ACEC is calling upon all members to contact their Congressional delegations to urge continued funding and passage of a new long-term surface transportation bill.

Without the extension, federal payments for highway and transit projects will cease and the gas tax and other fees supporting the Highway Trust Fund will lapse.

In an Action Alert to members, ACEC President Dave Raymond said, "We have deployed our full lobbying strength in Washington on this issue, and are working closely with a large coalition of industry partners to get Congress to act. As we saw with the recent two-week lapse in FAA funding, we can no longer take these extensions for granted."

Click here for a sample letter and contact information for House Members and Senators.

"As we approach the 2012 elections, we need to ensure that we are in a good position to make our voices heard," said ACEC/PAC Chairman Chris Borton. "We've got a lot of momentum, but we still have a long way to go."

Click here for more information about ACEC/PAC.

In the four CEO Roundtables, organized by firm size, participants will examine business issues in facilitated discussions. A CIO Roundtable will focus on information technology issues.

General Sessions will include a keynote address by Jacobs CEO Craig Martin, and a CEO Panel with CDM CEO Richard Fox, Sargent & Lundy CEO Alan "Bud" Wendorf, and AMEC Earth & Environment President Hisham Mahmoud.

For more information about the ACEC Fall Conference, click here.

In a timely online seminar, How to Improve Cash Management—The Essential Survival Tool, September 8, 1:30-3:00, financial specialist Paul Haglund will provide specific strategies for getting more cash through billings and collections, managing your cash inventory to maximize profits and optimizing your levels of working capital.

This webinar is a must for engineering firms of all sizes with an interest in improving and strengthening their cash flow. Click here for details and to register.

In this timely webinar, 'LEEDigation:' Current and Future Green Building Legal Issues, Chris Cheatham, construction attorney and a LEED Accredited Professional, explains the single most effective green building risk management tool for A/E firms.

Using real-life green building cases, Cheatham will discuss risk management strategies that firms and their clients can implement to avoid the liabilities—and potential litigation—related to LEED-certified projects.

Click here for details and to register.

Participants in ACEC's 2011 Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities will get an up-close look at emerging opportunities in sustainable development, including legislation, regulations and standards that are driving this growing market. The 3½-day course will examine the new ISI infrastructure rating tool, key sustainable design issues and processes, profit opportunities in sustainable development, and the growing applications of "green" engineering by today's top practitioners.

A special field trip to the nearby Smithsonian Environmental Research Center will provide exclusive access to the facility's ongoing research, including a wetlands area that is the subject of one of the world's longest-running studies of climate change.

Click here for agenda, faculty details and to register.

David Cohen, Matheson Financial Advisors, explores ownership transition planning and what A/E firms can do to navigate the current economic situation and prepare for the future.

Reignite Your Ownership Transition Plans is a timely webinar that provides compelling reasons for lower management to invest in ownership in firms. Topics include building an internal market for your shares; mechanisms for transacting ownership; tax strategies; shareholder's Agreements; and pitfalls to avoid when transitioning stock internally.

Click here to register.

In Writing the Perfect FONSI — Finding of No Significant Impact, Owen Schmidt, former senior counsel at USDA, demonstrates the finer points of a fail-safe technique for writing the perfect FONSI.

This webinar is a must for planners, environmental specialists, project managers, decision-makers, attorneys, and those in related fields who are responsible for preparing or reviewing Environmental Assessments (EAs) and FONSIs.

Click here to register.

ACEC's practical bottom-line course Essentials of A/E Financial Management and Firm Valuation, November 3-4, Orlando, will teach attendees how to use powerful accounting tools to energize their businesses.

Presented by David Cohen, principal, Matheson Financial Advisors, Inc., the course will cover project management financials, income statements, balance sheet development and interpretation, firm valuation, internal ownership transition planning, mergers and acquisitions, and related financial management issues—from ways to increase cash flow to benchmarking against other firms in the industry.

Click here to review the full course agenda and to register.

November 9-12, 2011, New Orleans

Business of Design Consulting, Nov.
9-12, New Orleans, updates the practices and functions that support successful A/E businesses. Attendees explore current best-practice management skills, gaining new strategic insights fundamental to success.

This highly regarded course delivers the collective state-of-the-art expertise of the industry's leading practitioners through curriculum custom-tailored to the A/E workplace, including leadership, strategy, planning, performance management, contracts and risk management, finance, business management, ownership transition, and marketing.

Click here for agenda and faculty details and to register at early-bird best price.