Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 36

REVOLVING DOOR
OF REGULATIONS
Lenny Reidling, chair of the Land
Development Coalition (LDC) and vice

president of business and strategic development at Guida Surveying, is all too
familiar with the plethora of environmental
regulations in California, where his firm is
based. From
the Clean
Water Act to
protecting the
threatened vernal pool fairy
shrimp or the
endangered
Stephens' kangaroo rat-a
steady stream
of new regulaLenny Reidling
tions is taking
its toll on
firms and their ability to contain fees. The
issue has now spread nationwide.
"Lawmakers are pushed by special
interest lobbyists, under the auspices of
constituents' need, to overregulate the
land development industry," says Reidling.
"These regulations create fee increases in
the professional services industries supporting such endeavors. This situation forces
the developer to find lower pricing from
his consulting team or shop for those who
offer a lesser product."
LDC members maintain an active role in
legislative issues to stay ahead of proposed
changes, Reidling says. "We're up on Capitol Hill talking with legislators about issues
that we know."

FEDERAL INDECISION
Incoming Design Professionals Coalition (DPC) Chairman Greg Kelly, presi-

dent & CEO, WSP USA, also emphasizes
the importance of legislative advocacy
from its members. "The lack of clarity at
the federal level and the evolving roles for

"Mentoring will be
the next Y2K for
our industry."
LENNY REIDLING, CHAIR, LAND
DEVELOPMENT COALITION
GUIDA SURVEYING, INC.

36

ENGINEERING INC.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017

engineers on
design-build
and P3 projects has introduced uncertainty into
our business
environment,"
Kelly says.
He points
to other large
Greg Kelly
firm concerns
such as the rapid development of alternate
project delivery methods where firms are
now working for contractors and/or concessionaires. "Communications to members on issues to help maximize influence
on regulatory and legislative outcomes in
conjunction with ACEC's agenda will be a
priority," he says.
Education will be another key DPC
initiative through continued engagement
of quality outside speakers and subject
matter experts on topics such as alternate
project delivery, Kelly says. "Additionally,
DPC firms are known for sharing 'lessons
learned' at our meetings to help fellow
senior executives manage change and take
advantage of new opportunities."

SHARPENING DEFENSES
Technology advances continue to improve
engineering firms' operations, but they also
challenge companies to keep up with their
cyberdefenses. Cybersecurity nears the top
of the list of challenges at many structural
engineering firms, especially those doing
work with the Department of Defense
(DoD), says Corey Matsuoka, chair of
the Council of American Structural
Engineers (CASE).

The DoD has increased its security
requirements, putting out security guidelines for firms
doing business
with them and
requiring some
contractors to
protect sensitive information through
both technology and education of staff,
Matsuoka says.
There are also Corey Matsuoka
physical secu-

rity requirements for where information
is stored, which may require additional
investments.
"There are a lot of firms interested but
not necessarily equipped to do that because
everything is so new for us," says Matsuoka, executive vice president at SSFM
International, Inc. "I know firms that have
hired cybersecurity people. Others are trying to figure it out on their own, whether
they do DoD work or not. Cybersecurity
should be a concern to all of our Member
Firms." Even for firms not doing DoD
work, there are cybersecurity concerns such
as ransomware, phishing and corporate
passwords being sold on the dark web.
In August, CASE incorporated cybersecurity training into its annual risk management convocation. A guest speaker and
cybersecurity expert discussed ways that
firms can protect themselves through training and employee awareness. CASE is also
developing new tools and publications that
cover cybersecurity issues.

GAME-CHANGING
TECHNOLOGY
Rapidly evolving business technology
continues to challenge many engineering
firms. As an example, mechanical and
electrical engineers are being enticed by
new and expanding BIM and scanning
options. Jeff McBride, chair of the
Council of American Mechanical and
Electrical Engineers (CAMEE), says the

CAMEE discussion groups offer a platform to share their experiences with new
software and
modules.
"We have a
lot of the discussions about
scanning
software,"
says McBride,
principal at
EBL Engineers, LLC.
"People chime
Jeff McBride
in about what
they're using
and what they like and don't like about
it." Some CAMEE Member Firms are
on their third generation of BIM and
scanning software while other firms are
just entering the market, McBride says.
"Being able to converse with your col-



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc - November/December 2017

Engineering Inc - November/december 2017
Contents
Standing Up to Mother Nature
Fall Conference
P3s to the Rescue
Young Professionals of the Year
Self-Sustainability
Navigating the Marketplace
Creating Meaningful Connections
From Acec to You
Market Watch
Legislative Action
Guest Column
Mergers and Acquisitions
Members in the News
Florida M.o. Adopts Powerful Acec Brand
Business Insights
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Intro
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Engineering Inc - November/december 2017
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Cover2
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Contents
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 2
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 3
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - From Acec to You
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 5
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Market Watch
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 7
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Legislative Action
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 9
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Fall Conference
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 11
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 12
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 13
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Standing Up to Mother Nature
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 15
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 16
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 17
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 18
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 19
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 20
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 21
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - P3s to the Rescue
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 23
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 24
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 25
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 26
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Young Professionals of the Year
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 28
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Self-Sustainability
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 30
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 31
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 32
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 33
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Navigating the Marketplace
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 35
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 36
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 37
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Creating Meaningful Connections
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 39
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 40
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 41
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Guest Column
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 43
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Mergers and Acquisitions
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 45
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 46
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 47
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Members in the News
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 49
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Florida M.o. Adopts Powerful Acec Brand
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - 51
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Business Insights
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Cover3
Engineering Inc - November/December 2017 - Cover4
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