2020-01

An Interview with Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17)

 
Engineering Influence had the privilege to sit down with Representative Cheri Bustos, who represents Illinois' 17th Congressional District this week to discuss the newly announced House blueprint on Infrastructure, the importance of investing in rural America and her focus on workforce development and economic development.  
Transcript:
Host: Welcome to another edition of Engineering Influence, a podcast from the American Council of Engineering Companies. Today we're very pleased to welcome to the show Representative Cheri Bustos, who represents the 17th congressional district in the House of Representatives. The 17th stretches west of Chicago from Dubuque in the North all the way down South to Peoria. Representative Bustos serves on the all-important Appropriations Committee and the House Ag Committee, and is also the Chairwoman of the DCCC, the political arm of the House Democrats. Representative Bustos, welcome to the show.
Rep. Bustos: Thanks for having me.
Host: Today is an exciting day. I think that we can kind of cover this a little bit in in our conversation that House leaders came out with a blueprint for an infrastructure bill. Of course, that's going to be focused a lot on economic development and workforce development. And I know those are two issues that you're extremely active on. And you actually do have two pieces of legislation that you have introduced on those two issues specifically. Can you tell us a little bit about those two bills? I believe it's the Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce Act and the Rebuild Rural America Act.
Rep. Bustos: Of course, I'm happy to. Have you laid out the framework at all for a what was announced today or do you want to -Host: We can jump into that. We kind of looked at it and of course we took a more, you know, encouraging step that we're actually moving forward on infrastructure. But I think that, you know, from the engineering industry's perspective, the two things that are of course most pressing are reauthorization of the FAST Act, but then also getting a WRDA done, which is absolutely necessary.
Rep. Bustos: Well and, and you described my congressional district, but let me just offer a little more context to that. We have more locks and dams in the congressional district I represent than any congressional district in the country. And that's because the entire western border of my district is the Mississippi River and then the Illinois River runs through the southern part of our congressional district. So any kind of water infrastructure means a lot. And when you look at the depression era locks and dam system, now, you know, I'm 75-ish plus years old. You know, we've got to look at investing in that. But the reason I answered your question with a question is, you know, today's a pretty momentous day. And I was at our caucus meeting earlier where we had the Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Peter DeFazio.
Rep. Bustos: We had the Chair of Energy and Commerce Frank Palone, and then we had the Chair of Ways and Means Richie, Neal all talk about the various components. And I think it's important that we look at, you know, it's going to take all of that coming together and it's not just it's not just horizontal construction. It's the vertical construction as well. And I think that we as at least as House Democrats want to take a look at this as being a very encompassing piece of legislation.
Rep. Bustos: Are the couple bills that you reference in particular Investing in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act - it's something that I introduced last October along with Senator Durbin, but that looks at really the future of America as it pertains not just to infrastructure, but as, as it pertains to how people work. We are going to be seeing increased automation and we want to make sure that as a nation that we are ready for that and that people aren't going to be losing their jobs and not having anything to go to.
Rep. Bustos: So it helps prepare workers for the jobs of tomorrow with a with a major investment in that. The other is the Rebuild Rural America Act also. We introduced that last October and that calls for a federal funding investment in rural and small town economic development projects. Again, further context. In my congressional district, 85% of the towns in the district I serve are 5,000 people or fewer and 60, about 60, 65% are a thousand people or fewer. So and we have to look at, you know, our while we have our coastal big cities like, you know, New York and LA, we have our Midwestern big cities like Chicago, but there are a whole lot of small towns in between and we've got to make sure we're investing in that. This new bill that we rolled out today calls from major investment in rural America and then the two bills that we just talked about that are out of our office address that as well.
Host: Absolutely. I mean, coming from my experience with former chairman Shuster and his district, middle of Pennsylvania, you know, you have Philadelphia you've got Pittsburgh and then you have the rest of the state.
Rep. Bustos: Yeah, very similar to Illinois.
Host: Yeah. So You really need an economic development. You need the workforce training. You need to be able to prepare those workers for, you know, the effects of the ripples and the economy that are coming from automation. But then also getting the training and understanding of opportunities that might come if you're able to get an infrastructure package done and actually build out some of these massive projects that need to happen that attracts economic development into the districts, attracts these new companies that might be high on automation, for example, Amazon and the like. And I guess the same from the engineering industry is that, you know, our member companies are going to be the ones who are going to be building a lot of those structures, whether it's going to be the roadways that lead you into the new opportunities or the vertical structures, the warehousing or the data centers or the social infrastructure, the schools, hospitals that are actually going to be in those areas.
Host: And everybody's going to benefit from so it was all tied together. It's in no way is it, is it, is it separate. And I think you've raised a good point because a lot of our members might not understand exactly how intricate it is to get something like an infrastructure package done because it's just not T& I, it's also a Ways and Means, it's also Energy and Commerce. Can you talk a little bit about the interplay in your experience in Congress about how a piece, a big bill like this comes together with all those different chairmen and the individual constituencies they have to serve?
Rep. Bustos: Yeah, I think that's a great question because in the end, if we don't figure that out, we don't pass anything, right? I mean, you might be able to pass something out of the House, but as we all know from our civics lessons that it takes more than just passing it out of the House. We need the Senate, we need the White House to all agree. Why don't we use an example that is very much also out of today. Today, the President signed the USMCA, the trade deal, the United States, Mexico, Canada Trade Agreement. And the way that came together, I think is a blueprint for how we ought to look at our transportation bill that we're going to pass. And think about this from a political perspective. And even from a governmental perspective, in the end, we had the House, the Senate get together on this.
Rep. Bustos: You had Democrats and Republicans, you had the White House, and even in the end you had your farmers and AFL-CIO, organized labor all say that this was a good deal. That let's use that model. And I will throw out trade ambassador Lighthizer who's in the Trump administration as really someone who was ready for this moment in that I can't think of any meeting that we asked for or anybody asked for that he wouldn't participate in. And so I think it's going to take that same view of bipartisanship and the House and the Senate working together. And then in the end we can't just pass this without having a pay for.
Host: Yeah. And if the White House comes in.
Rep. Bustos: That is where the White House comes in. And Richie Neal who's the Chair of Ways and Means this morning out of our caucus meeting said that we are not going to get into the specifics of how this will be paid for until we all come together and have an agreement.
Rep. Bustos: You know, anybody who wants to look at the political side of things knows that you know, you're not just going to have one side of the aisle say, you know, this is how we're going to pay for it without having the other side of the aisle have buy into that as well. I mean, things like the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund have, are brought up in pretty much every discussion because we have the money in there that we need, but the general fund keeps robbing from it. That can't keep happening. But this investment is absolutely critical. I know firsthand from looking at, for example, at the Chicago Rockford International airport, which is in the northern part of my congressional district. Okay, the economic impact of that airport. We'll close in to probably about $2 billion a year soon. Why? Because they have turned that into the fastest growing air cargo hub in the world.
Rep. Bustos: And so we need our engineers. I want to do a shout out to the how important the engineers are to making sure that we are looking at things like air cargo hubs and improving our airports. If anybody saw the 60 Minutes segment from a couple months ago we've gotta improve our airports to be competitive on the world stage. We are falling behind. You know, when in the Eisenhower era what made us this powerhouse is that we could move our goods to market more efficiently than anybody else. We could move our people more efficiently than any, anything else. We could move our information faster than anybody else. And we're falling behind on that. And that's what this is all about.
Host: Yeah. And that's a really good point. I think that there's a common theme in the House and I think for our listeners who are focused on what's happening on the major news channels to realize that behind the scenes, especially in the House, that there's always going to be some bipartisan agreement on infrastructure and there's always going to be that desire to move the ball forward and to really address things, I think that one of the issues that as a of increasing importance also, and I think, you know, I heard in the last Congress the same, which is the issue of resiliency of dealing with the environment that we have and what we're going to be inheriting on the next couple of years. And the fact that engineers have to deal with the world as it is and have to design for the future so that the bridges, the buildings, the roads are going to last there for 20, 30 years. And the issue of resiliency and dealing with sustainability and issues related to climate change and the changing environment was also a theme of what was rolled out today. From a rural district, from an agricultural district. That's also important. How important you see the issue of resiliency in terms of infrastructure and economic development in your district?
Rep. Bustos: Oh, I think it's critically important. And, and it was I would say of the one hour presentation that we had this morning that took up a good part of it. Everything from chairman DeFazio talked about an electric spine or an electric backbone to this project. And that is, you know, building out the infrastructure of if we're increasingly going to no emission vehicles or electric vehicles you can't just have this without having the infrastructure to support it. And it's even the materials that we're using and certainly your engineers who are in the practice of building roads and bridges and improving rail and all that, know a lot more about that than I do as we sit here. But that will be very important that we are, as you said, getting ready for the future. We're building things now or we'll build things next year, but you're right, they have to be resilient through the next, you know, 20, 30, 40, 50 years.
Rep. Bustos: I look outside of my front door when I'm at home and Moline, Illinois. I live on river drive. And by the way, that river that's just on the other side of that road is the Mississippi. But I see this one point $2 billion bridge that is under construction from Moline, Illinois to Bettendorf, Iowa. And I count the cranes every time I walk along our little bike path and walking path there. And you know, you count as many as 15 cranes that are up and you know, you realize how important what we're talking about right now, how important your engineers are to economic growth and economic sustainability for communities. And again, to your point of this bridge is being built right now and it's replacing a bridge that was built in the '50's and one span. And I think the other span was built in the '30's. So, you know, these things have to last a long time and they the engineering is, is very, very important to this. And, and I love seeing those cranes cause I know with every one of those cranes or jobs associated with that.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. It's, it's a big economic driver and it's truly amazing what our members are able to produce and the challenges that they're able to surmount with their talent. And then also just you know, good working relationships between local, federal and state governments and the industry at large. I know that we're a little bit tight on time and we want to respect your schedule. So, or any parting thoughts that you want to offer to our audience and of course, you know the members of the of the Illinois engineering community who will be listening to the podcast.
Rep. Bustos: Yeah. so my oldest son went to Iowa state and was an engineering major. So I'm mechanical though, not, not civil. Yeah. So I just have a great appreciation for actually the brain power that engineers have and your thought process that you put into everything and really the importance to all of our communities for the work that your members do. And let me just, I probably just echo what you just said, but those working relationships are very, very important. Our office has a very close relationship with ACEC. You've been great at keeping us informed. I hope that you see our office is one that wants to make sure that you're informed and we seek your counsel. And I think a good days are ahead and, and again from a political perspective, which, you know, it, it's good, good policy is good politics and vice versa.
Rep. Bustos: But infrastructure and rebuilding America is something that we as Democrats campaigned on going into 2018. It is what President Trump as candidate Trump campaigned on going into 2016. And my, our friends across the aisle also campaigned on this. So when you've got all of those elements saying, we've got to get this done, I think that is a, that I hope that's a telling sign that we're going to be able to make something big happen that we can pass the House, the Senate, and the President will sign it into law. And we have a lot of good work ahead of us.
Host: That's great. Well, there we have it, brighter days ahead and a hopeful message to end the podcast on. Representative Bustos thank you so much for being on and we hope to have you on in the future.
Rep. Bustos: Thank you.
 

Interviews with ExCom: Robin Greenleaf

Transcript:
Host: Welcome to another edition of Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies coming to you again from Washington, DC during ExCom orientation to kick off 2020. Very pleased to be joined by ACEC Chair Elect-Elect Robin Greenleaf who came down from Massachusetts down from Boston. Wish it was warmer down here than in the by the end of the week is supposed to be 70. But very, very pleased to have you on the program. And for those listeners who are not aware of your work with ACEC and, and, and what you do have, you know, take a moment to kind of introduce you to the audience.
Robin Greenleaf: Thanks. Happy to. So my firm is Architectural Engineers. We are a mechanical electrical design firm exclusively in the Boston area. We've been around for, I want to say 34 years at this point.
Robin Greenleaf: So we're, we're an older firm, a very well established in the Boston higher ed markets do a lot of public transportation. We're pretty firmly rooted in both the public and the private sectors. So I can bring some interesting perspectives to my time that I'm going to be serving as chair elect and then chair. The mix between private and public is going to be interesting because our current chair, Mitch simpler is about a hundred percent private and he made a big effort to really get into our minds the amount of work in the private sector that consulting engineers do. Because when we're here in Washington and we work in advocacy in policy, our minds are always what's the next infrastructure bill? What's the next word of bill? What are the next big public infrastructure pieces that are going to be put in place? And we need to not lose sight of the fact that there is a significant amount of private sector work.
Host: So your experience bridging that gap between private and public is going to be very beneficial because it blends those two worlds.
Robin Greenleaf: I think that we are at a great moment in ACEC history where we have had enough influence and enough momentum in both the private and public sectors that our membership across the board should benefit. And one of the things I'm very excited about in my time that I'll be serving in leadership is the ability to see a broad view of the world, look for opportunities to knit together the strengths from the public side and the strengths from the private side. We are launching our strategic plan. One of the things that Charlie G ahead of me and then my year as chair will be the implementation of that plan. There's very solid goals revolving around both the public and the private pieces of what we do. You know, one of my personal goals is to make sure that we're strengthening all of it as we go and just use that broad view of the world to benefit ACEC members.
Host: I think it's going to benefit not just ACEC members but also policy makers.
Robin Greenleaf: Yes.
New Speaker: Because they have tunnel vision from time to time. They can't see the bigger picture and being able to explain to them and demonstrate how the private and the public blends together and where there are nothing works in a vacuum. Nothing happens in a vacuum and things that can be put into policy can have impacts that are unforeseen. And being able to bring that perspective to say, this is, this is what the work that we do in the private, this is the work we do in the public sectors. And holistically this is, this is the benefit that we have to, the economy is going to be very important.
Robin Greenleaf: Yeah. We represent the entire cross section of the economy and we really need to leverage that. And that's always the challenge when you look at trying to communicate. Because when you sit back and you say, you know what, what do we do? I still told somebody, go outside, close your eyes, open your eyes. There you go. Yeah. Whatever you see in front of you, the engineering industry actually had a hand in.
Robin Greenleaf: Exactly.
Robin Greenleaf: And, and when you take that into totality, it's amazing. And, and, and it's a, it's a challenge at the same time, but I think we're going to be well suited to talk about it.
Robin Greenleaf: We actually talked about this at the FIDIC meeting in Mexico city. Every slide that was put up representing a project with something that could not have been built without engineer's.
Host: Exactly.
Robin Greenleaf: And I think that ACC moving forward is really driving that message out.
Host: Yeah. And I think that strategic plan that we have that we're now in the process of developing the tactics, tools and implementation I think broadly that guiding strategic document is going to help us position ACEC in the best way possible to get that message across. And the, and to build that and then the raise the prominence of, of, of the industry as a whole looking, I guess, you know, beginning we're with the second week of January and looking into your crystal ball, you know, at the end of 2020 looking back, what do you want to be able to say? Yeah, I had a hand in making this happen for ACEC.
Robin Greenleaf: Sure. I think one of the things that, that I'm very interested in seeing is what happens during the conclusion of the election cycle that we're in right now and what kinds of things can we move ahead with no matter what's going on on Capitol Hill.
Robin Greenleaf: So one of the things that I became aware of in my current, you know, put the, the Chair of the Business Insurance Trust hat on is MOs are different across the country and I think there's an opportunity to spend some time really understanding what the differences are and then working to establish relationships with some of the MOs that may have been less involved over the last few years. Really see if we can't get everybody to show up at the conferences and be much more fully engaged than they are. I think that's, that's potentially something easy. It's not attached directly to political stuff or legislative stuff. It's really more of an internal focus that I'm very interested in moving forward with.
Host: That would be great.
Robin Greenleaf: And that really plays into the goals about diversity and inclusivity. And you know, one of the things I think would be great is what if we went to the fall conference and there were 3000 people there instead of 1200 or 1500 let's double the number by increasing the number of people who show up.
Host: Yep.
Robin Greenleaf: That'll be a very exciting moment.
Host: Absolutely. A well congratulations and travels back to Boston and hopefully not snow.
Robin Greenleaf: No, I think we're having the same warmup you are this weekend - looking forward to it.
Host: And I look forward to inviting you back on the show and working with you in the in the year to come.
Robin Greenleaf: Thanks, Jeff. It's a pleasure.
Host: Thank you, Robin.
 

Interviews with ExCom: Michael Cooper

Transcript:
Host: Welcome to another edition of Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies. Continuing on with our series of interviews during ExCom orientation and we are very pleased to be joined by Mike Cooper who is in DC this week for that orientation and came to us from, I guess, I don't know if it's snowy Detroit, but you know, I know it's cold right now in Washington. It's like 20 degrees. So I would imagine it's cold out there. Wish we could actually provide you with warmer weather, Mike. But welcome to the show and, and if you could take a minute to kind of introduce yourself to the audience, those who might not be aware of your involvement ACEC in what you do. You know, let the world know who you are.
Mike Cooper: Sure. Well, Jeff, thank you. So Mike Cooper. I am the president of Harley Ellis Devereaux. We are a full service architecture and engineering design firm. We've got offices in California four of them. Detroit, Chicago, Boston and Dallas. As I said, full service architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, mechanical, electrical, structural engineering, really in terms of markets, healthcare, science and technology, education corporate and commercial, mostly vertical infrastructure, buildings, facilities and really trying to create a positive impact for our clients, helping them to get the most value out of their facility assets that they can. It's the most costly thing. Most businesses, institutions have to make sure we can get the most value out of those and they're working for us.
Host: That's, that's, that's an important point that you raise. And, and also just the fact that you are really involved specifically wholly in the private sector. So it's, it's, you know, all of the, either, you know, privately owned social infrastructure, we'll say the hospitals and schools and things of that nature, but corporate and private sector work, which was a very big part of the industry. And of course in Washington, we're so focused on the work that happens in Congress that, you know, we can't lose sight of the significant contribution of private sector engineering. One question for you off the top in the past year or two, just in your experience in your market sector, what's been the biggest area of growth for you?
Mike Cooper: Well, I think we've been fortunate over the past few years. We've seen a growing economy and I'll tell ya, all of our sectors are growing. That's good. We've seen growth in healthcare. We've seen growth in the R&D space, certainly in, in the, in the commercial space we've seen a lot of growth across the country. Education has been growing and one of the newer markets we're in the mission critical data center market that has been growing as companies are figuring out and they know this how dependent they are on data and on their network infrastructure. And as we continue to move forward with technology innovation we become more dependent. It's, it's a, it's a productivity thing for most businesses. We can actually bring greater value. We can be more responsive, but we're more dependent on data, more dependent on, in, on that kind of infrastructure. And so that market also has seen growth. We'll see moving forward. What it looks like, but but the economy has been quite healthy and, and fortunately all of the markets have seen the benefits of that.
Host: Now, hopefully that continues into 2020, I mean, yeah, there's no question that the amount of data that's being stored - used and then also stored and then, and the rules that companies have to follow in data management and data storage and just the, the collection and use of that data requires a lot of housing, a lot of storage and the infrastructure to allow that to happen. So I'm not surprised that's a growing area of the marketplace. Is that in, in large scale data centers or is that also in helping clients design their facilities existing facilities to, to better handle their IT needs?
Mike Cooper: I think it's both. I think certainly we're involved with the large scale data centers, you know, both for a singular, you know, owner entity and also more retail based where, where people will come in and they'll they'll carve out a piece. They don't want to build their own data center. So they'll come in almost as a tenant. And, and they'll become part of a larger scale development, but then you've got institutions that have to manage data and it might be an insurance company. It could be a university or a healthcare system that has to have onsite infrastructure as well. And so we're seeing all of the above, we're seeing the institutions needing to provide data management, storage and security, and then we're seeing the need for the larger scale projects so that everybody who needs it has access to it. Not everybody can afford their own data center, but they do need to manage their data effectively and appropriately and safely. And there are folks out there who are, who are able to help them do that and we're helping those folks to build those facilities.
Host: Yeah. And that's a, you know, it's interesting because one topic that's come up in the conversations I've had with the one of your colleagues as been, you know, of course the issue of commoditization and, and just that promoting the intrinsic value of engineering. It kind of, if you have a client that has realized, Oh my, I need X amount more space, or I need to restructure the way that we actually handle our data storage, it kind of goes to the value of a consulting engineer to be able to say, here's your challenge and here's a solution that fits your requirements specifically, which is something which is not, you know, it goes to that anti-commoditization argument of saying that you need to have that trusted advisor to help your client reach that goal. And it's might be something that they know they have to do, but they have no idea how to do it. You know, what are your thoughts on that kind of relationship that, that, that kind of goes into things?
Mike Cooper: Yeah. Design is, it's really the opposite of a, of a commodity. Everything is a prototype. Every project, every facility structure is a unique one of a kind entity based on a certain set of parameters and a certain set of conditions in a situation that in itself is unique. The challenge that one business or one institution has that drives them towards a project is going to be different than every other instance. So the idea that there would be a one size fits all or a one approach fits all solution really defies logic. I think. It's a more of a subjective field. There is more than one way to address an issue, but there are optimal ways of doing it. There are ways that lead to higher efficiency and higher productivity and lower costs. And so the trusted advisor, the, the truly qualified expert, those are the ones that can give you the better solutions, the optimized solutions that will give you the payback that will give you higher return on investment. So you know, sometimes, and I think we see this in all walks of life, you pay perhaps a little bit more for the expert, but the return on investment comes back and pays itself back time and time again. I think the design industry is no different.
Host: Yeah, exactly. Especially as technology changes in, in that area of, of course the day is as things change, you're going to need to modify and you can't say, yeah, this is going to be perfect for the next 20 years. You need to have that, that design process is always ongoing and always has to to adopt or, or adapt to changes in the marketplace.
Mike Cooper: Well, there's two things there. One is adapting to changes in the marketplace. So making sure that what we design can be adaptable. You know, you look at in terms of research or today we are, we are going down one path, but a year or two or three years from now we may be going down a completely different path that we couldn't envision today. So the fact that we have to be adaptable and we have to know how to design that way is one aspect. The other is simply to be able to look out into the future and see what's coming and recognize trends. There is a lot of disruption happening in a lot of industries including the design industry. So our ability to understand where technology is going and understand how, how delivery methods and how collaboration between the industry, you know, the industry players is happening, will enable us to be able to talk to our clients about not just what's happening today, but what's happening tomorrow, next year, a year from now. So that we can plan for that, anticipate that, take advantage of it. 
Host: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And that's, that's that that kind of goes to the thought leadership role that ACEC and its members play of really being experts in these fields and be able to provide that perspective about potential future trends and things of that nature. Of course, you're here today for the orientation. You sat through a number of PowerPoints from our different business units. We kicked it off this morning with advocacy and went from there. What, what kinda got you to this point as an engineer getting involved, ACEC, what, what led you to get involved with volunteer leadership and to executive committee?
Mike Cooper: Well. So it started really at the state level in Michigan and I became involved in the state of Michigan in the Michigan chapter, you know, to, to build my personal network to improve my growth as a professional to be able to, to just, you know, to be able to be better and offer more value to engage with the experts and to be able to be a bit more collaborative and understand what's going on and, and, and truly it's been it's been a wonderful experience. So I think having gone through a lot with the state organization, the national organization seemed like a natural extension for me. We work on a number of things that I think don't just apply in Michigan, but apply nationally. And so there are a number of things we talk about awareness and we talk about the disruption and we talk about the need to increase the number of folks who are going into the engineering industry and into that profession. And it certainly is a focus in the state of Michigan, but it's a focus nationally. And I'd love to bring the energy and the passion that I have to the national stage.
Host: Yeah. And that, that kind of leads me to my next question of, of we're right now in the first, actually the second week of the new year and the new decade, you know, looking ahead 12 months where you're ending out 2020, you look back and you say, you know what, this is, this is something that I was able to help ACEC push forward. What's one of your big goals?
Mike Cooper: Yeah, I think the first one is to build awareness of the impact of the profession on a, on a broad, on a global scale, you know the impact that engineers have on society, the impact that they have on really all things that we use, whether it is the cell phone in our pocket or whether it's the vehicle that we're driving or clean air or clean water or, you know, basic community needs. It's engineers who are really behind all of those things. If we want more people to go into the engineering professions, if we want people to understand the professions, get behind it so that we're driving innovation so that people are flooding our profession so that we can continue these kinds of advancements. We have to start with making people aware of what engineers are doing what they're having and get them excited about careers in engineering.
Mike Cooper: It's we don't have this many engineering graduates as we need. And I think that the start of turning that around is letting people know what we're doing. Some of the most important things that are going on, the most important initiatives from a technology and, and from a, from a advancing society perspective are happening within the world of engineering and R&D and to be a part of that and to, you know, to see that more people are interested in the profession and applications are going up and the number of graduates is increasing. That to me is going to be a signal number one, that our communities and our society are going to be well taken care of. And number two, that our, our organization here is doing what we need to be doing.
Host: Absolutely. And I think that there are number of opportunities to help get that mission accomplished.
Mike Cooper: Absolutely. One of the things that I see with people in my own firm they're most excited about purpose-driven work, you know, work that has significance, that has impact, that that is really helping people out, making the world a better place. And I think when we talk about what engineers are doing, that is what we're doing. The results of our work are literally doing those things. And when people are brought into the fold and they understand and they see all of the opportunities, as you say, to be able to do that, to be able to impact people and impact our communities in all sorts of ways in ways that we're personally passionate about, then it's not about work. It's about, you know, more of a life's mission than it is about a job or work. And I, and I see it everyday when people do what they love to do, right? They never work a day in their life.
Host: Yeah, exactly. That's, that's a great, that's a great way to end this. Mike, I think Mike, Mike Cooper, ladies and gentleman is probably one of the best evangelists we have for engineering right now. I think. I don't think I've heard that put in such an eloquent way. And it's exactly the kind of message that we have to get out there. So I really look forward to working with you over the coming months and into the future. I think we've got a lot of opportunity in front of us and really wish you success in all the markets that you work in and hopefully 2020 is as good as 2019 was. And congratulations and safe travels. I guess back to back to Michigan. Hopefully it warms up.
Mike Cooper: Well, thank you very much. It will warm up. Maybe not until March or April, but it will well, but well I, I appreciate it. I'm looking forward to working with you. It's going to be a great year.
 

Interviews with ExCom: Gary Raba

Transcript:
Host: Welcome to another addition of Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies. Continuing with our series of interviews with ExCom members who are in Washington today for orientation for the New Year. And I'm very pleased to be joined by Gary Raba of Texas. Gary, if you want to kind of introduce yourself to the audience out there who may not know you - where are you from and what do you do?
Gary Raba: Well, thanks. Very happy to be here. Gary Raba, like you said Raba Kistner Incorporated. We're about a 50 year old - well we started off as being a family owned business in Texas, doing geotechnical work, construction materials, engineering and testing and now branched off and doing some environmental work as well as owner's rep and some other really cool project related stuff on the environmental side.
Host: And you're in town of course, for the orientation. What made you get involved with the volunteer leadership portion of the association. And how did you kind of approach that, you know, as, as, as a member of ACEC?
Gary Raba: Well, when I first started I was in Austin, Texas actually starting in my career, we just bought a company. I was put into a leadership position and I looked around and I said, where do I need to go to meet the guys that really know how to run an engineering company? Cause I needed a little bit of mentoring and training and ACEC had an Austin chapter. So I got actively engaged in that chapter and, and have been hooked since the early eighties on this, on this organization.
Host: That seems to be the common factor of people I talk to. They, you know, they go to a conference or they get involved and then all of a sudden they're hooked in and, and they just keep on moving up.
Gary Raba: Well, what's, what's, what's so cool about the organization and you see it across the country now, is that you have a peer group that is already probably experienced what you've experienced and, and in, in the light jokingly way, they can steer you out of trouble and out of the fire. But there's no competitive nature with respect to good advice.
Host: Yeah. Another commonality is the idea that, you know, coming in a leadership position having that opportunity to talk to your peers who may have faced the same situation or, or, you know, in a different area of the country, but they might be able to provide some insight that you otherwise wouldn't get not having that exposure to a larger group.
Gary Raba: Oh, yeah. You know, Texas and the nation had just come out of a recession. Guess what was facing us further down the line. And about four or five years after that, in the late eighties was another recession, another turndown in economy. And I was awfully blessed to have some, some, some guys more tinted or more used to dealing with that, having already gone through one. And that was my first. So being able to pick up the phone and say, Hey, how in the heck do I keep the spirits up? How do I, how do I keep clients? Which is totally invaluable.
Host: Yeah. Again, you know, the focus being on, on the business of engineering, you know, a lot of our members are extremely good at what they do and that's engineering, but nobody really teaches it in university or you know, in apart part of the engineering degree isn't that you're getting an MBA. And having that business application is something that just doesn't come -
Gary Raba: Yeah. No, it certainly doesn't. And it is. I've, I'm, I'm across the mic smiling from him as he's asking me this question cause the, the throwback, the memory I always have is when my wife was actually the legislative aid for a state representative in Austin. I was living in Austin and we were dating, I went to several of the lobby sponsored parties and I remember them handing out a button at one time and the button from one of the lobby groups said, get into politics or get out of business. And that pretty much has been my motto since when we take a look at the public policies that, that impact us, our daily lives, be it with transportation development, planning, zoning or anything, anything of that nature that has a real impact upon us and has an impact upon our neighbors. And that just burned me too, quite frankly, as an engineer get actively engaged in the political advocacy part.
Host: Absolutely. I mean, that's, you, you raise a good point because I mean, the things that happen in Washington have direct correlation to investments made in the States. The States can't plan unless there's a federal, you know, a longterm hopefully, longterm bill put in place. The States can actually plan on their own investment. And as we saw at the end of the year with the fast act, rescission, Texas was going to be hit real hard. About seven point 6 billion is going to be a that fiscal cliff in the FAST Act. So having that ability in that voice to affect those changes, those critical changes in policy you can only do that by getting involved.
Gary Raba: You have to be involved and you have to, you have to be able to be a spokesman for the improvements that are needed. Be it water or wastewater or whatever it is, be able to put it in, in plain speak. So the, the public, that sector that is not part of our engineering community has not, does not have an engineering degree, can understand the ramifications of letting something deteriorate because the maintenance program is not maintained or trying to retrofit a very old treatment plant with new technology when you know that it's only going to be 50% effective. Yeah. So it's a, it's an interesting spokesperson role at the same time. And I think what ACC has been able to do is being able to collaboratively work across state boundaries to where our Federation at 52 52 member from our member organizations. And when you look at the amount of collaboration and coordination on public policy issues, it's very consistent in the consistent messages. What people are able to when they and when you can turn on any TV and listen to 28 talking heads, talking 28 different opinions. It's nice that we have been able to take a, a central focus on policy issues that deal with us and the public and, and be able to express those quite frankly, succinctly so that the public can digest it and understand it.
Host: Absolutely. And that's, it kind of goes with the whole idea also of fighting commoditization. If you can be that expert to help educate a policymaker on what the real life applications of their policy could be and to be able to bring that expertise and experience and actually make it something other than just an abstract term on a page or an a bill, then you're showing that you have value. You're showing that intrinsic value that you have, which puts in that member's mind. Wait, this person's an expert. And you know, if a bill comes in to try to treat that person as a product or a commodity, they're going to say, wait a minute now he's, that guy's the expert on this issue. And it helps increase your value overall and helps raise the profile of the industry.
Gary Raba: Well, I think it does. And, and, and I've, there's probably no profession that really doesn't have commoditization as an, as a challenge. And it in, it's our real role really to talk about how important we are in the public policy as well as the planning and the implementation of, of infrastructure, whatever it be, whatever type it be. Because in the long run, you can build something for a very inexpensive amount of money and then you're going to be spending over the lifetime of that. The maintenance costs are gonna be more probably 10, 15 times more than what it would've cost just to do it right the first time. So the idea that every, every profession has a certain sect that is going to be prone to trying to commoditize their service line. If we as spokesmans do our job well at a national platform, it'll show that there's fault within that, within that commoditization thinking. And I think we're starting to make a good point about it. And when you take a look at qualifications based selections, QBs is where engineers will love acronyms. And so QBs being one of them. When you take, when you look at how now in the public sector the elected officials understand that, they understand what that means. They're not, they they understand what the impact means, especially when you start talking to them about, yeah, that bridge was built by the low budget person and they have teenagers getting ready to drive it.
Host: It crystallizes that.
Gary Raba: I always always give the, the, the, the analogy you're going, when you have to have a stent put in, do you go around and take bids from a doctor to put a stent in, you know, I'm sure as heck not.Host: I know we're short on time cause you have to catch a plane back. Texas to a nice warmer. Just kind of last question here is, is, is a year from now since we're at red star, 20, 20, what do you want ACEC to have accomplished and what do you want to play a role on? Hoping to push? So looking back saying, Hey, I had a hand in that and we were able to get that done.
Gary Raba: Well, you know, when you look at our strategic plan that we've come up it is just something that's, it's going to be living and it's going to be breathing. But part of it is not so much the political advocacy part. I think we've got a good step and we've got good motion going there. But as the business of engineering, how can we help our members be better business of engineering rather than an engineering business? They need to understand that. And I think as we reach out and, and keep pushing the business of engineering as a profession, we're going to attract people. I think as we keep pushing the business of engineering as a learned profession, we're going to get to that status of being the trusted advisor and we're going to get away with the commoditization. It all ends up debating. We all want to have a good growing business and we want to be able to provide for our employees. And as we, as leaders of the companies become better business people, we've become better adapted and better trained to be able to do that Over the long term.
Host: Absolutely. Well, that's, that's great insight and I look forward to working with you over next year and beyond that, and Gary, thank you for coming on the show. Thank you. Safe travels back to Texas and we'll hope to see you back in Washington soon.Gary Raba: Yes, sir. Thank you. Take care.
 

Interviews with ExCom: Matt Hirst

Host: Welcome to another edition of Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies coming to you live from Washington D C. And we're doing, Executive Committee training and orientation this week and I'm very pleased to welcome a new member of ex-com, Matt Hirst.
Matt Hirst: Hello everyone.
Host: Matt, welcome onto the program.
Matt Hirst: Thank you. So, so grateful to be here.
Host: So give the audience an idea of you know, who you are and what you do and and kind of your path to ExCom right now at ACEC.
Matt Hirst: Absolutely. So I'm thankful to be here and really a big fan of ACEC big advocate love all the work that ACEC National and then the local member organizations do. So I'm the president and CEO of a local engineering firm in salt Lake city. We're a 120, no, 115 years old this year. 1905.
Matt Hirst: And my path to ACEC ExCom started when I was just a young man in college. My father was a MO president in 1997. ACEC came out to Utah to do the national conference last time they've been in Utah.
Host: We'll have to fix that then.
Matt Hirst: Yeah, '97. And I had an opportunity to participate with a lot of the national folks from here in DC. Got to know them and just really had a great experience. 10 years later an email comes out from ACEC National for the Maui conference. And I kinda thought, man, that's a great reason to talk my father who was president and CEO at the time to take a trip to ACEC in Maui. And so I submitted a presentation request. Got it. Walked into his office, perhaps a little sheepishly and said, hey, I've got accepted. Do you think I can go?
Matt Hirst: And kind of smiled at me and said, sure, let's, let's all go. And so I got to know many of the national resources, specifically the sales and marketing forum, many of the other forums, the small firm council and really got engaged in just some of the great offerings that national provides.
Host: Yeah, that's great. So it's like it's kind of a family family business and, and family history of ACEC.
Matt Hirst: Yeah. Dad has been a big advocate and kind of pass that on and we've been really, really happy with all of the resources that ACEC can provide to a local firm.
Host: Kind of shows. It doesn't take a lot to get involved quickly. You don't have to do a lot and put a lot into it. You can start small and, and really find yourself really involved with ACEC quickly.
Matt Hirst: Yeah, the depth of resources that ACEC provides firms, both those who are already in ACEC that they're not taking advantage of or those who are just not engaged in ACEC is so broad.
Matt Hirst: Everything from contracting to sales and marketing support, leadership support. I think a weakness that exists generally in the marketplace is we all went to school to be engineers. We all learned how to design. We're problem solvers, but we're not taught to be business people and ACEC bridges that gap. There is nobody else out there who looks out for the business of design. Well, specifically consulting. Yeah, no one.Host: And how did the path towards Executive Committee happen for you? You know, how long did it take and what really made your decision to kind of go towards, you know, this, this high level of volunteer leadership?
Matt Hirst: Well, thank you. So after being in the Maui conference, a couple of years later, I started attending more and more conferences at the national level, really got engaged in the CEO forums that was so powerful for me as I was moving up the ranks in our organization to hear what other CEOs were far superior in their tenure and experience.
Matt Hirst: Continued to attend. And then in about 2012, one of the pre ex-com members, Lee Cammack but he was one of the leadership members in our local member organization asked me to chair a committee, loved it, had a great time chairing our legislative committee for a few years. They asked me to join the local board, worked my way through the board, board, presidency national director. As I concluded our national director position last year, I thought, gosh, there's still so much more. I want to see happen in the consulting engineering field. There's just a number of challenges and a number of opportunities that I'd like to continue to give back to and work on. Talk to our executive director, talked to a couple of the folks I'd gotten to know over the years at the national level and said, you know, is applying for ExCom really something I should look at was encouraged to do so.
Matt Hirst: Did it, had a great opportunity, had, had a great experience interviewing for ExCom and just learning a broader scale of what ExCom does. And they said yes and it's a gonna be a great journey.
Host: So looking at a new year and start a new decade and an election year of all things. So it's going to be active. What do you see the greatest opportunity for ACEC and where do you think that it can really make a mark in the coming year?
Matt Hirst: You know, there are a ton of places where ACEC already does but can continue to make a Mark and that is continuing to advocate for consulting. There are, there are just tons and tons of, of governments and other special interests who want to see consulting marginalized. They I remember sitting in front of someone in our local licensing board and he was a member of that board and he said to me, looking straight in the eyes, you're just like a sack of concrete and I have to know what you cost and if I can't know what you cost, I don't want to buy you. And, and it really offended me. And I've continued to fight against that, that very thought, that mindset that we're not a sack of concrete. Everything we do is unique. It's thought leadership.
Host: Yeah, exactly. And that's something which I know from our perspective in, in, in headquarters is going to be on the front of our minds is going to be that thought leadership piece. It's the expertise and the value of consulting engineering. And like you said, the uniqueness of it of taking this talent, this experience, this expertise and applying it in a unique circumstance to help a client reach a unique objective. And it's not something you can cut and paste. It's not the kind of thing that you can, you know, just standardize and, and, and stamp out, like, you know, it's not a product, right. And it's not, it's not a commodity to be bought and sold.
Host: It is a special specialized professional service. That's right. It needs to be treated as such. And that's going to be our continued focus is going to be establishing in the minds of policymakers and thought leaders in Washington and beyond that that, that consulting engineering has intrinsic value and that with all of these different social and political challenges that we're facing, largely it comes down, you know, climate change, resiliency, sustainability at its core is the built environment and, and how we're positioning the built environment to actually withstand any of these changes. And it all comes down to the design and the build of those pieces. And that's the engineer.
Matt Hirst: Yeah. And I think, I think the big key is that no two parcels of land are new. Two projects are the same and they need a trusted advisor that they can work with and consult with. Gravity hasn't changed in a long time, so the solution will be pretty much similar from place to place. It's how we apply that solution and how we personalize that solution that matters.
Host: Absolutely. And that's where that unique knowledge base that a consulting engineer can bring to apply a solution to specific challenge comes into play. From I guess the position that you have now with ExCom at the end of the year a what do you want to leave as kind of your mark? Just on the calendar year, like 2020, if you hit hit December 31st, you know, looking back on the year, what do you want to say, yeah, I was able to push that forward?
Matt Hirst: I hope that at the end of the year we're able to look back and say as an ExCom committee, as ACEC national and then the member organizations that I'll be assigned to work with, I hope we're able to look back and say consulting as a financial opportunity was much better this year than we had anticipated it to be.
Matt Hirst: You know, there's a lot of questions about whether infrastructure will be funded or continue to be funded. There's all kinds of state by state. As I sit in the leadership breakfasts and the board meetings, there's really a lot of concerns about whether or not a recession is coming, whether or not there will be funding for projects ongoing. I mean the real reality of consulting is we're constantly working ourselves out of a job, therefore we need a healthy pipeline and if we don't, we marginalize the resources that are available to the consulting industry and all of the sudden all of these resources we have today will be gone forever and we'll never get them back. And so explaining to policymakers and those who need infrastructure that we've got to keep the pipeline going to continue to be a world leader, the United States speaking of.
Matt Hirst: And then also so that the consulting industry can be vibrant and strong to provide solutions when we need to is really, really important. I hope I'm a part of that.
Host: Absolutely. And we look forward to helping carry that message across to all audiences, both a national state and a broad, but to the larger audience, the consumer audience. Because there are a lot of people out there who, especially on infrastructure, it's, it's the thing that you use every single day of your life. You don't think about it unless something happens.
Matt Hirst: That's right.
Host: But if it doesn't work, you can't go to work. You can't get what you need in the store is you can't live a modern existence. And as technology improves and develops, it's going to require the infrastructure to sustain that. And that's why the pipeline so important. That's why the consulting engineering industry is critical to keeping America competitive. So look forward to your participation and part of the team. Thank you so much for coming in today for the orientation and love to have you back on the podcast whenever we can.
Matt Hirst: Thank you. I'm so excited to work this next year to two years with ACEC and it's going to be great. Wonderful.
Host: Thanks Matt
Matt Hirst: Thank You.

Interviews with ExCom: Charles Gozdziewski

Engineering Influence sat down with ACEC Chair-Elect Charles Gozdziewski during ExCom orientation last week.  This is the first of our conversations with ACEC's new volunteer leadership during that training.  
 
Transcript:
Host:  Welcome to another episode of Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies. This week in Washington at ACEC headquarters, we're hosting Executive Committee orientation. It's a chance for existing and new members of ExCom to come in and get an overview of of what we do here in Washington from department to department from advocacy to membership to education and get an idea of the work that we're doing now and things that they should look out for in the months ahead in 2020.
Host: I'm very pleased today to welcome to the show Charles Gozdziewski with Hardesty and Hanover. He is here as part of that orientation today. Charlie, welcome back to the show.
Charlie G: Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here in Washington, DC.
Host: 2020 - It's already starting with a lot of activity with our group down here. We kinda hit the ground running with, of course ExCom orientation. But then we're also off to the races from a policy perspective with NEPA, which is something Steve talked about before and really looking towards our own policy work with WRDA infrastructure and potentially appropriations for 2020. That's what we're looking forward to. But I want to get your perspective, of course in your position in volunteer leadership. ACEC as it stands right now, the opportunities that we have for the coming year and you know, some of the things that you watch out for.
Charlie G:  Well this is a very busy and challenging year and as people are aware in the organization, we have a major reset in place. And I'd like to talk a little bit about the internal aspects of 2020 and then the external. On the internal side. We had a chance to revisit our strategic plan, which has not been had any major revisions since 2002.
Charlie G: That's basically complete. We're now looking at the implementation phase of the strategic plan and that will be a big lift for ACEC staff and volunteer leadership as well as ExCom. So that'll take up a good part of our workload going forward. On the external side politics always plays a big role in our organization and as usual, the politics can go any way any day. But we are very well plugged in as you mentioned, we have a very strong advocacy group and there'll be engaged and active the rest of the year. We have a major election coming in 2020. That's going to be a big part of our program. But also, you know, we can't lose sight of the infrastructure bill that we're tracking and we need to be a a leader in that field.
Charlie G: We are the experts. We should be the voice of the infrastructure bill and we plan on doing that. We also have to keep in mind that our industry is changing very rapidly on a technology side and we need to stay on top of all these changes and how we do our business. ACEC again, one of the main focuses is the business of engineering and we have to remain relevant in a changing society that will be prominent going forward.
Host: How do you think our members can best utilize ACEC to do that?
Charlie G: All our survey data show that our membership rates advocacy and networking as the top two reasons they belong to the organization. The networking will be the Avenue to share ideas and information. If you're an engineer today working in an office by yourself or a company working by yourself, you're at an extreme disadvantage.
Charlie G: ACEC opens up those doors by sharing the knowledge, communicating all the regional events, the local events all the opportunities on our committees. This is the Avenue where people can learn and adjust their business practices.
Host:  And I think the ACEC coalitions is a great place for that to happen. Where you're not alone if you're a sole practitioner or if you're in part of a small firm or, or a regional firm. The coalitions give you the ability to punch above your weight class. It gives you the ability to talk to your peers across the country who may be facing the same challenges as you may be facing or are looking ahead and seeing things that maybe you haven't gotten to yet. And being able to do that information sharing is critical for a company that wants to increase their market share or to possibly enter into other markets that they might not be, you know, used to entering.
Host: And so that, that's, that's a great tool for ACEC members to take advantage of. And it's not expensive to get involved in the begin with. And number two, it's, it's just very successful for networking, which was, I like you said, it's one of the key benefits of ACEC membership.
Charlie G: The coalitions is another good example of the opportunities that ACEC offers all member firms. Of course every member firm is different in style and culture and size and geography and discipline where the coalitions, the biggest challenge is some of the firms need to spend some time and be committed to the coalitions to get the most out of them. And every feedback we get is that once they participate in the coalitions, everything is positive feedback and they learn more, go out coming out of it didn't go before they went in. So again, coalition is a good, good example of the value proposition ACEC offers all member firms.
Host: During the meeting earlier when we were talking about the advocacy program, we talked about the green new deal and we talked about some of the larger policy implications and your perspective coming from New York. I thought was very interesting because a lot of ways there are two States in the country that really lead the other States on, on adoption of more progressive policies - that's California and New York. Where do you see things going when it comes to those bigger issues of, of, you know, sustainability, climate change the green new deal and what New York is doing and how that might impact other States, especially as it interacts with our industry with engineering.
Charlie G: As you know, New York has experienced some severe weather related events that damaged a lot about infrastructure that has changed the way, not only the engineering community thinks, but also the way the elected officials think about their infrastructure.
Charlie G:  We are now very active on resilient programs in all of the government sectors. And also on the energy side, we, I feel we we're, one of the leaders is converting our energy products into more of a carbon free type of environment. And we think that we will be an example for the rest of the country is how to do that, especially on a large scale like New York City. Yeah.
Host: What do you think Congress should do this year that would really benefit the industry?
Charlie G: Well, again, on a national level and also on a statewide level I think everybody has a background of thinking that we need to incorporate resiliency and renewables into every aspect of the infrastructure. And that comes in many shapes and forms and sizes and styles. And I think it's starting to resonate.
Charlie G: It does resonate in a public and that ultimately resonates with the public and elected officials. So the engineers today are doing engineering, which was a lot different than 10 years ago. And it's with this kind of energy and resiliency and sustainability that is now part of every engineer's creativity and developing the infrastructure.
Host: Any parting thoughts on the year ahead or, or what you hope to see?
Charlie G:  I think that one of the challenges going forward is there is a lot of issues and we need to tackle them at the same time. Another big issue that's coming up as far as procurement goes and the prevalence of design build and other procurements of that nature it does have challenges to our industry and we have to really get a better understanding of how it's being used and where it's being used and how much is being used. And I think we are prepared to take on that challenge.
Host:  All good points. Yeah, just gearing up for a very active 20, 20 across the board. And we'll be leading that discussion. And thank you very much for being part of the of the show today and look forward to working with you on a, on a very successful year.
Charlie G:  Thank you, Jeff. Good luck for 2020. Thanks.
 
 

The Chairman's Corner - A Look Back at 2019 and What Lies Ahead for 2020

Engineering Influence welcomed ACEC Board Chair Mitch Simpler back to the show for his quarterly Chairman's Corner podcast.  In this episode, Mitch looks back on a successful year for ACEC and gives his thoughts on what 2020 could bring for ACEC and the engineering industry.  
Transcript:
Host: Welcome to Engineering Influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering Companies. We're very pleased today to welcome back to the show, our board chair, Mitch, Simpler for his quarterly chairman's corner podcast. And now that we're in the second week of a new year and a new decade, it's a good time to look back a bit on 2019 on what was a very busy and successful year for ACEC and maybe you know, a little bit of look forward to what the new year might bring. So Mitch, welcome back to the show.
Mitch Simpler: Well, thank you for having me back and Happy New Year to you and to all the listeners.
Host: Yes. Happy New Year.
Mitch Simpler: And you know, my wife gets very depressed at the end of the year and I tell her, I said, this is an opportunity. It's, it's, you've gotta look for it as these are opportunities and challenges not to be to be depressing, but to be enlightening and energizing. So here we are.Speaker 2: Happy new year. Yeah. And really when I came on in May of last year with ACEC, it was right at the conference in, in Washington and my introduction of course to ACEC but then also you, you assumed the role officially is as board chair a lot's happened since. What are your big takeaways from the year for the industry and from the association?
Mitch Simpler: Well, and so let's just talk about the year in general. It was, it's been a very unique year because as you know, we had a, a, a previous president, CEO had retired after 20 years. So as I came on board as the chair and when I was actually chair elect, we brought in a whole new management team for ACC national, which has been both the a blessing and a bit of a curse. The curse is that there was not a lot of intellectual an institutional knowledge that was carried forward. And that's actually part of the blessing. We did not have a lot of baggage, but the short version is having a new staff starting with Linda Bauer Darr - she brought in as a CEO, new president, but then we brought in a new CEO, CFO and, and new legislative representation a lot of, a lot of people that needed to get brought up to speed as to who we are and what we do.
Mitch Simpler: And then on top of that for reasons that I'll make clear later, I hope is the fact that we determined that we needed to upgrade and actually replace our strategic plan. So we've really had a lot of major challenges for the team, both the volunteer leadership, which was new. That would be me and Manish, the good news is we were able to adjust the bylaws that allow the previous chair to stay on executive committee to help smooth the transition out. And then having Charlie G on board who is now the chair-elect gave us a really clear set of guidance and guiding principle leaders that can help transition the organization into the future. But some, some real big challenges. And I think all had been met with enthusiasm and the team has done a terrific job to to move the needles across the board for ACEC, both on membership relationship building between the member offices and national opening up the national doors so that the states and the member firms really get a better understanding of who ACEC is, what our role is and what our responsibilities are and what we do for them.
Host: Yeah, I kind of felt that change coming in. Of course, I didn't have a lot of the institutional knowledge you know, coming in to ACEC, but I noticed that you had, that feeling of change was afoot and you had pieces being moved on the table, but really no sense of disruption. That energy, that enthusiasm was evident when I came on board. And of course, you know, Linda's been a real force in that moving this forward and kind of expanding our scope and looking bigger and trying to raise the profile of the industry. But I noticed that seemed to be kind of universal, you know - let's move this forward, and let's keep things going. So it's been an interesting ride that this level of enthusiasm hasn't waned at all. And has kind of opened new doors. Of course. You know, one of the perfect examples of that I think was the first time that we really as a large team went to a FIDIC conference of course this time in Mexico City where we had policy. Of course I came down to do podcasts. You, you were there and you were presented at the, at, at the conferences. Well as did Linda. And that was a new experience. You know, what did you think of that?
Mitch Simpler: I t was my first FIDIC conference for reasons that I don't recall. I was not able to make the previous, it is sort of, it's customary for the incoming chair as well as the chair to attend the FIDIC conferences. FIDIC for those listeners who aren't familiar with it. It is essentially the international version of ACEC and ACEC U.S. is one of 102 member countries that are members of FIDIC. So aside from the fact that it was my first FIDIC convention I have to tell you, it was truly exciting this year since the conference took place in Mexico City. It was my first time there. It was challenging because I don't speak Spanish and neither did many of the people there.
Mitch Simpler: Thank goodness is many of them speak English so that, that really made it well. But, but it's really an opportunity for ACEC to collaborate with over 102 other countries that all represent the FIDIC organization and it really you communicate on a truly global scale. And it was also important for us to be there this year because the new president of FIDIC is Bill Howard who is from CD Smith, CDM Smith, I guess it is who was sworn as a new president's two year term. So the now the leadership of FIDIC is an American. Now - Bill has served on their board for a number of years. People who remember Greg Thompolis - a former chair of ACEC national - also was president of FIDIC several years ago. So ACC has played and will continue to play a major role on the FIDIC front. But it was interesting as a member of ACEC to go down there and listen to the issues that they struggle with, many of which are the same issues that we struggle with at ACEC.
Mitch Simpler: They have the - and that's the issue of commoditization of engineering. Quality based selection. You know, how, how do you, how do you pick the right team for the right reasons. And so these are all the same missions that ACEC has FIDIC has, they have one additional challenge, which is, and we have sorta been blessed in the U S and we're kind of a bit of an a bubble but issues of corruption and, and intellectual property theft and all kinds of things that we have sort of dismissed over the years here. Because we have a much more open society. Those issues are still very prevalent at the international level. And FIDIC's challenge has been to try to open that up and and make the international market as clear and open a place for business as it is here in the U.S. And so they have their own challenges.
Mitch Simpler: The fact that we have significant American representation in FIDIC both at the leadership level as well as on the FIDIC's probably single biggest claim to fame is the fact that they have prepared a number of international contracts for design professionals. These contracts have become sort of the gold standard now. And many of the documents that we use as part of ACEC out of the EJDC have come out of a basis from the FIDIC format. So very interesting. Met some amazing people down there. We were able to as ACEC also I guess I'll say reopen or reinvigorate our eyes invigorates the communication between our counterparts here in North America as well as those in South America and particularly Central America and Mexico. There's a number of things that we think that we have more in common than in difference. They look to the U.S., FIDIC does as well as our South American counterparts. Look to the U.S. as true leaders from a technology design practice and best business practices. You know, where the, where the where the sort of the envy of most of the world and they are looking to us to help them raise their standards. And and we certainly made it very clear that we're open for business and would be willing and, and would love to help.
Host: I remember the enthusiasm of our Mexican counterparts and talking to us and, and reestablishing those ties and it was, it was, it, you know, very optimistic. We share so many common interests both economically and then also in the need for infrastructure investment. You can see how those markets can mutually benefit each other. And it's good for ACEC to be able to open that door back open for collaboration.
Mitch Simpler: Yeah. And it was, it was refreshing the, the fact that the Mexican counterpart for ACEC, that whole team came up to Chicago for our fall meeting and and continued the conversation. So this is, it's very encouraging and and I look forward to see how it how it develops.
Host: Absolutely. it was a valuable conference. And it was, it was especially interesting the subject that you presented on was technology. And how that's kind of changing the way that the industry is working and the way that the new cadre of engineers coming up through the ranks and in the university and, and the younger professionals are able to use technology to do things that were, you know, time consuming and inconceivable, you know, only, you know, a decade or so more go. And then how that technology is, is, you know, how it's being spread across the world. Because one of the things about FIDIC is that they include Western Europe, of course, North America Asia, but then also some developing areas of the world that don't have access to that same level of technology. And the point you made about corruption and the issues of IP and really just doing business in an above board way.
Host: You know, it's interesting to hear the stories from people in, you know, Europe and Asia. Then also hearing the perspectives from countries like Kenya and, and some others where, where they want to have the same access, but they just don't because their economies are still developing. They don't have the access to the same technologies, the same legal provisions that American firms have. And then the other side of the coin is American firms that might want to be doing business in those regions. What do they have to be cognizant of and aware of? And it was really interesting to have that exchange and being able to be part of that firsthand. So it was extremely good conference.
Mitch Simpler: Yeah, I agree. And, and, and for us to get a better perspective on the globe, the global business of what ACEC represents. And as you said, Europe has a definite approach and they are embracing technology, but there are a lot of countries which just simply cannot. And they turn to us as, as true technology leaders, what can we do to help them leverage whatever aptitudes they have to be better, better designers and better producers. And I think that using the FIDIC forum is a terrific way for that information exchange to take place. And it does and it was really just really exciting.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. And another big issue or topic of focus for us, of course, something that you alluded to a little bit earlier and has been kind of a a driving force throughout the year has been the development of that new strategic plan, which was adopted in Chicago officially. But that's, you know, the adoption is only the public part of it. There has been a lot of work behind the scenes that have been going on for a long time, which you have been deeply involved in. And it's going to set the stage for how ACEC moves forward and grows as an association and represents the dynamic and changing industry. You know, what, what's your and of course right now we're in the implementation phases of that plan which, which was still ongoing. What are your main thoughts about the plan itself? You know, how it came about and where we are really with, with, you know, the implementation phase right now?
Mitch Simpler: Yeah. Well, no, it's a good question and, and that certainly let me digress real quick. So here I take over as chair. We decide that we're going to have, we're going to have a new budget, a three year budget. We have a new team of our paid professional staff starting with Linda and, and then decide, why we're at it, why don't we do a new strategic plan? You've got nothing else to do on your plate. So what the heck - and I'm being a little facetious. It was a lot. It was a lot of moving parts but, but certainly the strategic plan adoption the new strategic plan adoption I think has been a real success story. Manish Kothari was chair of ACEC before me and when I served as chair elect, I also served on the planning cabinet.
Mitch Simpler: Manish challenged us on the planning cabinet to decide whether the current strategic plan needed to be updated or replaced. The planning cabinet unanimously recommended to replace the current plan as it was, the plan had really become more operational than it was strategic. And that's when the fun really began. We put together an incredible team of diverse leaders from a member firms both across the country and in different markets sectors, male and female. We had, we tried to get as diverse a group as we possibly get. The result from that process was that we developed a brand new strategic plan and that was, as you said, it was presented to the board of directors at the fall conference in Chicago. And the plan was unanimously adopted by the board. It was presented by one of the, one of our members as well as our, our strategic planning chairman, Mr. Greg Kelly.
Mitch Simpler: The plan has been branded as being both bold and audacious and as a refreshing change, I guess from the previous plans. But a real hurdle as you pointed out was the fact that we now need to roll this plan out with real operational and implementation worthy goals. And that's where the fun really began. So part of the process that we're involved in now and we were going to be presenting the next stage at the EXCOM meeting in January is to put together the both the implementation details as well as the performance metrics that we're going to be able to use to measure the success of our collective performance on execution of the plan. So that's really where we are. My hope is to be able to present certainly this a pretty fleshed out skeleton of the implementation plan to the full board at the spring meeting in DC.
Host: And being part of that, you know, the really the, the, I guess the think tank portion of it where we have all the, you know, a diverse kind of set of individuals and in groups within planning cabinet, then also internal staff talking about these goals and objectives. You know, it's, it's going to be interesting to see how it, how it all comes together because without going into detail, there are some themes and some ideas that are rising to the surface that are going to be, I think incorporated into the implementation and it's going to be some exciting, exciting things ahead. So yeah, it's been a very interesting time watching this evolve and develop from the plan, getting it approved. And now moving into this more, you know, more actionable stage of putting meat on the bones as far as, you know, those, those steps to actually get this in from paper into the reality of implementation.
Host: But it's critically important. I think that having this kind of a guiding strategic document really helps crystallize this idea that ACEC can really become the preeminent entity that's really in the popular thought space, both in public debate on the Hill, but then also talking to a larger audiences, the American people other industries about the importance of, of engineering. And this is the kind of document that allows ACEC to kind of get that accomplished. And it's going to be interesting to see how it, how it all develops. And yeah, spring's going to be very interesting to see what is going to be presented in Washington, DC.
Mitch Simpler: And I agree on everything you've just stated, but to me the, one of the key elements of the strategic plan and it's mentioned throughout is the role to become thought leaders and our role as, as the the harbinger of thought leadership in the engineering industry. And that's certainly one of our strategic goals across all of the, the various components of the plan. But it's becoming the true thought leadership developing thought leadership, executing thought leadership and being the resource for thought leadership in the engineering community. And we've been doing it and now we've tried to make it a little more, I'll use my term official that that's our strategic goal. And and it is, as you say, very, very exciting. It was a huge lift and I, and I will tell you between the volunteers and the staff, it has been an incredible process. And then my hats are off to all of you who participated because it is a it's a real challenge. To do it right it takes an incredible amount of time and patience and dedication and that has been measured across the board from everyone who's been involved. And I thank all each and every one of them for doing it - you included
Host: Well, thank you. And it's, I'll tell you the thought leadership piece is something that we're looking at and trying to figure out how best to package and create kind of a platform for thought leadership. But it all really comes down to the people listening to this podcast, our members. You know, we have the great benefit of having some extremely hefty talent out there people who are leading in their fields and are experts and our ability to communicate a thought leadership really bubbles up from the members that we have. So, you know, if there's anyone out there who has an idea or as a who or is, you know, hey, I've been thinking about this one issue that I really think we can talk about, or I can, I can talk about, reach out to us, because we'd love to get that in a place where people can see it.
Host: And our best position from ACEC is to be that amplifier of our, the voices of our membership. So anybody out there with an idea, something that they're an expert on, something that they want to talk about, let us know, because we'd like to help you with that. I'm gonna put in that little plug there because you know, we're, you know, in DC you know, we're, we're, we are staffers. We're, we're communicators. We're lobbyists, you know, association people we're not day to day engineers. And, and our talent is, is really with the States and with our membership. So don't be shy, contact us. So I, you know, really the big tent pole items for 2019 something that we haven't really had the opportunity to talk to you about before on the, on the show.
Host: But it was really interesting was your trip to Asia as part of a commerce delegation to Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam with Secretary Wilbur Ross, Commerce Secretary Ross to talk about American business and what can be done to bring open markets of course in Asia. And then also to create opportunities for U.S. Firms. You were part of that, you had meetings with presidents ambassadors and high level staff in those countries. What were your main takeaways? What were your thoughts on, on the success of that trip?
Mitch Simpler: Well, you know I'll kind of back it up a little bit. Much like the FIDIC meeting, the meeting in, in the trade mission to Southeast Asia was very exciting and incredibly challenging. First, the members of the trade mission in addition to Wilbur Ross and his team from the commerce department was the import export bank, the overseas private investment corporation, otherwise known as OPIC, the U.S. Agency for International Development, otherwise known as USAID, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, USTDA and the Department of State. Those are the government's side of the trade mission. And on the private side we had firms that represent gas companies, Boeing, Citibank, Lockheed Martin, but more specifically ACEC and Manish Kothari and I - Manish being the previous chair of ACEC, my immediate predecessor and I were the only two professionals representing professional design firms on the and the trade delegation. And it was really a unique opportunity for us and the fact that we were representing 7,000 member firms and that that little detail was not lost on anyone on the mission that we actually had more a team behind us.
Mitch Simpler: In addition to the 700,000 members that represent the firms ACEC was really very, very well positioned and we were, as you pointed out, we were able to meet with key ministry level members as well as the presidents and premiers from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand. Our simple message was that we all, the members of ACEC are open for business with each and every one of these countries. Provided we can be assured that we will be paid in full and in a reasonable period of time that our intellectual property will be honored and respected, which has been sort of the biggest problem with billing work, particularly in Southeast Asia is that you can do design work and next thing you know, your design is popping up everywhere and you're not involved because they have essentially taken your IP, your intellectual property. We - Manish and I, were convinced that our message was heard and well received by all the members of leadership within these countries who also recognize that ACEC represents the best of the best design firms on a global scale.
Mitch Simpler: And if you want us to be able to work on your projects in those countries, they need to be clear and open about how we're working, how we get paid and, and how our intellectual properties will be respected. And that message was made very loud and clear and very well received. And our hope both through the commerce department as well as through the individual firms that are doing actively doing work over there now that we will be able to continue the conversation and and get more firms actively involved. They are all doing incredibly well from a, from an economic development standpoint. And it certainly would behove any and every American firm to get involved to the extent that they are able, because it is, it is a booming economy and will soon be, it's right now that the Asian countries represent the third largest market segment and third largest economy. And we need to be more actively involved. My hope is that we will.
Host: Yeah, I think it's, it's, you know, there's a great, and again, you know, ACEC being part of that trip you know, with how many companies and professionals that we represent and that, that, that massive force behind that name. It's also important to kind of point out that as far as it, as the, as the trade mission went, we were the only professional trade association that was part of the trip. Everybody else was part of a company or....
Mitch Simpler: Yes, they were there with a very pointed mission to sell their specific product. And we were selling an idea and I'll tell you, it was, it was very well received. And by the way, including the companies that were there saying, you know, we need to talk to you guys about help design facilities for us over here because they all want to look. It's a huge economic booming area. Right now one of the big issues was the fact that there is an average of $40 billion trade deficit in favor of those countries against the U.S. and getting us companies to invest and building projects in Southeast Asia, but using U.S. firms and us products was really part of the mission statement. And I, and I, that was not lost on anyone there, including the companies that accompanied us to Southeast Asia using American companies to do their design and build and construction and using American products and the whole thing. It was, there was, it was a home run.
Host: I mean when it was Tesla, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, I mean some and some of the larger players in the oil and gas, natural gas fields. I mean, and also creating those inroads with those companies that are going to be making those investments. And then from a national security and more strategic position is that, you know, the big, of course name on the block there is China and there's a, there's, you know, with, with the belt and road initiatives that China's doing and their investments in the region that those countries are looking for other partners in the landscape.
Mitch Simpler: They are looking for alternatives, because I think the gloss has worn off the belt and road concept and they're now beginning to realize that that's not a good spot for them to be in. Because China has really started tightening, no pun intended, tightening their belt on those countries and they're saying, look, we need alternatives. We need, we need better solutions from outside of China. And we were there to help.
Mitch Simpler: By the way, having both the city there as well as USAID and the Import-Export bank gave them funding opportunities that they would have otherwise not had.
Host: I can tell you from you know, the reciprocity side. I mean, after you came back in short order, before the end of the year, we had about two or three meetings inside our DC office with representatives from the region and including Vietnam who were very interested in talking to us because like you said, you know, we are the gold standard. We have that knowledge base. We have that just that ability to improve of course their own practices and to influence how they are shaping the rules and regulations that govern the work that's done in the region. But then also having that ability to create and build the best infrastructure possible for a market that is just growing by leaps and bounds. And, and for any company out there that's listening any CEO who's saying, you know, it might be interesting to get involved in international work with a country in the region you know, reach out to us because Dan Hilton on our team did a very good job of, of helping to provide the background, of course, to help you guys get out there and make it a successful meeting.
Host: But, you know, we are tied in with still USAID, the Export-Import bank those government entities we have a very good relationship with them and we can help firms out there that earth that are looking at getting involved in those markets. And we can be that door opener. We can be that convener to help make those relationships happen. So if you're interested in it, please reach out because you have a lot, you know your membership in ACEC goes beyond just you know, what you see day to day. There's a lot of work going on to on the international front. So, you know, take advantage of that.
Mitch Simpler: Absolutely agree. As I said, very exciting. Clearly an opportunity and a number of our member firms are already actively involved in Southeast Asia and this is really an opportunity for other firms now to be able to piggyback on the successes that have already taken place.
Host: Yeah. so that's, that's it was a busy year both domestically and internationally, a lot of things are going to be going into 2020 that, that were started of course in 2019. The strategic plan being one I guess what's your outlook? I mean, not just from ACEC, but also as a leader and an executive in the industry. You know, what's 2020 looking like from your seat in the C suite?
Mitch Simpler: Well, from my lips to God's ears I'm, I'll use the term cautiously optimistic. You know, I think everyone is, is feeling the success over the last several years, but particularly for 19, we would love for it to continue. But those of us who've been in business long enough, and this is my 43rd year with JBB and 33 years as a partner I've seen economic booms and I've seen economic busts. And just when you think when things are going good and they're going to be sustained, you know, the floor drops out. So I'll use my term cautiously optimistic for 2020. We certainly have, we as a firm we as a region have a, just a real boom going on in the Northeast construction boom in the, in the engineering industry is is feeling it in a very good way.
Mitch Simpler: We have reasonable expectations that this will certainly continue through 2020. We know, obviously this is an election year and that's when, you know, funny things happen and somebody says the wrong thing at the right time and next, now the market takes a tank. So my term cautiously optimistic is just that for that reason, I've ever reason to believe that it will continue going. Certainly in a matter of similar, not necessarily, I'm not sure it will continue at this a fevered pitch, but, but certainly continue at reasonable growth. And the reports that I've gotten back through my network as chair certainly through my fellow CEOs is that this, I think this cautious optimism is, is pretty much spread out across the country. And it's, that's good news. Anything we can do to continue that process we should be doing. Absolutely. Tell me what that is. I'll be happy to do it.
Host: Well, it's going to be an interesting year. I, without question, when ever you have it you know an election year like this, it's always going to be very interesting. And we're going to be very active in it from our position to help the candidates understand the importance of the engineering industry to see all the policies that are out there that benefit us from, from, you know, issues related to workforce, immigration resiliency, climate change, things like that, that, you know, we have a part to play. And we have a voice and we want to have that voice included in the policy debate. And that's going to be up to us to make sure that happens.
Mitch Simpler: Right. And this is the what's the right word? A a not so honest plug for the PAC, but this is where the PAC becomes so critical. And then the good news is I was, I got my, my notice that the PAC has exceeded $1 million again for 2019 and congratulations to all of those who contributed. It is an absolute, probably the single best arrow we in our quiver for the success of ACEC members and our advocacy program is the PAC. And this year will be the year that it was ever going to be something worthwhile to have. It's a PAC during this presidential election. And so kudos to all of those who, who contributed kudos to ACEC for being able to continue to grow the PAC and use it in our advocacy and amount of, to which it was intended. And that's, this year will be that test year. It's, it's disappointing that for the last four years, we've not been able to get an infrastructure bill passed. But, but we certainly have every reason to believe that this year could be that year.
Host: And again, as it happened with the 2016 election, infrastructure was more than just a back burner issue. It did come to the forefront. Hopefully that happens again. And, and the PAC enables us to keep that conversation going and to introduce, of course, our industry to more Members of Congress. Of course, the significant number of freshmen that are in Congress right now who are going to be up for reelection you know, they're going to want to know what's happening. And the PAC, the townhouse that we have of course in Washington right now, which Dave Bender is overseeing being able to have people in and to have those meetings, it's critically important. So yes, thank you for all who have donated. And the PAC is a, is a potent weapon. And, and, and it's, it's said a lot about in DC that, that, you know having one of that size is the kind of thing that separates you from a crowd and, and has you and your message taken a lot more seriously. So breaking that million Mark is, is a, is a big landmark that really sets us up for for a good 2020.
Mitch Simpler: All right. Fingers crossed.
Host: Yeah. Fingers crossed.
Host: Exactly. I guess that that kind of you know, I think that's a good note to, to kinda end on. It's a cautiously optimistic for 2020. Anything else that you want to add before we sign off?
Mitch Simpler: No, other than it's been a real pleasure to work both with Jeff, with you and the entire ACEC team at national and you guys make us all look good, but it is not lost on any one of us. That it is you, the, the staff that make ACEC the success story that it is. And thank you all. And I wish everyone a very happy, healthy and safe new year. And I will see you actually on Wednesday.
Host: Yes, absolutely. And thank you for that. And we will see you for our EXCOMM training and the year is kicking off with a fast pace and a very packed January. So we really look forward to an exciting year ahead and talking to you in the future. And thank you very much for taking the time, Mitch, and Happy New Year.

Jump into 2020 with tips from the ACEC Life Health Trust

Engineering Influence kicks off 2020 with an interview with April Leonard and Lindsay Simone at the ACEC Life Health Trust with tips for a healthier year for you and your firm.
Here are some of the resources mentioned during the interview:
https://fitspotwellness.com/blog/3-competitive-advantages-of-workplace-wellness-programs/
https://smallbiztrends.com/2015/07/company-need-a-wellness-program.html
https://hiring.monster.com/employer-resources/workforce-management/employee-benefits-management/workplace-wellness-benefits/
Transcript:
Host: Welcome to another edition of engineering influence, a podcast by the American Council of Engineering companies. Very pleased to be welcoming back the ACEC Life Health Trust. And we have April and Lindsey back on the show. Last time we spoke to them was at our conference in Chicago in October. We've talked about the general benefits and what the trust offers, but now that we're in a new year, everyone's kind of focused on those resolutions that we all make to be better people to lose the weight, get healthier. And you know, everybody's looking and seeing what they might be able to do to prepare for a spring of 2020. So Lindsey and April. Welcome back to the show. What kind of tips and tricks do you suggest that our members take advantage of the new year?
Guest: Sure. And the new year, as you stated, is a great time to focus on your health and wellbeing and specifically resolutions that you have and things you want to achieve during the year. My number one suggestion is always to start and understand where you're at today. To be able to then have very specific goals in mind, you need to at least have an a general assessment or baseline of where you're at now. And so what we typically recommend is using your preventive visits doing a biometric screening, a checkup with your doctor to get a just a full list of all of your measurements and where you're at today also it doesn't hurt to look and do it a health assessment as well, just to see if there's any habits that you have that you may want to tweak. And I think the important part about setting goals is finding something that's meaningful to you. But it's also achievable. I think a lot of people say, I want to lose the 10 pounds or if they had the same goal over and over. So maybe just looking at it in different light and breaking it down into very specific goals that are achievable.
Host: Yeah, I'm, I'm guilty of that. I think everybody is of trying to bite off more than you can chew or, or just keep on coming back to the same ideas. And, and that's a good point. Kind of doing an assessment early on and trying to figure out where you are. Everybody kinda has that tendency to look towards the end point and you know, the things OK, this is where I want to do and they push themselves. But they kind of do that without actually seeing what they're capable of or where their health is at the start. So that's a, that's a very good tip.
Host: A lot of our firms should have already received or they should be expecting a new year's wellness kit from the trust. What is in that kit and what can they do with it?
Guest: Sure. So ACEC Life Health Trust offers a comprehensive wellness program to every single one of our firms that has a medical plan through us. And we really wanted to help our firm get off on the right foot this year, help them to promote wellness and create a culture of health. So to help them do that, we did send later in December, 2019 we sent a new year's wellness kit and it's really just a nice package of tools and resources that firms don't have to create from scratch either or they can just use to get the message out to their employees and spouses about the wellness resources available to them. And add a kit included some things like a monthly wellness calendar, which shows a general health observances during the year. Create awareness around that. We have some cards to help direct people to their online wellness account and to be able to access those resources. And we're doing some promotions just to encourage people, you know, get off on the right foot in quarter one of 2020 get started now versus waiting until the end of the year and setting the resolution for 2021 instead.
Host: Absolutely. So that's, that's a good, that's a good set of resources. If, if firm doesn't have one in hand, how can they get one from you guys?
Guest: They're welcome to reach out to us. We can be reached at our email address, wellness@aceclifehealthtrust.com or if you've received a kit and you need more materials, we're more than happy to send more to you as well.
Host: That's great. So if, if a firm wants to take advantage of the offerings that the life health trust has for their employees, what are some of the basic costs for the wellness programs? From the life health trust?
Guest: Sure. Part of the mission and vision and the life health trust is to support the health and wellbeing of our member firms and employees and spouses that are covered by our medical plans. And so towards that end, we have invested in all of these wellness resources on the behalf of our firms, meaning everything in terms of the comprehensive wellness program is available to firms and members at no out-of-pocket costs. And so I always like to say it's a risk free trial of a wellness program. Definitely take advantage of those resources that are available to you. On top of that, the trust funds monetary incentives. So individuals that participate in engage in the program can be winning up to $400 per year, depending on their plan that they're in. And that's an individual. So an employee in South can walk away with that money for their engagement in the program.
Host: Okay. So what - something that we talk about a lot is the idea of wellness. And what that means, not just for the individual employee, but also for the employer. From your perspective in the work that you guys do at the trust and the employees and the, the firms that you serve, how do you define that? Both individually and from the firm perspective.
Guest: It is different for each group. I think wellness is, can be a very customized thing depending on your organization. So we serve a large number of engineering firms across the country, and they're all at different stages when it comes to what they're doing with wellness. I always like to say the first piece in wellness is awareness. So maybe you're not ready as an employer to have a full comprehensive wellness program, but simply just creating awareness around health awareness around the medical benefits that you offer that support health and wellbeing. So if you're, hopefully you're all members of the life health trust, but if you're not, I highly recommend just exploring all of those benefits you're enrolled in and seeing what resources you can pass along to employees. But truly within a wellness program, the intent is to help create a stronger, healthier organization. And I, I don't think I come across many employers that don't want that for their company.
Host: Yeah. And there are a lot of different ways to do it. Like I mentioned to you guys before we went on air, that we're kind of finishing up - in at the end stages of our Fitbit challenge at ACEC headquarters. Which was an idea to kind of just spark out of the staff and, and, and Rose up. And we decided to do it and everybody got Fitbit trackers or they're using their phones and you know, even have a map with photos of pretty much where everybody is on the chart and it's a good little competition but it's all good natured, good fun and is getting people to get out there and walk a little bit more to, to get outside of the office and get active and take the stairs instead of the elevators. And little things like that can help not just individual fitness but then also just general morale and organizational wide kind of wellbeing.
Guest: Absolutely. The more you can create an environment that is supportive of health and wellbeing and more productive, your employees will be like you said, that camaraderie that you're helping to encourage healthy habits. And then there's that team element that you can all encourage each other. It doesn't necessarily have to come from the top down always. But one thing we always like to say is that within leadership, having very strong leadership and encourage people to take advantage of these resources and be healthy, that speaks volumes to employees.
Host: Yeah. And as you know, you've in the past, you know, health benefits in general are one of the top three expenses for a firm. So it's, you know, the bottom line wise it's, it's, it makes sense financially to encourage employees to engage in wellness programs. And then you'll also mention that that wellness plans, especially for younger employees or it's critical, critically important to have those in place to attract and retain employees. Have you, what have you seen about that, that trend for firms to stay competitive by offering kind of wellness programs, and how that's kind of fit into the employment market?
Guest: Sure. In terms of the engineering firms that we serve, but we typically see are very rich benefits packages. There are engineering firms are very generous when it comes to helping take care of their employees and the families that they have. I think it's those added values that really speak volumes to just set your firm apart. So wellness being one of them, telemedicine products, anything that's considered innovative. Those are usually what millennials are looking for. And it's, it again shows that you care about your employees, you're invested in them and in their health. And to your point it could make or break a new hire. Someone could say, well, I'm getting some additional incentives and additional tools and it's a great culture in a different company that can be, you know, a turning point. So really trying to demonstrate that you value your employees is a, can be a significant game changer. And having values added services like wellness and health, medicine, those types of things can do just that.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. It's that changing mindset of, of wanting to have more of a, just I guess the financial compensation, but then also that that feeling of you know, mental and physical wellbeing that goes along with the job. Since it, it does occupy so much of our time and our mind space, we want to make sure that we have the tools and resources to be able to, to to help in those areas as well.
Guest: Exactly that. We spend, as you said, we spend so much time at work at, we want to have that be a safe space, one that we're able to be our best possible selves and bring our best work to the table. So the more that you can create that environment, the better off your company will be in the long run.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. And then you have supplied us with some great resources on the importance of of wellness plans and, and, and how companies can go using wellness plans. We're going to include those into the show notes so that everybody can have access to them. Is there anything else that you want to kind of hit on, on the the issue of what kind of wellness and, and the new year?
Guest: I think the key takeaway is if you're not doing anything as an organization now, it's definitely the time to start considering offering a wellness program. And I mentioned this before, that the firms we work with are at all different stages signed somewhere. That's a good start. Even if it's just simple, see what resources you have available now and start getting the word out because what you may find is there's a lot of people that are very interested in it and maybe even interested in taking over and helping you promote these types of things. So I think just putting that foot out there, I put in that put in the door is a great takeaway to getting started this year and setting yourself up for the long term success.
Host: Yeah, it's a great point. And then I think the, the point of polling in the staff or, or, or getting them engaged is very well taken that a good way for a firm management to figure out exactly what a health and wellness program could be is to ask the staff and to see what really rises to the top is the most pressing issues. And then to create a plan that really addresses those and, and keeps those employees engaged. That's a really good point that you raise.
Guest: I love that you brought up a survey. Having a needs and interest survey to get things started is a great way and having that be an ongoing process. How are things going? We did introduce this. What more do you want? That it should be a two way conversation between you and your employees so that you can constantly evolve your efforts to supporting their health and wellbeing?
Host: Well, this is great information for from owners and employees. Again, the ACC life health trust has a lot of resources available for starting up or improving an existing wellness program. Again, if you have not received their wellness kit contact them at wellness@aceclifehealthtrust.com. Check out the show notes for some resources on what you can do to set up your own wellness program. And again, you've got to walk before you can run. So don't, don't, don't try too much at the start with these resolutions. You know, longterm success sometimes takes off with a slow pace. So you know, start with an assessment and kind of ramp up from there. So all very good tips to start off the new year. Lindsey, April again really wanna appreciate you coming on the show and look forward to having you on again soon. I think we have a lot of topics that we can cover.
Guest: Happy new year.
Host:  Great. Can't wait to talk to you again. For now. This has been engineering influence from ACEC.