DeSign of the Times is a monthly newsletter for ACEC/PA members. We welcome articles and announcements. Please submit your industry news to acecpa@acecpa.org by the 15th of each month.
President's Message
Dear Members:
Welcome to 2012. The New Year brings us new opportunities to move ACEC/PA’s agenda forward.
The General Assembly returned to work on January 17, 2012. Transportation Funding continues to be The Number One Goal for ACEC/PA in this new year. Our efforts to deliver a comprehensive, long-term funding solution marches on. This month, ACEC/PA sent a letter to Governor Tom Corbett asking him for his leadership on this matter. If our economy is to rebound and grow in the future, we need to take actions now that will catapult this into a reality. ACEC/PA also expressed our praise to House Representatives Mike Hanna and Dan Frankel for introducing legislation that mirrors the Governor’s Transportation Funding Advisory Commission Report. This effort, when combined with the same legislation introduced by Senator Jake Corman in the Senate, proves that there is true bi-partisan and bi-cameral support to address transportation funding. Now is the time for the Governor to act.
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From left to right: Steven B. Bolt – President ACEC/PA, Eric G. Madden – Executive Vice President ACEC/PA, Mark Compton – PennDOT Deputy Secretary (View more photos here.) |
Many of you heard the encouraging remarks that were delivered by PennDOT Deputy Secretary Mark Compton at this month’s Government Affairs Breakfast. He, Secretary Barry J. Schoch and ACEC/PA have been diligently working to keep new transportation revenue on the front burner. Deputy Compton told us that Governor Corbett will make transportation funding one of his key messages during the Governor’s Budget Address on February 7, 2012. When that message is delivered, look for ACEC/PA to once again lead the charge to get new revenue into law as soon as possible. This means that many of the volunteers that have gotten us to where we are today will be called upon again to encourage your legislators (both existing and candidates) to support the funding plan.
Congratulations are in order. Once again ACEC/PA has met its National PAC fundraising goal for 2011. Great job! Thank you to those who helped us cross the finish line and to our National Director, Chris Borton, for leading the charge. These dollars are crucial to make our issues heard and known to our federal leaders in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
The new year also brought changes to how ACEC/PA does business. As many of you know, we have updated our association management software and our website. Hopefully you will view these changes as ones that will make your interaction with your association, easier and more customer-friendly. Please use this as a tool to quickly communicate with other members, send out important messages and simply learn what is going on statewide with ACEC/PA.
Lastly, we are less than one week away from ACEC/PA’s Premier Event, the 2012 Diamond Awards Gala on February 2, 2012. Come out and celebrate with our award winners at the spectacular Hershey Hotel. It will be a night to remember.
Sincerely,
Steven B. Bolt, P.E., P.T.O.E.
President
Eric G. Madden
Executive Vice President
ACEC President David Raymond's Monthly Update
January 1, 2011
Happy New Year! Although December is typically a slow month with the holidays, Team ACEC put some points on the scoreboard – notably language in the year-end Omnibus Appropriations Bill that spurs Corps of Engineers outsourcing. The new year – an election year – will test us, but we intend to prevail with infrastructure reauthorization bills and regulatory reforms no less important than last year’s achievements of 3% withholding and 1099 repeals. Our record ACEC/PAC fundraising of more than $700,000 in 2011 gives us a powerful war chest to propel our legislative agenda. We look forward to working with you in 2012.
Dave
General
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ACEC/PAC raised over $700,000 in 2011, setting a new record over the previous high of $608,000 in 2008; final receipts are still being tallied with official state-by-state results expected within two weeks.
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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce meeting of the 100 top business associations, including ACEC, reports that the economy is on the mend and is expected to experience sustained but slow growth this year.
Government Affairs
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At ACEC’s request, Congress included language in the year-end Omnibus Appropriations Bill to promote contracting out on Corps of Engineers projects.
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Secured language in Omnibus Appropriations Bill to limit ability of World Bank to adopt the “Program for Results” procurement method that would have weakened oversight and potentially exposed U.S. firms to corrupt practices by foreign governments.
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Achieved Congressional passage of legislation requiring the Administration to grant a permit for the Keystone pipeline within 60 days unless the President determines the project is not in the country’s best interests.
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ACEC/Arkansas, ACEC/Connecticut, ACEC/Delaware, ACEC/Idaho, ACEC/Illinois, ACEC/Iowa, ACEC/Kentucky, ACEC/Metro Washington, ACEC/Nebraska, ACEC/Nevada, ACEC/Tennessee, ACEC/Virginia and ACEC/West Virginia all reached their 2011 PAC fundraising goals in December.
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ACEC/PAC and state organizations hosted fundraising events for U.S. Representatives Chris Gibson (R-NY) and Renee Ellmers (R-NC).
Institute for Business Management
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The International Municipal Lawyers Association endorsed ACEC’s EJCDC contract documents and has designated a liaison to attend meetings and provide input into the documents.
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Released a new EJCDC document: EJCDC E-580 (2010), Joint Venture Agreement between Engineering Firms for Professional Services.
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Valuable A/E business webinars held in December: Top Legal Concepts Every Engineer Should Know; Marcellus Shale Gas Development: The Market and Challenges; Harassment in the Workplace: How to Protect Your Employees From Illegal Harassment and Protect Your Company From Legal Claims.
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Don’t miss A/E business webinars coming in January: Ethical Decision-Making for PEs; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2012 Programmatic Outlook; BIM and the Engineer; 2011 Legal Year in Review.
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Held inaugural session of Navigating Government Projects and FAR Requirements – A/E/C Insiders’ Guide to Government Procurement and Compliance, where participants got the latest updates on federal procurement and contracting.
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Added two new CASE publications, Tool 2-3: Employee Evaluations & Commentary on the Use of AIA Document A295, now available at BooksforEngineers.com.
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December Bookstore Top Sellers: APWA Red Book; EJCDC E-620: Contractor’s Application for Payment; Why Should Anyone Be Led by You; 2011 Financial Performance Survey.
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RCEP now holds PDH records for over 20,000 professionals and there are 90 approved providers in the system.
Industry News
Dewberry Welcomes Expertise of David Breitmayer
Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm,
has named David Breitmayer as energy segment leader with emphasis on
services to the oil and natural gas industry. Read More
Erdman Anthony Announces Promotions in its Construction Services Group
HARRISBURG, PA, Jan. 16 —Erdman Anthony announces the
promotion of Noel Caron, PE, to Core Business Leader of Construction
Services for the firm and Tim Fahrney, PE, to Construction Services
Manager for the Atlantic Region. Read More
Larson Design Group Latest News
LDG News for January 2012 Read More
Local United Way Chapter Honors Gannett Fleming Fundraising Efforts
(Harrisburg, Pa.) The United Way of the Capital Region honored
Gannett Fleming on Jan. 10, 2012, with the Outstanding Campaign Team
Award in the large companies category as part of its 2011 “Best of”
Awards. Read More
McMahon Announces Recent Promotions
McMahon proudly announces the promotions of R. Trent Ebersole,
P.E. to Associate and Maureen Chlebek, P.E. to Senior Project Manager. Read More
Orth-Rodgers Welcomes Carlos G. Garcia, P.E.
Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc. is pleased to
announce Carlos G. Garcia, P.E. as an Associate in the firm’s
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania office. Read More
RETTEW Promotes Myers to Director of Energy Services
LANCASTER, Pa. — RETTEW, an Engineering News-Record
top 500 design firm providing engineering, transportation,
environmental consulting, planning and surveying services, recently
promoted Charles L. Myers, PE, to director of energy services. Myers
previously served as assistant director of environmental engineering. Read More
Thomas M. Maheady, P.E. featured in December 2011 issue of PE Magazine
Borton-Lawson is pleased to announce Thomas M. Maheady, P.E. was featured in the December issue of PE magazine, in an article entitled “PEPP Merit Award Winners Share Important Lessons.” Read More
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