Engineering Inc. - March/April 2013 - (Page 13)

Another Record-Setting By Bob Violino Year for ACEC/PAC A Council political program remains one of the nation’s strongest in achieving advocacy goals CEC members continued their remarkable support of ACEC/PAC in 2012, collecting $732,000 in contributions—the best fundraising year ever—to advance critical industry issues, and to elect probusiness, pro-engineering candidates. ACEC/PAC now ranks in the top 3 percent among all federal trade association PACs based on yearly receipts. More State Organizations (32) also reached their fundraising goals last year than in either 2011 or 2010. ACEC/PAC leaders hope to continue the momentum into 2013, as many states plan to become even more aggressive in their PAC emphasis. A prime example of a successful ACEC/PAC effort is ACEC/Illinois, which continually has been an ACEC/ PAC fundraising leader. “Our program has been so successful because we have worked very hard to develop a culture of giving to and working for ACEC/PAC, and this culture starts at the top of our membership organization,” says Philip Houser, principal at Farnsworth Group, Inc., in Bloomington, Ill., and the national PAC chairman in addition to co-PAC champion for Illinois. “Any successful endeavor has to have buy-in from those involved, and that starts with our ACEC/PAC co-champions and our executive director and flows down to our board of directors,” Houser says. Houser, along with fellow co-PAC champion Darcie Gabrisko, vice president of Strand Associates, Inc., in Joliet, to make their annual Millennium Club contributions in March or April, and we have finished our efforts to move our telephone campaign to October in order to finish prior to the fall elections.” This helps ensure ACEC has the necessary money available during the spring and summer, Houser says. “It also helps us in our fundraising efforts to have the October phone calls right ahead of elections, when member interest is high” he says. “As we move forward, our president and president-elect will serve as our PAC co-champions and our entire board will convinced each ACEC/Illinois board member to become Millennium Club members and help with fundraising calls. “The board members are leaders of 2012 ACEC/PAC State-by-State Numbers our engineering community; they understand the importance and are supportive of the PAC,” adds Gabrisko. “Annually, our board members each make many calls to our Member Firm principals and committee members and personally ask them to participate in the PAC. We have had great success with t h i s a p p ro a c h t o meeting our goals.” For years, ACEC/ Illinois waited until December each year to make a flurry of calls to raise money f o r AC E C / PAC , Houser adds, “but we have been able to gradually get our Philip Houser Franklyn Wilson 15 board members Philip Beer MaRCh / apRIl 2013 ENGINEERING INC. 13

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - March/April 2013

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2013
Table of Contents
From ACEC to You
Market Watch
Legislative Action
A Fresh Look at U.S. Energy Policy
Record-Setting Year for ACEC/PAC
Protecting Your Interests
Sky’s the Limit
6 Ways to Keep Cash Flowing
2013 Annual Convention Preview
Guest Column
Decision Makers
Business Insights
Members in the News
Mergers and Acquisitions

Engineering Inc. - March/April 2013