Engineering Influence from ACEC

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Engineering Influence from ACEC episodes

February 07, 2022 Essentials of Risk Management for Consulting Engineers course
Risk is a fact of life and a big part of business. As we all know, risk and reward move in tandem, higher reward brings higher risk, but going for the golden ring every time isn’t a sustainable business strategy.
That’s where risk management comes in and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Later this month, ACEC will present an intensive eight-week online program on risk management for engineering firms, and we have the two primary instructors in that course here with us today to talk about risk management.
Jerry Cavaluzzi, Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
Kevin O’Beirne, National Manager of Engineering Specifications, HDR
Click here to learn more about and to register for the Essentials of Risk Management for Consulting Engineers course.
35 min
February 04, 2022 Get to Know Your ExCom: Incoming Vice Chair Dan Larson
In this episode of "Get to Know Your ExCom," we welcome incoming Vice Chair Daniel Larson onto the program.
Daniel Larson, PE, is the CEO of American Engineering Testing, Inc (AET), headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. AET is a 100% employee-owned, multi-disciplined engineering firm serving clients nationwide and around the world from 18 offices in the Midwest and West. He is a Past President, National Director, and ACEC/PAC champion of ACEC-Minnesota, and his firm is a founding member of ACEC’s Geoprofessional Coalition.
9 min
February 04, 2022 Spotlight on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging with Gannett Fleming’s Masai Lawson
ACEC's own Katharine Mottley and Masai Lawson, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition & Inclusion with Gannett Fleming joined the program to discuss the importance of corporate DEI&B programs and how firms can chart the sometimes winding path towards a culture of inclusion. We also discuss the concept of "allyship" and why it's important for the success of DEI&B programs within firms.
36 min
February 03, 2022 Get to Know Your ExCom: Incoming NAECE President Joe Fiordaliso
On this episode of "Get to Know Your ExCom," we welcome ACEC New Jersey Executive Director Joe Fiordaliso, who will serve as the National Association of Engineering Council Executives (NAECE) representative to the 2022-2023 Executive Committee.
10 min
February 02, 2022 Preview: Upcoming Commercial and Residential Real Estate Symposium
ACEC's VP of Private Market Resources, Erin McLaughlin joined the program to preview the upcoming Private Market Symposium on Commercial and Residential Real Estate taking place on March 3-4 in Scottsdale, AZ. To register for this unique event, click here.
Speakers for this tailored event for professionals in the land development and engineering industry include:

Emerging Trends in Real Estate for 2022:
The Emerging Trends in Real Estate® report is the most highly regarded and widely-read forecast report in the real estate industry. The report culminates insights from over 1,700 real estate and land use practitioners across the country who are interviewed on real estate investment and development trends, both commercial and residential. Key speaker Andrew (“Andy”) Warren, is the report’s co-author and Director of Real Estate Research at PwC. Andy will present key findings and trends from the 2022 edition. In his role at PwC, Andy monitors all aspects of real estate and is a frequent speaker and author on issues affecting the real estate market.

The Hot Residential Market: Will it last, and what is the pattern of future growth?:
Speaker Steven Hensley is the Senior Manager of Advisory at Zonda Home, the largest homebuilding prop tech company in North America. Zonda provides cutting-edge research and analysis to the nation’s largest homebuilders and others in the residential space, with a focus on nationwide market trends, including understanding recession forces and the impacts of Millennials on the market. Zonda is known for its proprietary indices such as the New Home Pending Sales Index and the New Home Lot Supply Index.

Digital Twinning: What is it and how could it transform downtown Phoenix?:
Downtown Phoenix is using the power of a digital twin to create a more sustainable, prosperous and inclusive future. But what is a “digital twin” and how is it connected to the development and design of commercial and residential real estate? We will explore this with Sara Scoville-Weaver with Downtown Phoenix, Inc., who will share how the group is working as part of a larger coalition with Arizona State University, Amazon Web Services and others to help take the 90-block core of Phoenix into a world-class city center using a digital twin model that creates a 3D visualization that allows citizens, businesses, policymakers and other stakeholders to quickly grasp the relevance of data and make decisions.

Mass Timber: A Future Design Trend Realized:
Set to open in May 2022, The Beam on Farmer will be the first cross-laminated timber (CLT) office building in Arizona. Design Phase Executive Damon Jeffrey with Mortenson, lead developer and constructor of the building, will share details on the five-story, 184,000-square-foot office building and how it differs from more traditional commercial design and construction projects. The CLT process utilizes young trees and combines layers of natural timber for an eco-friendly building approach; the project also includes an active design and will offer users a healthy building experience in a post-pandemic world, with contactless features from “car to cube.”

Post-Pandemic Outlook for Engineering Firms, and the Impact of Infrastructure Bill Spending:
ACEC Vice President of Private Market Resources Erin McLaughlin, will provide an overview of how design and construction spending has changed both during and coming out of the COVID-19 recession, and the near-term market outlook for engineering firms, including how the recent passage of
19 min
February 01, 2022 Get to Know Your ExCom: Jay Wolverton, Chair-elect 2022-2023
On this episode of "Get to Know Your ExCom," we welcome Jay Wolverton, our Chair-elect for 2022-2023.
Jay Wolverton is the executive vice president and chief growth officer for CHA Consulting, Inc. In his role, Wolverton provides strategic oversight and direction for market leaders, business development, and corporate marketing, with a focus on the significant growth anticipated for the company. Prior to joining CHA, Wolverton was the founder and CEO of Wolverton & Associates, which was acquired by CHA in June 2019 and has been fully integrated and rebranded as CHA.
10 min
January 31, 2022 Get to Know Your ExCom: Vice Chair Ralph Guida
On this episode of "Get to Know Your Vice Chair," we welcome Ralph Guida, who will assume office at the upcoming Spring convention in DC.
Ralph Guida is a registered Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) and president and founder of Guida Surveying, Inc. in Irvine, California. He will bring 36 years of surveying experience to the position, and as a second-generation surveyor, taking an active role in supporting the future of the industry has always been a priority for him. Guida has been involved in the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) for more than 17 years, having served as Chapter President, State Organization President, Steering Committee Member, and Chair for the Coalition of Professional Surveyors (COPS). He is also a participant in the ACEC National Political Action Committee and has served as National Director for ACEC California. Guida was unanimously inducted by his colleagues into the ACEC College of Fellows at its Fall Conference last month. This honor is granted to a distinguished class of engineering and land surveying professionals, in recognition of their contributions to the Council and the profession.
10 min
January 28, 2022 Get to Know Your ExCom: W. Art Barrett, II, Chair-elect 2021-2022
In a new interview series, we profile our incoming Executive Committee class who will be taking over officially at our Annual Convention and Legislative Summit later in the Spring of 2022.
To start our series, we welcome W. Art Barrett, II, our Chair-elect for 2021-2022, who will succeed our current Board Chair, Robin Greenleaf.
Mr. Barrett is a Senior Vice President of Gannett Fleming, Inc. in Baltimore, MD.
He served as a Vice Chair of ACEC from 2018 to 2020. He is an ACEC Fellow and serves on the Planning Cabinet as well as participates on the Transportation and Federal Agency and Procurement Advocacy (FAPA) committees.
He has served on the ACEC Maryland Executive Board, as Chair and National Director, as well as the ACEC/MD PAC Champion.
Mr. Barrett is a member of the ACEC/PAC Chairman’s Club. He is a member of the ACEC Senior Executives Institute (SEI) Class 2018. He was recognized as the ASCE Maryland Engineer of the Year and has served as President of both ASCE/MD and the Engineers Society of Baltimore.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Clarkson University.
9 min
January 28, 2022 Asserting Your Value as an Engineer with Derek Clyburn
In a wide-ranging interview, ECS Limited and ACEC North Carolina's Derek Clyburn joined the program today to talk about the need for engineers to assert their value to clients in a competitive market.
35 min
January 26, 2022 The January 2022 Economic Update
Every month, ACEC's Private Market Resources team produces a video outlining the top monthly trends for the A/E industry. Here's a condensed audio podcast of that report. Here are the top three things you need to know for January 2022.
3 min