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Quick Fire Survey Results
In addition to the current bailout of financial institutions, what additional primary step would you take to improve the U.S. economy?
(results from last week)
Infrastructure investment stimulus: 50.2%
Business tax reductions: 13.7%
Bailout of automobile industry: 13.5%
Renegotiation of distressed mortgages: 12.9%
Individual tax reductions/rebates: 9.7%
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CASE Products Available At The ACEC Bookstore
The Council of American Structural Engineers (CASE) aims to improve the practice of structural engineering by reducing the frequency and severity of claims. CASE has compiled numerous resources, both electronic and printed to provide the latest information to structural engineers, such as the following:
* Available as electronic downloads.
Interested in joining CASE? To find out more about CASE visit www.acec.org/CASE.
Want to know more about ACEC's other coalitions? Visit www.acec.org/coalitions.
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Give Thanks, For Job Board Savings
Are you ready to hire new employees, but don't know where to start? The ACEC Job Board can help. We connect you with more than 13,750 job seekers in the engineering industry. In addition, the Job Board receives 3,000 visitors each month, each spending more than five minutes on the site to find their next career.
As a niche job site the ACEC Job Board gives you direct access to this focused group of qualified engineering talent specific to your needs.
Plan for your future recruiting needs and save. Purchase any Job Board 3-pack or 10-pack, and use the promotional code NOVPACK for a 20 percent discount. Don't miss this unique opportunity to save money and be seen by an exclusive audience of the industry's best and brightest. Promotion ends November 30, so start saving today.
The ACEC Job Board, your source for new employees. For more information, please contact Nina Goldman at 202-682-4325 or write ngoldman@acec.org.
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Over 775 Searchable Jobs Posted
Over 13,500 Searchable Resumes Posted
Over 1,975 Registered Employers |
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Last Five "Help Wanted" Open Positions:
Airport Design Engineer—Baton Rouge, LA
Division Director (Land Development Services)—Milwaukee, WI
Traffic Engineer—Fort Myers, FL
Project Manager—Seattle, WA
Bridge Engineer—Falls Church, VA
A Sampling of Posted Resumes:
Geotechnical Engineers—1,008
Water Resources/Wastewater Engineers—1,635
Transportation—1,399
Civil Engineers—2,287
Structural Engineers—1,635
Environmental Engineers—1,457
View These and Other Resumes and Jobs on ACEC's Job Board
www.acec.org/jobbank |
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Upcoming Online Seminars
December
2—Effective Project Planning, by Gary Bates, Roenker Bates Group (extended three-hour session)
3—Showcasing Your Expertise: How to Attract Clients Using Stories and Examples, by Lynne Waymon, Make Your Contacts Count
9—Tapping into the Power of the Press, by Jerry Guerra, The JAGG Group
10—Future Leaders Focus: A Study of the Needs and Priorities of Young Design Professionals, by Barbara Irwin, HR Advisors, and Cara Bobchek, Management Consultants
11—Are You Fighting Fires Instead of Managing Your Employees? by Gary Bates, Roenker Bates Group
Click here for an up-to-date listing of topics you won’t want to miss, and bookmark our Calendar of Fall '08 ACEC Online Seminars to visit often.
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| New Study Shows That Private Sector Engineers Are More Cost-Effective
Jay Simson, ACEC/New York Executive Director |
The use of private sector engineers for the design of public projects in New York State was found to cost at least 14 percent less than government in-house engineers, a just-released report by the Polytechnic Institute of New York University shows.
The ACEC Minuteman Fund helped finance the study which also found that consultants have more flexibility to meet fast-track deadlines than government agencies.
Click here to view the study.
"The Polytechnic Institute findings confirm our long-held belief that increased use of private engineering firms is in the best interests of the state," says ACEC/New York Executive Director Jay Simson.
The results were formulated using comparative data for government engineers versus private engineers on: direct salaries adjusted for hours of work per week; fringe benefits including medical insurance, pension plans, survivors' benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment and social security insurance; and overhead.
Statistical information for in-house costs was based on April 2007 New York State Department of Transportation data. Private engineering firm statistics were derived from an April 2008 random sampling of salaries, benefits and overhead information from engineering firms throughout New York State. The statistics were indexed and adjusted using the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics' Employer Cost Index established for private professionals and related groups.
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| ACEC/Connecticut Becomes 15th State To Reach 2008 ACEC/PAC Goal
Connecticut ACEC/PAC Champion Ted von Rosenvinge |
ACEC/Connecticut achieved its 2008 ACEC/PAC goal this week, marking the third straight year that the Constitution State has met its target.
Connecticut is the 15th state to hit its ACEC/PAC objective, joining Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska, Arizona, South Dakota, Georgia, Kansas, South Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Metro Washington, and Montana.
Connecticut PAC Champion Ted von Rosenvinge IV of GeoDesign, Inc. in Middlebury said: "I can't think of a better investment in my business right now than my contribution to ACEC/PAC."
"With so much change coming to Washington, we are going to need an even stronger, more effective voice on Capitol Hill to make sure the concerns of engineering firms are heard loud and clear," he said. "There are opportunities ahead to be sure, but if we don't support ACEC/PAC, those opportunities could easily pass us by."
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Thomas Ahneman, ACEC/PAC Co-Chairman |
ACEC/PAC Co-Chairman Thomas Ahneman, of Ahneman Kirby, in Greenwich, Conn., believes now is a critical time to be asking ACEC members to support ACEC's political programs.
"Engineers in Connecticut give because they understand the increased importance of ACEC/PAC given the current economic and political environment," Ahneman said. "In fact, it may be the only investment that's actually paying a good return these days."
ACEC President Dave Raymond, who was a guest speaker at ACEC/Connecticut's membership dinner this week said: "ACEC/Connecticut is to be commended for regularly meeting its PAC goal and thereby improving the business environment for our industry."
Many more states are closing in on meeting their respective fundraising goals before the end of the year.
Click here to see the progress of each state in achieving its ACEC/PAC goal for 2008 and information on the PAC Champion(s) leading the state fundraising effort. For more information about ACEC/PAC, contact Greg Knopp, gknopp@acec.org or Elizabeth Coit, ecoit@acec.org.
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Click here or above to view an interactive map of the progress of each state in achieving its 2008 ACEC/PAC goal. |
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| Levee Inspection Opportunities Available Through New National Safety Program
Tammy L. Conforti of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers led the Market Forecast Series meeting at ACEC headquarters last week. |
The new levee inventory program—part of the National Levee Safety Program—will feature significant inspection opportunities for engineering, said Tammy L. Conforti, levee safety program manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, during last week's Market Forecast Series program.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Congress directed the Corps to develop a national levee inventory of the status of 14,000 miles of levees under federal jurisdiction.
The database will retain—and facilitate easy access to—critical information about individual levees (earthen embankments, floodwalls, structures along canals), bolstering efforts to ensure levee safety while assisting other agencies that conduct activities related to floodplain management.
The inspections also will include recommendations to assure that any levee system does not present unacceptable risks to the public, property, and the environment.
Conforti explained that the Corps is not in a position to handle all the inspections needed, yet in many cases communities need certification of levees to remain eligible for national flood insurance.
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Still Time To Register For December Course On Real-World BIM For A/E/C Business
Building Information Modeling (BIM): The Promise and the Reality for A/E/C Firms
December 4-5, New Orleans
This course offers the unique perspectives of a diverse faculty with first-hand experience in BIM technology, and is ideal for COOs, IT management, project managers and principals of firms considering or newly involved in BIM utilization.
The course curriculum will:
- Present real-life BIM case studies of engineering firm experiences
- Explore BIM technology and interoperability
- Describe BIM transition plans, cost of training, and time budgeting
- Look at "life of the building" issues and advantages
Joining the faculty as a presenter on the risk management and contract issues associated with BIM, Frank Musica, Senior Risk Management Attorney, Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc., will address the inherent concerns for "preserving recognized legal status and control over both process and technology risks."
For details and to register, click here.
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| Explore Market Opportunities Of Sustainable Development In Four-Day Certificate Course
February 9-12, 2009 Portland, Oregon
ACEC, in partnership with Colorado State University presents Green Infrastructure and Sustainable Communities, a certificate course. Attendees will examine sustainable engineering from a business context, utilizing audits, assessments and other design tools and techniques. The course will focus on sustainable design specifically for the transportation, buildings and urban water management engineering markets.
Engineers and planners looking for a course that concentrates on civil infrastructure projects and town/regional planning approaches to sustainable design and construction will particularly benefit from the unique program. Well-known author Bill Wallace, Wallace Futures Group, will lead the faculty of practitioners, academics and other experts.
For details and to register, click here.
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| ACEC's Business Advisory Services Analysis—Make Your Business Work Better
There's no better time than now—in our challenging economy—to get your operations "back to basics." But what shape are your firm's "basics" in these days?
ACEC offers a cost-effective analysis of your specific engineering business functions—an unbiased evaluation of the fundamental components that make your business work. A Business Advisory Services review is an objective, peer analysis of your business practices in any of seven key functional areas:
- General Management
- Human Resources and Professional Development
- Computer Systems Management
- Financial Management
- Business Development
- Quality Management
- Project Management
Whether you choose a review of the one, two or more functions most important to your bottom line, or an all-encompassing firm-wide analysis, it may well be the best investment you can make in your fiscal future.
For more information, e-mail Business Advisory Services at skaska@acec.org, call 202-682-4320, or click here.
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| December Online Seminars Focus On Improving Profits, Marketing Expertise
ACEC's online seminars offer a constantly changing mix of timely topics and new approaches to the business basics presented in tightly packed 1-1/2 hour sessions. With one registration fee payable per Internet connection, a roomful of staff can participate at no additional cost—and everyone earns the PDHs. Register in advance, and you'll receive an e-mail reminder to log-on. Scheduled for next week:
Effective Project Planning to Improve Profits
December 2, 1-4 p.m.
In this three-hour online seminar, Gary Bates, Roenker Bates Group, presents a concise, start-to-finish look at planning—the "single most important process to ensure a successful project." Starting with the initial contact with the potential client or the receipt of an RFP, Bates details the "piece of the total project effort that receives the least amount of attention," how to "do it right, and the benefits to all involved."
For details and to register, click here.
Showcasing Your Expertise: How to Attract Clients Using Stories and Examples
December 3, 1:30-3 p.m.
Stories are the best vehicle for teaching colleagues, vendors, suppliers, and referral sources what your firm's target market is, what to count on from you, what to ask from you, and what opportunities and referrals to send your way. This unique online seminar explains how to find, construct, and tell examples, vignettes and stories that highlight personal and firm expertise and showcase your credibility and competence in a way that just facts and figures can't.
For details and to register, 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 • Ann Brandstadter, Editor/Designer | |
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