ACEC/Nebraska President Kyle Anderson ACEC/Nebraska Hits PAC Goal ACEC/Nebraska has become the latest Member Organization to achieve its 2006 ACEC/PAC fundraising target. The Cornhusker State joins North Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, Arizona, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alaska in meeting their 2006 fundraising goals. In addition, Member Organizations in Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Washington, and Wyoming are rapidly closing in on their ACEC/PAC fundraising goals for the year. ACEC/PAC Champion of Nebraska Roger Helgoth "Meeting the ACEC/PAC goal is not difficult when you have many members that understand the importance and are willing to kick in," said ACEC/PAC Champion of Nebraska Roger Helgoth of Kirkham Michael. "We all benefit from the PAC, and we all should have a stake in making it stronger." Added ACEC/Nebraska President Kyle Anderson of Felsburg Holt & Ullevig: "It's a small investment to make, but giving to ACEC/PAC makes a huge difference in helping us to protect our business interests before the United States Congress." 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.

Pentagon Reconstruction Chief To Speak At CASE Convocation In San Francisco Allyn Kilsheimer, the first structural engineer on the scene after the September 11th plane crash into the Pentagon, and the chief engineer of the rebuilding project, will be a featured speaker at the upcoming CASE RMP Convocation, October 19-20 in San Francisco. Kilsheimer will discuss the challenges he faced in leading the Pentagon reconstruction effort. Registration information for the day-and-a-half program is available by clicking here.

Corps Official Outlines 2007 Budget Priorities For ACEC Members Peter Luisa of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, detailed the agency's 2007 budget at ACEC headquarters. Peter Luisa, chief of Civil Works Program Development at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, detailed the agency's budget priorities for the $4.7 billion dollar Civil Works Program in 2007 at the Market Forecast Series event held this week. He noted a number of national projects that will receive budget priority, including: Oakland Harbor; Columbia River Fish Mitigation; Missouri River Fish & Wildlife mitigation; Upper Mississippi River Side Channel Restoration; Olmsted Lock & Dam; Sims Bayou; Comprehensive Everglades Restoration; and New York-New Jersey Harbor. Luisa also discussed a new five-year projection of the civil works budget. The five-year plan will be a collaborative effort between the Army Corps of Engineers, Office of Management and Budget and Congress, and will help the Corps focus on projects and activities that provide the highest net economic/environmental returns on the Nation's investment. "The new way of looking to the future will lead to a much better defined and defended Civil Works Program," Luisa said. The final outcome of the civil works budget is still unclear. The U.S. House of Representative has passed the Fiscal Year 2007 Energy-Water Development Appropriations bill, but the Senate is not expected to take the bill to the floor until after the November elections.

Design And Construction Law Immersion Course Debuts November 9-10, Washington, D.C. ACEC is pleased to introduce an important new course—50 Legal Concepts That Every Engineer Should Know. This course will explore the most critical legal issues, developments and relationships in the A/E arena, and will cover a wealth of information that A/E professionals must know to best capitalize on business opportunities, while also optimizing risk management. The instructor, Michael Loulakis, has been counseling clients in the construction industry for nearly 30 years. Click here for additional information and to register. Focus On The Future Leadership Forum Set December 6-8, Miami, FL ACEC presents Adaptive Leadership for A/E/C Professionals—a unique forum that helps CEOs, principals, senior managers, company officers and rising stars take on everyday challenges and anticipate future change for competitive advantage. Co-sponsors of this event will be AIA and Turner University. Facilitators of this forum will be: Paul S. Chinowsky, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado James I. Mitnick, Senior Vice President, Turner Construction Company James P. Cramer, Chairman, The Greenway Group Jack Tanis, Director, Applied Research and A & D Alliances, Steelcase Inc. Click here for additional information and to register.

Upcoming Webinars: September 26: Trends in Business Ethics that Affect Engineers, David Gebler, Working Values Click here for additional information and to register. September 27: Creating Public Relations Pizzazz: How to Have More Power and Influence, Joanne G. Linowes, Linowes Executive Development International Click here for additional 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.

Click here to review past editions of the Last Word.

Click here to subscribe to the Last Word.