New ACEC Recruitment Video Drawing Rave Reviews From MOs: "It's Got Punch!" ACEC/Nebraska Executive Director Jackie McCullough ACEC's new recruitment video is being lauded by Member Organization leaders as an impressive depiction of the wide-ranging benefits of ACEC membership. Several hundred copies of the video have been distributed to MOs and firms since the video was introduced at the May Annual Convention in Washington. The video offers testimonials from member firm CEOs and congressional leaders on the importance and influence of ACEC. Jackie McCullough, executive director for ACEC/Nebraska, said she showed the video during her recent MO annual meeting. "Everyone was impressed," McCullough said. "It beautifully showcases the value of ACEC to members and to the industry as a whole. "For us in Nebraska, it clearly demonstrates that being a part of ACEC means we're bigger than just a state organization. We're big time!"

ACEC/Illinois Executive Director David E. Kennedy ACEC/Illinois Executive Director David E. Kennedy said he played the video numerous times during a recent government affairs workshop attended by 140 members. He called the video an "excellent tool for recruiting prospective members and, just as importantly, educating current members. "Many member firms are not familiar with all that ACEC does on the national front," Kennedy said. "You want to know what your national dues provide? Then watch the video."

ACEC/Oklahoma President Jim Sullins ACEC/Oklahoma President Jim Sullins said he plans to show the video at several upcoming Member Organization meetings. "We want to get it in front of as many members as possible. "Out here in the hinterlands, members don't really understand all that goes on in the national office. This video really puts a face on ACEC for the rank and file," Sullins said. "And it's got some punch to it!" For more copies of the ACEC recruitment video, contact Pat Brookover, director of membership services and sales at 202-347-7474 or pbrookover@acec.org.

Georgia DOT Honored With QBS Award Pictured from the left: Babs Abubakari, Georgia DOT Director of Consultant Selection; Georgia DOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl; Dan Skalsky of Gresham Smith & Parthers and past QBSGeorgia chairman; Tom Hruby, of PSI, Inc. and Peter Lyon, current QBSGeorgia chairman and AIA representative. The Georgia Department of Transportation has received a Qualifications-Based Selection Award from QBSGeorgia. The Georgia QBS Awards Program, which is modeled after the National QBS Awards Program, honors those agencies or individuals that effectively protect and implement QBS methods to procure engineering services at state and local levels. The awards presentation was made at the recent monthly meeting of the Georgia DOT Board of Directors. ACEC/Georgia Executive Director Tom Leslie said the Georgia DOT was worthy of recognition for the way the agency has implemented QBS throughout the state. "They have used great skill and fairness in executing the QBS program," Leslie said. "They even put on a series of seminars to teach local governments how to properly apply QBS." The Georgia QBS Awards Program is the latest in a series of positive QBS developments in the state over the past several years. In 2004, the state was the recipient of a national QBS grant administered by ACEC. QBSGeorgia leveraged the QBS grant to engage in a grassroots campaign that resulted in the passage of the state's QBS law in 2005. An additional QBS grant was awarded to QBSGeorgia in 2006 to assist with additional QBS promotional programs throughout the state. QBSGeorgia is comprised of officials from ACEC/Georgia, the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers, ASCE, AIA, and APWA. The Georgia DOT will also be nominated to receive a National QBS Award. To learn more about the National QBS Awards Program click here.

House Boosts Funding For Water, Clean-up Projects In F.Y. '08 Appropriations The House passed an F.Y. '08 interior appropriations bill this week that includes a significant funding increase for wastewater projects around the country. The bill, which funds programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a number of other agencies, includes $1.125 billion for the Clean Water Act State Revolving Fund (SRF) program—a $41 million increase over the 2007 funding level and $437 million more than the President requested. The measure also provides $842 million for the Safe Drinking Water SRF, identical to the President's request and a slight increase over current funding. For EPA's Superfund cleanup program, the bill appropriates $1.272 billion, $27 million more than the request by the President and $7.8 million more than last year. The bill also contains about 200 special project "earmarks" which are primarily wastewater projects and funding for national heritage sites. The Senate version of the bill has not yet reached the floor for action, but the current legislation is less generous to the Clean Water SRF than the House version, providing only $887 million for F.Y. '08. ACEC will continue to lobby on behalf of the House-passed funding level. The Council is also engaged in a parallel lobbying effort to reauthorize and expand the Clean Water Act SRF program. The House-passed legislation (H.R. 720) seeks to fund the program at $14 billion over four years, and also includes a QBS requirement for all projects funded by the program.

Limited Signed Copies of Bunts Still Available; Find the Perfect Summertime Reads At ACEC Bookstore Bunts by George F. Will In this New York Times bestseller, Pulitzer Prize-winning author George F. Will focuses on baseball with more than 70 finely honed pieces about the national pastime. Included are Will's eulogy for the late Curt Flood ("Dred Scott in Spikes"), Will on Ted Williams and even on his own baseball career: "I was a very late draft choice of the Mittendorf Funeral Home Panthers. Our color was black." Limited signed copies available! Click here to order Bunts, and click here to browse the latest catalog online or request a print copy.

VIP Advance Notice Lists Available For Sold-Out Courses; Encores Being Scheduled For those interested in advance notification of encore presentations of recent sold-out courses, ACEC's Institute for Business Management offers a VIP list. To add your name to a course list, e-mail education@acec.org and specify course title. Lists are currently available for: Building Information Modeling (BIM): The Promise and The Reality for A/E/C Firms, October 25-26, Nashville 50 Legal Concepts That Every Engineer Should Know, November 5-6, San Francisco Leveraging the Design-Build Trend: How Engineering Firms Can Profit from Integrated Delivery, November 5-6, San Francisco Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities, early 2008, date and location to be announced

August Online Seminars Kick-Off Fall Calendar Mastering the Critical Steps of the Business Development Process August 8, 1:30-3 p.m.                   1.5 PDHs This insightful seminar by Kevin Hackney, MBDi, examines the business development process and the necessary components for continuing success. Click here for details and to register. Risk Management Considerations for Green Buildings August 15, 1:30- 3 p.m.                   1.5 PDHs Tim Corbett, A/E SmartRisk, presents this timely online seminar, which offers a clear-eyed look at topics unique to green building design. Click here for details and to register. For a preview of ACEC fall online seminar topics and dates, click here.

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