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ACEC/CO Members Asked to Act Now!

ACEC/CO Opposes 2010 Ballot Initiatives that Will Affect Colorado’s Communities

Three ballot measures – Amendment 60, 61 and Proposition 101 - will be on the 2010 ballot that will have a drastic and negative impact on Colorado’s communities.  ACEC/CO’s Board of Directors have taken a position to oppose these initiatives and encourages our members to educate themselves to the impacts they will have on services provided by our local municipalities and our state.

Public Relations Committee Spotlight - Promoting Awareness of Sustainability

Sustainability. That is the theme and major focus this year for the Public Relations Committee, an energetic group who works hard all year formulating new plans and ideas to publicize member firms and the Council itself.

ACEC/CO PR Consultant and Committee Chair Adrienne Dallagiacoma said the PR committee is working to increase awareness about how engineers are embracing sustainable design initiatives.

“In many cases, engineers are writing the book on sustainable design in non-vertical disciplines of consulting engineering practice,” Dallagiacoma said. Read More..

Thank You to Our Scholarship Donors and CEPAC Contributors

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our 2009-10 Scholarship Donors and those who have contributed to CEPAC this past year. Your support of these programs is very much appreciated. Click the links above to view the companies that contributed to these efforts!

In the News

Changes Coming to the Structural PE Examination

 For all Professional Engineers who may be considering taking the Structural II examination, the examination will be given for the last time in October 2010.  After that date, the Structural I PE exam and the Structural II exam will be combined into one 16-hour examination.

All current PE exam candidates and potential applicants who may be considering taking the Structural I examination should also be aware of this change.  The Structural I examination will also be given for the last time in October 2010.  After that date, candidates can take the new 16-hour structural exam as the initial PE licensure examination.

Information about the current Structural I and Structural II PE examination can be found at http://www.ncees.org/Exams/PE_exam.php.

Information about the new 16-hour examination commencing in April 2011 can be found at http://www.ncees.org/Exams/PE_exam/PE_Structural/PE_Structural_exam.php.

Marketing Opportunities and Ideas

ACEC/CO 2011 Engineering Colorado Magazine Call for Articles
Take advantage of a free PR opportunity by submitting an article to ACEC/CO's 2011 edition of Engineering Colorado, to be distributed to over 7500 developers, owners, architects, engineers, contractors and agencies in Colorado and neighboring states. This is a great way to showcase your firm and its projects to the entire industry. Read More..

Submit an Article to CPWJ
The Colorado Public Works Journal partnered with ACEC/CO to publish articles of importance regarding the engineering profession in Colorado.  ACEC/CO member firms are invited to submit an article written by one of their staff for publication under the “Engineering Colorado” heading in issues of CPWJ. Read More..

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.

• EEA Awards Workshop
  Learn how to get your project "noticed" and other ACEC/CO PR opportunities by attending our Engineering Excellence Awards Workshop on June 18. Read More..
  
  
• Annual ACEC/CO Golf Tournament
  August 9, 8:30 a.m. at Perry Park Golf Course. Benefiting the ACEC/CO scholarship fund. Click the link above to view flier.
  

Additional Professional Development Opportunities and Events

• Green by Design - Understanding Energy Efficiency Tax Deductions for Architects & Engineers
  Clifton Gunderson invites you to attend this luncheon program on Wednesday, June 23, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Ritz Carlton. Read More..
  
  
• "Retirement Readiness: Looking Forward and Planning Ahead" Webinar
  Prudential Retirement invites you to a webinar program discussing steps to help you ensure you’re on a clear path to retirement. The webinar will be held June 16 at 3:00 p.m. (ET). Click here for more information.
  
  
• AEBL Leadership Program
  The Association of AE Business Leaders (AEBL) is sponsoring "Step Up to Leadership" (SUTL), a popular leadership training program for architects and engineers on June 17-18.Read More..
  
  
• SMPS Upcoming Events:
  Check out the upcoming events for the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Read More..
  

ACEC/CO Members Asked to Act Now! ACEC/CO Opposes 2010 Ballot Initiatives that Will Affect Colorado’s Communities Three ballot measures – Amendment 60, 61 and Proposition 101 - will be on the 2010 ballot that will have a drastic and negative impact on Colorado’s communities.  ACEC/CO’s Board of Directors have taken a position to oppose these initiatives and encourages our members to educate themselves to the impacts they will have on services provided by our local municipalities and our state. In the next few days members will be receiving a request from ACEC/CO to financially support this effort by contributing to the Don’t Hurt Colorado Campaign.  The funds that ACEC/CO raises will be matched by ACEC national through the ACEC Minuteman Fund.  The Minuteman Fund helps member organizations such as ACEC/CO fight local initiatives that negatively impact our members’ businesses. We ask your support in this endeavor as it not only affects your businesses but the community in which you live.  What will our communities and state look like if these initiatives pass?  Is this what we want for our communities and state? Brief summary of these ballot measures:  Amendment 60 would: Require school districts to cut property tax rates in half by 2020; losing about $1 billion annually. The difference is to be made up by state revenues. Repeal all past votes to retain property tax revenues above TABOR limits; repeals “de-brucing”. Require enterprises and authorities to pay property taxes, and require local governments to offset that revenue with lower tax rates. Amendment 61 would: Eliminate Colorado’s ability to build or expand its schools, roads, hospitals, college buildings, light rail, water and sewer systems, prisons by doing away with state and local bonding. By eliminating the use of long term bonds for large projects repayment costs will rise to exorbitant levels Mean local districts would have to repay bonds within ten years, instead of a reasonable time frame such as 20-30 years. Prohibit using revenue anticipation notes and certificates of participation. Proposition 101 would: Eliminate a major funding source for road and bridges construction across the state by drastically reducing vehicle registration fees to $10; this fee hasn’t been this low since 1919.  Not only would state highway projects be cut, but local projects would be as well, since cities and counties receive a major portion of their road funding from this fee. The Specific Ownership Tax on cars would be reduced to $2 on new cars and $1 on used cars.  This revenue helps fund school districts and other local government priorities.  For more information, please check out the Coloradans for Responsible Reform campaign’s web site at www.DontHurtColorado.com.  CFRR is a pro-Colorado, pro-business group formed in 1994.  Additional details of these initiatives impacts can be found at The Bell Policy Center at: http://thebell.org/node/1231. Throughout the next few months, ACEC/CO will be keeping our members informed about these initiatives. If you have any questions, please contact Marilen Reimer at the ACEC/CO office, 303-832-2200, mar@acec-co.org.

Committee Spotlight

Public Relations Committee - Promoting Awareness of Sustainability

Sustainability. That is the theme and major focus this year for the Public Relations Committee, an energetic group who works hard all year formulating new plans and ideas to publicize member firms and the Council itself.

ACEC/CO PR Consultant and Committee Chair Adrienne Dallagiacoma said the PR committee is working to increase awareness about how engineers are embracing sustainable design initiatives.

“In many cases, engineers are writing the book on sustainable design in non-vertical disciplines of consulting engineering practice,” Dallagiacoma said.

The Colorado Engineers 2010 television program, created in partnership with USGBC following the 2010 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA), was the first major outreach in promoting awareness of the sustainable work engineers are doing. The committee plans to produce the second TV program, Colorado Engineers 2011, for statewide broadcasting early next year.

ACEC/CO Executive Director Marilen Reimer said “the TV show has been an excellent tool for us to distribute to agencies showcasing the sustainability efforts of our members. Many have been unaware of what’s being done especially for sustainable infrastructure and projects.”

ACEC/CO is presenting an Engineering Excellence Awards Workshop on June 18, 2010, that will guide participants through the process of making their project an EEA award winner. At the workshop Dallagiacoma will share the new ACEC/CO 2010-11 public relations and marketing plan that will benefit our members. 

The PR committee is currently working on the 2011 edition of Engineering Colorado magazine, gathering content and developing a creative strategy for the publication. For the first time ever, the 2011 magazine will be combined with the ACEC/CO Membership Directory and will have a philanthropic feature along with our sustainability focus.

“We have been assembling information from members regarding their philanthropic work as a company and military service as well.” Dallagiacoma said.

The PR committee’s primary purpose is to bring awareness of the value of consulting engineering to society.

“This involves creating effective ways to tell the story – ways that are fresh and relatable,” Dallagiacoma said. “Consulting engineering is a serious business with serious outcomes. The PR committee’s direction in message development and delivery is essential to maintaining strong brand awareness for the Council and its members.”

Thank You to Our Scholarship Donors and CEPAC Contributors

We would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our 2009-10 Scholarship Donors and those who have contributed to CEPAC this past year. Your support of these programs is very much appreciated.

Thank You to our 2009-10 Scholarship Donors:

Thank you to 2009-10 CEPAC Contributors:

Marketing Opportunities and Ideas

ACEC/CO 2011 Engineering Colorado Magazine Call for Articles
Take advantage of a free PR opportunity by submitting an article to ACEC/CO's 2011 edition of Engineering Colorado, to be distributed to over 7500 developers, owners, architects, engineers, contractors and agencies in Colorado and neighboring states. This is a great way to showcase your firm and its projects to the entire industry.

This year for the first time, Engineering Colorado will be combined with our annual Membership Directory and published with the October 2010 issue of Mountain States Construction. ACEC/CO is looking for articles from member firms that focus on sustainability. Articles and photographs should be sent to robyn@acec-co.org. Please click here to view more details.

An additional marketing opportunity is to advertise in the Engineering Colorado/Annual Directory through McGraw Hill Publications. To learn about other PR/marketing opportunities, please attend the Awards Workshop on June 18.

Submit an Article to CPWJ
The Colorado Public Works Journal has partnered with ACEC/CO to publish articles regarding the engineering profession in Colorado.  ACEC/CO member firms are invited to submit an article written by staff for publication under the “Engineering Colorado” heading in issues of CPWJ.

These articles are intended to provide insight to an aspect within specific challenges faced by engineers and the public works profession in general.  The article should be more than a description of a project – it should convey educational aspects, lessons learned, benefits, etc. that readers would find interesting and helpful.

The next article will be for CPWJ's Transportation Issue. Send your articles to Robyn Curtis at robyn@acec-co.org.

• The article should be 1,200 - 1,500 words
• Share “ lessons learned”
• Photos or graphs are requested to complement the story.
• The article must be authored by one person who is listed with a byline. Author’s bio includes firm’s membership with ACEC/CO.

News From National

President's Report

General

• Secured a significant change to the longstanding federal policy on retainage, making the previously mandatory 10% retainage requirement optional. After several years of effort with the Small Business Administration and FAR Council, retainage is now optional with the procurement officer, rather than mandatory.  Furthermore, it can be held only until the design is accepted – not until all construction is completed.  We are still advocating elimination of all retainage.
  
  
• Won a landmark federal appeals court ruling that the National Flood Insurance Act (NFIA) shields engineering firms working for FEMA from actions under state law.

• Awarded Minuteman Fund grants to ACEC/Florida to support liability limitation legislation and to ACEC/New York to fight union anti-contracting out efforts.

• Published in the Boston Globe a Letter to the Editor advancing QBS in support of ACEC/Massachusetts initiatives.
  
  

Government Affairs

• Lobbied Congress against the diversion of transportation fees from the Highway Trust Fund in draft climate change legislation proposed by Senators Kerry and Lieberman.

• Endorsed legislation to repeal unnecessary paperwork requirements in the recently enacted health care law.
  
  
• Met with the U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank and Assistant Secretary of Treasury to provide industry perspectives on World Bank host-country procurement procedures and the new reciprocal “disbarment” policy of the multilateral development banks.

• Provided formal comments on new draft World Bank consultant procurement guidelines.
  
  
• Spoke at the Federal Agencies Commissioning Workshop on the need for commissioning agents to be licensed professionals.

Institute for Business Management

• ACEC’s Contracts Central is now listed as a Google advertiser, so that the Google search engine will locate Contracts Central when key terms are entered.
  
  
• Bookstore hot seller for the month: The Blue Sourcebook: Business Practices and Risk Management for Engineering Firms (an ACEC-published title).  This book is in ACEC/CO’s library for your review.

By Dave Raymond, ACEC President

Engineers in the News

Several of ACEC/CO Member Firms and Member Firm Staff were recognized at the Colorado Chapter of the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) at its Marketing Excellence Awards on May 13. Congratulations to: Brianne Powell of the Farnsworth Group, named SMPS Colorado Member of the Year; Stephanie Dammen of Shaffer Baucom, named SMPS Colorado's Marketer of the Year; Erica Stankelis of Monroe & Newell Engineers, named Business Developer of the Year; CH2M Hill for earning the Annual Report Award and also the Specific Project Marketing Award for its proposal for Lehigh County Authority WWTP; Felsburg Holt & Ullevig for winning the Direct Mail Campaign competition for its 25th anniversary announcement to clients; and to JVA Inc. for winning the Target Marketing prize for its JVA Gum promotional piece.

Olsson Associates named Michael Emming project engineer for its Denver water/wastewater team.

David Hoesing recently joined CTL/Thompson's Denver office as director of business development.

URS Corp. continues to give back by participating in community events. This past spring URS employees donated 22 prom dresses to teens as part of a community service event called "Dressed to the Nines". URS also recently held a silent auction through its Employee Volunteer Program (EVP), raising more than $4,200 for charity.

URS announced that Margie Krell PE has been honored by the Colorado/Wyoming Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) with the Transportation Professional of the Year Award.  The award recognizes notable professionalism and achievement during the previous calendar year and was presented at the CO/WY Section meeting on May 14, 2010 in Westminster.

Joel DeYoung recently joined Kumar & Associates Inc.'s Denver office as a project scientist.

Brian G. Robertson II, PE, LEED AP, a senior associate with Beaudin Ganze Consulting Engineers Inc. in Fort Collins, is now a Certified Energy Manager.

Shannon & Wilson announced that Mark Vessely has joined its Denver office as a Senior Principal Engineer.

Additional Professional Development Opportunities and Events

Green by Design - Understanding Energy Efficiency Tax Deductions for Architects & Engineers

Did you know that architects and engineers may be eligible for a federal tax benefit of up to $1.80 per square foot for the design of energy-efficient public or government-owned buildings placed into service after January 1, 2006? Learn more about the 179D tax deduction and the benefits it could provide to your business by attending this luncheon presented by Clifton Gunderson, Wednesday, June 23, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton, 1881 Curtis Street, Denver. This meeting is approved by the U.S. Green Building Council for one hour of continuing education credit. To register contact Molly Boyer at molly.boyer@clifton.cpa.com or 303-466-8822.

AEBL Leadership Program

The Association of AE Business Leaders (AEBL) is sponsoring "Step Up to Leadership" (SUTL), a popular leadership training program for architects and engineers June 17-18. Step Up to Leadership is an industry intelligence-gathering forum for consulting firm professionals in all business and technical disciplines: managers, advancing executives, shareholders, emerging leaders, project managers, and team leaders. 

The program offers two primary benefits

• gaining a current view of best business practices across the industry from a Faculty comprising company executives  with success stories to share and seasoned business consultants trusted by your peers
• meeting peers in a range of companies-- especially valuable for emerging leaders and managers, as well as seasoned leaders who want to "freshen up" their perspectives on current business issues and industry players.

The program is all-inclusive and will be held at Merrick & Company, 2450 South Peoria St., Aurora, starting at 7:45 a.m. on June 17. Click here to view more details.

800 Grant St Suite 100

Denver CO 80203

303-832-2200; Fax 303-832-0400

www.acec-co.org

acec@acec-co.org