President’s Monthly Update–December, 2019

ACEC News / President’s Monthly Update

December 4, 2019

President’s Monthly Update–December, 2019

PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY UPDATE

December 1, 2019

Dear Colleagues –

 

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday! The highlight of last month was Chair Mitch Simpler and Former Chair Manish Kothari participating in a trade delegation to Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. ACEC was the only trade association in the delegation, and Mitch and Manish met with government officials from each country to discuss how U.S. firms can help with their infrastructure, energy, and economic needs. Closer to home, the Planning Cabinet met with senior staff at the Council offices mid-month to lay out steps for implementing the new ACEC Strategic Plan. They heard staff proposals and generated new ideas that support the goals and objectives laid out in the Plan. The next step is to discuss the Plan with MO executives at the annual NAECE Winter Meeting in Naples, Fla. in early December. Click here to view the Strategic Plan.

 

            Linda

 

Membership

 

 

• Thanks to all the member firms who participated in our Ownership Transfer and Management Succession survey. We had a strong response (200+ firms). We will conduct follow-up interviews in December and plan to release the survey results in April 2020.
• We had a strong turnout for the November 13 The NAECE Executive Toolkit webinar Effective Utilization of Referrals and Testimonials. On December 10, we will host a NAECE Town Hall online meeting with JP Moery, featuring open discussions on membership, sales, leadership, governance, and membership campaigns.
• Don’t forget to register your MO staff for the next training session at the Council offices on February 10-11. Topics will include membership, PAC, Trusts, government affairs, leadership programs, coalitions, EEA, and non-due revenues. Click here to register.

 

Government Advocacy
 

• Our biggest win during the month was helping to secure repeal of the $7.6 billion rescission of federal highway funding originally included in the FAST Act for July 2020. Click here to see the state-by-state funding map.
• ACEC/PAC is within $100,000 of raising $1 million for the fourth consecutive year. During the month, Arkansas and Illinois reached their annual fundraising goals and New York regained the lead in total annual ACEC/PAC contributions.
• We sent a letter to Senate leadership urging them to move forward with bipartisan energy technology and environmental legislation.
• Along with the AIA, we met with the Internal Revenue Service to discuss audit problems faced by engineering firms when claiming the R&D tax credit and potential industry-specific guidance.
• At the ACEC townhouse, we hosted dinners for Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and a breakfast for Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). Our government affairs staff also met with six Congressional candidates and five freshman members.
• With our coalition partners, we sent a letter urging Congress to extend expired tax provisions, including the Section 179D energy-efficient commercial buildings deduction and the Section 45 production tax credit for renewables.
• We met with Administration officials at the White House to urge publication of a proposed rule on NEPA implementation.
• In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, we raised concerns that proposed changes in Task Order Competition will add cost and time to the AE procurement process and limit competition for both firms and the Corps.
• ACEC senior staff presented at a water policy forum for ACEC/Texas in San Antonio and at the ACEC/Louisiana Fall meeting.
• The Engineering Influence podcast has surpassed the 5,000 download mark.

 

 

Meetings

 

• The online portal is now open for the 2020 ACEC Annual Convention & Legislative Summit, April 26-29, 2020 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Click here to register for the Convention and to book your hotel room. We will add information about speakers and events as it becomes available so check back often.
• Submissions for the 2020 Engineering Excellence Awards competition are due on January 3, 2020. Click here for entry information. The Annual EEA Gala will be on Tuesday evening, April 28, 2020, during the Annual Convention.
   

 

Business Resources

 

• With more than 24 participants, New Overtime Rule: What Your Firm Needs to Know, was the most popular November online class and helped member firms understand and prepare for the finalized changes to the overtime pay rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that will take effect on January 1, 2020.
• ACEC’s Q3 2019 Economic Review features data and analysis on the top five macroeconomic trends for 2019, quarterly A/E firm revenues, and a list of growth markets. Subscribe to ACEC Quarterly Briefs.
• Senior Executives Institute (SEI) Class 24 met in San Francisco for their fourth session, where they discussed new professional practice models, leading change, adaptive work, HR, and scenario planning.
• Pathways to Executive Leadership Class 4 met online for their second session, focusing on delegation, time management, and next steps.
• Coalition best sellers for November included CAMEE’s Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection Project Planning Guide and CASE’s Guideline Addressing Coordination and Completeness of Structural Construction Documents 2013. Updated versions of CAMEE Tools 5-1: QA/QC Guidelines and 6-1: Submittal Checklists were released.
• We held the Navigating Firm Financials for a Well-Executed Transition course on Nov 14-15 in Washington, DC at ACEC National offices.
• The Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP) added 3 new providers in November—Mestek, Inc., Informa, New England Intelligent Transportation Society—bringing the total of approved providers to 180.
• Upcoming December online classes include: The Big Wave – Current M&A Landscape, Tactics, and Outlook for Engineering Firms, What Every Engineering Firm Should Know About the FCPA, Secrets to Winning Shortlist Presentations, and Diversity, Inclusion, & Dividends 101.
• Registration is open for Project Management 101: Laying the Foundation for Superior Project Managers. The nine-week online training course geared to rising PMs begins on January 13, 2020.

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