Engineering Influence from ACEC

The 50th Anniversary of the Brooks Act

Jeb Brooks, the son of Congressman Jack Brooks who authored the federal law on Qualifications-Based Selection joined the podcast live from our 2022 Fall Conference.  During the conversation, we covered the history of the Books Act, its importance for public safety and the work of the Jack Brooks Foundation, which is working to keep the legacy of Congressman Books alive.

The 2022 QBS Award with IDOT’s Secretary Osman

 
The Illinois Department of Transportation won the 2022 Qualifications-Based Selection Award at the 2022 Annual ACEC Fall Conference this year. Secretary Omer Osman was on hand to personally accept the award on behalf of the Department and he stopped by the podcast to discuss why QBS is important and how it guides the decisions of the engineers under his command.  
Watch the video of Secretary Osman accepting the award, presented by Jeb Brooks, son of late Congressman Jack Brooks, here.  

A Conversation with Carrie Fischer, 2022 ACEC Young Professional of the Year

Carrie Fischer, P.E., engineer with NTM Engineering, Inc. in Dillsburg, Penn., has been named one of five 2022 Young Professionals of the Year by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC).
ACEC’s annual Young Professional of the Year Award recognizes the accomplishments of engineers early in their career who have contributed to the industry and made an impact on society.
The honor was presented at an awards luncheon during ACEC’s Fall Conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., on October 18.
Fischer was chosen for her work on complicated technical projects dealing with water resources and her leadership, management, and commitment to expanding opportunities for women in the transportation industry.
Fischer helped to introduce the transportation industry to young girls with the WTS TransportationYOU program by partnering with the Girl Scouts and has organized a “Women in Engineering” Event for Twin Valley Middle School every year since 2016.
Fischer earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering from Penn State and Penn State Harrisburg, respectively.
To qualify for the award, nominees must have been 35 years of age or younger on December 31, 2021, and be a Registered Professional Engineer. Nominations for the award are made through ACEC’s 52 state and regional Member Organizations.
Nominees are evaluated and the honorees selected by the Awards Subcommittee of ACEC’s Committee of Fellows.

A Conversation with the Life Health Trust from the 2022 Fall Conference

Mark Van Elden, the head of the ACEC Life Health Trust joined the podcast at the Fall Conference to talk about how the trust is uniquely position to help engineering firms succeed in their employees' health and long-term success.

A Conversation with the CASE Coalition at the 2022 Fall Conference

Kevin Chamberlain, the Chair of the CASE Coalition - the Coalition of American Structural Engineers - joined the program to update us on what's happening at the group and the issues facing structural engineers.

The ACEC Geoprofessionals Coalition at the 2022 ACEC Fall Conference

ACEC Geopfrofessionals Coalition Chair Jeff Gebhard joined us for an update on the coalition's work at the Fall Conference.

Podcasting from the 2022 Fall HR Forum: The Workforce Crunch

Allison Schneider spoke with Connie Taggart, director of HR with Wright-Pierce and Anne Harney, senior vice president of HR with Collins Engineers about workforce issues. They chatted during the HR Forum ACEC recently hosted in San Antonio.

The Economic Update for September, 2022

Welcome to ACEC’s September economic update. Each month, the ACEC team analyzes the latest industry data and provides insights for the engineering and design industry. 
Correction: Our original podcast noted A/E industry revenues at $140 billion.  The amount has been corrected to $110 billion (9-20-22).
Here are the top 5 things you need to know:
Number 1 – The Q2 2022 total A/E revenues are in and they are at a new all-time high clocking in at nearly $110 billion. This breaks the previous record set just last quarter and marks the 8th straight quarter of consecutive growth. Engineering services led A/E firm revenue growth with a 7.3% increase between the first and second quarters of the year. Architecture services increased by 1.3% from Q1 to Q2.
 
Number 2 – The U.S. Census Bureau reports that total design and construction spending was up 8.5% in July, compared to the same time last year. Key markets that we track showed private residential spending (+14%), private non-residential (+3.1%) and public spending (+3.3%) year-over-year.
 
Number 3 – Turning to the labor market, applications for unemployment benefits fell for a fifth straight week in mid-September to the lowest level in more than three months. That news could mean the need for workers remains healthy despite an uncertain economic outlook – a sentiment we are certainly experiencing in our industry.
 
Number 4 – Inflation isn’t going away. On Tuesday, the government said inflation ticked up 0.1% from July to August and 8.3% from a year ago. As inflation continues, the Federal Reserve is set to meet next week to discuss interest rates. Experts put a nearly 80% chance of a 75-basis-point increase and a 20% chance that the fed goes for a full 100 basis point hike. All eyes will be on that meeting Sept. 20 and 21.
 
And Number 5 – On November 15, ACEC will host a private market symposium in Houston, Texas examining the energy sector. This symposium will bring together clients, economists, a/e firms, policy makers and engineering leaders for an in-depth look at the latest in the energy market. We will also cover certain funding opportunities from the bipartisan infrastructure bill and The Inflation Reduction Act. Head to acec.org for more information to join us Nov. 15th in Houston.
 
There you have it. The economic update series is one of ACEC’s private market resources for media and members.