EEA Entries Reach All-Time High; Emmy Award Winner Ross Shafer Returns As Gala Host An all-time record number of projects have been entered in the 2007 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) competition, known industry-wide as the "Academy Awards" of engineering. This year's total of 180 surpasses the previous high of 175 entries in 2005. EEA Gala Host Ross Shafer Winners will be announced at the EEA Gala, the annual black-tie extravaganza to be held Tuesday, May 8, during the upcoming ACEC Annual Convention and Legislative Summit at The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. The entrants will vie for 24 top honors, including ACEC's prestigious "Grand Conceptor Award" for best overall engineering achievement. Emmy Award-winning TV host and comedian Ross Shafer will once again host this year's Gala event. Other Convention highlights include exceptional featured speakers such as Chris Matthews, host of the nightly talk show Hardball with Chris Matthews, and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and TV political analyst George Will. The Convention also offers a special "State Dinner" orchestrated by former White House Chef Walter Scheib, as well as timely education sessions on business management. Easy Convention registration is available by clicking here. Register online and receive an additional five percent off the published price*. Bring two people from your firm to and receive an even greater registration discount! Make your hotel reservations early by contacting the Grand Hyatt Hotel directly at 202-582-1234. Reference ACEC and receive the discounted room rate of $245 plus tax. ACEC's room discounted rates are available through April 17 or until the rooms in the block are gone, whichever occurs first. Further information is available by contacting meetings@acec.org or by calling 202- 347-7474. *Does not apply to 2nd member price and cannot be combined with any other discounts.

CELSOC Legislative Day A Huge Success CELSOC Executive Director Paul Meyer, left, and ACEC President Dave Raymond meet during CELSOC's Legislative Day. CELSOC completed a highly successful Legislative Day program on Monday in Sacramento, which featured members visiting 114 of 120 state legislators to advance important issues concerning California's engineering community. Coordinated by CELSOC Legislative Advocate Kathleen O'Malley, the Legislative Day program saw CELSOC members converge on the statehouse to advocate: improvement of California's dilapidated levee system, increase of the state's water storage capacity, and use of design-build in infrastructure projects. The day included a reception for 34 state legislators and several key members of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's staff. John Zumwalt, of Zumwalt-Hansen & Associates, was named "Grassroots Advocate of the Year." The successful day-long program was topped off that evening by CELSOC's annual Engineering Excellence Awards banquet attended by CELSOC President Richard Pool and 200 members and guests including ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett and ACEC President Dave Raymond. “CELSOC's Annual Legislative Visit Day was a huge success," said CELSOC Executive Director Paul Meyer. "Not only did our members travel from all over California to discuss important initiatives, their enthusiasm and knowledge of the issues was just terrific."

ACEC/PAC Salutes Key Democratic Leader ACEC/PAC Champions, Chairman's Club members, and members of ACEC's large firm Design Professionals Coalition (DPC) gathered in Washington this week for an event honoring a key member of the new congressional majority Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR). Congressman Peter DeFazio, left, talks with ACEC Chairman-elect Orrin “Mac” MacMurry during the ACEC/PAC reception. DeFazio is the new chairman of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee, and is playing a lead role in the current battle in Congress to fully fund highway and transit programs in 2007 (see related lead story above). He briefed ACEC members on the current funding debate, and offered long-term perspectives that his subcommittee will consider as Congress begins the process of reauthorizing SAFETEA LU in the next two years. "Peter DeFazio is a good example of the new Congressional leaders that support our industry's key priorities," said Orrin "Mac" MacMurray, chairman and CEO of C&S Companies, and ACEC Chairman-elect.

Political Workshop, Strategic Planning Featured At Two-Day Meeting Election law expert Jan Baran, briefed attendees on issues of compliance and PAC management. ACEC/PAC, in conjunction with the Design Professionals Coalition, also sponsored as special strategic planning session on the Council’s 2007 political program, which included a workshop on fundraising and political engagement. The interactive workshop featured presentations from experts on fundraising, election law compliance, PAC management, and related issues. Geoff Ziebart, executive director of the National Association of Business Political Action Committees (NABPAC), gave an overview of the role of PACs in the political process, while noted election law expert Jan Baran of the law firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding briefed participants on relevant legal issues regarding PAC management. Baran has argued election cases before the Supreme Court, and is the author of The Election Law Primer for Corporations published by the American Bar Association. Longtime political fundraising veteran Jody Thomas of Sagac Public Affairs gave participants an overview of key fundraising issues and techniques for success, and Matt Keelen of Valis & Keelen offered insights on organizing and managing successful fundraising events for candidates. "Part of our challenge as firm owners and principals is the need to become more effective players in the political process," said Terry Neimeyer of KCI Technologies in Maryland. "The workshop did a great job of addressing this need—this is essential information that every firm executive should have."

Plan Now To Attend: New Course Examines Design-Build from Strategic Perspective Leveraging the Design-Build Trend: How Engineering Firms Can Profit from Integrated Delivery March 29-30, Washington, D.C. Designed to maximize the bottom line potential of design-build project delivery systems, this course takes a strategic look at a variety of integrated delivery topics including: The most profitable phases of design-build delivery Keys to writing design-build performance requirements Why owners are using design-build on specific projects How engineering firms have adapted their practices to design-build Designed for engineers by engineers, this event is a must for project leaders of companies interested in increasing profitability and expanding design-build work, as well as for newcomers seeking to build business. Click here to browse the event brochure and to register. Early February Online Seminars Examine Retirement Planning, Taxes, Ethics February 7 Secure Retirement: Redefining the Retirement Planning Paradigm David Waters and Tom Porcello, Prudential Retirement Services, and Nancy Barrette, Wachovia Securities Learn how to design a retirement program that puts your employees on the right track to achieving a secure retirement. This session will address plan design that encourages employees to participate, select the proper investments and build the assets necessary for a secure retirement. Click here for details and to register. February 13 A/E Tax Deductions Update: How Your Firm Can Benefit Susan Bennett, Ernst & Young A noted tax expert from Ernst & Young will outline how to obtain the maximum benefit from the ACEC-produced nine percent A/E tax deduction under the 2004 American Job Creations Act. Click here for details and to register. February 14 Trends in Business Ethics that Affect Engineers Dave Gebler, SmartPros Why do good people sometimes do the wrong thing ethically? How does "groupthink" affect the engineering firm? This seminar will provide insights and answers and suggest steps to establish the right ethics culture within your firm. Click here for details and to register.

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