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Sunday  |  Monday  |  Tuesday  |  Wednesday


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SATURDAY, APRIL 29

1 pm - 5 pm
Registration Opens

2 pm - 5 pm
NAECE Meeting


SUNDAY, APRIL 30

7 am - 7 pm
Registration

7 am - 8:30 am
Leadership Breakfasts

8 am - 5 pm
Professional Business Forums: Sales & Marketing and Human Resources
Sales & Marketing and Human Resources professionals as well as firm principals are welcome to attend and share ideas, promote best practices and network with peers. Don't make the same mistakes that other A/E firms have already made. Learn from others what works, what doesn't and why. Eight PDH credits will be awarded for each forum.
Separate registration fee required if not paying the full convention fee - early bird fee is $325; after March 31, the fee is $425.

9 am - 2 pm
Board of Directors Meeting

1 pm - 3 pm
Committee of Fellows

2 pm - 5:30 pm
CEO Roundtables
Participate in one of these small group sessions where each discussion is led by a CEO or senior principal: small firm (1-30 employees), medium firm (31-100 employees), medium/large firm (101-250 employees), large firm (251-500 employees) or very large firm (501+ employees).

2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
NAECE Meeting

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
NAECE/ACEC Staff Event
Sponsored by CNA Insurance Cos./Victor O. Schinnerer & Co., Inc.

6:30 pm - 10 pm
Opening Reception and Chairman's Banquet

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MONDAY, MAY 1

7 am - 5 pm
Registration

7 am - 8 am
Breakfast


8 am - 9 am
Opening General Session:
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House of Representatives and chief architect of the "Contract with America," which fueled a Republican House majority for the first time in 40 years, will discuss new directions in American politics during the Opening General Session.


9 am - 5 pm
Hospitality Lounge


9 am - 10:15 am
Creative Strategies for Controlling Health Insurance Costs
Henry J. Kruse, Envision Healthcare

Rising employee healthcare costs threaten the profitability of every firm regardless of size. This session offers creative strategies for transforming your health benefit plan into one that puts economic purchasing power—and decision making—into the hands of participants. You’ll learn about Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and how each of these works to provide financial incentives, rewards, and other benefits that encourage changes in personal behavior and healthcare purchasing that impact health benefit premiums. Presentation format will be lecture followed by Q&A targeting engineering firms of all sizes.


9 am - 10:15 am
The Design Firm Business Model—A Time for Corrective Action
Paul G. Carr, Cornell University

There has been consternation over the years for the disintegration of the status of Civil Engineers. There has been considerable distress over the profitability of Engineering Firms. There is a continuing decline in the compensation of Civil Engineers, relative to other professionals. This presentation shows the impact of government agencies’ use of outdated "percentage of construction fee schedules" to determine professional compensation, and discusses the erosive financial implications of these policies on the design professionals.


9 am - 12 noon
Agency Briefing
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Looking at Future Funding and Policy Priorities
Lt. General Carl A. Strock, Chief of Engineers

Future funding and policy priorities on the agency will be discussed and how they will be impacted by recent hurricane-related reconstruction and base closures mandated under the BRAC process. Attendees will go offsite to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters for this session.


10:15 am - 10:45 am
Networking Break with Exhibitors


10:45 am - 12 noon
The U.S. Engineer Drought and What It Means for U.S. Firms
Robert vanArsdall, XL Design Professional

Engineering practice will chance in the coming years, requiring more from firms in the areas of quality management and construction administration. Firms will be forced to learn how to deal with outsourcing as a way of life. This session will detail the impact of falling numbers of engineering graduates in the US and the rise of international engineers. It will look at the economic drivers behind the current events, and show how US engineering firms will have to change their practices in response to the challenge.


10:45 am - 12 noon
The Cost of Perfection
Jack Beemer, David Evans & Associates; Robert Fogle, HNTB

Clients increasingly view engineering firms as a source of "perfect deliverables." Whether contractually supported or not, this "perfection" expectation has resulted in clients viewing us as a source of recovery for projects that have run over-budget, have encountered changed conditions, or have a contractor that underbid and is attempting to recover through frivolous change orders. A "tool kit" of ACEC tactics to combat trends toward client expectations of perfection and cost recovery aggression against design firms will be explored. ACEC Risk Management Committee and Transportation Committee activities and task force efforts will be presented and input sought.


12 noon - 2 pm
Keynote Luncheon:
Terry McAuliffe and Ed Gillespie
Terry McAuliffe and Ed Gillespie, former chairmen of the Democratic and Republican National Committees, respectively, will debate the current state of U.S. politics and party positions on key national issues during the Convention’s Keynote Luncheon.


2:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Creating Public Relations Pizzazz: How to Have More Power and Influence
Joanne G. Linowes, Linowes Executive Development International

How concerned are decision-makers and legislators with engineering issues? One of the key responsibilities of firm principals is to further the profession, as well as one’s own firm, through providing an understanding of trends and elements of engineering that promote the welfare of society. If you’re going to advocate, do it "right"! This session blends techniques in persuasion, publicity, and promotion to provide skills in writing and presenting with influence. Lively lecture and engaging educational exercises show how a little "public relations pizzazz" can help your message get noticed.


2:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Strong Governance—Building a Board That Works
Doug Thompson, Thompson Strategy Consulting

How power and control is shared within the organization can greatly impact the future success of the firm. Successful firms have found that good governance is a valuable asset to the company and provides a framework for efficient and effective decision making, long-term viability of a strong ownership culture, and positions the firm as a leader in the industry. This session will discuss how to build a strong board and the complexities of an owner/operator governance model.


2:15 pm - 3:30 pm
Agency Briefings:
U.S. Department of Transportation: Implementing SAFETEA-LU
J. Richard Capka, FHWA Acting Administrator; David Horner, FTA Acting Administrator
Washington, DC and David Horner, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC

ACEC members will hear from top officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation the Department’s efforts to implement the policy provisions of SAFETEA LU. Representatives from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration will also discuss specific programs of interest to engineering firms.


2:15 pm - 3:30 pm
NAVFAC: Funding Priorities for the Future
Dr. James W. Wright, P.E., Chief Engineer, NAVFAC

NAVFAC will be speaking on important funding priorities for the Fiscal Year 2007 and how it is impacted by recovery/reconstruction efforts of Katrina.


GSA: Funding Priorities for the Future
Charles Matta, FAIA, Director, Center for Federal Buildings and Modernizations

GSA Public Building Service will be focusing on the new initiatives for future GSA Building projects.


3:30 pm - 4 pm
Networking Break with Exhibitors


4 pm - 5:15 pm
Town Hall Meeting/Debate: Should We Have National Licensure?
Dr. Russell Jones, PhD, World Expertise; Craig Musselman, CMA Engineers, Inc.

Open "mic" at ACEC. This session will include one moderator and two speakers who argue the pros and cons of a national licensure standard for professional engineers.


TUESDAY, MAY 2

7 am - 7 pm
Registration

7 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast

8 am - 5 pm
Legal Counsels Forum I
Separate registration fee required.


8:30 am - 11:45 am
Congressional Issues Briefing
Professional Staff and Outside Experts

ACEC’s Vice President of Government Affairs will brief members on key issues and action items for Capitol Hill lobbying visits.


8:30 am - 11:45 am
Lobbying Elected Officials Effectively
George Barbee, CAS Construction on "State Lobbying"; Panel of Experts on "National Lobbying"

Former ACEC/KS Executive Director George Barbee leads a panel discussion on effectively conveying your message in meetings on Capitol Hill and with state legislators. This session is a "must attend" for any ACEC member that lobbies elected officials at the federal and state level.


8:45 am - 10 am
Performing on Purpose: Applying Olympic Tools for Optimal Leadership
Megan Neyer, Matt Taylor, Advanced Management Institute

Megan Neyer and Matt Taylor, World champion athletes—bring 30 years combined 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 their insights from elite performances in athletics, arts and business, can guide leaders to optimally perform in their own business environments. This interactive workshop will teach participants practical skills for both personal and professional development.


8:45 am - 10 am
Working in Contractor-Led Design-Build Teams
Paul T. Bryant, O+I Consultants

Design-build projects continue to grow in popularity, making it more important than ever for design firms to understand what it takes to successfully execute them. Participants will hear lessons learned from an experienced project manager on why some designers are successful in contractor led design build teams and why others fail. Discover what it takes to pick the right partners, assign the right staff, and meet expectations so that your people and your profits do not suffer.


8:45 am - 10 am
Marketing, Managing a Green Building Project
Jerry Yudelson, Interface Engineering, Inc.

ACEC’s newest coalition CAMEE (Council of American Mechanical and Electrical Engineers) will present this session on the fast growing area of green building design for M/E firms. If you are looking for a new and innovative market, attend this session. Also, meet with CAMEE members and find out more about the coalition.


9 am - 10:30 am
Spouse Breakfast

9 am - 5 pm
Hospitality Lounge

10 am - 10:30 am
Networking Break with Exhibitors


10:30 am - 11:45 am
Design and Delivery: Using Technology for Better Teamwork
Jonathan Knowles, Autodesk, Inc.

As design projects become increasingly complex, it underscores the need to find better ways to manage information. In this presentation, Jonathan Knowles will explain how engineers and design professionals can leverage technology to better manage information and workflows across the lifecycle of projects. Mr. Knowles will provide customer examples like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, the firm hired to develop the Freedom Tower, showing how effective collaboration can reduce cycle times, maximize resources, reduce costs and errors, and ensure access to the right information when and where it is needed.


10:30 am - 11:45 am
CASE Roundtable: Firm Culture —Setting the Tone in Your Office
Chris Poland, Degenkolb Engineers

Your employees are not taught risk management in college. Yet it pervades everything you do and can even bring down a firm if handled wrong. Learn to integrate this concept in everyday activities. Listen to a positive approach and one of the highest rated presentations at the recent CASE Risk Management Convocation.


10:30 am - 11:45 am
Surveyors Roundtable: Safety Training and COPS’ Benefits Survey
COPS Steering Committee

Want to know what benefits you should be offering your employees? At this session you will hear the results of the recent COPS survey of what benefits COPS member firms offer their members. See how you rate or maybe get some ideas on what you need to offer to maintain good employees. Also listen to safety training ideas based on COPS own safety training manual for surveying firms.


12 noon - 1:30 pm
Networking Lunch

2 pm - 3:15 pm
The Secret Leadership Weapon for Recruitment & Retention
Sharon A. Youngblood, Youngblood Consulting, Inc.

The work is available, the growth potential is enormous but you don’t have the staff to take advantage of the opportunities. The old approach to staffing is quickly becoming obsolete due to the acute shortage of qualified personnel. You have to dig deeper and adjust to the fact that recruiting and retention is getting to be one of your toughest marketing jobs. In this session you will learn the relationship between leadership and recruitment and retention and how to succeed with today’s staffing realities.


2 pm - 3:15 pm
Plan for Excellence–Implement a Quality Improvement Loop to Satisfy Owners
Richard Croswell, Symmes Maine & McKee Associates

The process of building an effective quality improvement system by linking design culture and business practice. Special focus on work planning (front end) and lessons learned (back end), plus metrics for exemplary performance, how to stabilize insurance premiums through continuous improvement measures, and the importance of having formalized project close-out procedures.


2 pm - 5 pm
Capitol Hill Visits

3:15 pm - 3:45 pm
Networking Break with Exhibitors


3:45 pm - 5 pm
Professional Liability Claims Against Engineers: Using the Data to Improve Your Practice
Randy Lewis, XL Design Professional

This presentation will use recent claim data to examine the root cause of claims made against engineers. In addition we will explore the relationship of sound practice management to these claims. Since the data is captured by individual engineering disciplines, we will learn if certain practices are more effective at managing risk than others for various disciplines. For example, claim data indicates that, for certain project types, risks can be lowered by contracting directly with the owner rather than acting in a sub consultant role.


3:45 pm - 5 pm
Building Partnerships, Alliances and Referral Sources for Better Business Opportunities
Lynne Waymon, Contacts Count

No one is born knowing how to build business relationships but everyone can learn. Make networking an art, not an accident, when you learn the rules and tools for making introductions, answering "What do you do?" and how to steer small talk to smart talk. Learn the secrets of follow up and how to become the natural and only choice when opportunity arises.


6 pm - 10 pm
Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet

Known as the "Academy Awards of the Engineering Industry," this black-tie gathering of business leaders, Congress and the Administration honors the achievements of the engineering industry. Hollywood’s Will Schriner, noted actor, director and comedian, will add laughter and entertainment to this memorable, once-a-year event. Cost: $245 per person or Table of 10 is $2,300.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 3

8 am - 12 noon
Registration

8 am - 9 am
PAC Sweepstakes Breakfast

8 am - 12 noon
Legal Counsels Forum II
Separate registration fee required.

9 am - 5 pm
Capitol Hill Visits


9 am - 10:15 am
Mega Projects: Lessons Learned, Recommendations for Success, and Effective Risk Management
David J. Hatem, Donovan Hatem LLP; Geoffrey Fosbrook, DMJM Harris; Dominick M. Servedio, STV Group; John Reilly, John Reilly Associates International; Anthony R. Lancellotti, Parson Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas; Michael S. Della Rocca, STV Group; J. Richard Capka, Federal Highway Administration

This panel discussion will include public owner representatives and consulting engineers who have experience in the planning, management and execution of "MegaProjects"—defined as major public infrastructure projects that cost $1 billion or more, or projects of a significant cost that are subject to a high degree of public scrutiny and political interest due to substantial impacts on the community, environment and/or capital budgets of the project owner. In any and all events, there are important MegaProject "lessons learned" recommendations to be shared with the consulting engineering community. That, in substance, will be the objective of this panel discussion.

Top 10 Business Trends from ACEC’s 2006 Industry Survey
Paul Haglund, Greeley and Hanson; Jill Holcomb, ACEC

Come hear the latest trends and valuable insights from your fellow ACEC members. See how your firm fits into the bigger industry picture. This ACEC industry survey covered various elements of business performance, markets, and practices areas and thus offers a candid outlook for the future.

9 am - 12 noon
Hospitality Lounge

10:15 am - 10:45 am
Networking Break with Exhibitors


10:45 am - 12 noon
Making the Transition: Entrepreneur to Sustainable Company
Lou Ann Frederick, Hall & Foreman, Inc.

How do you move from entrepreneur to creating a sustainable professional services company? This session will focus on the shift from an emphasis on the project to working on the business itself. We will explore financial aspects, the staffing side, and examine what you bring of yourself tangibly to the business model that will go beyond theory and work for you.


12 noon
Lunch on Capitol Hill

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