All Work And No Play? Not If You're Coming To Charleston! Charleston's Historic District The upcoming ACEC Fall Conference: The National Conference on the Built Environment, September 18-21, in Charleston, S.C., will bring together owners and practitioners to explore best practices and key industry challenges. Outside the Conference halls, attendees can experience one of the nation's most historic and picturesque cities. Charleston is ranked the fourth Best American City in Travel + Leisure magazine's 2006 readers' survey. And Charleston Place, the Conference site, was named Best Resort by readers of Southern Living magazine. The city is replete with southern charm, including historic homes and breathtaking streets dotted with great oaks covered with Spanish moss. Fort Sumter at Charleston Harbor Conference visitors can choose to take a carriage ride through the magnificent historic quarter, tour several former plantations, stroll the downtown area, or enjoy a leisurely dinner cruise that includes the famous Fort Sumter, the island fort where the Civil War began. Magnolia Plantation Guests also can take part in an ACEC/PAC-sponsored golf tournament at Wild Dunes, ranked "Best in the State" by Golf Digest, or attend a special educational tour of the visually-stunning Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge, the largest cable-stayed bridge in North America. The Conference is co-sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO); the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA); and the National Association of State Facilities Administrators (NASFA). For more information and to register for this thrilling event, click here. The early bird registration discount ends on August 25.

ACEC's 2006-2007 Industry Trends Survey Now Available The 2006-2007 ACEC Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey—a comprehensive statistical analysis of current engineering firm operations, including projections on the future marketplace, has just been released. The nationwide survey of engineering firms features critical demographic, financial and strategic industry data, all categorized by firm size, region, market sector, and discipline. Important summaries of vital economic, social and political drivers for various industry markets are included as well. Survey results present a wide range of business trends and industry forecasts, providing a vital basis for sound management decisions. A review of findings in the Industry Trends Survey will be presented in an online seminar, 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 23, featuring Paul Haglund, 2005-2006 ACEC Management Practices Committee chairman, and Jill Holcomb, ACEC education and technical support manager. Click here for more information and to register for this seminar. Purchase the 2006-2007 Design & Construction Industry Trends Survey through August 31 and receive a 30 percent discount. Click here to order. Visit the ACEC Online Bookstore at http://store.acec.org.

ACEC/PAC Fundraising Reaching New Heights Donations to ACEC/PAC in the first six months of 2006 reached nearly $232,000—an unprecedented pace that puts the fundraising on track to an all-time record of $400,000 for the year. As of June 30, six Member Organizations had already achieved their full-year ACEC/PAC targets: Alaska, Arizona, Kentucky, Montana, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Several other states including: Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio and Wyoming are close to reaching 2006 goals. With critical mid-term elections on the horizon, and with the makeup of Congress clearly at stake, support for ACEC/PAC is more important today than ever, says ACEC/PAC Chairman Craig Avery. "ACEC members are definitely stepping up," Avery says. "Helping to elect House and Senate members that support policies to create a strong business environment for our industry is vital. ACEC/PAC is our vehicle for accomplishing this goal." See the September/October issue of Engineering Inc., for a complete mid-year 2006 report of those who have contributed to ACEC/PAC.

ACEC And Colorado State University Partner On Continuing Education Courses To better serve the educational needs of engineering company employees, ACEC has partnered with Colorado State University (Fort Collins and Denver) to offer engineering-related continuing education courses. Fall courses include: October 19 & 20: Engineering for Safety and Security: Preparing the Built Environment for Natural and Human-Caused Threats November 9: Contracts and Project Risk Management-New Proactive Approaches November 10: Introduction to Project Scheduling: Software Applications All courses will be held at Colorado State University's Denver Center. Registration Fees: Early Bird: $495/single day, $895/companion two-day Regular: $595/single day, $995/companion two-day To register, please visit www.learn.colostate.edu/denver.

August Online Seminars August 23: Top 10 Business Trends from ACEC's 2006 Industry Survey Paul Haglund, Greeley and Hanson; Jill Holcomb, ACEC Learn about business performance, markets and practice areas of ACEC member firms. Click here for more information and to register. August 30: Design and Delivery: Using Technology for Better Teamwork Jonathan Knowles, Autodesk, Inc. Discover how to leverage technology to better manage information and workflows across the lifecycle of projects. Click here for more information and to register.

Copyright © 2006 by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photographic, or other means without the prior written permission of ACEC.

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