Record 1,200 Enjoy "Exceptional" ACEC Convention Events In Washington U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao greets attendees at the Engineering Excellence Awards gala. The ACEC 2005 Annual Convention "was a resounding success by any measure," said Cynthia Schimpf, of Simpson Gumpertz & Hager, Inc., of Waltham, MA. "Being in D.C. in the middle of Cherry Blossom season was great," Schimpf said. More than 1,200 attendees—a record high—participated in ACEC's first Annual Convention in Washington in 30 years. The Convention for the first time also combined CCD and EEA with the spring annual meeting.

Highlights of the Convention included: Astronaut Neil Armstrong proudly receives the 2005 Distinguished Award of Merit. Hundreds of ACEC "citizen lobbyists" visited 300 Congressional offices to lobby for legislation important to the engineering industry. 175 projects were recognized at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala. Kansas City-based Burns & McDonnell received the Grand Conceptor Award for its Everglades Restoration Project. U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao commended ACEC for helping establish new reforms to the Fair Labor Standards Act. President George W. Bush sent a letter praising ACEC members for their leadership in the industry. Astronaut Neil Armstrong received ACEC's 2005 Distinguished Award of Merit and credited his professional accomplishments to being an engineer.

Political analysts Mary Matalin and James Carville greet incoming ACEC Chairman Ed Mulcahy. Husband and wife political pundits James Carville and Mary Matalin provided unique and entertaining perspectives on American politics. ACEC/PAC raised $75,000—a new Convention record; the ACEC/PAC drawing for a 2005 Ford Mustang was won by John Foster, former chairman of Malcolm Pirnie. Ed Mulcahy of TranSystems, Inc. was inducted 2005-06 ACEC Chairman. Jeff Daggett of W&H Pacific, Washington became Chairman-elect. Woody Germany, WGM Group, Inc., Montana; Timothy Psomas, PSOMAS, California; Gerald Stump, Wilbur Smith Associates, Tennessee; and ACEC/Wisconsin Executive Director Carol Godiksen became new Executive Committee members. Outgoing ACEC Chairman Bill Howard was honored, as well as outgoing Executive Committee members Steve Criscenzo, Joe Paoluccio, Steve Anderson and Bill Garrity. Well-attended professional business forums and educational sessions focused on finance, management, human resources, leadership, and sales. Fun-filled and unique social events gave attendees the very best of the Nation's Capitol during cherry blossom season. ACEC members sport their "quackers" on the Duck Tour of Washington, D.C., by land and sea.

Burns & McDonnell Wins Top EEA Award;
23 Grand And Honor Recipients

Galen Miller, (left) Burns & McDonnell associate VP and project manager, and Lennart Lindahl, a Governing Board member for the South Florida Water Management District, congratulate each other on winning engineering's top honor, the ACEC Grand Conceptor Award at the EEA Gala. A 26.5 square-mile wetlands designed by Burns & McDonnell to save the Florida Everglades ecosystem was recognized as the most significant engineering achievement of the year at ACEC's Engineering Excellence Awards Gala—the "Academy Awards of the Engineering Industry." Grand Awards Winners: TranSystems Corporation Langan Engineering     and Environmental     Services/Parsons Transportation Group Magnusson Klemencic Associates Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers McDonough Associates Inc. The RETEC Group, Inc. Judith Nitsch Engineering, Inc. Honor Awards Recipients: Michael Baker Jr., Inc./ Stanley Consultants, Inc. Brown and Caldwell Sparling Syska Hennessy Group Degenkolb Engineers SVR, Inc. Consulting Engineers CH2M HILL (three Honor Awards) Black and Veatch Corporation CDM KPFF Consulting Engineers Vollmer Associates LLP Merrick & Company American Consulting Engineers of Florida PAE Government Systems/Louis Berger Group Complete coverage of the EEA Awards will appear in the May/June issue of Engineering Inc. magazine.

New ACEC Chairman Emphasizes Advocacy, PAC And Membership Growth Ed and Jeanne Mulcahy greet Convention guests from Toronto John Gamble, his wife Sherri, and their daughter Tara at the Incoming Chairman's Reception. 2005-2006 Chairman Ed Mulcahy said in his "inaugural address" that he will stay focused on achieving ACEC's Strategic Plan goals, with a specific emphasis on meeting government advocacy, membership and PAC goals. He noted that ACEC's outstanding record in membership retention is a reflection of the high value that members find in the Council. "I ask each of you to think of one firm you work with which is not already a member of ACEC, and make a personal commitment to recruit it." Underscoring the importance of achieving ACEC's PAC goal, Mulcahy said: "The visits we are making to Capitol Hill remind us of the importance of electing House and Senate members who are supportive of our industry. Our PAC is the political instrument to get those members elected—thereby ensuring that ACEC's legislative and regulatory objectives are realized."

300 Visits On Capitol Hill For TEA-21, AHPs And Water: "We Made A Difference" ACEC/Louisiana National Director Ann Forte Trappey and ACEC/Louisiana Executive Director Warren Wilder (center) with Louisiana Congressman Bobby Jindal at his Congressional office during CCD. Waves of ACEC's "citizen lobbyists" converged on Capitol Hill to advocate TEA-21 reauthorization, water infrastructure funding, and industry-backed health care legislation. Quick passage of a TEA-21 reauthorization bill was the centerpiece of the lobbying effort. ACEC members also emphasized the need for Congress to provide more federal investment in water and wastewater infrastructure, including consideration of a dedicated revenue source to fund water projects. ACEC members lobbied on behalf of pending legislation that will make it easier for engineering firms to access affordable, quality health care coverage. ACEC supports H.R. 525 and S. 406 that will enable businesses to access health insurance through "Association Health Plans" (AHPs). "Whether it's funding for infrastructure or affordable insurance coverage, these issues affect every engineering firm," said Jim Gallt of Palmer Engineering, Inc. in Kentucky. "These issues are also very timely in Congress right now. We had good meetings with our House and Senate members, and I feel we made a difference."

Board of Directors Amends Strategic Plan; Water Partnerships Signed With AWWA, WEF WEF President Lynn Orphan (left) and AWWA President Kathryn McCain sign a partnering agreement with 2004-2005 ACEC Chairman Bill Howard to advance water investment. The ACEC Board of Directors amended Strategic Plan goals on membership recruitment and PAC fundraising and provided guidance on issues important to the A/E industry. The Membership Goal was changed from doubling overall membership by 2010, to increasing member firm count by 2 percent a year and member firm employees by 3 percent a year. The PAC deadline for raising $1 million per-year was extended from 2006 to 2010. The Board approved a resolution urging State Member Organizations to bring their strategic plans "in harmony with" the ACEC Strategic Plan. Board discussions also centered on the impact of new project delivery systems on QBS; and funding of transportation and water infrastructure. AASHTO President Jack Lettiere briefed the Board on transportation issues. A partnering agreement to promote water infrastructure investment was signed with the American Water Works Association, represented by AWWA President Kathryn McCain; and the Water Environment Federation, represented by WEF President Lynn Orphan.

New ACEC/PAC Fundraising Record Set; Eight States Honored For Meeting ACEC/PAC Goals ACEC/Washington President Jim Miller (center) along with ACEC/Washington Executive Director William Garrity (right) deliver ACEC/PAC donations to ACEC President Dave Raymond during the Convention. The donations were contributed by principals of Miller's firm-GeoEngineers, Inc. of Redmond, WA. ACEC members donated nearly $75,000 to ACEC/PAC during the Annual Convention, breaking the previous record set at the Fall Conference in Portland last year. ACEC/Alaska, ACEC/Indiana, ACEC/Kentucky, ACEC/Mich-igan, ACEC/Tennessee, and ACEC/West Virginia were honored for reaching 2004 ACEC/PAC goals (in addition to those states honored at the last Board meeting). Special recognition was given to ACEC/North Dakota, which became the first member organization to meet its 2005 fundraising goal. ACEC/PAC Chairman's Club and Millennium Club members were feted at a special luncheon on Capitol Hill, which included several Congressional leaders, including Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), Chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Rep. John Duncan (R-TN), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment.

ACEC President Dave Raymond presents Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) with the "Boehner cover" edition of Engineering Inc. magazine at the Millennium Club Luncheon on Capitol Hill. 2004-2005 ACEC Chairman Bill Howard (left) presents an award to ACEC/North Dakota National Director Gene Jackson for being the first State Organization to achieve its ACEC/PAC fundraising goal for 2005.

"Engineer Advocate" Wyoming Senator Craig Thomas Supported At ACEC/PAC Reception Tom Jester, vice president of Edwards and Kelsey Inc., in Chicago (left), greets Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) during a reception the ACEC Convention. Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY) was honored by ACEC/PAC for his advocacy on behalf of the engineering industry. Author of the "Thomas Amendment" that was signed into law a few years ago to curb government competition, the Wyoming lawmaker is running for re-election in 2006. ACEC members gave him an enthusiastic welcome.

Register Now For ACEC's Next Great Event! 2005 Fall Conference In Orlando Make your travel plans now for ACEC's 2005 Fall Conference, September 21-24 in Walt Disney World, Florida. All events take place at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort in Walt Disney WorldŽ, Florida. ACEC's special room rate is $189, single/double occupancy, plus tax. ACEC's room block is at both complexes with a majority of the rooms at the Yacht Club. Conference events take place at the Yacht Club convention facility. Click here for a map of the resort complex. Book your hotel reservations by August 19 to get your first choice of rooms. Call the resort directly at 407-934-3372 and reference ACEC. The discounted room rates are available through the cut-off date or until the rooms in each block are sold out, whichever occurs first. Your patronage to the official conference hotel makes it possible for ACEC to secure the meeting space needed for the conference. We look forward to welcoming you to Florida! For preliminary conference information, please visit www.acec.org.

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