Engineering Influence from ACEC

Government Affairs Update for 10-8-21

Steve Hall joins the program to discuss the current state of play on infrastructure and reconciliation as well as the impending EO on vaccinations for federal contractors.  
Make sure to register for our webinar on Monday, October 11th at 1:30pm "Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors." Register here: https://education.acec.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=8329585 
The September 24th guidance to federal contractors covered a broad range of contract types and contractors, and mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for covered contractor employees along with masking and social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The guidance also includes some unanticipated exceptions. The guidance sets baseline requirements under the Executive Order that are expected to be updated over time and implemented through a contract clause that will be issued by the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (“FAR”) Council on October 8th.
Join attorneys from the Covington & Burling Contracts Practice Group on Monday, October 11 at 1:30 EST to review the requirements A/E firms must meet in order comply with EO 14042 and continue contracting with the federal government.
Presenters:
Jennifer Plitsch, co-chair of the firm’s Government Contracts practice group. Her practice includes a wide range of contracting issues for large and small businesses in both defense and civilian contracting. Her practice involves advising clients on contract proposal, performance, and compliance questions as well as transactional and legislative issues. Her practice also includes bid protest and contract claims and appeals litigation before GAO, agency boards and the federal courts. Ms. Plitsch has particular expertise in advising clients in the pharmaceutical and biologics industry. She advises a range of pharmaceutical and biologics manufacturers on Federal Supply Schedule contracts, including the complex pricing requirements imposed on products under the Veterans Health Care Act, as well as research and development contracts and grants with various federal agencies. She also has significant experience advising on the requirements of various programs under which vaccine products and biodefense medical countermeasures are procured by the Government.
Tyler Evans, partner in the Covington & Burling’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the government contracts group. His practice covers multiple subject-matter areas, including research and development, non-traditional contracting, intellectual property, contract negotiations, flow-down requirements, small business issues, sourcing restrictions, costs, and compliance.
 

Thornton Tomasetti‘s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Program

Diversity and Inclusion is an important pursuit across U.S. industries and within engineering firms. It’s the right thing to do, but it is also a critical component in solving our STEM talent shortage and studies have found that diverse and inclusive companies perform better in the market.
Many engineering firms have established D&I programs, and we have one of the leading firms with us today. Thornton Tomasetti, which is #62 on the 2021 ENR 500 and has 1,500 employees worldwide, launched its formal D&I program in 2016 and has continued to build and augment it ever since.
Joining us on the program are Thornton Tomasetti President Wayne Stocks and Senior Principal Peggy Van Eepoel.

Doing Good with the Terracon Foundation

Immediately after Hurricane Ida swept through Louisiana last month, leaving a trail of destruction, the Terracon Foundation, which is a corporate philanthropy initiative of ACEC member firm Terracon, made two $5,000 grants to food banks in Louisiana for food and supplies in the hardest-hit communities. This is just the latest instance of the good work the Foundation has done since its founding in 2008, and we wanted to know more about it, so on the program with us today are two leaders of the Foundation.
Scott Kolodziej is the Foundation Chair. He is an Environmental Department Manager and Principal at Terracon, and was appointed this year to the Chair role after three years on the Terracon Foundation Board.
Kristi Tahmasiyan is the Manager of the Terracon Foundation. She is the Director of Mergers and Acquisitions at Terracon and a Principal of the Firm.  She has served the Terracon Foundation in various roles, including a three-year term on the Foundation Board from 2014 to 2017.

Walter P Moore‘s Ray Drexler on the Current State of Flood Protection

In August, Walter P Moore published a white paper titled An Introduction to Flood Protection: What Owners Need to Know to Protect Their Properties. The white paper focuses on the numerous flood protection approaches and building owner needs and provides an in-depth review of the flood protection process. 
One of the authors of the report joined the program to talk about the white paper and flood protection. Ray Drexler is a Principal and Senior Project Manager in Walter P Moore Diagnostics with experience in diversified aspects of forensic engineering. Ray's expertise includes evaluating, assessing, and designing repairs for distress related to facades, steel/concrete structures, and below-grade waterproofing.
Click here to view the white paper.
 

Government Affairs Update for 9-24-21

Matt Reiffer joins the program to preview a critical week ahead in Washington.  Congress is facing numerous deadlines and the clock is ticking. Will there be a vote on infrastructure on Monday?  Can an agreement on reconciliation be reached?  What about the debt limit and the CR?  Tune in and find out.

Discussing Ergonomics with the Life Health Trust

Lindsay Simone with the ACEC Life Health Trust joined the program today to discuss the importance of ergonomics in avoiding long-term health issues.  We discuss simple things you can do to reduce back pain, eye strain and avoid the perils of the modern office and worksite.

Private Markets Update: ACEC‘s Erin McLaughlin Discusses the Energy & Utilities Market Sector

Last week, ACEC released our latest Private Industry Brief, which provides practical, detailed information and targeted market insights on key A/E private sectors. This issue focuses on the Energy & Utilities market and provides a lot of data on the current state and future prospects of the sector
To dive a little deeper into the numbers and analysis, Erin McLaughlin, ACEC vice president for private market resources, joined the program.
Click here to download the brief.

Executive Coach Ted Gerber Shares How to Build Effective Teams Within an Organization

Ted Gerber, president of Addison Resources Group in New York City, joins us on the program to talk about team building. With more than 25 years of experience working with firms in a variety of industries to improve leadership effectiveness, Ted offers keen insights into the skills and characteristics that make for good teams within an engineering firm.
Ted recently presented an online class on team building for ACEC. Click here for the On-Demand class.