ACEC To Host Transportation Leader Oberstar At Annual Convention in Washington Congressman Jim Oberstar will be honored at a special reception during Annual Convention. The leading voice in Congress on infrastructure issues will join ACEC members at a special reception during the Annual Convention in Washington, D.C. Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and a long-time supporter of the engineering industry, will be honored by ACEC on Tuesday, May 8th, prior to the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala. The Minnesota lawmaker was first elected to his House seat in 1975, and is now in his 16th term. Oberstar has played a pivotal role in the passage of many of the major infrastructure initiatives that have become law in recent years, including TEA-21, SAFETEA LU, AIR-21, and Vision-100. With ACEC's support, Oberstar led a successful fight early this year to protect funding levels authorized under SAFETEA-LU. He also secured House passage of a major water infrastructure bill (H.R. 720) that authorizes $14 billion for wastewater projects over four years and mandates the use of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) for those projects. Oberstar is currently shepherding the $14 billion Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) through the House. The bill authorizes funding for hundreds of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. His committee is also beginning to draft a major airport projects bill, to be considered later in the spring. ACEC members are encouraged to attend the event to honor Chairman Oberstar. For more information, please contact ACEC/PAC Director Corie Simmons at csimmons@acec.org.

ACEC/Montana Hits 2007 ACEC/PAC Goal ACEC/PAC Champion of Montana, Vaughn Anderson ACEC/Montana achieved its ACEC/PAC fundraising goal this week, crossing the finish line for the third year in a row. The Big Sky State joins ACEC/Wisconsin in meeting their 2007 ACEC/PAC goals early, while a number of other states are moving quickly to hit their goals for the year. Montana ACEC/PAC Champion and National Director Vaughn Anderson of DJ & A in Missoula led the fundraising effort, with assistance from ACEC Vice Chairman Woody Germany of the WGM Group in Montana and Executive Director Jay Skoog. The ACEC/PAC Trustees committee has set a nationwide target of raising $700,000 this year. Each state is allocated an individual target based on membership strength. ACEC's Strategic Plan has established a $1 million goal for ACEC/PAC by 2010. "We've always tried to get out early and support ACEC/PAC," said Anderson, "for the simple reason that political engagement is absolutely essential to protecting our business interests in Washington. We need more members to support this great effort." Added Germany: "We need a strong political presence in Washington. Supporting ACEC/PAC should be a priority for every principal at every ACEC member firm." Click here for more information on each state's progress to date in meeting their 2007 ACEC/PAC goals.

CH2M Hill Chairman Peterson Sets New Standard on Commitment to ACEC/PAC Ralph Peterson, right, chairman and CEO of CH2M Hill, presents a $5,000 personal check for ACEC/PAC to ACEC President Dave Raymond. Ralph Peterson, the innovative industry leader and CEO of CH2M Hill, has set the standard for commitment to political advocacy by making a $5,000 personal contribution to ACEC/PAC, the maximum allowable under federal law. "As a professional, we need to go beyond paying dues and make a personal commitment to participate in ACEC/PAC," Peterson said. "Only through personal commitment in the PAC can we utilize the resources that we need to support the candidates who believe in the same ideas and philosophies as we do." Peterson visited ACEC headquarters this week to deliver his check, and expressed hope that it will encourage other firm executives to step up their commitment to the political program. "We're committed to ACEC's political program because it gets the job done," added Peterson. "The candidates it supports win overwhelmingly, and that means the voice of our profession gets heard." "The engineering industry has stepped up its political effort in a big way," said ACEC President Dave Raymond. "Ralph Peterson has upped the ante even further, and I hope that senior executives from every firm will take note and follow his example."

Find Your Way To San Jose To Uncover Future Of Surveying Paul Doherty Professional surveyors can take advantage of the next best thing to a crystal ball to understand their industry's future. ACEC, the Council of Professional Surveyors (COPS) and Consulting Engineers and Land Surveyors of California (CELSOC) will present The Lay of the Land—A Look Ahead for Professional Surveyors, a one-day summit on the future of surveying on May 31, in San Jose, CA. The comprehensive program features several industry experts who will present their views on the future of surveying such as Paul Doherty, vice president of Land Development, K. Hovnanian Homes, and Lance Bishop, chief surveyor of the U.S Bureau of Land Management for California. There is no fee for the event, but advance registration is required. Attendees are encouraged to make a tax-deductible contribution to the ACEC/COPS California Surveyor Scholarship, to be awarded for undergraduate study of surveying. Click here for more information and to register for this summit.

Diverse Summer Course Lineup Features BIM, Project Management, Business Of Design Consulting, Green Infrastructure Get a head-start on your competition—and your PDHs—with an ACEC summer course adventure in learning: Building Information Modeling (BIM): The Promise and the Reality for A/E/C Firms June 7-8                   Philadelphia, PA A must for firm leaders and project managers considering expansion into BIM, this course offers an in-depth look at the BIM multi-dimensional project planning concept. Click here to register. Project Management for Project Leaders June 11-12                   Evanston, IL This joint ACEC/Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering immersion course in state-of-the-art project leadership introduces new management skills and techniques. Click here to register. The Business of Design Consulting (BDC): A Best Practices Educational Event for the Engineering Firm of the 21st Century June 20-23                   Boston, MA This is the leadership course previous attendees have called "outstanding," "well worth the time," and "a great learning experience." Click here to register. Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities July 16-19                   Denver, CO A new certificate program for engineers, planners, developers and A/E/C professionals presented by ACEC and Colorado State University, this explores the interdisciplinary challenges of real world sustainability. Register now; class sizes are limited. Click here to register.

Upcoming Online Seminars Developing Winning Proposals April 18, 1:30-3 p.m.                   1.5 PDHs What are the essentials of a good proposal? What are the key points of content the decision-maker wants to see? What's the best way to organize the content? How can you differentiate yourself from your competition? Clare Ross, The Clare Ross Organization answers these questions and more to help you perfect your crucial proposals. Click here to register. Pandemic Flu—Implications for Your Firm and Your Clients April 19, 1:30-3 p.m.                   1.5 PDHs Daniel Barnett, M.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, presents this online seminar to help A/E/C firms prepare for a major health-related crisis; which is of special importance to HR professionals. Click here to register. Failed Dams and Levees: Examining Engineering Liability April 26, 1:30-3 p.m.                   1.5 PDHs Edward A. Thomas, Michael Baker Corporation looks at the history and definitions of "strict" and "absolute" legal liability relative to dams and levees; their different treatment by the law under "duty of care" in "non-natural use of land;" and defenses in liability actions resulting from dam and levee failure. Click here to register. Early registrants will receive reminder e-mail notification in advance of online seminar events.

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