Engineering Inc. - March/April 2009 - 46

late 1960s, the Council organized a conference in Chicago to address the M&A issue, attended by representatives from more than 225 national engineering firms. In 1975, ACEC joined with three other organizations to form the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee, which today continues to develop and update standard documents for the engineering industry. In 1978, two Council education programs—Value Engineering and Professional Management—were playing to standingroom-only audiences. Responding to the Need Education at ACEC includes annual meeting presentations by world-famous personalities, such as legendary undersea explorer Robert Ballard (left) in 2008 and renowned structural engineer Leslie Robertson (right) in 2006. ACEC expanded its educational offerings in the 1980s by adding seminars such as The Art of Negotiation, Marketing of Professional Services and Project Management. Three courses on computer-aided drafting and design also became part of the Council’s growing course catalog. In 1984, the Voluntary Peer Review Program was established to give design firms the ability to evaluate the effectiveness of their own practices and procedures. Since its inception, more than 1,200 firms have taken advantage of this important method of business evaluation. In 2009 it was augmented to include “targeted” peer reviews of specific firm functions, such as information technology or project management. In 1985, the Council introduced what would become one of its most successful education programs: the four-day Business of Design Consulting. The content of the program has changed over time, but its basic objective—to prepare the engineer for moving into firm management—has remained the same. Another important benchmark in the Institute’s history occurred in 1988 when the ACEC Bookstore opened for business, making business management publications available. One of ACEC’s most successful publications has been the annual Industry Trends Survey, which provides comprehensive anal- ysis of the current state of Member Firm operations and provides near- and long-term projections to facilitate corporate planning. In 1995, the Council introduced its flagship advanced educational program, the Senior Executives Institute (SEI), an intensive one-and-a-half-year course that focuses on developing critical leadership skills. More than 300 executives have completed the program since its inception. “This program is on par with the other nationally known leadership programs, such as the Harvard MBA program,” says SEI graduate Stanley Sugden of Ruekert & Mielke, Inc., in Waukesha, Wis. The 15th SEI class gets under way in September 2009. Senior Executives Institute Class XIV in fall 2008. More than 300 executives have completed the advanced leadership development program since its inception in 1995. 46 ENGINEERING INC. MaRCh / apRIl 2009

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2009

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