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Volume XXIII, Number 4
February 1, 2002
1015 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-347-7474
Fax
202-898-0068
www.acec.org
E-mail acec@acec.org
Ellen
Mullally, Editor
Francis George, Production Manager
___________________
ACEC Means
Business
As part of ACEC/PAC’s mission to become a $1 million per year Political Action Committee, the current trustees are seeking energetic leaders to help meet the PAC’s fundraising goals and objectives. For more information about becoming a PAC trustee, please contact Susan Doyle at 202-347-7474 or e-mail her at sdoyle@acec.org.
ACEC Publications: Information At Your Fingertips!
What kind of publications are your fellow engineers purchasing? Here are ACEC’s bestsellers:
¨
Clientship: Building Client Service Bridges to Profitability, Michael Kennedy and Steve Greenberg¨
Financial Management for Design Firms, Lowell V. Getz¨
Negotiating for Design Professional Services; estimating, negotiating, contracting, ACEC¨
ACEC Human Resources Guidelines, 2000, ACEC¨
ACEC Job Descriptions, 2000, ACECFor additional information on these bestsellers, click here. You can order these and other publications online (www.acec.org/publications), via fax: (202) 789-7220, or by mail: ACEC, Attn: Publications, 1015 15th Street, NW, Suite 802, Washington, DC 20005.
Join your peers Feb. 23-27 in Orlando for The Business of Design
Consulting, ACEC’s premier seminar, which offers engineering firms an
opportunity to learn successful techniques on current best practices. For
more information go to http://www.acec.org/
meetmein/seminars/business.pdf
or Register Now (https://www.acec.org/
secure/forms/ce.htm)
for this exciting
seminar!
The always-popular CEO Retreat—being held April 10-12 in Marco Island,
Fla.—gives participants insight into the present and future of their lives
and their firms. Limited to 35 attendees, there is ample opportunity to
network and to discuss the specific issues that firms are dealing with
today. For more information go to http://www.acec.org/
meetmein/seminars/ceo.pdf
or Register Now! (https://www.acec.org/
secure/forms/ce.htm)
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Key ACEC Reform Legislation Goes to Congress
The FLSA exempts, among others, any person "employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity" from its minimum wage and maximum hour requirements. However, the law is unclear regarding exempt and non-exempt positions within engineering firms, a problem that has severely impacted many ACEC-member companies which have been accused by the Department of Labor of misclassifying their employees. Companies found in violation of the Act face heavy fines. The ACEC bill will make clear what positions in the engineering environment meet the "professional exemption" category, including professional engineers, environmental scientists, landscape architects and survey managers. National Building Museum Features ACEC "Ground Zero" Symposium
ACEC members who spoke at this week’s National Building Museum symposium on "Ground Zero" were called "heroes of Sept. 11" by ACEC President Dave Raymond in his opening remarks, and it is easy to see why. Moderator Charles Thornton is chairman and managing principal of the Thornton Tomasetti Group, the lead firm responsible for overseeing all of the engineering support for the site’s search, rescue and demolition efforts. Thorton and the other speakers—Daniel Cuoco, president and managing principal of LZA Technology; and George Tamaro, senior partner of Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers—worked round-the-clock in hazardous conditions to undertake a number of crucial tasks, including: ¨ making an assessment of the buildings and remnants of buildings in the immediate area, both short- and long-term;¨ helping firefighters and rescue personnel gain access to those trapped or buried in the rubble, an effort that included reinforcement of an existing slurry wall to keep the Hudson River at bay; and¨ helping contractors design procedures for demolition and haul-away.Perhaps the greatest testament to the work of all the engineers at Ground Zero has been the amazing safety record of everyone on-site: there are no known fatalities. Highway Spending ThreatenedThe U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) recently announced that gas tax receipts are expected to fall nearly $5 billion short of original estimates in 2003, threatening to lower highway funding by that same amount. The shortfall, when compared to the 2002 funding levels (which included a $4.5 billion bonus) would amount to a $9 billion reduction in funding for highway programs. TEA-21 mandates that revenue generated by the gas tax flow back into the states to be used for highway projects. Transportation officials said that the "revenue aligned budget authority" (RABA) calculation to be released in the president’s F.Y. 2003 budget is $4.965 billion less than this year. This is the first time that RABA adjustments will yield a negative number. For the past three years it has yielded a "bonus" to the states because tax revenues exceeded projections. ACEC has contacted House and Senate leaders seeking their support of efforts to fully fund transportation projects at levels set in TEA-21. Both Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK) and Ranking Member James Oberstar (D-Minn.) have expressed their support for full funding. They will be looking to ACEC for grassroots support in the days ahead. For more information, contact John Carney (jcarney@acec.org) at (202) 347-7474. Charlie Cook Confirmed For CCD; TISP Signing Ceremony Also Scheduled Have you registered for ACEC’s Federal Markets Conference, Consulting Congress Day (CCD), and Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) Gala March 11-13 in Washington, D.C.? Nationally known political analyst Charlie Cook, author of The Cook Political Report and a frequent guest on all the major network news shows, has been confirmed as the March 12 luncheon speaker for CCD. One of the nation’s leading authorities on the U.S. political scene, Cook will share information on the upcoming elections and provide an analysis of the president’s and Congress’ agendas. In addition, The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) will hold a signing ceremony March 11 in conjunction with the Federal Markets Conference. ACEC is a founding member of TISP, an organization that was created following the events of Sept. 11 to offer technical support and comment on public policy related to the security of the nation’s built environment. TISP has offered its collective expertise to the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) in developing a comprehensive national strategy to protect against future terrorist attacks and multi-hazard events. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, who heads OHS, has been invited to participate in the ceremony to highlight the Bush administration’s commitment to protecting our nation’s built environment. There will be many other exciting speakers and related events announced in the days ahead, so register today! Go to https://www.acec.org/Events/esa.pdf for complete information, or call Susan Doyle (CCD), Roger Doucette (FMC), Daisy Nappier (EEA competition), or Susan Courtney (EEA Gala) at 202-347-7474. How often do you examine the different areas of management to check for unwanted bugs? Would you like an opportunity to discuss business and professional issues with experienced, objective, fellow professionals who are committed to confidentiality? ACEC’s Peer Review Program gives your firm the opportunity to examine itself against its own written and unwritten policies and procedures. In addition, your insurance company may offer a reimbursement or premium credit to offset the minimal cost! As Richard Mettee of Stanley Consultants says, "The peer review exceeded my expectations. I was impressed. I’d recommend it to anyone." For more information call Emily Guerrero at 202-347-7474 or e-mail her at eguerrero@acec.org.
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