Engineering Influence from ACEC

We sat down with Kevin O'Beirne, National Manage of Engineering Specifications for HDR and the Chair of ACEC's Contract Documents Committee to discuss the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC®), which produces the highest quality standard documents specifically written for infrastructure projects in the United States. 

EJCDC contract documents are time tested and regularly updated.  As an ACEC member you can purchase these documents at a discounted rate through our bookstore on acec.org.  Learn more about EJCDC here.

We sat down with Brent White from ARW Engineers, the outgoing Chair of the Coalition of American Structural Engineers which represents more than 200 structural engineering firms dedicated to making structural engineering a fair, profitable, and robust industry.

CASE offers SEs the opportunity to further develop their businesses through shared best practices, reduced professional liability exposure and increased profitability.

CASE is the recognized authority in the SE industry and the leading provider of risk management and business practice education and information for structural engineering firms.  Learn more about the CASE Coalition here.

We sat down with Joe Romano with Langan at the 2022 Annual Convention to discuss the Coalition of Professional Surveyors, one of ACEC's seven Coalition groups specifically designed to bring leaders in the built environment together by specialization to share information, best practices and more.  Coalition membership is an important aspect of ACEC membership.  More information on the COPS Coalition can be found below:

Coalition of Professional Surveyors:

 

WHO WE ARERapid change, competitive pressures, and tremendous advancements in technology and software are changing the way professional surveyors do business. COPS represents professional surveying/geospatial engineering firms looking to strengthen the industry image and business environment by advancing quality professional geospatial services – turning challenges into opportunities.

WHAT WE DOCOPS helps members create, maintain, and transform their survey component into a healthy, bottom?line revenue producer. COPS maintains established relationships with both NCEES and NSPS, and represents surveying issues on ACEC’s outreach and advocacy agenda.

WHY YOU SHOULD JOINInformative education sessions tailored to the unique needs of surveying firms – as well as an influential national network of industry leaders and peers – will help to keep you up to date and in the know.

Membership benefits include:

Education sessions and materials specifically tailored to surveying firms

Business practice documents focused on managing and reducing your risk

Issue advocacy with Coalition to Save our GPS

An invaluable network of surveying and geospatial engineering professionals with vast knowledge and experience to uncover new business opportunities, as well as troubleshoot issues and share best practices

Quarterly meetings to share information and ideas

Information sharing forums at the ACEC Annual Convention and Fall Conference

Connect with COPS members online through the COPS LinkedIn group

Free, 24/7 access to the Seven Baselines of Business Practices – our valuable flagship publication

Allison Schneider sat down with Nicole Malachowski, a combat veteran and the first female pilot for the Air Force's Thunderbird aerial demonstration team after she spoke at our 2022 Convention and Legislative Summit.  During the conversation, Nicole discussed leadership, the importance of the "wingman contract" and how it extends to  engineering firms and more.

We sat down with Autodesk to discuss the evolution of digital project delivery and how the engineering industry is adopting this technology on projects of varying complexity to achieve greater outcomes for their firms and projects.

We spoke with our Monday session speaker at the 2022 Annual Convention, Adam Steltzner, the Chief Engineer for the NASA 2020 Mars Mission.  During his compelling presentation, Adam talked about the importance of imagination and perseverance to push the limits of what we can do.  We extended the conversation with a podcast after the session ended.  Don't miss this great interview.

Join Engineering Influence, coming to you from the 2022 ACEC Annual Convention and Legislative Summit.  Convention coverage made possible by Autodesk.

In this episode, we are joined by Saul Gomez, Director of Business Development with aec360 by HSO.  Learn more about their AEC 360 software suite for engineering firms online here and at the convention at exhibit booth 6.

Engineering Influence was pleased to be joined by Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of Charity: Water—a non-profit organization that provides drinking water to people in developing nations.  Scott kicked off our Annual Convention on Sunday evening with a fantastic presentation that resonated with our audience of engineers.  The message was simple - in 2022 there is no reason why people still don't have access to clean water.  That sounds like a problem fit for the mind of an engineer - a critical problem to solve for society.

Harrison began his journey as a former nightclub promoter in New York City.  Leaving that life behind, he became a volunteer on a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, West Africa as a photojournalist.

Returning to New York City in 2006, he founded Charity:water and focused his full attention on the global water crisis and the world’s 663 million people without clean water to drink.

Since its inception, Charity:water has funded more than 91,000 water projects in 29 countries benefiting nearly 15 million people.

Scott has been recognized in Fortune magazine’s 40 under 40 list; Forbes magazine Impact 30 list and has also been recognized as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

Today we spotlight Stambaugh Ness, a Patron Sponsor and exhibitor at the 2022 Annual Convention and Legislative Summit taking place in Washington, DC from May 22-24.

We were joined by Water Energy & Environment Committee members Lauren Evans of Pinyon Engineering in Colorado and Andrew Bochman with the Idaho National Laboratory to set the stage for a series of podcasts focused on digging into the real issues surrounding sustainable engineering.

In this episode, Lauren and Andrew discuss the differences between mitigation and adaptation and begin laying out the issues and challenges that define how policymakers and the public navigate climate change and the built environment.