2008 Issue
www.utahengineerscouncil.org 44 T HEAMERICANCOUNCILOFENGINEERING COMPANIES(ACEC)ISAPROUDMEMBER OFTHEUTAHENGINEERSCOUNCIL(UEC). ACEC-UTAHREPRESENTSTHEMEMBERS of over 100 of Utah’s most prominent Con- sulting Firms. The Utah headquarters are located at 2150 South 1300 East, Suite 500 in Salt Lake City, Utah. ACEC is unique in that it is made up of consulting engineering firms who join as a company rather than individual engineers. The strength of these companies, their lead- ers and employees provide a sound basis for the events and programs of ACEC-UTAH. Our full time Executive Director is Mr. Michael Smith, who tirelessly devotes his time to coordinating the efforts of a dozen active committees and numerous programs and events. Our part time legislative lobbyist, Mr. Craig A. Peterson, tracks legislation and makes our views known to legislators to pro- mote the business of engineering in Utah. What ACEC does for its members in Utah: f Promotes funding of infrastructure proj- ects for transportation, water resources and other capital facilities throughout the state. f Provides training opportunities to mem- ber firms in the form of seminars, confer- ences, leadership institutes, etc. f Promotes the business interests of the engineering industry to the Utah Leg- islature, Utah state agencies, and other private state organizations. f Supports the education of math, science and engineering students through fund raising, special events, and scholarship programs. f Provides opportunities for service on committees such as legislative, UDOT, public relations, and through events such as Engineer on the Hill day at the State Legislature and the Annual Awards Banquet honoring Engineer of the Year, Educator of the Year and Young Profes- sional of the Year. f Holds monthly luncheons with promi- nent speakers on topics of vital concern to the engineering industry. f Sponsors events and raises funds for our Political Action Committee to support both state and national political candi- dates and legislation. f Provides opportunities for health, insur- ance and retirement benefits for member firms. At the national level, ACEC represents some 6000 consulting firms across the country. The Washington D.C. headquar- ters has a dedicated staff who are regularly sought out for advice on engineering and infrastructure issues by political leaders at all levels. President Bush was the keynote speaker at our recent national conference in the nation’s capitol. ACEC is the only national engineering organization devoted exclusively to the busi- ness and advocacy interests of engineering companies. What ACEC does for its members nationally: f Promotes the business interests of the engineering industry to Congress, federal agencies, and international organiza- tions; f Secured passage of the new 9% A/E tax deduction and other initiatives that create a favorable business climate for engineering companies; f Helped to achieve passage of TEA-21 reauthorization legislation that boosts funding for highways and transit by 30% and includes environmental streamlining provisions to reduce project delays; f Secured new Fair Labor Standards Act rules to protect engineering firms from unfair enforcement actions; f Aggressively promotes the use of Quali- fications-Based Selection (QBS) at all levels of public and private sector procure- ment; f Kills repeated attempts to shut down government outsourcing of engineering design contracts. In a nutshell, that’s ACEC, the American Council of Engineering Companies at the state and the national levels. We proudly support the engineering profession and the Utah Engineers Council. We wish them another successful year in 2008. WHO IS ACEC? By D. Robert Davis, P.E., ACEC-UTAH President Mr. Davis is a principal in Sunrise Engineering, Inc.
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