Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 12

CEOS DISCUSS BUSINESS
CHALLENGES OF
NEW TECHNOLOGY

Member Firm CEOs on a panel
moderated by KCI Chairman
and CEO Terry Neimeyer said
that while certain technological
advancements, such as 3D
modeling, field documentation
and virtual reality have been net
positives, we must be cautious
in adopting new tools before
examining their ramifications.
"New technologies often
take more time than we expect
to achieve their intended benefits," said Benesch President
and CEO John Carrato. "Your
entire organization-not just
select staff-may need to adapt
to the new process."
EMH&T President Sandy
Doyle-Ahern said, "Technological advancements are not
meant to be a replacement for
good teamwork and human
ingenuity, which are the cornerstones of our relationships with
clients."
TranSystems CEO Rick
Morsches emphasized that new
technology can have wideranging impacts. "Autonomous
vehicles, for example, are not
just affecting the auto industry but also the gas industry,
infrastructure design, safety and
even financing. The end result
is what everyone is still trying to
figure out," he said.
CEOS TARGET RISK
CHALLENGES IN DESIGNBUILD AND P3S

Gresham, Smith and Partners
Chairman/CEO Alan Pramuk,
who moderated a panel on
"Contracting Trends and the
Role of the Engineer," said,
"There seems to be an insatiable desire to shift risk to us. We
have to find ways to mitigate
those contract terms that are
difficult to live with."
"Design-build projects used
to be much more cooperative,"
according to Lochner President
12

ENGINEERING INC.

EMH&T President Sandy Doyle-Ahern (right) offers her perspective during a panel discussion on the impact of technology on
the business of engineering. Also pictured from the left: KCI Chairman/CEO and moderator Terry Neimeyer, TranSystems CEO
Rick Morsches and Benesch President and CEO John Carrato.

Alan Pramuk of
Gresham, Smith
and Partners (left),
Jeanne Cormier of
Lochner and Michel
Kahan of Setec
discussed how
firms can protect
themselves in
today's contracting
environment.

and CEO Jeanne Cormier,
"but contractors are becoming
much more prescriptive." She
said that firms should walk
away from projects that carry
too much liability.
Michel Kahan, chairman
and CEO of the French firm
Setec, which has had a long
history of working within
public-private partnerships,
said, "Totally integrating the
project team is one of the best
ways to limit each participants'
liability."

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017

As millennials
become more
prominent in the
workforce, firm
leaders would be
wise to understand
just who
millennials are,
Neil Howe, worldrenowned expert
on generations
and demography,
told the audience.
"Millennials
are indeed
different. They
continually monitor
themselves, from
their health to
their finances and
all their social
platforms. This
is a team-playing
generation,
they like open
workspaces and
generally have
a more positive
outlook on the
future than
many of their
predecessors."
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc - November/December 2017
