PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
October, 2019
Abraham Lincoln said "don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition." On November 21, 2019 ACECL honors 13 engineering projects that are every bit worthy of the recognition that will be bestowed on this important night!

The 2019 Engineering Excellence Awards Program is not just a night for the awardees, it is an event that every member of ACECL should attend. It is our night. Our time to gather as an industry and celebrate the excellence of engineering by our peers.

Some of you may be wondering what this program is all about...there is only one way to find out. Join us on November 21 in support of ACECL and Engineering!

In this edition you'll find:

  • Legal Briefing
  • ACECL Fall Conference Speaker Spotlight and Registration
  • New ACECL Councils
  • ACEC PAC Challenge
  • Resource for accessing international markets
  • QBS resource materials
  • LaPELS Rule Change Request for Comment
  • Recent RFQs
  • and more!

Trick or Treat? ACECL is one of the largest membership organizations within the national ACEC.


Trick or Treat? Louisiana is expected to lose jobs through 2021.
See answers at the end of this email!

DON'T MISS - LEGAL NEWS

(Click to Read)

By: Jacob Roussel, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, LLP
225-381-3172
LUNCHEON SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT!


Maura Donahue
Chairman of the Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
President, DonahueFavret Contractors Holding Company
Maura Donahue is President of DonahueFavret Contractors Holding Company. She has been a key member of DonahueFavret Contractors, Inc. since joining the company in 1981. As the company grew, Maura was named Vice President, overseeing business development and office administration, and in 2010 became Executive Vice President. Maura is one of the owners of DonahueFavret Contractors. Maura is a past chair of the board of directors and of the executive committee of the United States Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation. She currently serves on the board, the executive committee, and is chair of the nominating committee.
DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS NOVEMBER 15, 2019
CONFERENCE SPONSORS
TERRACON CONSULTANTS
BLUEWING CIVIL CONSULTING, LLC
N-Y ASSOCIATES, INC.
QUALITY SITEWORK MATERIALS, INC.


QBS EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

For anyone who has the opportunity to educate public agency representatives and personnel about the process of qualifications based selection of engineers, attached are two documents for your use. One is a one-pager about QBS and the other is a powerpoint presentation with added supplemental material. If you have suggestions for changes or additions, please let me know. Feel free to adjust to your needs.


CHAPTER NEWS
VICE PRESIDENTS

Baton Rouge Chapter
Kimberly McDaniel, C. H. Fenstermaker & Assoc., Inc .

New Orleans Chapter
Brian Moldaner, T. Baker Smith

Lafayette Chapter
Frank Kolwe, T. Baker Smith
NEW TO ACECL!

CFO, CIO, AND HR COUNCILS

Modeled after the national ACEC councils and in response to suggestions for opportunities to engage non-engineering professionals in ACECL programming, ACECL is launching three councils: CFO, CIO and Human Resources.

Through the ACECL Councils employees with specific functional responsibilities can network with peers from other member firms.

The Councils will interact through conference calls, ACECL Facebook community groups and roundtable discussions at the annual ACECL Fall Conference. Each Council will develop their own discussion topics and pace of interaction. The Facebook Community Groups established through the ACECL Facebook page or like platform will provide for timely feedback and shared experiences not just from professional peers but from those engaged in the same business line. This will be an invaluable tool for your leadership team or yourself as a principal.

Principals are encouraged to share this opportunity with their key leadership team members so they can sign up. The greater the participation, the greater the return on this time investment.

CFO Council
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Council provides a framework for senior finance executives and financial thought leaders in the engineering industry to discuss their changing role — from financial management to company strategist. The CFO Council will provide opportunities to exchange best practices, network with peers from around the state, and get the insights and ideas to keep your firm successful in these challenging economic times. 
CIO Council
The ACECL CIO Council will be all about sharing best practices and innovations. The Council will provide a framework for the "thought leaders" in the engineering industry to discuss market trends and specific IT leadership challenges and solutions with their industry counterparts.
Human Resources Council
Through ACECL’s Human Resources Council, HR professionals will be connected to a network of their peers in the engineering business. Professionals share best practices, discuss problems and solutions, gain valuable insights into industry trends, and network with each other.


MESSAGE FROM ACECL
NATIONAL DIRECTOR
Raymond Reaux


During the national ACEC Fall Conference in Chicago the ACEC board adopted an aggressive strategic plan to position ACEC as a leader in business strategy; is an inclusive and diverse organization; expands and increases the influence of its membership; is essential to society and ensures opportunities for vibrant member engagement.


To quote ACEC Chairman Mitch Simpler, "as engineers, we design the world around us. Every day we tackle new challenges and employ new technologies to improve our world. To accurately capture the dynamic nature of our work, ACEC needed a new strategy that was bold and audacious. I am happy to say we accomplished that goal.”

The next step will be for the ACEC senior team with input from state membership organizations to develop specific actions steps to meet the stated goals as well as review the previous plan to gauge what needs to be maintained and how it fits into the new plan goals. Staff will present ideas to the executive committee in January.

ACECL is also updating its strategic plan and we will share that effort in the coming months.

TRAFFIC ENGINEERS

Get your weekly tidbit from DOTD. Issued every Tuesday, Tidbit Tuesday offers information from the Traffic Section including changes to the TEPR or department policies. Sign up at MyDOTD
HEY ACECL CHAPTERS !

YOU HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED!

Who can collect the most contributions for the ACEC Political Action Committee (PAC) by December 15th? 

Each contributor of the winning ACECL Chapter PAC competition will receive a free ACECL Chapter Luncheon voucher. Show your support of the ACEC PAC!

Your PAC donations support our congressional delegation and key congressional committee members with influence over federal issues important to our industry. The ACEC PAC is one of the most influential in the nation.

Join me in making a contribution. We cannot let Louisiana be bested by our colleagues in other states who have already met their goal!

Check out the email sent today from your Chapter President to contribute today!

LAPELS RULE CHANGE

In January of this year I circulated two rule changes proposed by LaPELS for your information and informal comment. The first change was language defining the incidental practice of engineering by architects. This language resulted from a year long effort by a committee represented by AIA, ACECL, LaPELS and LSBAE to define incidental practice. LaPELS moved forward with the consensus language and this is the point in the process where LaPELS receives public comment. Since ACECL spent considerable time working to develop language that the group agreed to, ACECL members are encouraged to contact LaPELS at donna@lapels.com by November 11, 2019 to register support for the rule change.

The second rule change is to clarify the status of the supervising professional for registered firms by defining the primary employment and ownership references. Note that this is an EITHER/OR satisfaction. A firm's supervising professional(s) does not have to satisfy both primary employment and ownership definitions. It is one or the other. LaPELS explains that this is to ensure that the supervising professional (not every engineer in a firm needs to be designated as a supervising professional) is engaged in the day to day operations of the firm and vested in ensuring its engineers are registered and qualified. You can also contact LaPELS by November 11 at donna@lapels.com to comment on this rule.

Please contact me if you have any further questions about these rules, dbrasseaux@acecl.org or 225-485-9818.
Contact:

Tom Hansen, Commercial Officer
504-589-6546
EVER THOUGHT ABOUT ACCESSING INTERNATIONAL MARKETS?
The U.S. Commercial Service is the lead trade promotion agency of the U.S. government with trade professionals in over 100 U.S. cities and more than 75 countries helping U.S. companies get started accessing new global markets, including professional engineering services.

The U.S. Commercial Service and its New Orleans operations provide support to small and medium-sized companies throughout Louisiana.

Every year, the U.S. Commercial Service helps thousands of companies export goods and services worth billions of dollars. Contact the U.S. Commercial Service in New Orleans to find out more about how you can expand your business to the global market.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Recent RFQs
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Comite River Diversion Canal Project Task Force Meeting
Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 10:30am
ACECL is one of the strongest membership organizations in ACEC nationwide.

TREAT! Louisiana is ranked 25th in U.S. population but ACEC of Louisiana is the 10th largest ACEC member organization with 131 members.
We are a strong voice for engineering and getting stronger everyday!

Louisiana is expected to lose population and jobs through 2021.

TRICK! According to the 2020-2021 La. Economic Outlook Report issued September 24, 2019 Louisiana will add 53,800 jobs over 2020-2021, surpassing the 2 million job mark for the first time in its history!
Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Fall Conference - Renaissance Hotel, Baton Rouge
  • November 21, 2019, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Engineering Excellence Awards – Renaissance Hotel, BR
  • November 21, 2019
Thank You to our Sponsors!
Doreen Brasseaux
President & CEO
ACEC of Louisiana
ACEC of Louisiana | 225.927.7704 |  dbrasseaux@acecl.org  |  www.acecl.org