Vol. XXVIII, Number 6
February 8, 2007

1015 15th Street, NW
8th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-2605
202-347-7474
Fax 202-898-0068
www.acec.org

E-mail acec@acec.org
Alan D. Crockett, Director, PR
Ann Brandstadter,
Editor/Designer

ACEC Means
Business

OPR Wants You To Be A Peer Reviewer

ACEC's Organizational Peer Review is one of the most popular and valuable management improvement programs available to members.

Skilled reviewers are needed to meet growing demand.

To be eligible, at least 25 years experience in the engineering/construction industry and five years in corporate management are required.

A training session for new reviewers is scheduled for May 6, in conjunction with the annual ACEC Convention in Washington, D.C.

Click here for information on becoming an OPR reviewer.

Over 600 Searchable Jobs Posted

Over 3,400 Searchable Resumes Posted

Over 1,000 Registered Employers

Last Five "Help Wanted" Open Positions:

Senior Bridge Engineer
Miami, FL
Quality Assurance Manager
Madison, WI
Civil Engineer
San Francisco, CA
Structural Engineer
St. Louis, MO
Senior Project Engineer
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Summary of Most Recently Posted Resumes:

Project Managers—342
Structural Engineers—686
Transportation Engineers—468
Civil Engineers—1,722
Environmental Engineers—421

View These and Other Resumes and Jobs on ACEC's Job Board
www.acec.org/jobbank

ACEC Bookstore Offers Titles To Gain "The Etiquette Edge"

The Art of the Business Lunch:
Building Relationships Between 12 and 2

Click here to order.

The Etiquette Edge:
The Unspoken Rules for Business Success

Click here to order.

Off the Cuff:
What to Say at a Moment's Notice

Click here to order.

Click here to visit the ACEC Bookstore now and see all available publications.

 
ACEC Seeks Quick House Approval On Water Bill; Call For Action Issued To Members

ACEC is urging the House of Representatives to quickly pass H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007, which was approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week, and is now expected to be debated on the House floor as soon as next week.

The bill authorizes $20 billion over five years for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program, including a $1 billion increase over the F.Y. 2007 level. It also includes a provision to require the use of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) for projects funded under the bill.

ACEC members are urged to fax their House members immediately to encourage passage of H.R. 720. Click here for a draft letter supporting the legislation. Click here for House member fax information.

The bill also includes language that will require the General Accountability Office (GAO) to report back to Congress by January 1, 2008 on "funding mechanisms and funding sources available to establish a Clean Water Trust Fund." The language helps set the stage for future congressional action on establishing a long-term source of water infrastructure funding.

Reports by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the GAO, and the Water Infrastructure Network all show a water infrastructure funding gap of between $300 billion and $500 billion over the next 20 years.

"ACEC has long advocated an enhanced federal commitment to water infrastructure, and it's encouraging that Congress is paying attention and moving quickly on a good piece of legislation," said ACEC Chairman Jeff Daggett. "We need our grassroots citizen lobbyists to contact their respective House members as soon as possible to show their support on this very important issue."

First ACEC Leader Bill Holway Dies


Bill Holway, first ACEC President
William Nye (Bill) Holway, the first president of ACEC, has died. He was 86.

In 1973, Holway presided over the merger of the Consulting Engineers Council of the United States (CEC/US), founded in 1956, and the American Institute of Consulting Engineers, founded in 1909. He became the first president of the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC). The name was changed in 2001 to the American Council of Engineering Companies.

A founding partner in W.R. Holway and Associates Consulting Engineers, Holway, along with his late father W.R. Holway, is credited for developing much of Oklahoma's current water and hydroelectric infrastructure.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Polly, two daughters, a son, 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held February 3 at which former ACEC Chairman and Oklahoma native Paul Sprehe represented the Council.

Engineer Shortage, Leadership Continuity Among Convention Education Highlights


Vivek Wadhwa of Duke University will take part in Town Hall discussion on the engineer shortage.
Presentations on important business management issues such as the engineer shortage, successful leadership succession, and the emergence of Building Information Modeling (BIM) highlight an exciting lineup of education programs available at the upcoming ACEC Annual Convention and Legislative Summit, May 6-9 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington.

Rod Hoffman, chairman of ACEC's Institute For Business Management Committee, will moderate a frank discussion on the impact of the engineer shortage during the Town Hall Session on Wednesday May 9. The program features Vivek Wadhwa, of the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering, as guest speaker.

An in-depth analysis on the growing use of BIM will be led by James Parker, of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and Doug Ashcraft, of Walter P. Moore, Inc. on Tuesday, May 8.

In addiiton, Raymond Kogan, president of Kogan & Company, a noted Virginia-based management consulting firm specializing in the design and construction industry, will offer insights on successful leadership succession on Monday, May 7.

Other Convention highlights include a "State Dinner" presented by former White House Chef Walter Scheib, on Sunday May 6, the 41st Engineering Excellence Awards Gala on Tuesday, May 8, as well as an exceptional lineup of social activities including a majestic dinner cruise on the Potomac and a "Best of Washington Tour."

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 and receive an even greater registration discount!

Make your hotel reservations early by contacting the Grand Hyatt Hotel at 202-582-1234. Reference ACEC and receive the discounted room rate of $245 plus tax.

ACEC's discounted room 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.

Be An Early Bird For March 7-10 Business Of Design Consulting Course In Portland, Ore.

Engineering company senior executives, business administrators, managers, principals and project managers at all levels planning to attend the Business of Design Consulting (BDC) course March 7-10 in Portland, Ore., may register at the extended early-bird price through Friday, Feb. 9.

Click here to view the curriculum, agenda and faculty, and to register.

Feb. Online Seminars Address Taxes, Ethics, HR Basics, Condos, And Buyer Psychology

ACEC's online seminars are 1-1/2-hour focused interactive presentations by experts who address topics of importance to engineering firms. This month's sessions and links for information and registration include:

Feb. 13
A/E Tax Deductions Update: How Your Firm Can Benefit
Susan Bennett, Ernst & Young

Click here to register.

Feb. 14
Trends in Business Ethics That Affect Engineers
David Gebler, Working Values

Click here to register.

Feb. 20
Your HR Toolkit for Success
Barbara H. Irwin, HR Advisors Group LLC

Click here to register.

Feb. 21
Best Practices for Condominium Projects
Tim Corbett, A/E SmartRisk

Click here to register.

Feb. 27
Winning Conversations: The Psychology of Why People Buy Engineering Services
Bill Scheessele and Kathy Scheessele, Mastering Business Development, Inc. (MBDi)

Click here to register.


Copyright © 2007 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.