2023 PLATINUM ANNUAL SPONSORS!

The Board of Governors next meeting will be held on July 20, 2023 at the Deep South Convention, SanDestin Resort, Florida.

PRESIDENT & CEO MESSAGE

Federal Advocacy

As prefaced in last month's newsletter, ACECL attended the ACEC Annual Convention in Washington DC earlier this month. In addition to the convention activities, the Louisiana contingent visited Capitol Hill to share with the Louisiana delegation the national policy agenda that is vitally important to the engineering industry.

We were able to meet with staff from seven of our eight Congressional members, however, I must admit that I was disappointed that we were only able to meet with one member in person. That said, I am grateful for all the staff who took the time to meet with us and attentively listen to what impacts the policies they support, or do not support, have on the business of engineering.

I do want to extent a special 'Thank You' to Congresswoman Julia Letlow and her staff for making the special effort to reserve an anteroom so that the Congresswoman could duck out of her committee meeting to meet with us in person. It was a gesture that did not go unnoticed.

As a reminder, we asked each member to support the following legislation and policy efforts, particularly the R&D amortization repeal, currently making their way through the federal legislative process.

R&D Amortization:

• The Solution
• Cosponsor the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act (H.R.2673)/American Innovation and Jobs Act (S. 866) to repeal the R&D amortization requirement.

Workforce Development:

• The Solution
• STEM Education:
• Increasing number of STEM students to build talent pipeline over the long term.
• Funding for STEM education at local, state and federal levels.
• Funding for STEM research and technical assistance in CHIPS and Science Act.
• Immigration:
• Increase the number of H-1B Visas and recapture unused green cards

IIJA Implementation

• Key Priorities:
• Addressing workforce challenges and inflation
• Pursuing infrastructure and environmental goals
• Adopting workable Buy America procedures
• Retaining funding commitments and rejecting revenue cuts

Permitting Reform:

• The Solution
• Timely federal ER&P decisions within 1 to 2 years of a submitted complete application, depending on complexity.
• Modernize information and data management and improve interagency coordination and resources.
• Robust Judicial Review: Limit entities that do not engage during scoping phases of projects, should not be able to delay project at 11th hour via legal court filings.

State Advocacy

The 2023 Regular Legislative Session ended earlier this month and it proved to be very successful for ACECL. Whether it was passing our two sponsored bills, HB 80 and HB 573, or defeating legislation like HB 333 and HB 546 that would have negatively impacted the engineering industry, ACECL could not be more pleased with the outcome.

A comprehensive 2023 Legislative Session Recap Report will be sent to members in July. The report will provide a rundown on any and all legislation impacting the engineering industry and passed legislation that could impact your day-to-day business and/or practice.

I do want to extend a 'Thank You' to all our members who answered our "Call to Action" emails sent out throughout the session. The successes we experienced would not have been possible without you. I also want to recognize and thank, Representative Foy Gadberry and Representative Jack McFarland for carrying our legislation this year. It was not the easiest of roads for either bill, so I want to thank these legislators for their commitment to the legislation and our organization.

Fiscal year 2023-2024 / First Quarter Invoices

Members please note that invoices will be going out next week through ACEC of Louisiana's new GrowthZone database. With July 4th being right around the corner we have decided to wait and send invoices next week to ensure we are in the office and ready to answer any questions! We appreciate your understanding as we continue to work diligently in providing our members with exceptional service!

Congratulations 2023-2024 Board of Governors

Nathan J. Junius, P.E.,PLS, with Linfield Hunter & Junius of New Orleans, Inc. has been elected as chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Louisiana for 2023-2024.

Other officers elected include:

Chairman-elect: Chad M. Poche, P.E., Gulf South Engineering & Testing

Vice-Chairman: Sherri LeBas, P.E., GEC, Inc.  

Secretary-Treasurer: Brett P. Bayard, P.E., PLS, Mader Engineering, Inc. 

National Director: Michael J. Thomassie, P.E.

Members at Large for 2023-2024 include:

Colby J. Gruidry, P.E., Huval & Associates, Inc.

Byron Racca, P.E., Meyer & Associates, Inc.

Robert Delaune, P.E., Digital Engineering & Imaging, Inc.

Michael Pugh, P.E., Royal Engineers & Consultants, Ltd.

Don R. Arrington, P.E., S.E. Huey Company

Brin Ferlito, P.E., PTOE, Vectura Consulting Services, LLC

Chapter Presidents include:

Jordan M. Pearson, P.E., Forte and Tablada (Shreveport)

David B. Stelly, P.E., Associated Design Group (ADG) (Lafayette)

Brian E. Moldaner, P.E., MBA, T. Baker Smith (New Orleans)

Kimberly McDaniel, P.E., PTOE, Intelligent Transportation Systems (Baton Rouge)

Butch Babineaux, P.E., C. H. Fenstermaker (Lake Charles)

The 2023-2024 Board of Governors term will commence on July 1, 2023.

CHAPTER LUNCHEON INFORMATION

EMERGING LEADERS SESSION II

Our 2023 ACECL-AIA Emerging Leaders class met for Session II with a three-hour educational session presented on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

Melissa Thompson, with Success Labs, facilitated the DEI training which was eye-opening and thought provoking for the class. It is our hope that these emerging leaders will take the lessons they learned back to their firms and begin to increase the representation of people of color (5-percent) and women (15-percent) in the field of engineering.

In addition to the DEI training, the class got to tee it up for some fun and team building at Top Golf. I don't think anybody will be qualifying for the PGA Tour, but they had a great time nonetheless.

Thank you to Success Labs for sponsoring this session!

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS TOMORROW, JULY 1, 2023!!

Book Your Room Today!

Group Code: 24Q7G5

Book Online: http://www.Sandestin.com/24Q7G5

Sandestin Group Reservations

1-800-320-8115

Codes Training – Registration is Open!

Lake Charles and New Orleans codes session registration are open! Seating is limited.

AIA Louisiana and ACEC-L are proud to bring this series of codes related training to an area near you!

We thank both the local chapters of each area, as well as LA Department of Natural Resources for helping make these sessions a success as well as including discounted rates for attendance!

Both IBC and IRC have upgrades/updates/changes that took effect January 1^st of this year. Are

you prepared? Do you know what those changes are? July 1^st of this year, Louisiana is on track

for their first ever actual Energy Code (IECC). Never having had this before, and with great impacts to the built environment, join colleagues to learn and discuss the changes that will not only impact your projects and business, but your clients and communities as well!

July 12 Lake Charles (Lake Charles Country Club)

July 19 Mandeville (Beau Chêne Country Club)

• July 4 - Office Closed for Independence Da
• July 12 - Lake Charles Chapter Luncheon
• July 12 - Lake Charles ACECL-AIA Codes Training
• July 13 - New Orleans Chapter Luncheon
• July 14 - HR Forum
• July 19 - Mandeville ACECL-AIA Codes Training
• July 20 - ACECL Board of Governors Meeting
• July 20-22 - Deep South Convention, SanDestin Resort, Florida
• July 27 - Shreveport Chapter Breakfast Meeting
• July 27 - Monroe Chapter Luncheon Meeting

Established in 1928 in Baton Rouge, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P. (“BSW”) is one of the oldest law firms in the state of Louisiana. We take great pride in our long history of client service. With more than 70 attorneys, the firm is among the largest firms in the state and one of the larger law firms in the South. BSW’s clients range from individuals and start-up companies, to Fortune 500 corporations, governmental entities and not-for-profit institutions.

Further, one of the hallmarks of the firm is its devotion to providing the highest quality of legal services to our clients in a manner consistent with their objectives and cost concerns and in a personalized environment that facilitates the mutual trust and respect necessary for a successful attorney-client relationship. The firm continually achieves this objective by implementing an integrated team approach. This team approach enables clients to call upon the guidance of any and all of our attorneys whose experience in various legal and business matters spans many disciplines. In this manner, we are able to provide our clients with specific and in-depth advice that they require in order to achieve their goals.

Steven B. Loeb

Breazeale Sachse & Wilson, L.L.P.

P.O. Box 3197

Baton Rouge, LA 70821-3197

Tel: 225-381-8050; Cell: 225-933-7842

Steven.Loeb@bswllp.com

CxA Services, LLC is a Certified Commissioning Authority located in Lafayette, LA. We are pleased to be a certified small business under the Hudson Initiative by the LED.

Commissioning is the process of planning, documenting, scheduling, testing, adjusting, and verifying equipment operates as a fully functional system per the Owner's Project Requirements.

CxA provides Fundamental and Enhanced commissioning services on HVAC and Electrical Systems for projects in a manner that is consistent with ASHRAE and ACG Commissioning Guidelines. These guidelines provide a proven method for successful commissioning of all projects including LEED project requirements. Our team has over 19 years of experience performing commissioning services for the federal government, healthcare facilities, and private industry clients. Our main office is in Lafayette, LA and we can be contacted at 337-237-5396. You can visit our website at www.cxaservices.org for more information.

Ken Credeur

CxA Service, LLC

3909 West Congress Street * Suite 101 * Lafayette, LA 70506

337-237-5396 (o) ext 3 * 337-804-2370 (c) 

Learn Driver Safety Tips That Could Save Lives and Money

Preventing work-related injuries and deaths from motor vehicle crashes, and the legal and financials impacts they cause, are high priority for every company.

Join us and The Hartford as they share stats, tips, and procedures that can help your firm avoid employee injuries, death, and nuclear verdicts by applying the five pillars of fleet safety:

1. Driver Selection
2. Driver Training
3. Driver Supervision
4. Vehicle Maintenance
5. Loss Records & Review

Topic: Driver Safety: Five Pillars of Fleet Safety

Date: June 7, 2023

Time: 4:00PM Eastern Time | 1:00PM Pacific Time

ACEC Affiliate Members

ACEC Business Insurance Trust

ACEC Life/Health Insurance Trust

Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.

Alexander & Sanders, a division of Cadence Insurance

BAR Environmental, Inc.

Barriere Construction Group, LLC

Benefits One, LLC

BFM Corporation, LLC

BRAYN Consulting, LLC

Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP

Brown & Brown of Louisiana

CxA Services, LLC

Cycle Construction, LLC

Durable Piling Restoration, LLC

ecko360

ELOS Environmental, LLC

Environmental Technical Sales, Inc.

Foley & Judell, LLP

Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith, LLP

Gulf South Technology Solutions

Hannis T. Bourgeois, LLP

Headlight

HUB International

Industrial Fabrics

Keogh, Cox & Wilson

Lord & Winter

Quality Sitework Materials, Inc.

Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn

2023 ANNUAL SPONSORS!