Anticipated Record Attendance Reflects "Exceptional" Appeal of Fall Conference Broad Street Engineering industry practitioners are registering for the upcoming Fall Conference in record numbers—now over 700. Members say they are coming to the National Conference on the Built Environment, September 18-21 in Charleston, S.C. because of the "exceptional" caliber of the program." The event for the first time brings together both owners and practitioners to address markets and issues in transportation, water, buildings, industrial process, business management, and project delivery. Sally Kohn, president of Leading Edge Land Services in Orlando, Fla., said that the new Conference approach was the main reason she is attending. "This new approach should be really helpful to my business," Kohn said. "The new sessions being offered look exceptional and I’m excited about the prospects." Magnolia Plantation Reginald Benton, of Benton Associates in Jacksonville, Illinois, pointed to the education sessions along with the historic setting, as reasons why he's attending the Conference. "As ACEC/Illinois president-elect and a member of the Transportation Committee, I’ll be really interested in the CEO roundtables," Benton said. "I'm also a big fan of Charleston. It's a great location and offers a nice place for my wife and I to socialize with our friends." Former ACEC/Chairman Ed Mulcahy said he was looking forward to the guest speakers. "We always attract the most notable and interesting speakers for our events, and once again we've succeeded," he said. "I think Secretary (Norman) Mineta, is going to be a hit, along with the legendary structural engineer Leslie Robertson, and TV host John Kasich." 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). There's still time to register for this for this exciting event, click here.

ACEC Hosts Senators Talent, McConnell At St. Louis Event Attending the fundraiser for Missouri Senator Jim Talent (far right) were from the left, ACEC Vice Chairman David Oates; ACEC Past Chairman Ed Mulcahy; ACEC/Missouri Executive Director Bruce Wylie and Assistant Majority Senate Leader Mitch McConnell. ACEC hosted a major fundraiser in St. Louis this week to support the re-election bid of Senator Jim Talent (R-MO). The event also featured Assistant Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). "Jim Talent is one of the rising stars in the United States Senate, and a strong supporter of our industry," said ACEC/Missouri President Scott Smith of HNTB Corporation. "His strong advocacy on behalf of infrastructure investment is particularly appreciated by our members. We're proud to support him." Talent served for many years in the state legislature and in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 2000. He currently serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as Senate committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and the Special Committee on Aging. In addition to maintaining a strong, pro-business voting record reliably supporting tax code, regulatory, and legal reforms, Talent also has emerged as a leading advocate for greater investment in transportation infrastructure. He authored a $15 billion bonding provision that was included in SAFETEA-LU to create more private sector resources to address critical transportation needs. Senator McConnell thanked ACEC members for turning out in strong numbers on behalf of Talent. McConnell is the number two Republican in the Senate, and is expected to take over as the new Senate Majority Leader next year when Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee retires. "Political engagement like this is vital to the future of our industry—every engineering firm owner and principal should participate at this level," said Evan Mossbarger of Fuller, Mossbarger, Scott and May Engineers in Lexington, Kentucky. "The more we stand up for good people like Jim Talent and Mitch McConnell, the more we ensure that we have a Congress that understands the needs of our industry."

North Dakota Latest To Hit ACEC/PAC Target Wayne Peterson, Executive Director of ACEC/ND ACEC/North Dakota has become the latest Member Organization to achieve its 2006 ACEC/PAC fundraising target. The Peace Garden State joins Montana, Wisconsin, Arizona, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alaska in meeting their 2006 fundraising goals. Member Organizations in Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming are rapidly closing in on their ACEC/PAC fundraising goals for the year. "North Dakotans are proud to continue to meet our political fundraising goal and be part of making a positive impact for our industry," said Executive Director and ACEC/PAC Champion Wayne Peterson of ACEC/North Dakota. "Building ACEC/PAC is a major way in which all of us in the industry can help to shape our business environment for the better." ACEC/PAC trustees representing each Member Organization have set an overall fundraising goal of $600,000 for 2006. Each state has been assigned a specific fundraising target based on membership strength. Click here to see the progress of each state in achieving its ACEC/PAC goal for 2006 and the name of the PAC Champion leading the state fundraising effort. For more information about ACEC/PAC, contact Corie Simmons at 202-682-4314 or csimmons@acec.org.

Focused Exercises, Interactive Workshops Highlight Business of Design Consulting Business of Design Consulting October 25-28, Las Vegas ACEC's popular Business of Design Consulting program brings together leading practitioners in key management areas in the A/E/C environment—to provide new insights into finance, marketing, human resources, legal/risk management, information technology, leadership, and business management. Early bird pricing is in effect, so register now. Click here for more information and to register. Go "Back To School" This Fall With ACEC's Webinars Get a jump on your continuing education requirements with this convenient format. For less than $200, receive valuable education right at your desktop. At the session start time, just log onto a website to receive a PowerPoint presentation delivered in real-time over the Internet. Then call the toll-free number for the audio portion of the presentation. Participants can even ask questions via the web—it's that easy. Online seminars are held from 1:30pm to 3:00pm ET. Cost: Members $199/non-members $249 Click here for a complete listing of Webinars and to register. August 30: Design and Delivery: Using Technology for Better Teamwork Jonathan Knowles, Autodesk, Inc. Discover how to leverage technology to manage information and workflows better across the lifecycle of projects. Click here for more information and to register. September 6: A Systematic Approach to Hiring Greg Churchman, Churchman Consulting Solutions Be introduced to a data-based, systematic approach to hiring the right people, the first time. Click here for more information and to register.

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