ACECL Fall 2017 Newsletter

ACECL Newsletter | Fall 2017

ACEC of Louisiana is the voice of engineering companies in our state. We are committed to advancing the private practice of consulting engineering, enhancing markets for private engineering services, educating the public on the importance of infrastructure investment, and promoting sound business practices within the industry and its client base.

Don't Miss Out on Project Outlook 2017!

Registration deadline for Project Outlook is November 10. Click here for registration and sponsorship forms.

Rooms are available for November 15 and 16 at the Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel until November 1st. For reservations, call 866.469.5448.

Get Involved! ACECL President Kurt Evans Announces Creation of Business Council

In our continuing efforts to add value to your membership in ACEC, we will be conducting a series of one-day Business Forums in Louisiana. The goal of these forums is to provide education and training for members on topics that include: market development, operations management, and personnel management. Forum attendees will learn in-depth information about key issues and how they directly impact their firms. The Forums will be organized by the Business Council, which is a new committee ACECL has formed. The Business Council is comprised of members with interest and expertise in business and governmental affairs and led by ACECL Past Presidents and Chaired by Anthony Mumphrey, PE.

This Business Forum invitation has been extended to the ACEC membership in the States of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. The Forum survey has been mailed to the membership of each of these states for their valuable input. The results of this survey will determine the agenda and speakers of the Business Forum series. Please remember to complete and return the survey for your valued input. If you have not received the survey please contact Janet Tomeny at [email protected].

Let's Get Social! Follow ACECL on Facebook and Linkedin!

You may have noticed, we have a brand new look. Our goal is to bring you the latest information about ACECL and how our organization is working for you. To get the word out, we're reaching out to our members and industry firms on social media. Use the links below to access these media channels and stay up-to-date on issues affecting engineering.

Click here to LIKE on FACEBOOK

Click here to FOLLOW on LINKEDIN

Hot Off the Press! Knotts New LADOTD Chief Engineer!

On October 25th, LADOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson announced Christopher Knotts will be the department’s next chief engineer. He will take over for Janice Williams, who plans to retire in January.

Knotts, who has served as chief of public works and water resources in the department for the past five years, has more than 33 years of experience and is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Secretary Wilson also announced that Deputy Assistant Secretary of Operations Vince Latino is being promoted to the assistant secretary’s job. Latino will oversee all nine DOTD districts, maintenance and emergency operations, ferries and moveable bridges, and the Intelligent Transportation System operations.

Congratulations to Knotts and Latino!

The Power of ACEC

ACECL members enjoy resources, benefits and access that non-members envy. That may be why Louisiana, despite being one of the smaller states when it comes to the number of engineering firms, has the ninth largest membership of all state ACEC member organizations. Click here to find out what ACEC is doing for you.

Membership Committee

The ACECL Membership Committee met on September 12 ^th to discuss our Strategic Goal. Members of the committee are Raymond Reaux (chair) Nathan Junius, Craig Campbell, Michael Thomassie, Ryan Spillers, and Brad Graff. The committee set a goal to increase membership by 25% through diversification and engagement. It was agreed that to accomplish this goal, the committee would recommend and facilitate recruitment and retention efforts by offering benefits, affinity programs and association resources that leverage membership value and enhance member firms’ success. Action items were established to achieve the strategic goal to increase membership and include quarterly committee meetings, annual review and plans for reaching out to the engineering community to build firm membership.

Water Resources Committee

Is Water Resources Engineering a Key Industry in Louisiana?

Water Resources Engineering is a specific kind of civil/environmental engineering that involves the design of new systems and equipment that help manage human water resources. Louisiana is an ideal location for water management companies with its proximity to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Dozens of companies with capabilities related to Gulf Coast restoration and water resource management are located in the state, and billions of dollars are spent each year on coastal restoration, flood control, water treatment and distribution and wastewater collection and treatment in Louisiana.

Louisiana Economic Development has identified water management as one of Louisiana’s key industries. The newly formed ACECL Water Resources Committee will be working to promote the experience and knowledge of Water Resources Engineers and their companies so that Louisiana can progress into solving its water management challenges.

Facilities Committee

ACEC of Louisiana has notified the LA State Fire Marshal’s office, Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS), and Louisiana State Board of Architectural Examiners (LSBAE) of the continued practice of architects performing and stamping engineering design on facility and building designs. All three of these State Agencies have agreed that this is a very serious issue but have been trying to address the issue over the four years that ACECL has been bringing it to their attention. LAPELS has taken a strong interest in this issue over the last few years and have been attempting to resolve it although the process has been slow. LAPELS executive director will be meeting with LSBAE’s new executive director soon to see what interest LSBAE has in enforcement of their law upon architects which prohibits this improper designing and stamping of engineering plans by licensed architects. ACECL is hopeful that this issue will be addressed in the near future.

Transportation News

DOTD has received an extra $60.8 million in federal highway funds that are being applied to dozens of road and bridge construction projects across the state.

The money was available to Louisiana through an FHWA program that re-allocates funds not used by other states. That programs distributes the leftover funds to states that have used all their available federal funds.

For more information and to see the list of projects impacted by the funding, click here.

ACECL to be “Major Player” in Upcoming Legislative Sessions

ACECL anticipates a busy Louisiana Legislative session in 2018 as the state grapples with a revenue shortfall of more than $1 billion entering the next fiscal year. Because 2018 is a non-fiscal session year, we also anticipate the possibility the governor may issue a call for one or more special sessions.

While the money woes of the state often grab the headlines, ACECL will be a major player in other legislative issues that directly affect its member firms. One such issue is the state’s contention that some consultants on state projects should be considered public employees, a position ACECL has vigorously opposed.

ACECL also continues to work with executive and legislative officials on the state and local levels on a variety of issues, including Design-Build, Construction Management at Risk, engineering services procurement procedures and other matters that affect our member firms. ACECL, through its staff and professional lobbyist, will continue as a major influencer and leading advocate on behalf of the engineering business community.