Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007 - 4

Warning : session_start : The session id contains invalid characters,
valid characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in
/mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning :
session_start : Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent
output started at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in
/mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 9 Warning :
Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by output started
at /mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php:9 in
/mnt/data/www.nxtbook.com/fx/config_1.3/global.php on line 10 n e W s &
noTes ACEC Launches New Digital Engineering Inc. E ngineering Inc.,
ACEC’s awardwinning magazine, now is being distributed in an electronic
format, as well as in print. The new digital Engineering Inc. enables ACEC
to reach many more readers. All employees of ACEC member firms are eligible
to receive the magazine as a benefit of membership. Those who normally
receive the printed issue of Engineering Inc. will continue to do so.
Readers will find easy navigation throughout the digital publication; the
latest innovative media technology, such as page turning, hyperlinks,
email links, word and topic searches are incorporated. For further
information on how all your employees can now receive the new digital
Engineering Inc. free of charge, contact Mary Ann Emely, 202-682-4300 or
memely@acec.org. Market Factors Fuel Merger & Acquisition Surge S
Engineering Grads Are Among Highest in Starting Salary Increases mall
firms facing higher costs to compete and a shortage of available talent
are merging with larger companies with more substantial resources,
according to a new study from SMA Advisors, a mergers and acquisitions
firm specializing in the engineering industry. At the same time, large
firms increasingly are viewing this as an optimal time to acquire smaller
entities as a way to boost market share, add new customers and branch out
to new territories. The trend is further fueled by many Baby Boomer–era
owners who are winding down their careers and have either implemented
their own exit strategies or soon will, the study says. “It’s exciting
to see wellfunded private equity groups enGIneeRInG Inc. make select
acquisitions of engineering firms,” says Danny Qubain, president of SMA
Advisors. “It brings an entirely new level of professional investors and
capital to our industry. As an engineer, I am pleased with this trend.”
The study underscored that it has been more efficient for engineering
firms to grow via the merger and acquisition route rather than starting
their own branch offices from scratch. Current financial incentives make a
potential deal even more attractive. Engineering industry revenues have
reached record heights, and the average ratio of market value to adjusted
earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization EBITDA paid
for engineering firms is higher than at any time in the past. T his year,
engineering graduates are enjoying some of the highest increases in
starting salaries among the major professions, according to the Fall 2006
edition of Salary Survey, a quarterly report by the National Association
of Colleges and Employers. “These salary increases indicate that
2005–06 has been the best job market in the past four years,” says
NACE executive director Marilyn Mackes. Mechanical engineers averaged
$51,732, a 3.3 percent increase, and electrical engineers averaged
$53,500, a 2.9 percent bump, the survey says. The biggest beneficiaries
are graduates who majored in information sciences and systems: They are
taking home, on average, $47,182—a 7.5 percent increase over last
year’s graduating class. Civil engineering majors earned an average of
$46,084, a 5.3 percent hike, while starting salaries for chemical
engineers were up 4.9 percent, to $56,269. Other engineering majors also
experienced higher entrylevel offers. JanUaRY / febRUaRY 2007 Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
characters are only a-z, A-Z and 0-9 in Unknown on line 0 Warning :
Unknown : Failed to write session data files . Please verify that the
current setting of session.save_path is correct /var/lib/php/session in
Unknown on line 0

Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007