Vol. 10 Issue 4 April 2010 Committee Spotlight
Programs Annual Meeting Resources
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2010 Annual Meeting Next Week
The ACEC/CO 2010 Annual Meeting will be held next week on Friday, April 16, at the Lakewood Country Club. If you have not registered yet please do so now. We will be recognizing our incoming and outgoing officers and presenting special awards to the following.. Read More..
Important: Member Certification Update Forms Due
The 2010-2011 annual renewal forms have been mailed to the primary contact for each ACEC/CO member firm. If you have not received the form please request a new one by contacting Kim Brezall at 303-832-2200 or kimbrezall@acec-co.org. The form needs to be filled out and returned no later than April 23.
This information is needed to update both ACEC national and ACEC/CO records. The information will also be used to update your firm listing on the ACEC/CO website and annual directory. We base your 2010-11 dues off the firm’s employee count that is put on your form. If we do not receive a form your dues will be based off the number of employees we currently have listed. This number will not be changed after June 1, 2010. ACEC national will be contacting those firms that pay national dues from headquarters located outside of Colorado.
Your cooperation to submit this information by April 23 is greatly appreciated!
Committee Spotlight
ACEC/CO committees are the driving force behind the Council and we are always looking for new members to join. Committee involvement is important, therefore we will be highlighting one our committees each month in “The Voice” Newsletter. Be watching for these articles and keep in mind who in your firm would be good on a committee:
Professional Development and Programs Committee:
The Programs and Professional Development Committee spends its time searching for the most beneficial speakers and topics to supplement ACEC/CO programs and meetings. Without this committee, membership would not have the same opportunities to hear and learn about such a wide range of engineering related topics.
Committee Chair Paul Duncan said that the committee’s purpose is to expose the membership to a variety of speakers and topics that are beneficial to members for “take home” value. He said that some of the information from the speakers’ presentations could cost members 2 to 4 times more to obtain elsewhere. Read More..
In the News
Legislative Update:
While some bills introduced early in the session and supported by ACEC/CO are finally completing the legislative process, some bills with late bill status have ACEC/CO on guard because of their affect on our members’ business. Read More..
ACEC/CO's Expert Witness Certifications Now Have ACEC's New Expert Witness Designation
Based on ACEC/CO’s long standing Expert Witness Certification Program, ACEC national developed the Expert Witness Designation Program. ACEC/CO’s certificants were grandfathered into this designation program. To see a listing of expert witnesses click here. (PDF document). More information about the program and the Expert Witness Designation Program can be found at here.
SAVE THESE DATES - Expert Witness Practices Seminars Scheduled:
- ACEC/CO’s annual Expert Witness Practices Seminar will be held on Wednesday, June 9, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel from 12 noon – 5 p.m. The program will be on Discovery, Disclosure and Beyond. Topics covered will include electronic discovery, how expert witnesses assist in the discovery process, and report writing.
- ACEC national will be bringing their Expert Witness Training Course – “Add Expert Witnessing to Your Revenue Stream” on June 10-11 at Grand Hyatt Hotel. Click here for more information.
News from National
President's Report
From ACEC's President Dave Raymond on the latest developments of ACEC's government affairs on your behalf. Read more..
Membership Notices and
Engineers in the News
Membership Notices for new and prospective members and other membership changes.
Engineers in the News from our members and member firms.
ACEC/CO Events and Professional Development
Register online, by calling 303-832-2200, or by e-mail for ACEC/CO programs.
- ACEC/CO Annual Meeting
Join us for our 2010 Annual Meeting on Friday, April 16, 6:30 p.m. at Lakewood Country Club. Special recognitions and presentations to take place. Read More..
- Wake-up Call Breakfast
Wednesday, May 5, 7:30 a.m. Read More..
- Save the Date for the annual ACEC/CO Expert Witness Practices seminar
To be held Wednesday, June 9, 2010 from 12 noon – 5 pm at the Grand Hyatt in Denver.
Additional Professional Development
Opportunities and Events
- APWA-CO Spring Street Conference Read More..
- APWA Annual Management Conference Read More..
- SMPS Upcoming Events:
Check out the upcoming events for the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Read More..
- Tailings and Mine Waste 2010 Conference and Call for Papers
The conference will be held October 17-20, 2010 at Vail Cascade Resort Hotel in Vail.
Read More..
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Professional Development/Programs Committee: The Programs and Professional Development Committee spends its time searching for the most beneficial speakers and topics to supplement ACEC/CO programs and meetings. Without this committee, membership would not have the same opportunities to hear and learn about such a wide range of engineering related topics. Committee Chair Paul Duncan said that the committee’s purpose is to expose the membership to a variety of speakers and topics that are beneficial to members for “take home” value. He said that some of the information from the speakers’ presentations could cost members 2 to 4 times more to obtain elsewhere. “The challenge of the Programs Committee is finding topics that appeal to the wide diversity that make up the membership,” Duncan said. “Our goal is to continue to find variety in the programs so that they will hit most if not all of the disciplines.” The Programs Committee is currently planning the May General Meeting, (May 25 at the Hyatt Regency, Tech Center), with a philanthropic theme, “Experiences from an Engineer’s Perspective of Serving in Wartime Conditions.” Watch for further details and registration information. The committee is also working on having Robert Arentz of Ball Aerospace present “Esoteric Space-Rocks the size of Football Stadiums” for a Fall Wake-up Call after the June program by Steve Sondergard of Merrick & Company, “An Engineer’s Balanced Perspective on Climate Change.” The committee also overseas the Future Leaders Supervisory Series which has just started its 11th year. This program has graduated 357 of our future leaders. Why is Duncan on the Programs Committee? “To give back to the membership and to meet a wide array of people such as the speakers,” he said. “The vast knowledge base that they carry is invaluable and through the committee I have had a chance to meet people that I would have not come across otherwise.” If you are interested in joining the Professional Development/Programs Committee, would like some more information or just want to sit-in on a meeting, don’t hesitate to contact us at 303-832-2200, jennifer@acec-co.org. We are always looking for suggestions for programs and seminars. |
Legislative Update
- HB 1394 was introduced April 1, and ACEC/CO reacted quickly to successfully remove all references to professional liability insurance before the House Business Affairs Committee met on Wednesday. This bill interchanged professional liability with commercial general liability insurance. This bill is in response to the court decision in General Security Indemnity Company of Arizona v. Mountain States Mutual Casualty Company, 205 P.3d 529 (Colo. App. 2009); the court excluded claims for certain construction defects claims and imposed no obligation to defend in a contractor's commercial general liability insurance policy. ACEC/CO appreciates the efforts of Velma Lane with VanGilder for working with sponsor, Representative Joe Rice, to get this language changed.
- On March 31, Governor Ritter signed SB116 – Change Directives for Public Works Contracts. ACEC/CO is a member of the Building Jobs4Colorado Coalition that supported this legislation and are appreciative of the efforts of the bill sponsors - Sen. Kopp, Rep. Rice and Rep. Priola for their leadership in addressing this important issue for those in the design and construction industry.SB116 will extend existing law to require that a public entity reimburse the contractor for its costs for all additional directed work performed until a final change order is signed. No reimbursements would be made until the contractor submits its cost estimate for that work.
- On April 5, Governor Ritter signed the Architect’s bill – HB 1148: Architects’ License Renewal for Professional Competency. The bill repeals the continuing professional competency requirement for an architect to maintain his or her license to practice.
General
- Recently successful Minuteman Fund-supported initiatives have included passage of limitation of liability legislation in Virginia, and defeat of efforts to repeal the QBS law in West Virginia.
- New Minuteman Fund grants have been awarded to California to prevent unfair indemnification obligations; to Texas to protect the Economic Loss Doctrine; and to Wisconsin to pass a QBS law.
Government Affairs
- Lobbied Congress on highways, water and energy appropriations bills, including provisions to move beyond short term “shovel ready” maintenance work and to allow greater flexibility for states.
- Secured final passage of a “jobs bill” that extends federal highway and transit programs through the end of the year, transfers $19.5 billion in to the Highway Trust Fund to maintain timely project payments to states, and expand the Build America Bonds program to support additional local infrastructure investment.
- Led a multi-association lobbying effort to successfully pass Private Activity Bonds legislation in House which will help communities to raise funds for water and wastewater infrastructure projects; focus now on Senate.
- Testified before the House Committee on Small Business in support of including subcontract work in calculating the level of small firm participation in federal contracts; briefed members of ACEC’s Design Professionals Coalition (DPC) on pending small business legislation and reforms being advocated by ACEC; and provided comments to Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee opposing repeal of Small Business Competition Demonstration Program.
- Endorsed legislation that will provide liability protections to A/E firms that participated in rescue/clean-up efforts after 9/11 terrorist attacks.
- Obtained $500 million increase in annual airport improvement funding in Senate-passed bill reauthorizing FAA funding and programs for two years.
- Advocated “infrastructure resiliency” as part of national infrastructure policy; and participated in Department of Homeland Security Workshop on critical infrastructure risk modeling and simulation.
- Senior staff from Capitol Hill and the EPA briefed members of ACEC Environment and Energy Committee on pending water legislation and issues at the committee’s Washington meeting.
By Dave Raymond, ACEC President
Membership NoticesProspective Individual Members
: Prospective Affiliate Members: Welcome Individual Members: Philip Voegtle, Jr., Merrick & Company: 2450 South Peoria Street, Aurora, CO 80014. 303-751-0741 phil.voegtle@merrick.com. Phil is a graduate of Colorado State University with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. He graduated from Universityof Missouri with a Masters in Structural Engineering, and also from University of Colorado with an MBA. Recommendations came from Dave Frazier, Steve Jirsa, and Joh Migliacchio. Brian Zick, TEC, The Engineering Co.: 2310 E. Prospect, Ft. Collins, CO 80525. 970-484-7477 bzick@tec-engrs.com. Brian is a graduate of Colorado State University with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. Recommendations came from Lestor Litton, Dick Huwa, and Jon Ford. Bryan Camphouse, Anderson & Hastings: 12596 West Bayaud Ave., #350, Lakewood, CO 80228. 303-433-8486 bcamphouse@ahceinc.com. Bryan is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver with a Masters degree in Water Resources. He also is a graduate of Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. Recommendations came from Jim Hastings, Scott Beck, and John Park Welcome Associate Members: Welcome Affiliate Members: Melissa Chalona, CTL/Thompson, Inc.: 351 Linden Street, Suite 140, Fort Collins, CO 80524. 970-206-9455 mchalona@ctlthompson.com. Melissa is a graduate of the University of Florida with a B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering. Recommendations came from Bill Hoffmann, Frank Holliday, and Ron McOmber. Transfer: |
Keith Ferguson has been named national practice leader for dams, levees and hydraulic structures for HDR Inc.'s Colorado office.
Burns & McDonnell has been named as one of six engineering firms in North America to receive the 2009 Premier Award for Client Satisfaction by Professional Services Management Journal Resources Inc., (PSMJ). The survey was conducted during 2009, and award winners were announced by PSMJ on March 3. 
Felsburg Holt & Ullevig named Holly Buck and Lyle DeVries as the newest principals of the firm.
Kumar & Associates Inc. recently opened its sixth Colorado location in Frisco.
Wilson & Co., San Bernardino, Calif., has promoted Chief Operating Officer Steven Watt to president and CEO. The firm also named James A. Brady as transportation division manager and chairman of the board.
URS Corporation has named John O'Connor to the position of Operations Manager for its 500+ person Denver office.
Martin/Martin, Inc. Consulting Engineers recently promoted the following staff members in the structural and civil engineering departments: Nicole Lane, PE; Cara Phillips, PE; and Joe Rausch, PE, were promoted to Senior Project Engineer.Those promoted to Project Engineer are Ben Bromiel, PE; Ben Downey, PE; Charlie McLean, PE; Eric Sobel, PE, SE; and Jeff Carlson, PE. Those who were promoted to EIT II are Lisa Bekhit, Adam Boswell, Brent Hanlon, Richard Price, Ryan Byrne, 
Chelsey Clark-Supinski, Jacqui Schmalzer and Justin Yarnell. Steve Hudgens was promoted to CAD II and Larry Sager is now a CAD Technician.
Martin/Martin's Lakewood, Colorado Civil Engineering Department also announced the promotion of Matthew B. Schlageter, PE, to Principal.
Six additional engineers in the Martin/Martin Inc. Colorado and Wyoming offices have become licensed Professional Engineers: Renee Anderson, PE; Kyle Messmer, PE; Nicholas Remington, PE; Kristina Stoll, PE; and Nathan Marshall, PE. Structural Engineer Amanda Miller, PE, received her Wyoming Professional Engineer license. She is part of the Structural Solutions Martin/Martin, Inc. group, based in Cheyenne, Wyo. With a staff of about 155, Martin/Martin now has 88 registered Professional Engineers.
ACEC/CO EventsRegister online, by calling 303-832-2200, or by e-mail for any ACEC/CO program or event.
Make sure to join us on Friday, April 16 for our ACEC/CO Annual Meeting. This is a special event because we will be recognizing our incoming and outgoing ACEC/CO officers as well as presenting awards for the following recognitions:
The next Wake-up Call Breakfast of the seires will be Wednesday, May 5, 7:30 a.m. at the Sunrise Sunset Restaurant in Lakewood. The program will cover LEED accreditation. Drew Russ, Director of Sustainability, Adolfson & Peterson Construction, will be speaking. Contact Jennifer Shaw for registration.
Breakfast Series
Podcasts For Sale Missed a Wake-up Call Breakfast Series? Not to worry! Now you can catch up by purchasing our breakfast series presentations podcasts. Available to members for $20 each or three for $45. To purchase, contact jennifer@acec-co.org or call 303-832-2200. The following are now available:
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Additional Professional Development Opportunities and Events
The APWA CO Chapter - West Slope Branch and CARMA are hosting the annual Spring Street Conference in Grand Junction, April 21 through April 23. The conference includes a variety of interesting topics current with public works operations and management. The conference also provides an opportunity and time to network with your peers from other cities, counties and agencies and all conference sponsors. Click Here to view flyer.
2010 APWA Management Conference
The Annual APWA (American Public Works Association) Management Conference will be held Thursday, May 13 and Friday, May 14, 2010 at the Red Lion Hotel located at 4040 Quebec Street in Denver.
This conference presents an excellent opportunity to showcase your company to numerous public works entities that will be in attendance. Over 40 different public works agencies have assembled for this conference the past 3 years and even more agencies are expected this year. There are several opportunities in which to provide your support at this conference and to be recognized for your contributions.
Please check the website at http://colorado.apwa.net <http://colorado.apwa.net/> for more information on the conference itself and to download the sponsorship form electronically.
Tailings and Mine Waste 2010 Conference Announcement and Call for Papers
Tailings and Mine Waste '10 is the next of a series of symposia on mill tailings management started at Colorado State University in 1978. The primary purpose of the Conference is to provide a forum for members of the mining community, engineers and scientists serving the mining industry, regulatory groups, and other interest groups concerned with environmental issues related to tailings and mine waste management. The conference will be October 17-20, 2010 at Vail Cascade Resort Hotel in Vail. There is also a call for papers for the conference. Click here for more information.