speedy hearing and a rapid decision.
Post Sarbanes-Oxley Fiscal Implications For Your Association
Nat Bartholomew, LarsonAllen
The rules of the road are changing rapidly for not-for-profits; this session will cut through the myths and get to the heart of what is important. What new standards have been mandated since Sarbanes-Oxley? What else is headed your way? How should you ensure compliance now and prospectively?
3:30 pm - 4 pm
Break with Exhibitors
4 pm - 5:15 pm
Concurrent Session
Producing Better Association Communications
Jill Cornish, Association Trends Magazine
Your staffers sweat bullets to get everything right: Research. Design. Fact-checking. Charts and graphs. Quotes. Headlines. Proof-reading. Color. Paper and ink. E-mail notification. But do the members read it? Attend this session and discuss the ways some of the best association editors produce top-notch communication products for their organizations. Send three samples of your association's communications by April 10 and, during the session, we'll discuss what changes could be made to provide better member communications
2007 Industry Trends Survey
Douglas Watson, Wade-Trim Group and Jill Holcomb, ACEC
Learn about the latest business trends and gain operational insights valuable from ACEC members. See how your firm fits into the bigger industry picture. This ACEC industry trends survey will explore various elements of business performance, markets, and practice areas and presents a broad assessment of these areas.
6 pm-10 pm
Dinner Cruise on the Potomac
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TUESDAY, MAY 8
7 am - 7 pm
Registration
7 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast with Exhibitors
8 am-9:30 am
Congressional Issues Briefing
Professional Staff and Outside Experts
8 am-5 pm
Legal Counsels Forum
The Legal Counsels Forum was established to meet the needs of in-house and outside legal counsel who advise ACEC member firms on a regular basis. The Forum hosts discussions on a wide range of current legal issues important to member firms, including the Economic Loss Doctrine, contracting issues for engineering firms, alternative dispute resolution, and professional liability insurance trends. Participants in the Forum are generally attorneys representing ACEC member firms. Others with an interest in attending should send an email to ckim@acec.org requesting an invitation from the Chair of the Forum. Additional fee required.
8:45 am-10 am
Concurrent Sessions
Creating an Outrageously Successful Organization
Scott Hunter, The Hunter Partnership Alliance
Are there tried and true, timeless, unchanging qualities that if mastered, will assure your success? Scott Hunter says "yes!" Learn what it takes - year in and year out - to have an outrageously successful organization. Discover success has very little to do with what you do, what you know, and how hard you work. Truly successful leaders understand certain behavioral principles and use them to outperform the competition.
ISO9001: Myths and Realities: A Proven Common Sense Approach to Building a Quality System that Works
James C. Klug, CTE Engineers; Albert Egreczky, KEMA
Since its inception, ISO9001 has endured a bad "rep" in our industry. Based on the ISO of years ago, perhaps that view was well deserved - after all, the original heavy-handed ISO9001 was developed to address the needs of a then quality-challenged manufacturing industry. Recently, a new ISO9001 has emerged. Listen to one firm's success story and hear a firsthand account of how stripping away the myths surrounding ISO9001 reveals the realities of a usable system steeped in logic and common sense.
Do M/Es Need to Worry about Risk Management? 
Roy Wilson, PE, George Butler Associates, Inc.
Normally the risk and, consequently, the liability insurance premiums for M/Es are lower than most other disciplines. That is changing as more M/Es are being drawn into lawsuits, while not necessarily being liable. Learn how to avoid these situations and what to do if you find yourself in one.
9 am - 5 pm
Hospitality Lounge
9:30 am-12:30 pm
'Think Like A Member of Congress'- Session #3
Three repeat sessions will be offered. Each session limited to 70 attendees. Advance sign up is required.
See description on Monday.
10 am - 10: 30 am
Break with Exhibitors
10:30 am-11:45 am
Concurrent Sessions
Leave a Legacy and Save Taxes
Ron Bonar, Bonar Group; Matthew Eckert, CFP, Avalon Wealth Advisors
This session is a case study of how to channel financial success to leave a legacy, while simultaneously saving taxes. Review a personal "financial blueprint" and discuss specific tools that were utilized in implementing goals, including ESOPs, charitable remainder trusts (529 Program), and estate planning. A certified financial planner will be available to answer technical questions.
Stakeless Technology: Protecting the Interest of the PE and the Land Surveyor 
A. Frazier Christy, Paragon Engineering, Inc.
GPS and laser guidance to heavy equipment from a digital terrain model is becoming more common. What is the proper role of the surveyor and/or the engineer in this new technology? Learn how the new model works and what ACEC members should know about it.
BIM: Keeping the Tarnish off its Sterling Future 
James Parker, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger; Doug Ashcraft, Walter P. Moore, Inc.; Howard W. Ashcraft, Hanson Bridgett, Marcus, Vlahos, Rudy, LLP
Building Information Modeling is no longer a catch phrase but a reality for firms. It is more than new technology. It is a new project delivery system incorporating all members of the design and construction team. Can everyone work successfully from a single model? How about the different software that is available? Several organizations even are working on standards. Ask questions and get answers from those firms using this cutting-edge technology.
12 noon - 1 pm
Legal Counsels Lunch
12 noon - 1:30 pm
Networking Lunch
2 pm-5 pm
Capitol Hill Visits
2 pm-3:15 pm
Concurrent Sessions
New Keys to Competitive Advantage
Mel Lester, The Business Edge
Establishing differentiation based on technical expertise, quality of work and satisfied clients rarely sets companies apart these days, yet firms still pursue these traditional marketing strategies. Explore promising, cutting-edge strategies that are largely overlooked, learn why they deserve attention, and how to immediately begin improving performance in each area.
Project Life Cycle Cost Estimation Methods
Joseph Phelan, Info Tech, Inc.
Cost estimates are needed throughout a project's life cycle and at each stage, the estimation tools differ. This session will examine the strengths and limitations of estimating techniques in the lifecycle, review software tools that evaluate estimating methods, and discuss the methods to analyze contractor bids against engineers' estimates. Use of these proven cost estimation and bid analysis tools can strengthen a firm's ability to forecast personnel and budget required to manage projects.
3:15 pm-3:45 pm
Break with Exhibitors
3:45 pm-5 pm
Concurrent Sessions
Envisioning the Engineering Firm of the (Near) Future
Robert vanArsdall, XL Design Professional
If we project the current constraints on hiring, graduation rates for new engineers, and retirement of baby boomers, U.S. engineering firms will have no choice but to adapt their project delivery practices in the near future in order to thrive. The changing scenario means that engineering firms also will have to look at hiring strategies and candidate skills that differ from their current practices and staff. Differentiation will become a matter of advanced customer service and client responsiveness.
Hiring Top Performers: Go from "Good" to "Great"
Pat T. Dolen, Tydeman Dolen
What's behind the transformation of companies that make the transition from "good" to "great?" Ask any principal what makes his company different and the answer most often will be "our people." With a tough "no-excuses" examination of the selection, hiring, and placement process, learn how to transform from hiring the "good" to hiring the "great." Discover what average performance costs a firm, how to tighten your hiring process, and how to hire top-performing employees.
6 pm-10 pm
Engineering Excellence Awards Gala
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 9
7 am-12 noon
Registration
8 am-9 am
PAC Sweepstakes Breakfast
8 am-12 noon
Legal Counsels Forum II
9 am-5 pm
Capitol Hill Visits
9 am-10:15 am
Concurrent Sessions
Successful Mentoring Programs - It's Harder than It Looks!
Leigh Mires, Walter P. Moore
Mentoring is a cost effective way to develop talent, whether it be technical talent or leadership talent. Although developing a mentoring program may sound relatively easy, few firms are able to set up effective programs that are sustainable over time. This session will explore different mentoring models, explain pitfalls, and present a successful case study that has been measured and evaluated.
The Management of Conflict vs. Being Managed by Conflict
Boyce Appel, Appel Associates
Explore the genesis of conflicts and acquire techniques as well as actionable tools to assist in their positive resolution. This session will focus on increasing the repertoire of strategies available in dealing most appropriately with clients, staff, partners and other key relationships. Learn to transform conflict situations into problem-solving processes.
10:15 am - 10:30 am
Break
10:30 am - 11:45 am
Concurrent Sessions
Town Hall Session: Shortage of Engineers - Real Crisis or Manageable Problem?
Rod Hoffman, HDR; Vivek Wadhwa, Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University; Lance Davis, National Academy of Engineering
A critical engineering shortage looms in the U.S., say many commentators. But others are quick to say that the market is self-correcting; salaries will rise and young people will choose careers where engineering graduates are in demand. What is the real problem? Demographics due to retirement? Roadblocks for foreign engineers to migrate to the U.S.? Growth in demand for engineering services outstripping normal supply? This interactive, participative session will feature robust discussion of these and other factors.
Thinking Outside the Shrink-Wrapped Box - Extending the Functionality of Your Accounting System
Chris Pinckney, PSOMAS
Today's accounting systems are either limited, difficult to use, or extremely expensive. Psomas has stepped "outside the box" to create a multitude of software applications that work on two separate accounting platforms. Participants will explore software applications, management's style for utilization, and learn how Psomas has increased savings and streamlined workflow.
12 noon
Lunch on Capitol Hill
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