President’s Monthly Update–July, 2019

ACEC News / President’s Monthly Update

July 15, 2019

President’s Monthly Update–July, 2019

Dear Colleagues –

I hope everyone enjoyed a great 4th of July weekend!  June was another busy month here at the Council, as we hosted the annual Leadership Orientation sessions for MO leaders.  In all, 66 representatives from 33 MOs attended the two sessions, during which they were briefed by staff on ACEC’s programs, services, and activities.  At an “open house” held at the end of each session, attendees had the opportunity to tour our offices and meet with staff members individually or in groups.  We received very positive reviews for both sessions.  Also in June, the Strategic Planning Committee held a productive meeting in New York City to begin formulating specific goals and objectives based on extensive research and input from our many stakeholders.  The plan is beginning to take shape and we are still on schedule to present it to the Board for a vote at the Fall Conference in October.  With this edition of the monthly update, we’re inaugurating a section devoted to MO Services, in which we’ll highlight some of the services and upcoming activities available for the MOs.  Finally, a bittersweet announcement.  Melissa Thompson-Flynn, Director of Strategic Operations and former Executive Assistant to Dave Raymond, has announced her retirement from ACEC effective at the end of this calendar year after 12 years of service.  Melissa has been an outstanding team member and both our members and her ACEC colleagues will be sad to see her go!  THANK YOU, MELISSA!!

        Linda
 

PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY UPDATE
July 12, 2019

 
 
MO Services

• ACEC provides value for your Member Organization with key business resources and education benefits:
  • We can suggest and provide speakers – including ACEC Staff — as well as recommendations and assistance from ACEC’s network of Educational, Business and Firm/Industry speakers to support state meetings, emerging leader programs, and related MO events.
  • There is no charge for RCEP (continuing education credit for MO education events).
  • We provide revenue sharing with your MO when ACEC brings a program to your state. The MO receives 10% of the registration fee of attendees from the state.
• Next NAECE Executive Toolkit webinar set for July 23: “Effective Communications Programs for Membership Growth.” Register and receive your calendar invite.
• NAECE Executive Toolkit materials, including membership email templates, non-dues revenue ideas, and overcoming membership objections were sent to executive directors last week; they are also available online on the NAECE Community.
• The MO Staff Training will be held August 7-8 at ACEC headquarters in Washington, D.C. – to register for this interactive training session click here.
• ACEC has created a new value proposition document aimed at Big A/Little E firms, those with a heavy architecture focus and a few engineers; copies are available from Greg Knopp for MOs to use in their recruiting.

General

• Red Carpet interviews from the record-breaking Engineering Excellence Awards Gala are now available for download; video segments feature interviews with more than 50 Grand, Honor, and National Recognition Award winners and their guests as they talk about their projects and the night’s festivities – click here to view and download.

???????Advocacy and External Affairs

• Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law the most significant investment in infrastructure the state has seen in 30 years, a legislative effort that was supported by the Minuteman Fund; Illinois makes 31 states that have raised revenues in recent years to boost spending on transportation projects and other infrastructure needs.
• Joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than 40 other national business and labor groups in a letter to President Trump and Congressional leaders urging them to resume action on infrastructure legislation this year.
• Submitted comments in support of extending the Section 179D energy-efficient commercial buildings tax deduction and the Section 45 production tax credit for renewables to the Senate Finance Committee Energy Task Force.
• ACEC/PAC reached the half-million-dollar mark and added ACEC/Rhode Island to the list of states at goal.
• ACEC/PAC hosted/co-hosted events for Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), and Richard Neal (D-MA).
• Co-signed letters to House and Senate appropriators in support of funding for the National Levee Safety Program, which supports levee safety beyond the system under Army Corps jurisdiction to include levees under other federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• ACEC Water, Energy and Environment Committee Superfund and Emerging Contaminants Work Group sent a memorandum to the Director of the EPA Superfund Program encouraging project forecasting and regular industry forums; the memo cited examples of other agencies that routinely issue forecasts and conduct industry forums.
• Provided messaging support and GA advice to ACEC/Pennsylvania in advance of their participation in a press conference with Rep. Houlahan on infrastructure investment.

Business Resources

• Current trends in the public-private partnership (P3) market space are the focus of ACEC’s 2019 Private Industry Brief annual special topics issue, which will be released in mid-July; the Private Industry Briefs provide timely market overviews and business develop insights related to key areas for engineering firms: Commercial & Residential Real Estate; Intermodal & Logistics; Energy & Utilities; and Health Care & Science+Technology.
• June’s most popular online class, Taking the Pulse of the Engineering Industry – 2019 Mid-Year Discussion on Trends Shaping the Industry, offered member firms an opportunity to discuss the state of the economy, the outlook for the A/E/C market, and key factors that may heavily influence A/E companies in the second half of 2019 and beyond.
• Over twenty firm leaders from around the country attended CASE’s summer member meeting in Atlanta; speakers included members of HOK discussing the Mercedes Benz stadium, and ACEC President and CEO Linda Bauer Darr.
• SEI Class 24 met in Boulder, CO for their third session, focused on building successful strategic plans, organizational culture, and the technology landscape as it applies to A/E/C firms.  
• Released updated sample contract documents for MEP and Surveying firms, both available at www.acec.org/bookstore.
• Coalitions’ best sellers for June included CAMEE’s Quality Assurance/Quality Control Guidelines and CASE’s Agreement Between Client and Structural Engineer of Record for Professional Services, both available at www.acec.org/bookstore.
• Fourteen professionals convened for ACEC’s annual Expert Witness Seminar in the offices of ACEC/Georgia to learn how to effectively provide testimony in design disputes.
• July online classes will feature: Maintaining and Building Organizational Health and Fitness, A New Option: The ACEC RT Student Loan Repayment Benefit, Introduction to Client Utility Risk Assessment and Cybersecurity Risk Management, 9 Secrets to Winning Shortlist Presentations, Deliver the Service Your Clients Expect, Solving the Mystery of Mergers & Acquisitions (Spoiler Alert: The Owner/Founder Did It!), and Using Competitive Intelligence to Win Work.

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