Looking Back on a Busy July

On the advocacy front, we were on the ground in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention, where we held meetings with 45 key lawmakers. With this morning’s announcement that Vice President Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, the Democratic ticket is now set. We’ll have a strong presence in Chicago later this month for the DNC. Closer to home, we also held four events at our Capitol Hill residence, hosting 17 Members of Congress. Our Minuteman Fund approved a grant for ACEC Louisiana to help them push for transportation infrastructure funding in the Pelican State.

Finally — registration is now open for our Fall Conference, scheduled for October 20-23 in New Orleans. Early bird rates apply until mid-September, but spots are filling fast! Register here to secure your spot today.

Here’s a recap of what our departments were working on throughout July:Advocacy:

• A Minuteman Fund grant was approved for ACEC Louisiana to help defray the cost of advocating for increased transportation infrastructure funding in the state.
• ACEC participation with the RNC Convention in Milwaukee featured meetings with 45 key lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), NRSC Chair Sen. Steve Daines (MT), NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson (NC), Ways & Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (MO), and T&I Committee Chair Sam Graves (MO).
• The House of Representatives cleared the $10 billion Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), and companion legislation has cleared the Senate.
• The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee passed the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, a bipartisan bill reforming the permitting process for critical energy and mining projects. ACEC wrote a statement stating the bill was a positive step in enhancing the country’s energy infrastructure and will continue to engage with committee leaders as the bill moves through the legislative process.
• Hosted four events at the residence in June, including the ACEC Florida congressional reception, which featured 17 total Members of Congress, two Senatorial candidates, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

Meetings, Exhibits & Awards:

• 2024 Fall Conference Registration is open and already more than 200 people have registered. The General Session speaker line-up will include Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, Astrophysicist and Former Space Science Education Lead for NASA, and author of a critically acclaimed memoir, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars; Sebastian Terry, Creator of 100things Philanthropic Movement; and Didem Un Ates, AI Chief Executive and CEO of LotusAI.co.uk, where she supports Private Equity firms and PE-backed companies with their AI strategy, innovation, and implementation efforts.
• The event will also offer 20 concurrent education sessions and 10 partner presentations, new Rapid-Fire Industry Sessions, and the opportunity to visit the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex – the largest pumping station in the world.

Communications and Marketing:

• The Engineering and Public Works Roadshow, a joint effort of ACEC, APWA and ASCE, was awarded a “Power of Associations” Award by the American Society of Association Executives.
• The Roadshow is preparing for its next event in Golden, Colorado on August 29th, spotlighting the Clear Creek Canyon Gateway Segment. More information can be found here.
• The department began development of the 2023-2024 ACEC Annual Report.
• The department assisted the ACEC Research Institute with developing the communications and marketing strategies for its upcoming research releases on Lump Sum, firm of the future, and scholarships.

Membership, MO Services & BRE:

• ACEC chair Gary Raba appointed Mark Borushko, Bowman’s Senior Vice President, West Region Strategic Growth Leader as chair and Mark Baum, Barry-Wehmiller Design Group’s Partner, Commercial Strategy, as vice chair of ACEC’s new Market Intelligence Committee (MIC). This open committee aims to identify and analyze key market developments and trends impacting the engineering industry and guide the development of educational programming and resources for member firms operating in both public and private markets. If you are interested in joining the MIC Committee, learn more and sign up.
• Registration for the 2024 Annual Forum event in Denver, September 22-24, has already exceeded last year’s numbers with nearly four hundred registered this year. The HR, Finance, and IT Forums will be joined this year by the Business Development & Marketing and the Women’s Leadership Forum. These co-located events offer a mix of education, networking, and idea-sharing. Learn more and register.
• ACEC’S Geoprofessional Coalition teamed up with Stambaugh Ness to offer a successful online class focused on attending, retaining, and developing the next generation of leaders.
• The first of two complimentary sessions highlighting the new Market Intelligence Dashboard was held on July 31 and a second is scheduled for August 28. Members can sign up here to learn how to use the interactive dashboard and understand industry specific data, which can be downloaded and used internally for your firm’s analysis.
• Don’t miss the last two sessions in the Digital Transformation Series tailored for AEC professionals and designed to guide the transition from a traditional business approach to a technologically advanced approach. The remaining sessions focus on harnessing the power of big data to drive decision making and how to deliver projects digitally with precision. Learn more and sign up.
• ACEC wrapped the final session of its new Communication Bootcamp, a five-part online course on techniques and strategies to strengthen professional communication and public speaking skills. Eighty participants signed up for the course, which was taught by experts from the D.C. based Communications Center.

ACEC Research Institute:

• Institute Summer Board Meeting: focused on preparation for our September Firm of the Future workshop.
• Held Donor Review meetings with leadership of 36 donor firms.