States Urged To "Leave No Stone Unturned" In Requests For Obama Infrastructure Funding ACEC President Dave Raymond calls for "urgent action on historic opportunity." ACEC President Dave Raymond this week called on ACEC State Organizations to assist their state agencies in helping to determine funding requirements for President-elect Barack Obama’s infrastructure-based economic recovery package. "Engineering firms and Member Organizations should be bold in working with their state agencies to address infrastructure projects that can be identified, documented, and ready to go in all sectors from transportation to water to facilities," said Raymond. Click here for a copy of Raymond's message to ACEC state leaders.

Jim Sullins, ACEC/Oklahoma president and CEO: "ACEC/Oklahoma is fully engaged." Last weekend, Obama reiterated his plan for investing an estimated $500-700 billion in roads, bridges and other components of an economic recovery package when he takes office in January. He called it the "single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s." Several State Organizations are already taking steps to maximize contracting opportunities from the new stimulus plan. ACEC/Oklahoma's coordination with the Oklahoma Transportation Commission has led to contracts for several Member Firms to help the state prepare for new investment.

John Forcier, ACEC/Vermont National Director: “Clients grateful.” "Oklahoma DOT recognized that only through the use of outside consultants to supplement their in-house staff could they get projects ready to go to construction, if and when the stimulus package is approved," said Jim Sullins, ACEC/Oklahoma president and CEO. ACEC/Vermont also organized a meeting this week with the state's congressional delegation and state agencies to coordinate stimulus efforts. "Many of our municipal clients are very grateful that we are engaging in this effort," said ACEC/Vermont National Director John Forcier of Forcier, Aldrich & Associates.

New York Becomes Largest State To Hit PAC Goal To "Maximize Opportunities" New York ACEC/PAC Champion Michael Della Rocca ACEC/New York this week became the largest state ever to meet its ACEC/PAC goal, as it passed the $45,200 mark in total donations for the year. The Empire State's fundraising campaign was led by PAC Champion Michael Della Rocca of Halcrow Inc. Together with Executive Director Jay Simson, Della Rocca assembled a fundraising team made up of four regional PAC Champions: ACEC/New York Legislative Chair Bob Radley of FRA, a T.Y. Lin Company; Brad Fisher of Friedman Fisher Associates; Joe Amato of Cameron Engineers; and Paul Wilke of C&S Engineers. "We're entering a new era in government at the national level, which means we need an aggressive political program to maximize opportunities and minimize the down side," said Della Rocca. "I'm proud we were able to accomplish our goal this year, which couldn't have happened without a great fundraising team and total support from the state leadership."

Bob Radley, ACEC/New York President-elect Radley, the incoming president of ACEC/New York agreed and credited the team approach for this unprecedented accomplishment. "Organization is key for big states like New York," he said. "By designating regional ACEC/PAC chairmen and keeping them on track, we created a blueprint that we can use to support both the national and state political programs." "This is a huge accomplishment," said ACEC Chairman John Hennessy, "and it comes at a time when we need these resources the most. I think we have a great deal to look forward to in 2009, but much uncertainty as well, which is why we need the security of a big political program built around ACEC/PAC."

Maryland, Delaware Score Again For ACEC/PAC: "Makes Good Business Sense" Maryland ACEC/PAC Champion Harvey Floyd ACEC/Maryland and ACEC/Delaware shared the spotlight with ACEC/New York in meeting their ACEC/PAC goals this week. They bring to 18 the number of states that have achieved their fundraising goals so far in 2008. This was the fourth straight year that Maryland, led by PAC Champion Harvey Floyd of KCI Technologies and ACEC/MD President Harry Stephen of Century Engineering, met its target. Floyd noted that engineers in the Free State have really stepped up their support of ACEC/PAC, stating, "They understand the importance of contributing. I was very encouraged by the very positive response I received when our members were asked to support the PAC."

Delaware ACEC/PAC Champion Jeffrey Bross Delaware PAC Champion Jeffrey Bross of Duffield Associates, and Delaware National Director Stephen Johns of Vandemark & Lynch, Inc., were very active in their ACEC/PAC fundraising effort. Bross said education was the key in helping the First State make its goal for the second consecutive year. "We educate our members at every opportunity that what happens at the federal level directly affects our ability make a profit at the local level," said Bross. "Bottom line: it makes good business sense to invest in ACEC/PAC, especially right now." To check the status of your state's ACEC/PAC fundraising effort, click on the interactive map or go to the ACEC/PAC website by clicking here. For more information on ACEC/PAC, please contact Gregory Knopp, ACEC's executive director of political affairs, gknopp@acec.org, or Elizabeth Coit, ACEC/PAC director, ecoit@acec.org, at 202-347-7474.

Click here or above to view an interactive map of the progress of each state in achieving its 2008 ACEC/PAC goal.

Former ACEC Chief Executive Howard Messner Dies Howard Messner, former ACEC executive vice president Howard Messner, who served as the Council's chief staff executive from 1987 to 1999, died December 4 following a long illness. He was 71. Messner's tenure as Executive Vice President saw passage of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act in 1991 and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998. He was also instrumental in the establishment of ACEC's Senior Executives Institute (SEI) in 1995. "Howard played an important leadership role for more than a decade during which the Council prospered, " said ACEC President Dave Raymond. Prior to ACEC, Messner served in high-level administrative roles at the EPA, Department of Energy, Congressional Budget Office, and the Office of Management and Budget. ACEC Past Chairmen at the funeral ceremonies included: James Thomas (1997-1998), Lester Smith (1987-1988); Stan Kawaguchi (1996-1997), John Foster (1992-1993) and Leo Peters (1999-2000).

Highlight Your Firm As Part Of ACEC's 100th Anniversary Celebration ACEC will celebrate 100 years of service to its Member Firms and the engineering industry beginning this January. A highlight of the year-long observance will be a commemorative March/April issue of Engineering Inc., featuring a decade-by-decade chronology of Council contributions, along with Member Firm achievements over the past 100 years. Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of a historic industry issue. Special advertising space in Engineering Inc. is now available to: Congratulate ACEC for its 100 years of service; Celebrate your own firm's contribution's to ACEC and the industry; Commemorate the important role of engineering in the nation's progress. To join the 100th year celebration and assure your firm's prominence in this historic publication, contact Nina Goldman at ngoldman@acec.org or 202-682-4325.

New ACEC, McGraw-Hill Report On BIM Now Available ACEC, McGraw Hill, along with a host of industry organizations have combined to produce a definitive report on the value and impact of Building Information Modeling on the built environment. The new SmartMarket Report on Building Information Modeling: Transforming Design and Construction to Achieve Greater Industry Productivity, is based on extensive interviews with hundreds of built environment practitioners who are currently using BIM. The report is designed to determine perceptions and current use of BIM, challenges of implementation and value to firms and the industry. Results show that 82 percent of BIM users believe that software has had a "very positive impact" on their firm's productivity. In addition, among report respondents, 62 percent reported that they will use BIM on more than 30 percent of their projects in 2009. "BIM has quickly established itself in our industry," says ACEC Executive Vice President Jeff Beard. "According to this report, more than 50 percent of engineering firms now use BIM tools." Copies of the 48-page report are available for sale at the ACEC Bookstore. Click here to purchase and for more information.

Free Business Resources Available At Contracts Central Contractscentral.net is not just about contracts. The site features a wide variety of free information to help your business. In the state-by-state section, for example, you will find lists of statutes of limitation, A/E lien laws, QBS laws, Certificate of Merit laws and Good Samaritan legislation, as well as a recently added list of state-by-state engineering reciprocity requirements. Do you want to know how to open up an office in Florida? Contracts Central will soon include a state-by-state list of how to open up an office in another state. Other upcoming features include a PowerPoint presentation for prospective clients and civic organizations on how to contract for a green infrastructure project and information on how to become an expert witness, including a brief summary of some recent court decisions affecting the industry. All of this is free on Contractscentral.net.

New Certificate Course Is Preparation for Expert Witness Service Applying Expertise as Engineering Expert Witness March 19-20, Kansas City, MO Engineers are often qualified to serve as expert witnesses in legal proceedings, but only the court-savvy, prepared and prudent engineer takes on these potentially lucrative assignments. Applying Expertise as Engineering Expert Witness, ACEC's unique new one-and-a-half-day course, prepares registrants for legal service with recognition and a certificate of course completion. Participants will learn from expert faculty about courtroom demeanor, how to maintain credibility, the differences between a fact witness and an expert witness, deposition behavior, permissible out-of-court statements, ethics, pre-courtroom testimony preparation, visual aids and more. Designed for professional engineers, architects and surveyors interested in earning credentials for legal service engagements, the course will be presented by recognized experts Alan B. Croft, Esq., an experienced litigator and trial attorney; Fred Schoenlaub, Esq., Feldhausen & Schoenlaub, PC, a former judge and veteran international construction attorney; and Guy Vaillancourt, PE, President, Woodard & Curran, who has served clients as a testifying expert for the past 15 years. For details and to register, click here.

The American Council of Engineering Companies 1015 15th St., NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20005-2605 Phone: 202-347-7474 - Fax: 202-898-0068 www.acec.org - E-mail:acec@acec.org Alan D. Crockett, Director, PR • Ann Brandstadter, Editor/Designer