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CASE Convocation in October To Address BIM, Condos and Profits San Francisco, October 19-20 How does a firm take on more work yet still maintain control, or manage a risky but potentially very lucrative project? The answers to these and many more management issues will be discussed at the 3rd annual CASE Convocation, October 19-20 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. This day-and-a half program will address important structural engineering issues such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), where attendees will learn about BIM advantages and shortcomings. The overriding theme of the conference is how to minimize risk and maximize profit. The cost is $295 before October 5, $349 after. Participants may earn up to 10 professional development hours. Click here for program information and to register. New At The Job Board: "Featured Employer" Banner Ads Employers may now purchase "Featured Employer" banner ads at the ACEC Job Board, enabling their firms to distinguish themselves from others. Banner ads are available in two levels—basic and premium—both link to the employer's posted ads and they provide the employer with access to posted resumes, whether or not the employer currently has a job opening posted on the Job Board. Premium banner ads also link to the firm's online profile. Member rates are $200 for Basic and $400 for Premium banner ads. Click here to learn more about "Featured Employer" banner ads. Over 400 Jobs Posted on ACEC Job Board Summary of Most Recently Posted Resumes: Civil Engineers—1,646 Structural Engineers—712 Geotechnical Engineers—337 Urban & Community Planning—162 M/E Engineers—153 Last Five "Help Wanted" Open Positions: Structural Engineer— Colorado Springs, CO Sr. FHWA Project Manager— Arlington, VA Lecturer in Environmental Engineering— Christchurch, NZ Structural Drafter— Federal Way, WA Sr. Civil Engineer— St. Louis, MO View These and Other Resumes by Posting a Job on ACEC's Job Board www.acec.org/jobbank ACEC Partners With AIA To Promote OPR ACEC has formed a new partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to promote Organizational Peer Review (OPR), ACEC's premier business management tool for member and non-member firms. The partnership will allow OPR to reach more members of the design industry than ever before. OPR provides a specialized and affordable evaluation of design firms' management practices and highlights areas for new growth and success. "This collaboration between AIA and ACEC will serve A/E firms nationwide with specialized peer review advice and counsel," said Jeff Beard, vice president, Institute for Business Management. To learn what an Organizational Peer Review can accomplish for your firm, Click here or contact Sarah Kaska at skaska@acec.org or 202-682-4320. Marketing Titles At ACEC Bookstore Marketing Handbook for the Design & Construction Professional SMPS           $62.95 Containing 47 articles by more than 60 contribu- tors, Marketing Handbook for the Design & Construction Professional covers every aspect of marketing in the design and construction industry—from initial market research, to getting leads, to making presentations, to website development. Click here to order. You may also enjoy: Marketing in the 21st Century for Design Professionals David A. Stone Members $69/ Non-Members $89 Click here for more information and to order. Click here to see the full catalog of marketing publications available through the ACEC Bookstore. Register Now For Business of Design Consulting October 25-28, Las Vegas ACEC's Institute for Business Management presents the Business of Design Consulting in Las Vegas, featuring collective state-of-the-art expertise from leading practitioners who specialize in the A/E/C environment. This intensive four-day program offers engineering firm professionals in-depth training in eight essential management areas, taught through focused discussion, application exercise, and interactive workshops. Early bird pricing is in effect through Oct. 6, then full price is in effect. Early bird discount: Members $1,395/Non-members $1,595 On or after October 6: Members $1,595/Non-members $1,795 Click here to register. What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You— Design, 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 capitalize on business opportunities and conduct effective risk management. The instructor, Michael Loulakis, Esq. has been counseling clients in the construction industry for nearly 30 years. Click here for additional information and to register. Upcoming Online Seminars October 3 Creative Strategies for Controlling Health Insurance Costs, Henry J. Kruse, Envision Healthcare Click here for more information and to register October 4 The U.S. Engineer Drought and What It Means for Our Firms, Robert vanArsdall, XL Design Professional Click here for more information and to register.

"Impressive" Fall Conference In Charleston Leaves Members Primed For Business ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett (left) and President Dave Raymond presented former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta (right) with the 2006 ACEC Distinguished Award of Merit. More than 800 participants in last week's ACEC Fall Conference in Charleston enjoyed a charming Southern setting and world-class speakers as they explored new market opportunities and business issues. 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), the Conference for the first time brought together both owners and practitioners. Bob Miller of Miller Legg & Associates in Pembroke Pines, Fla. and wife Bonnie, check out the Spirit of Charleston's craftsmanship before embarking on a dinner cruise to Fort Sumter. "The Conference was outstanding," said Patricia Bonilla, construction manager for the City of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "I attended specifically for the education sessions, especially the ones dealing with project delivery and I was very impressed." Robert Davis, of Sunrise Engineering, Inc., in Draper, Utah said: "The education tracks were very interesting and the speakers were great. Leslie Robertson—WOW—what an unexpected surprise!" Former Congressman John Kasich enlightened Conference attendees on how the current political and business climate threatens American values. Glen Bishop, of LBYD, Inc., Birmingham, Ala., praised Conference organizers, the city and the education opportunities. "The South Carolina group really did a great job putting all this together," Bishop said. "Charleston is a great walking city and I appreciate all the activities they had for spouses." Fall Conference highlights: The Board of Directors approved a new policy statement on QBS and provided guidance on ACEC's new three-year budget. More than 30 business management sessions included owner-led presentations on Public-Private Partnerships and Green Building Initiatives. Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta received ACEC's Distinguished Award of Merit. Leslie Robertson gave a fascinating presentation on the challenges faced when designing some of the world's tallest structures. World-renown structural engineer Leslie Robertson and FOX TV host and former Congressman John Kasich, delivered tour de force speeches. Sixteen new members were inducted into the ACEC College of Fellows. Special Conference guests included: AASHTO President Harold Linnekohl; NAFSA President-elect Bruce Whittington; NACWA President Richard Champion and Executive Director Ken Kirk; and ASHRAE Vice President Tom Phoenix. The ACEC/South Carolina host committee, chaired by Peter Strub of TranSystems, Inc., sponsored a popular "Low Country" dinner and other activities that helped make the Conference a big hit among members. Conference participants get an up-close view of an engineering marvel—the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. ACEC/PAC Scores Big In Charleston The winning ACEC/PAC Golf Tournament team is (from the left): Bob Macomber, Blake Murillo, Eric Flicker and Jay Shutt. ACEC members participated in record numbers at the ACEC/PAC fundraising events in Charleston, raising $100,000 to support the Council's political program for the crucial countdown to Election Day. Woody Germany of the WGM Group in Missoula, Montana won the Grand Prize Super Bowl package at the ACEC/PAC Sweepstakes drawing on the last day of the Conference. "I'm happy to win such a great prize," said Germany, "but happier still that ACEC members gave the PAC such strong support. Everyone wins when we are successful in raising the financial resources we need to elect more good people to Congress." Second Prize in the Sweepstakes drawing—a 42-inch Panasonic Plasma screen TV—went to Frank Nicoladis of N-Y Associates in Metairie, Louisiana, while Andrew McCune of the Wade-Trim Group in Michigan and Alain Gallet of Gallet & Associates in Alabama were the winners of the Third and Fourth place prizes ($1000 and $500 Visa Gift Cards respectively). The ACEC/PAC Golf Tournament at the fabled but challenging Wild Dunes Country Club course gave members a great day of golf. Prizes were awarded to the winning foursome—Eric Flicker of Pennoni Associates, Inc. in Pennsylvania, Jay Shutt of the Floyd Browne Group in Ohio, Blake Murillo of Psomas in California, and Bob Macomber of Atwell-Hicks in Florida. The Fall Conference also featured a sold-out dinner cruise to Fort Sumter, as well as a Silent Auction that featured vacation getaways, and a host of other great items. “The PAC activities in Charleston were enormous fun, and the fact that we were also contributing to making our policy issues known and acted upon made it even more satisfying,” said Chris Poland of Degenkolb Engineers in San Francisco. ACEC/PAC 2006 Fall Conference Sponsors Silver Sponsor ($2,000) Pennoni Associates, Inc. Degenkolb Engineers Bronze Sponsor ($1,000)      Gallet & Associates, Inc. Strand Associates, Inc. ECS, Inc. Golf Hole Sponsor ($250) Coe & Van Loo Consultants, Inc. Hawaii Pacific Engineers ACEC/Minnesota Palmer Engineering Company Cedric D.O. Chong and Associates, Inc. ACEC Honors Rep. Brown In Charleston Congressman Henry Brown greets attendees at a reception in his honor at the Fall Conference. ACEC/PAC hosted a reception in Charleston to support the re-election of Congressman Henry Brown (R-SC). Brown is wrapping up his third term in the House of Representatives and is becoming a reliable supporter of the engineering industry on key business issues. He currently serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and was recently appointed by House Speaker Dennis Hastert to serve on the conference committee to hammer out the final version of the Water Resources Development Act or WRDA. "Helping to elect people like Henry Brown is why we have a national PAC," said ACEC of South Carolina Executive Director Joe Jones. "Henry has been a great friend to the industry, and the more people like him that we can help to get elected, the more success we'll have in moving our agenda forward in Congress." Distinquished Award Of Merit Winner Mineta: "I Wanted To Be An Engineer" Former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta addresses Conference attendees after receiving ACEC’s Distinguished Award of Merit. When receiving the Distinguished Award of Merit at the Fall Conference in Charleston, former transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta shared with members a little-known secret. "I always had a close relationship with ACEC because the truth of the matter is that I'm a wannabe—I wanted to be an engineer," he said to loud applause. "I started out as a mechanical engineer, and everything was going fine until I ran into calculus. But I always harbored the dream of being an engineer." Mineta received ACEC's highest individual honor for a lifetime of contributions to the nation's environment and transportation infrastructure, and his long-standing support of the engineering industry. The nation's longest serving transportation secretary, Mineta oversaw the creation of the Transportation Security Administration to help prevent terrorist attacks and protect the U.S. transportation network. He also was pivotal in the passage of SAFETEA-LU legislation. Mineta credited ACEC in working closely with him over several years to pass new transportation legislation. Dale Jacobs, left, chairman of the Council of American Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (CAMEE) and Tom Phoenix, right, vice president of The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) sign a memorandum of understanding during a ceremony at the Fall Conference. The agreement formalizes a working relationship between ASHRAE, which is interested in technical aspects of the building environment, and CAMEE, a coalition of ACEC, which is focused on the business aspects of mechanical and electrical engineering. The historic Riviera Theater in downtown Charleston displays a welcome for Fall Conference attendees. A packed gathering at the Boone Plantation enjoys Southern cuisine during Local Color Night.

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