Engineering Influence from ACEC

The Moving Forward Initiative at Stolfus & Associates, Inc.

We were joined by Elizabeth Stolfus, President of Stolfus & Associates, Inc. in Colorado, to discuss her firm's adoption of the "Moving Forward Initiative," a program to connect the firm on a personal level to better deal with the myriad of pressing social issues facing America. The firm used MLK Day as a day of community service as a first step in the initiative. Elizabeth hopes to grow the project to better connect her employees to the community and foster a stronger bond between her employees and the end users of their work.

Private Market Update: A Closer Look at the Ports and Intermodal Markets

ACEC Welcomed Dr. Walter Kemmsies with The Kemmsies Group to discuss the current state of America's ports and intermodal markets.

Update from the ACEC Retirement Trust

The ACEC RT Trust is a great benefit to ACEC Members and Affiliate Members and today we have an industry expert to provide us with the changes taking place in the  401(k) industry and how it will impact your firm and participant.
 
Today’s guests on the podcast are Jennifer Doss, Defined Contribution Practice Leader at CAPTRUST, the Largest Registered investment advisor in the country and CAPTRUST is also the Advisor to ACEC Retirement Trust.
Joining Jennifer is Chris Anderson, President of DJ & A and Trustee to the ACEC Retirement Trust.
The ACEC RT, formed in 1973, is celebrating their 50th year of service. The Retirement Trust has over $2B in assets, delivers exceptional service, best-in-class investments, and high value. Learn more about this important ACEC member benefit at www.acecrt.com. 

Previewing ACEC’s New Course on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

ACEC is holding a new 6-part course: Designing a Roadmap to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, which kicks off in April. We interviewed the instructor for the course, Mindy Gulati. (https://program.acec.org/designing-a-roadmap-to-diversity).
Mindy Gulati is the founder and CEO of Fundamental Advisory, a consulting firm focused on advising businesses, nonprofits, and law firms on issues related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Using her expertise and personal approach, she designs strategic plans, drafts policies and procedures, and creates custom content and workshops for various organizations nationwide. Her focus is anti-racism and equity, implicit bias awareness, creating inclusive and innovative cultures, educating on the ethical implications of bias, and guiding organizations on legal issues such as sexual harassment and discrimination. Her approach provides the foundation for cultural change through awareness, storytelling, and understanding.
Course snapshot: Elevate your organization's success with ACEC's new comprehensive DEIB training program: Designing a Roadmap to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Our expert-led course will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to assess, improve, and implement an effective DEIB plan that will enhance your firm's recruitment, retention, and overall culture. Throughout this six-week course, you'll design an action plan and implementation roadmap tailored to your firm's unique needs. Each interactive, live presentation offers a deeper understanding of DEIB concepts and strategies and is reinforced by weekly homework assignments that challenge you to put what you've learned into practice and outline a plan for your firm.

Reviewing the Q1 2023 Engineering Business Sentiment Study

We were joined by Joe Bates with the ACEC Research Institute to review the newly released Q1 2023 Engineering Business Sentiment Study available at www.acecresearchinstitute.org. 

Looming Federal Ban on Non-Compete Agreements – What You Need to Know

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a proposed rule that will ban most noncompete agreements going forward. Employees who own at least 25% of a firm that is being acquired would be exempt, and virtually all existing non-compete agreements would be rescinded immediately. If the rule goes into effect as proposed, it could significantly impact business decisions related to M&A and firm owners and employees currently working under such agreements. 
ACEC's VP of Tax & Workforce Policy, Katharine Mottley, joined the podcast to discuss the proposed FTC rule and what it means for the engineering industry.

Discussing the EJCDC CMAR Document Series

We were joined by Coy Veach, Vice President at Freese and Nichols and past Chair of the Engineer Joint Contract Documents Committee to discuss the newly released Construction Manager At Risk document series now available through acec.org and ejcdc.org.
The comprehensive new EJCDC series consists of 27 documents, including contracts, bonds, contractor-procurement documents, and administrative forms, intended for use on projects in which the owner retains a construction manager at risk (CMAR) to provide preconstruction services and then construct the project. 
The Construction Manager at Risk method of delivering projects evolved from traditional design-bid-build by involving the construction contractor early in the project. The CMAR delivery process adds value by (1) having the contractor involved in the design phase of the project, by performing services such as constructability reviews, providing advice on material availability and selection, estimating and scheduling, assessment of risk factors and mitigating strategies, development of procurement strategies, and organization of the work into efficient work packages; (2) taking advantage of opportunities for early procurement of materials and equipment, especially in volatile markets; and (3) starting construction before the design of the entire project is complete (fast tracking).
ACEC members can save 50% on any document in the new CMAR series.  

A Closer Look at the Intermodal and Logistics Market

On this episode, we were joined by Diana Alexander, our Director of Private Market Resources to discuss our newly released Private Market Brief on the Intermodal and Logistics market. Download the new report for free along with all of our economic and business intelligence resources here.