ACEC New York
6 Airline Drive
Albany, NY 12205 acecny@acecny.org T 518.452.8611
F 518.452.1710
60 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10165
T 212.682.6336
F 212.818.0286
Engineering Career Fairs around NYS. Please click here for a listing of New York State career fairs 2010-2011.
ACEC New York Celebrates and Thanks Members. More than 50 members and guests attended a special event at Saratoga Race Track on Friday, August 13. The event was again generously sponsored by affiliate member, Zetlin & De Chiara, and the ACEC New York Eastern Region. During the event long time Eastern Region Member, Dan Rogers was inducted into Life Membership and Congressman Michael E. McMahon attended and updated members about transportation funding at the federal level. Please click here to view the event photos.
Mayor Bloomberg Launches Nation’s First Municipal Brownfield Cleanup Program. On August 5th Mayor Bloomberg announced a new program operated by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) that puts control over Brownfield Cleanups in NYC under NYC control (and not the NYSDEC). For more information on the program, which should be a new source of work for member firms, please click here.
ACEC joins with ZweigWhite to produce annual salary survey. American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) member organizations are partnering with ZweigWhite again this year to produce the firms’ annual series of regional salary surveys. ZweigWhite’s 2011 Salary Survey of Northeast & South Atlantic Engineering Firms, 2011 Salary Survey of Central Engineering Firms, and the 2011 Salary Survey of Mountain & Pacific Engineering Firms are the most up-to-date and comprehensive compensation surveys for engineering firms operating in these regions. As in previous years, ACEC member participation in the survey is a key element in providing a comprehensive report on salary trends at a broad base of engineering firms nationwide. To encourage participation, ZweigWhite is offering special pricing to ACEC members. ACEC members who participate in the survey receive the report for $95. ACEC non-participants can purchase the final report for $295. In addition, when ACEC members order a book, from any region, ZweigWhite will send ACEC 25% of the revenue generated from our member’s purchases. This is a great way to support your association and get the information you need at a discount! It makes good sense to participate and save $200. On September 3, ZweigWhite will mail you the survey questionnaire, but it can also be completed online or downloaded and printed at http://store.zweigwhite.com/t-survey-participation.aspx. The deadline to participate is October 29, 2010.
Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA 2011). Final entries for the EEA competition are due on September 24. Entry notebooks are to be sent to ACEC New York, 6 Airline Drive, Albany, NY 12205. Entry panels are to be delivered to ACEC New York/Metropolitan Office, 60 East 42nd Street, Suite 1742, New York, NY 10165 (if delivering in person, please arrive by 5pm as the office closes then and there is no one to accept the panel).
ACEC New York Launches Fourth Leadership Institute. There is still space available in the Leadership Institute Class 2010-2011. This 9 session course is designed to transform technical managers into dynamic leaders. Programs are scheduled to begin in Albany and New York City in October. If you have any questions, please contact Gina Potfora, gina@acecny.org. Click here for the brochure.
ACEC New York Scholarship Program 2011 Underway. Members of the ACEC New York Scholarship Committee will begin visiting colleges and universities throughout New York State this month to present the scholarship program. An online donation request form is available for download, by clicking here. Firms who donate $2,500 or more will have a named scholarship. Payments for the scholarship program should be made no later than January 15, 2011. If you have any questions regarding participation in this year’s program, please contact Erin Fitzgerald, erin@acecny.org or (518) 452-8611.
Self-Study Courses. ACEC New York and Contract Solutions Group (CSG) offer our web seminars as self-study courses. Currently, ACEC New York has twenty courses in our library, each worth between 1 and 2 professional development hours. The courses may be ordered from CSG. Each course package contains: instructions, the power point presentation - printed and electronic, audio from the program (embedded in the PowerPoint), and a 10-question quiz. For each successfully completed program determined by a score of 70% or greater on the required quiz a certificate of credit hours will be issued. If you participated in the LIVE webinar, you will not earn credits for the self-study course. Engineers may earn 18 self-study credits during each three-year registration period. To order your courses click on the order form. If you have any questions you can contact gina@acecny.org or jjennings@contractsolutionsgroup.com
ACEC New York meets with Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Cuomo. On August 11th, members of ACEC New York’s Executive Committee as well as Municipal and Legislative Counsel met with Candidate Cuomo for a candid discussion regarding issues of priority to ACEC New York. This was our opportunity to introduce ourselves as a business league and voice our concern for the state of the economy and the benefits of using private sector engineering firms. Mr. Cuomo was receptive to our issues and is looking forward to working with us if he becomes Governor. At the request of Mr. Cuomo, we are preparing white papers on critical infrastructure, project delivery and energy issues vital to the success of New York State.
Senate Passes the Revenue Bill, Budget is Now Enacted. On Tuesday, August 3rd, lawmakers returned to Albany to take up legislation dealing with Federal Medicaid funding, SUNY empowerment, and a property tax cap. The Senate also took up and finally passed the revenue portion of the 2010-11 budget that would complete the process after over four months. While Financial Management Accounting Principles (FMAP) legislation and a property tax cap passed the Senate as well, legislators failed to reach an agreement on a plan to allow SUNY and CUNY to raise tuition without the need for legislation. Although the property tax cap passed with strong bi-partisan support in the Senate, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has stated his conference would not consider any legislation. Silver also said there is little support for a SUNY empowerment plan as well.
There was speculation that no action would be taken early on August 3rd as Democrat Pedro Espada had indicated he would not be returning to Albany to vote with his fellow Senators. However, by 2 pm that day, Espada was in Albany. Espada agreed to participate in session if the Senate would take up his rent control and farmworkers’ bill of rights legislation. By the end of the day, the revenue bill, FMAP contingency legislation, technical corrections to the revenue bill, a property tax cap, and a Power for Jobs one year extension had been passed. Governor Paterson has threatened to call the Assembly back to Albany to take up the property tax cap bill.
Governor Paterson indicated he believes now that a completed budget has passed both houses, it will remain in balance for the rest of 2010 fiscal year. The past two years have seen lawmakers returning to Albany in the later part of the year to pass deficit reduction legislation when the state has fallen back into the red. With the recent news that Congress is set to allocate just under one and a half billion in federal Medicaid funding to New York, Paterson is optimistic that there is a sufficient cushion should the state’s finances begin to dip in the next two quarters. According to Paterson, the state will receive about $730 million in Medicaid money from the federal government. With the passage of a FMAP contingency plan, the state is prepared to handle any imbalance under $1 billion.
Is the enacted budget bad for private businesses? The 2010-2011 state budget is bad for businesses in New York according to business groups. The now complete budget includes new taxes and fees that these groups believe will further drive out residents and companies. The budget also significantly reduces the number of tax credits business can receive with the elimination of the Empire Zones program and the implementation of the more scaled down Excelsior Jobs Program. Tax credits have been reduced from $550 million to $50 million for the 2010-11 fiscal year. In forthcoming years, the new program is expected to grow to $250 million in tax credits. Business groups do consider the extension of the Power for Jobs program to be one positive for the state spending plan. This program which provides low-cost power to businesses in New York was extended for another year by Governor Paterson who signed legislation this week.
DiNapoli blasts MTA for overtime abuse. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has blasted the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for what he considers abuse of the overtime system at the Authority. In his audit of the MTA, DiNapoli identified $56 million in overtime costs that could be saved through capping of overtime amounts. DiNapoli examined the MTA’s books from 2008 and 2009 and found that while the Authority has routinely raised fare rates, cut services, and layed off employees, many employees were nearly doubling their paychecks through overtime. Of the 71,000 employees, DiNapoli found over 3,000 were collecting enough overtime to equal approximately half their paychecks. The MTA is in agreement with the Comptroller that measures to curb overtime pay must be taken and Chairman Jay Walder has said it is one of the steps he is taking to overhaul the agency since he took over. The Authority noted that it would take active cooperation from members’ unions in order to reduce unnecessary overtime.
The C&S Companies are proud to welcome Anthony Basile as the firm’s new associate airport manager. Basile, a retired colonel for the U.S. Air Force, brings more than 30 years of experience in operational and executive USAF military affairs. His responsibilities at C&S include managing airport engineering and construction projects, overseeing day-to-day department operations, and client relationship management.
The C&S Companies are proud to announce that Renee Lane was promoted to marketing director for the C&S Companies. In this role, she oversees all communications with the firm’s clients throughout New York State and across the country, developing marketing campaigns and materials for a wide variety of clients. She has diverse experience in media relations, public relations, advertising, marketing and special events planning. She regularly provides public outreach, marketing, and communications support for C&S clients as diverse as airports, higher education, k-12 schools, and local and state municipalities. Lane joined C&S as marketing manager in 2002. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the marketing and communications/public relations arena. Lane is a graduate of Syracuse University and resides in Skaneateles.
P.W. Grosser Consulting has opened a branch office located at 401 North Salina St.
Suite 406-A, Syracuse, NY 13203. The Branch Manager is, Martin Meriwether martym@pwgrosser.com
Beardsley Design Associates Architecture, Engineering & Landscape Architecture, P.C. is pleased to announce the following staff members have volunteered and been selected to serve the Cayuga County Habitat for Humanity Chapter. Madonna Millerschin has been elected as President of the Chapter’s Board of Directors; Karen Jones was elected as a Board Member and appointed to the Family Selection Committee, Brenda Taylor was appointed to the Family Selection Committee and Site Selection Committee, and Tracy Bellerdine, R.A., to the Public Relations Committee. For information on Habitat for Humanity visit www.habitat.org.
Beardsley Design Associates Architecture, Engineering & Landscape Architecture, P.C. is pleased to announce that Seth A. Livermore, P.E. has been elected a Director of the Syracuse Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Board. As part of his responsibilities with the Chapter, Seth is also Chair of the Young Member Committee. For information on the American Society of Civil Engineers visit sections.asce.org/syracuse.
Beardsley Design Associates Architecture, Engineering & Landscape Architecture, P.C., is pleased to announce that Michael D. Frey, P.E., LEED AP has joined the firm as Sr. Mechanical Engineer. Mr. Frey brings to the firm over 33 years of experience in engineering planning and design to complement the firm’s full architectural, engineering, and landscape architectural design capabilities.
Beardsley Design Associates Architecture, Engineering & Landscape Architecture, P.C., is pleased to announce that Raymond N. Cudney, Professional Engineer, has earned his accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Mr. Cudney successfully passed the examinations to become LEED AP, Building Design and Construction accredited. Mr. Cudney is a Principal of Beardsley Design Associates, and manages clients in the Municipal, Government, Commercial, and Industrial markets
VHB is pleased to welcome Dennis O’Malley and Kevin Powers, PE, to the firm’s growing Albany, New York office. Mr. O’Malley is joining the firm as director of traffic engineering and transportation planning. Mr. Powers is joining as director of structural engineering.
ACEC has appointed Gary Loesch, PE, Executive Vice President of H2M Group, as a trustee for the ACEC Business Insurance Trust.
In celebrating 20 years of providing Strategic Environmental Engineering Solutions, diverse clientele, PWGC held a Casino Night Fund Raiser and was able to raise over $9,000.
The next Metropolitan Region Membership Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 7, 8:00am-9:30am at the Union League Club. Kevin Burke, Chairman, President and CEO of Consolidated Edison, Inc. will be the guest speaker. To register, please click here.
NYC PAC. Since January 1, members of the Metropolitan Region have contributed close to $11,000 in support of the New York City Political Action Committee, which raises funds for local candidates. We would like to thank all members who have contributed to date – please click here to view the list of 2010 contributors. If you would like to lend your support, personal checks can be made out to the “ACEC New York City PAC” and mailed to 60 East 42 Street, Ste. 1742, NYC 10165. If you have any questions, please call Tom Cote, Director of Government Relations.
Husam Ahmad of HAKS will be honored with the Thomas E. Diana Spirit of Volunteerism Award at the March of Dimes 34th Annual Transportation and Construction Luncheon on September 23 at Cipriani Wall Street. Other honorees are Jay Walder, MTA, Janette Sadik-Khan, NYCDOT and Richard Wood, Plaza Construction. Please click here for more information.
Bill Stout, chairman and CEO of Gannett Fleming, has been named chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) Institute for Business Management Committee. In this role, Bill will help advance the institute as the premier provider of business education in the engineering industry.
On August 9, 2010, FRA, a T.Y. Lin International Company changed its name to T.Y. LinInternational. FRA was acquired by T.Y. Lin International (TYLI) almost three years ago and the company decided to fully complete the name transition over a set period of time. During this time, FRA, a T.Y. Lin International Company has worked to familiarize their local clients with its new brand identity in the community.
The Erdman Anthony Board of Directors announced that it has appointed Curt Helman, PE, a Senior Vice President of the firm. Helman has held several positions at Erdman Anthony, most recently serving as the Construction Services core business leader. Under Helman’s leadership, Erdman Anthony’s Construction Services group has been one of the firm’s most successful areas of operation over the past several years. During the past year Helman and his team provided construction observation services on projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida that totaled more than $800 million in construction value.
Erdman Anthony has appointed principal associate William McCormick, PE, the Northeast transportation operations manager. He is now responsible for the oversight and coordination of production, personnel, and business development in the Northeast Region. McCormick is the Highway department manager for the Rochester office's Transportation Group and has over 23 years of highway design experience on projects for the New York State Department of Transportation, Monroe County Department of Transportation, and several county highway departments. He was recently named ACEC New York’s “New Principal of the Year.”
Shumaker Consulting Engineering & Land Surveying, P.C. is pleased to announce that Thadius M. Donoghue, an Assistant Engineer in our Binghamton office, and Brian E. Whittaker, an Engineer in our Utica office, have completed their Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) from New York State. Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering is the first phase to becoming a Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.). SCE’s Managing Partners are very proud of their success and desire to become Professional Engineers.
Delta Engineers, Architects, & Land Surveyors, P.C., with offices in Endwell, Vernon, and Delhi, NY, is pleased to announce that Peter Messmer has joined Delta as a Senior Project Engineer in the Civil Engineering Group. Mr. Messmer has 20 years of civil engineering experience in both the public and private sectors developing pavement management systems.
Delta Engineers, Architects, & Land Surveyors, P.C., with offices in Endwell, Vernon, and Delhi, NY, is pleased to announce that Thomas Ferro has joined Delta as an industrial hygienist technician in the Environmental Services Group. He is responsible for site investigations, environmental sampling, on-site project monitoring oversight, and technical report writing for building renovations and demolition projects.
Delta Engineers, Architects, & Land Surveyors, P.C., with offices in Endwell, Vernon, and Delhi, NY, is pleased to announce that Jessica Mallinder has recently joined the Marketing Department as a Proposal Coordinator. Ms. Mallinder will be assisting in the coordination and development of the firm’s marketing proposals. Ms. Mallinder has over 20 years of experience in technical writing and proposal generation.
AFFILIATE REGION
Poole Professional – New York, Inc. announces the hiring of Guy Piddington as an Associate and Matthew Mullard as Office Administrator. Guy brings over 20 years of experience providing Professional Liability Property and Casualty Insurance and Risk Management services to Architectural, Engineering and Certified Public Accounting firms across Upstate New York. Matthew brings his experience in finance and office administration to the Insurance practice of the firm.
Registration Open for Fall Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. The Fall Conference is being held at the Gideon Putnam Resort and Spa (http://www.gideonputnam.com/) in Saratoga Springs, September 12-14. Highlights of the program include a program on Rail in New York, Golf Tournament, Tour of historic Saratoga, and Board of Directors/Membership Meeting. To register for the meeting and review the agenda click here.
ACEC New York Sponsored Webinars ACEC New York Webinar Series Webinar # 29: “The Little Green Schoolhouse: Acoustics & LEED for Educational Facilities” (1.0 PDH), September 23, 2010, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm (EST) Location: Online, Presented by: Ken Shook, Senior Associate & Jeremy Capungcol, Junior Associate, Cerami & Associates, Inc.
ACEC New York Webinar Series Webinar # 30: “Energy Recovery – Commercial and Institutional Comfort Applications” (2.0 PDH), October 14, 2010, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm (EST) Location: Online, Presented by: Darrell Wisz, A.D.E. Systems, Inc.; Air Distribution Enterprises, Inc.
ACEC New York Webinar Series Webinar # 31: “Seismic Design Requirements for Buildings and Building Components” (1.5 PDH), October 28, 2010, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm (EST) Location: Online, Presented by: Joseph S. Kime, P.E., Beardsley Design Associates Architecture, Engineering & Landscape Architecture, P.C.
ACEC New York Webinar Series Webinar # 32: “Coursework Accreditation Certification Seminar” (1.0 PDH), November 11, 2010, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm (EST) Location: Online, Presented by: Jay J. Simson, CAE, President, ACEC New York
Other Courses throughout New York State Anchin’s Fifth Annual State of the Construction Industry Event, September 30, Club 101, NYC, 8:00am-9:45am. Register on Anchin’s website at www.anchin.com. The cost is $50 per person; checks need to be made payable to Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP. For further information, contact Kayte Steinert-Threlkeld at 212.840.3456 or kayte.steinert-threlkeld@anchin.com.
Conference on Preservation and Climate Change in NYC at Columbia University, Saturday, October 16. Please visit www.preservationandclimatechange.org for more information.
AGC, NESCA and ECA are holding classroom based LEED Exam Prep Courses on October 7 (LEED Green Associate) and October 8 (LEED AP+ BD&C) with a firm from Colorado. The training will be held at the Building Industry Center (6 Airline).
Fall Institute for Design Professionals, LLC (IDP) Brochure. Please click here for brochure.
A Structural Engineer’s View of VDC-BIM and IPD, Thursday, September 16, 2010 As a proud member of The Professional Liability Agents Network (PLAN), Poole Professional – New York is happy to announce an upcoming Webinar that can each earn 1.50 AIA/CES HSW credits for architects and qualified continuing education credits for engineers. R. Wayne Muir, P.E., of Structural Consulting Inc., will present how Virtual Design and Construction-Building Information Modeling (VDC-BIM) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) affect current and future professional and business practices. Please click here for more info.
Approved Sponsor
ACEC New York is an authorized provider of continuing education for registered architects, professional engineers and land surveyors in New York State. Courses approved by ACEC New York are now acceptable for both engineering and architectural credits in New York State.
As an approved sponsor organization for continuing education, ACEC New York may approve courses for certification. Members need to submit a course application and related materials.
Call for Web Seminars!
ACEC New York is seeking two-hour courses to be offered throughout the year as web seminars. Courses are sought for all engineering disciplines. ACEC New York, with our partner Contract Solutions Group, will review the course material for free and provide training on how to present via the web. If you need information or have a course to offer, contact gina@acecny.org
Self-Study Courses Self-Study Courses. ACEC New York and Contract Solutions Group (CSG) have teamed up to offer our web seminars as self-study courses. Currently, ACEC New York has twenty courses in our library, each worth between 1 and 2 professional development hours. The courses may be ordered from CSG. Each course package contains: instructions, the power point presentation - printed and electronic, audio from the program (embedded in the PowerPoint), and a 10-question quiz. For each successfully completed program determined by a score of 70% or greater on the required quiz a certificate of credit hours will be issued. If you participated in the LIVE webinar, you will not earn credits for the self-study course. Engineers may earn 18 self-study credits during each three-year registration period. To order your courses click on the order form. If you have any questions you can contact gina@acecny.org or jjennings@contractsolutionsgroup.com.
Erie Canal Exhibition and the World Canals Conference in Rochester, NY. ACEC New York is a sponsor of an exhibition that will contain historical information on the building of the Erie Canal, including the birth of the engineering profession, along with contemporary artist’s paintings of the Canal.The exhibition will be on display at the World Canals Conference, September 19 to 24, in Rochester, NY. There are over 75 Speakers in General Sessions and a variety of Workshops as listed in the Full Program. If you are interested in attending the conference, please visit www.wccrochester.org. If you are interested in knowing more about the traveling exhibition, please visit www.canals-reinspired.com.
National Structural Engineers Conference comes to the NY Metro area. ACEC New York is a sponsor of the upcoming National Council of Structural Engineers Associations 18th Annual Conference at the Hyatt Regency on the Hudson, Jersey City, NJ (easily accessible by the PATH train) from September 30 to October 2. Please visit www.ncsea.com to review the full program and to register in time to obtain the early-bird discount (before August 21).
Columbia University Engineering Consortium Career Fair. Last year, over 2,000 students and alumni from 23 schools were in attendance to meet with over 100 pre-eminent national and international engineering firms and many of you were there! It is scheduled this year for Friday, October 15, 2010,10:00 am - 4:00 pm at Columbia University’s Lerner Hall, NYC. The fair will be open to both undergraduate and graduate students and Columbia University alumni and Columbia welcomes employers who have internship opportunities, full time opportunities or both. Registration for an employer table is $750 and each table can have up to 3 representatives. To register for the fair, please login to LionSHARE. Here you will also find further details on the fair and the current list of partner schools. If you have any questions, please contact Emily Newman, Interim Associate Director of Employer and Alumni Relations at Columbia University's Center for Career Education at en2260@columbia.edu.
