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Advertise Today on the ACEC Website
With more than 28,000 unique visitors each month—and with each visit averaging more than 18 minutes—advertising on www.acec.org offers a great opportunity to build your brand, promote your firm and grow your business.
Click here to view pricing and sizes, or contact Nina Goldman at ngoldman@acec.org today to reserve your space.
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Health Insurance and Pandemic Preparedness
Did you miss last week’s essential Pandemic Outbreaks webinar? A recorded version is now available for purchase through the On-Demand webinar section of the ACEC Bookstore.
Anticipating and Responding to Pandemic (Swine Flu) Outbreaks and their Effects on Your Operations and Employees
Click here to order.
To view all On-Demand webinars, click here.
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Just Published!
Health Insurance Coverage for Engineering and A/E/C Firms
Editors: Amjad Ali, Ph.D., Jeffrey L. Beard, Deirdre McKenna
Click here to order.
Click here to browse and buy from our full catalog of publications and merchandise.
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Hire the Best Talent and Save with the Job Board
Make September the month to find that perfect addition to your firm and save with the ACEC Job Board.
Add ACEC’s Job Board to your recruiting mix and enjoy 15 percent savings on any posting package in the month of September. Just use the promo code SEPTEM15 at checkout. Your posting package automatically includes resume database access.
Save money and reach thousands of candidates. With over 350 posted A/E/C industry jobs and more than 17,000 candidate resumes, the ACEC Job Board’s advanced search features produce effective, specific results for both job seekers and employers.
Reach your target audience quickly and effectively with the ACEC Job Board and the Engineering and Science Career Network.
For more information, contact Nina Goldman at 202-682-4325 or write ngoldman@acec.org
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Over 350 Searchable Jobs Posted
Over 17,400 Searchable Resumes Posted
Over 2,025 Registered Employers |
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Last Five "Help Wanted" Open Positions:
Structural Bridge Engineer—Minneapolis, MN
Asst. Director of Engineering Specifications—Alexandria, VA
Electrical Engineer—Rapid City, SD
Environmental Engineering Leaders—
North East Ohio
Mechanical Engineer—Rapid City, SD
A Sampling of Posted Resumes:
Geotechnical Engineers—1,211
Water Resources/Wastewater Engineers—1,753
Transportation—1,507
Civil Engineers—2,399
Structural Engineers—1,636
Environmental Engineers—1,582
View These and Other Resumes and Jobs on ACEC's Job Board
www.acec.org/jobbank |
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Profitable Sustainability Coming Up Online
ACEC's fall 2009 calendar of online seminars will offer a wide variety of A/E business management topics, with an emphasis on strategies to weather our changing economic environment.
Attendance at our online seminars has continued to grow as participants embrace the convenient and cost-effective way to gain new knowledge and earn PDHs.
Register now for the fall programs listed below. Watch Last Word and the Institute for Business Management education calendar as new topics are added. If you register early, we will send you a reminder with log-in information just prior to the event.
September
22—Streamlining the Organization Toward Profit and Efficiency by Robert vanArsdall, XL Design Professional
29—Winning With Millennials: How to Attract, Retain and Empower the Latest Generation and Why It Matters Now by J. Tim Griffin, RMF Engineering, Inc.
30—Controlling Project Costs to Improve Profitability by June Jewell, Jewell & Associates
October
6—Profitable Sustainability by Jerry Yudelson, Yudelson Associates
13—Developing Future Leaders: Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Growing 20-35 Year-Olds in Leaner Times by Mike Baker, David Evans and Associates, and Geordie Aitken, Aitken Leadership Group
20—Lessons Learned in Implementing BIM and IPD in a 900-Person Multidisciplinary Firm by Sean B. Smith, Gresham, Smith and Partners
28—Measuring Business Performance and Benchmarking—Metrics That Matter by June Jewell, Jewell & Associates
November
3—Trends in International Green Building by Jerry Yudelson, Yudelson Associates
10—Risk Management Report Card: Would Your Firm Earn A, F or Incomplete? panel led by Erin Austin and Jack Beemer, David Evans and Associates
12—Follow Up! The (Misunderstood) Heart of Business Development and Positioning by Lynne Waymon, Contacts Count
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Insider Online Seminars You Missed Available On-Demand
For online “insider” seminars available for purchase as on-demand downloadable events—including Navigating Wetlands Work: Engineering During a Time of Transition—click here.
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| U.S. House of Representatives Honors ACEC's 100th Anniversary
By a vote of 420-0, the House of Representatives approved legislation celebrating ACEC’s 100 years of service to the industry and the nation. |
The House passed legislation this week “recognizing the remarkable contributions of the American Council of Engineering Companies for its 100 years of service to the engineering industry and the Nation.”
Introduced by Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC) and Congressman John Boozman (R-AR), House Resolution 447 further states:
“Whereas the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and its thousands of member firms are celebrating the Council’s 100th anniversary in 2009;
Whereas the ACEC is the oldest and largest business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,000 engineering firms that employ 500,000 professionals, engaged in a wide range of practices that propel our economy and ensure a high quality of life for all people in the United States;
Whereas the ACEC represents engineers in private practice, who design the infrastructure, energy, and technological projects that ensure our Nation enjoys the highest standard of living in the world and continues to compete successfully in the 21st century economy;
Whereas the ACEC member firms have been responsible for many of the Nation’s most significant achievements over the past 100 years, including the roads, bridges, subways, airports, buildings, industrial facilities, and water systems that are the most advanced in the world; and
Whereas the ACEC member firms have also been at the forefront of the environmental movement, cleaning up hazardous waste sites and incorporating sustainable solutions in infrastructure works: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives congratulates the American Council of Engineering Companies for its 100 years of service.”
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| Register For Conference by September 18—and Save Hundreds of Dollars
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox will keynote the 2009 ACEC Fall Conference. |
Early-bird registration for the 2009 ACEC Fall Conference has been extended to September 18. Save hundreds of dollars by registering early—and registering more than one member of your firm—for the Conference, to be held at the luxurious La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, Calif., October 7-10.
With the theme “Engineering America’s Recovery,” the Conference features a wide range of hard-hitting business programs to help firms navigate the current difficult economic waters.
One must-attend session for all firms that have state DOT clients will be the expert panel on the new AASHTO Uniform Audit and Accounting Guide. Key state and federal officials will analyze changes to the Guide and the impact on engineering firms.
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox, who has earned international acclaim as an expert on global political and economic issues, will give the keynote address at the Conference.
For information on early-bird and multiple attendee discounts and to register for the ACEC 2009 Fall Conference, click here.
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| ACEC Fully Engaged as Health Care Debate Heats Up
President Obama addressed a rare joint session of Congress this week as part of an effort to jumpstart his health care reform agenda. The President outlined his top priorities, including a government health insurance option, although he also signaled a willingness to consider other approaches to achieve the goal of universal coverage.
ACEC continues to be actively engaged in the national debate as several House and Senate committees attempt to piece together legislation. ACEC has created a health care reform working group to closely monitor how the elements of the various legislative proposals will affect the engineering industry.
ACEC President Dave Raymond also sent a letter to congressional leaders prior to the August recess detailing the industry’s views and concerns over pending reform proposals. Click here for a copy of Raymond’s letter.
Three House committees and one Senate committee have approved separate versions of health care legislation. The House leadership hopes to have a floor vote in their chamber by the end of September. This week, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) released the framework of his committee’s bill and scheduled mark-up for the week of September 21.
Information on the pending legislative proposals can be accessed on ACEC’s website at the Health Care Reform Resource Center. For more information, or if you are interested in participating on the health care reform working group, contact Katharine Mottley, ACEC’s director of tax & regulatory affairs, at 202-682-4306 or kmottley@acec.org.
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| Nebraska Surpasses ACEC/PAC Goal: "Too Much at Stake to Sit on Sidelines"
Nebraska ACEC/PAC Champion Mike McMeekin: “We’re not done yet.” |
ACEC/Nebraska became the latest Member Organization to achieve its 2009 ACEC/PAC fundraising target. The Cornhusker State joins Indiana, Wisconsin and Hawaii on the current list of MOs hitting 100 percent of their 2009 fundraising goals.
State PAC Champion Mike McMeekin of Lamp, Rynearson & Associates, Inc. in Omaha, credited increased member awareness about federal issues that directly affect their bottom lines and enhanced support by the state’s leadership.
“We’ve met our ACEC/PAC goal every year since 2004, but never this early in the campaign,” said McMeekin. “I’m really proud of the effort by our state Board of Directors and state PAC Trustees—they came through in the last couple of weeks to help us reach the goal.
“We’re not done yet,” McMeekin added. “We’ll continue our ACEC/PAC effort through the end of 2009 because we know what kind of legislative challenges lay ahead. Even if your business is hitting a rough spot right now, there’s just too much at stake for any of us to sit on the sidelines.”
Click here to see the progress of each state in achieving its ACEC/PAC goal for 2009 and information on the PAC Champions leading their state fundraising efforts.
For more information about ACEC’s political programs, contact Greg Knopp, ACEC’s executive director for political affairs at gknopp@acec.org or Elizabeth Coit, ACEC/PAC director at ecoit@acec.org.
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| Major Engineering-Related Associations Are Participating in RCEP.net
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More than 40 educational providers now list their upcoming courses on the ACEC/NCEES Registered Continuing Education Program website (www.RCEP.net).
Key continuing education providers in the engineering industry participate in the program, including the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), in addition to ACEC’s Institute for Business Management.
RCEP.net is a web-based system that connects engineers and related professionals with quality education providers. The system automates educational management system records and stores completed credits in a virtual, paperless system, allowing firms to easily track and maintain the continuing educational efforts of their professional staff.
ACEC Member Organizations can apply to NCEES—for free—to be accredited educational providers under the program. Once accredited, MOs can have their educational programming listed—again for free—on the www.RCEP.net master calendar, as part of ACEC National’s support of state educational activities.
For more information, go to www.rcep.net.
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Online Seminar Clarifies Challenges, Focus for A/E Firms’ Boards
Creating a High-Performing Board
September 15, 1:30-3 p.m.
Creating a high-performing board in an A/E firm can be challenging due to a lack of clear examples to use as models, and to the fact that board members often wear multiple hats—board member, shareholder, and management.
Doug Thompson, Thompson Strategy Consulting, Inc., discusses the issues and hurdles unique to A/E firms, along with ideas for improving a board’s effectiveness and its relationship with shareholders and management. The presentation will cover:
- Overall roles and responsibilities of shareholders, board, and management
- Getting the right people on your board
- Keeping the board focused and knowing what questions to ask
- Creating a productive environment: communication and process in the boardroom
For details and to register, click here.
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Business of Design Consulting Offers Best Practices for 2010 and Beyond
The Business of Design Consulting: Managing for Success in a Climate of Change
October 21-24, St. Louis, MO
ACEC’s Business of Design Consulting: Managing for Success in a Climate of Change is a unique and comprehensive update of the elements and functions of the successful A/E business... in the context of a challenging business environment.
Content covers the eight key areas of business management, finance, marketing, risk management, contracts, leadership, human resources, and information technology—plus real-world technical examples presented by leading practitioners in the A/E workplace.
Created for owners, principals, executives, and managers of A/E firms, this state-of-the-art look at the key components of your operation is a cost-effective investment for succeeding in a more competitive than ever environment.
For details and to register at the early bird price, click here.
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Gain Courtroom Skills, Oct. 29-30, Add Expert Witness Services to Portfolio
Applying Expertise as an Engineering Expert Witness
October 29-30, Dearborn, MI
Adding new services such as expert witness capabilities to your firm’s portfolio is a shrewd business strategy, particularly as an extension of existing skills and expertise. However well-qualified your key staff may be, only the court-savvy engineer should take on potentially lucrative assignments as an expert witness in legal proceedings.
Applying Expertise as an Engineering Expert Witness, ACEC’s unique 1-1/2 day course to qualify engineers, architects and surveyors for recognition as expert witnesses, will be presented Oct. 29-30 in Dearborn, MI. Participants earn a certificate of course completion equipping them for legal service.
The course will be presented by recognized experts Guy Vaillancourt, president, Woodard & Curran, who has served clients as a testifying expert for the past 15 years; Duncan G. Cameron, senior litigation partner, Donovan Hatem, New York, and a litigator of complex construction and commercial matters in federal and state course; and the Honorable Arthur Bergman, New Jersey Superior Court Judge, who has presided over numerous construction cases and previously spent 13 years representing design professionals, owners and contractors.
For details and course agenda, click here.
For an in-depth look at engineers in the expert witness role, click here to read Holding Court in the July/August issue of ACEC’s Engineering Inc. magazine.
In completing this course, attendees take an important first step towards qualifying for the professional designation of Engineer Expert Witness (EXW). For information on the EXW designation program, e-mail ebajer@acec.org.
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Get BIM Overview: Technology, Risks, Economics, Benefits, Oct. 29-30, Seattle
Building Information Modeling (BIM): The Promise and the Reality for A/E/C Firms
October 29-30, Seattle, WA
As headlines point to the growing importance of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process to private and public sector clients (See Wisconsin First State to Require BIM on Public Projects in Aug. 6 Last Word and the Texas Facilities Commission website), ACEC presents a first-hand examination of the challenging interdisciplinary process.
Set for Oct. 29-30 in Seattle, this fast-paced 1-1/2 day course is an informative and timely look into the many components of the BIM project delivery system by faculty practitioners and early-adopters. Agenda highlights include: reasons for change, exploring the technology and interoperability, implementation strategies and IT case study, risk management and insurance updates for "BIM-ready" firms, plus the latest views of BIM from the M/E/P perspective.
The course is ideal for firm principals planning, considering or launching BIM. For details, the full course brochure, and to register at the lowest advance price, click here.
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Networking, Problem-Solving Highlight IT Forum Get-Together, Sept. 28
Information Technology Forum
September 28, Chicago, IL
ACEC’s popular Forum for IT professionals convenes in Chicago, Sept. 28, to discuss emerging technology trends, share best-practices and address problem-solving and communications in our increasingly technology-driven industry.
For details on agenda topics and to register at advance best-price, click here.
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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 • Gerry Donohue, Designer | |
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