Registration is now open for the MDOT ACEC Partnering Workshop held on February 6, 2020 in Lansing. Last year, the Workshop drew 600+ attendees from engineering firms and the Michigan Department of Transportation. The Workshop provides the ideal venue for technical information sharing, communicating new policies and procedures, and endless networking.

 

Also, the annual 'ACEC members only' reception will be from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5 with MDOT Leadership from all regions of the state.  Attendees will receive 2 free drink tickets and hors d'oeuvres will be available. 

 

MDOT Director Paul Ajegba and ACEC/M President Steve Gravlin will kick the event off at 8:00 a.m. The afternoon general session will feature keynote speaker Dan Oblinger, who will share his skills and stories as a hostage negotiator to help participants make great decisions in work and life. 

Other Workshop highlights: 24 different educational breakouts, an Innovative Technology room (ITR), round table discussions, and networking at the popular ice cream social. This event will offer 5.5 continuing education hours for attendees.

 

Show your support for the Partnering Workshop with MDOT by taking advantage of sponsorship opportunities. Top level sponsors will receive complimentary registrations for the Workshop. 

 

Click here to register for the events and/or sponsorships. 

The ASCE Southeastern Michigan (SEMI) Branch is excited to host Regions 3, 6, and 7 for the 2020 Central Region Multi-Region Leadership Conference (MRLC), to be held January 9-11, 2020 at the Marriott Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

 

While the  conference sessions are focused on leadership development (by invitation only), all ASCE members are encouraged to participate in networking and social events before, during, and after the conference. At the following events, you will meet civil engineering colleagues and students from across the country:

• Pre-College Outreach Workshop
• Civil Engineering Career Fair
• Welcome Social at Garden Bowl
• Awards Banquet at The Henry Ford Museum
• Construction Tours

Visit the ASCE Southeastern Michigan branch website to learn more and to register. 

Your support is needed to make this event a success! Visit the SEMI branch website to learn about the available SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES for this event. 

The legislature concluded its activity for the year on December 11 and plans to return on January 8. The House and Senate Transportation committees are working on packages of bills (House Bills 4963-4973 and Senate Bills 515-524) seeking to create greater efficiencies in MDOT and local road agencies to better spend state resources. ACEC has been attending hearings on the bills and reviewing language to determine how they may affect the engineering community. Representatives of the design professional groups have been meeting with legislators on the House Judiciary Committee to discuss HB 5169, Certificate of Merit. The bill seeks to curb frivolous claims against design professionals and requires plaintiffs to obtain a certificate of merit from a licensed professional before a claim can move forward. A hearing is expected in January.

Governor Whitmer and the legislature came to an agreement to restore some of the dollars to the state budget that were vetoed by the Governor. Supplemental bills (SB 152 and SB 154) were finalized this week which restored $459 million ($257 million General Fund) to state agency programs and $114.5 million ($70.2 million School Aid Fund, $3.9 million General Fund) to school programs.  HB 5176 and HB 5177 were also passed which would make changes to the State Administrative Board powers.  These changes were significant in brokering the final deal on restoring some of the vetoes and shifts by the State Administrative Board.

 

On January 23-24, 2020, ACEC/Michigan will offer the popular PSMJ Principals Bootcamp in Lansing. This course is designed for anyone who wants to stay on top of their game as an A/E/C Principal. Changing market conditions in a fast moving world mean you need the latest proven insight for success. Whether you are just starting out as a Principal or have spent decades as a firm leader, this Bootcamp has something for you.  

Detailed information and registration is available  on the ACEC/M website. 

Congratulations to the following firms who are celebrating significant anniversaries this year! 

• Wolverine Engineers & Surveyors, Inc. - 100 years
• Byce and Associates, Inc. - 60 years
• Nowak & Fraus Engineers - 50 years
• Prein&Newhof - 50 years
• Abonmarche - 40 years
• G2 Consulting Group, LLC - 25 years
• Ziemnick Foster Engineering, LLC - 10 years

Do you have news you would like to share? Email kvanzee@acecmi.org.