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ACEC-SC Seeks ACEC Minute Man Fund Grant At its Sept. 10 meeting, the Board of Directors heard possible uses for a grant from the Minute Man Fund to increase the awareness of needed tort reform. The ACEC fund has more than $1 Million to fund such things as moving legislation in states, preparing Amicus Briefs to state courts on engineering issues, state referendum battles and court defenses. Each ACEC-SC member firm is asked to contribute to this fund because it has been most beneficial to engineering companies on national and state levels. Passing good legislation in a state opens the door for similar possibilities in other states and stopping bad lawsuits in one state helps prevent similar bad lawsuits. ACEC-SC requested and received an ACEC Minute Man Fund grant earlier in the tort reform battle. Significant headway was made during that push. Hopefully, this push will be as successful. ACEC-SC Board Appoints Representatives to Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies The SC Council of Engineering and Surveying Societies is a group originally established by the SC General Assembly of six professional and technology engineering societies and the SC Society of Professional Land Surveyors. Originally, the Council was charged with making recommendations to the Governor for his appointment to the SC State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors. This responsibility was suspended in the 1980s but was restored recently when the registration law was amended. Each organization has three representatives who comprise the Council. The Council has developed operating procedures to advertise, screen and make recommendations for positions on the registration board to the Governor. For the next several years, seats on the registration board are going to be up for reappointment or new appointments. The positions held by ACEC-SC’s three appointees are important, and they have significant responsibility. ACEC-SC Holds Winter Meeting March 10 in Columbia The third annual meeting is set for March 10 at Seawell’s in Columbia. Programs and speakers are being put together now. Seawell’s facility is easy to find and has plenty of parking; so, it is a good venue for this meeting. ACEC-SC shares this meeting with SCSPE. Each group has its own membership meeting while both groups plan the seminars and whose members attend any of the sessions they wish. As in the past, there is a dual track of programs; one typically deals with environmental issues while the other is predominately business and management. Mark your calendars. This meeting will give you a chance for low-cost PDH sessions as well as the opportunity to catch up on ACEC-SC state activities and spend time with other engineers from throughout the state. If you have ideas for DHEC topics, please email Ginger Booker with suggestions. Charles M. Joye II, PE, Gets ACEC-SC and SCSPE Endorsement for Term on State Registration Board The abbreviated term was set in order for there to be an orderly progression of seats on the registration board. Another term was also staggered; both in order to keep terms from expiring at one time. Through letters to both ACEC-SC and SCSPE, Mr. Joye sought the boards’ endorsements. He is a co-founder and principle in Design South Professionals in Anderson, SC, where he has worked for more than 30 years. He is a past President, National Director of ACEC-SC and recipient of the ACEC-SC Service to the Profession award and the 2002 SCSPE Engineer of the Year recipient. Dinkins Elected NCEES Treasurer
At the 2009 NCEES Annual Meeting, delegates elected Gene L. Dinkins, P.E., P.L.S., as NCEES treasurer for a two-year term (2009–11). A resident of Columbia, South Carolina, Dinkins has been a member of the South Carolina State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Surveyors since 2004. He is the current board chair. Dinkins also served as 2007–09 NCEES Southern Zone vice president. Read More<< SCDOT Commission Gets Safety Briefing He said in 2007, South Carolina had 1,077 fatalities on its highways, the third highest in the nation. The department reorganized its safety department and set goals to bring the fatalities and crashes down. “We wanted to cuts fatalities by 25 percent and crashes by 3 percent,” Mr. Werts told the Commission. In 2007, 60 percent of the road departure accidents resulted in fatalities; the goal here was to reduce that number 21 percent. To lower road departure accidents, the Department began writing in new and resurfacing contracts the installation of edge line rumble strips. The department specifies one of three different edge line rumble strips according to specifications for the roads. Also, the department is replacing its incandescent traffic signals with LED lighted signals which are much brighter, last longer and are less expensive to operate. Since the DOT owns 3,600 traffic signals, the energy savings are significant. Mr. Werts informed the commission about other safety measures including solar panels to light traffic signs including stop signs. Results have been good. Fatalities for 2008 dropped to 920 from 1,077. Crashes fell from 112,067 to 106,718 in 2008. SCDOT Commission Makes Committee Assignments The commission utilizes its committees to review many of the issues that come before the group. The assignments are as follows: SC Firm Wins National Recognition Mr. Sinor and Mr. Yeh are the founders and co-CEOs of International Public Works, LLC (IPW) in North Charleston, S.C. IPW was founded in 2002 and is now a $19.5 million engineering and construction firm with commercial and residential projects ranging from $3,000 to $6 million throughout South Carolina and North Carolina. In January 2009, the firm was named the second fastest-growing company in the Charleston area by the Charleston Regional Business Journal. IPW is well-regarded by its past clients and specializes in new construction, civil engineering, operations and maintenance, electrical, mechanical services, design, geotechnical consulting and major and minor renovations. In 2008, IPW was also honored as one of South Carolina’s Fastest-Growing Companies, a program co-sponsored by Elliott Davis, LLC and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. The American Council of Engineering of South Carolina is a member of organization of the ACEC-SC Reports is published for members firms and friends by
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"What we do is all around you."
We would like to thank those that have committed to participate in the 2009 SC Engineering Conference. Silver Bronze Mid-Morning Break Sponsor Trade Show Exhibitors September 10 October 10 October 7-10
We would like to congratulate our 2009 Engineering Excellence Awards winners and their clients. Palmetto Award WPC, Inc. Engineering Excellence Awards WPC, Inc. Honor Awards HGBD/BV
ACEC-SC welcomes the following new members.
ACEC-SC would like to thank the following members for there continued support. For membership information contact Ginger Booker at ginger@jma-associations.com. The mission of ACEC-SC is to promote and protect the business interests and professional standards of engineers in the state of South Carolina; and to improve member firms' ability to profitably provide quality services to their clients. ACEC-SC is an Organization of more than 80 Engineering firms employing more than 4,000 individuals. Membership Information
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