Albany, NY On January 28-30, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) held their annual Winter Conference at their new location in the Capital Center and Renaissance Hotel. This event is the largest conference on the ACEC New York calendar, and it is usually well-attended. This year’s attendance exceeded all expectations, with almost 400 engineering professionals, as well as agency and authority personnel. The conference also offered parallel tracks for CFOs/business managers and emerging leaders (engineering professionals preparing to take on top leadership roles in engineering firms).
The Albany Capital Center offered some clear benefits – the newly completed facility, now a key downtown destination for everything from concerts to sporting events, was well-received by attendees, who appreciated the modern construction and ease of access to all program sessions.
The key draw of the annual Winter Conference is the government agency sessions, which feature key personnel from New York City and New York State agencies and authorities. This year, the theme of the conference was “Designing a Sustainable Future,” and the following agencies/authorities presented their capital program, as well as their efforts in pursuit of sustainable solutions: NYS Thruway Authority, NYS DOT, NYS Bridge Authority, NYS Canal Corp., NYC Department of Design and Construction, NYC Housing Authority, NYC School Construction Authority, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, NYS Environmental Facilities Corp., NYSERDA , NYC Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NYC Economic Development Corp., NYS Office of General Services, State University Construction Fund, and Dormitory Authority of the State of NY.
The conference also featured several notable keynote speakers. Sunday night attendees were treated to a presentation by Matthew Roberts, Magician, who showed the audience how to “Think Like a Magician.” On Monday morning, Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan welcomed attendees to Albany, followed by an economic presentation from Jeff Saut, chief investment strategist and managing director, equity research at Workplace Retirement Group of Raymond James. During the anniversary luncheon, filmmaker Brett Culp reminded attendees how to be “everyday heroes.” During the board meeting on Tuesday, senator Joseph Robach, 56th district and head of the senate transportation committee, spoke briefly to members about the importance of infrastructure funding.
Infrastructure was also the theme of Monday night’s networking event, which took place in the DeWitt Ballroom in the Renaissance hotel. Over 30 legislators and key personnel were in attendance, including new NYSDOT acting commissioner Paul Karas. Also at the event were assemblyman Joseph Morelle, senator John Flanagan, and Ali Chaudhry, deputy secretary for transportation for the office of the governor of New York. Two key legislators were honored that evening with the Legislator of the Year Award for their efforts on behalf of the built environment: Senator Michael Ranzenhofer and assemblyman Michael Benedetto.
A special feature of this year’s conference benefitted a good cause: ACEC New York partnered with the Capital Region CANstruction to showcase at the conference. The can sculpture was not only a fun addition to the conference but also highlighted an organization supported by many ACEC New York member firms. All told, over $1,500 in cans were donated to the Food Pantries for the Capital District. Monetary donations can still be made via the ACEC New York “donate” button on the Hunger Heroes page of the Food Pantry website (thefoodpantries.org/hunger-heroes.html).
Overall, the newly revamped 2018 Winter Conference was a great success, and ACEC New York looks forward to continuing to improve and expand this event in years to come.
ACEC New York is a proactive coalition of 270 firms representing every discipline of engineering related to the built environment—civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, geotechnical—and affiliated companies. Our shared goals are to further the business interests of our membership, enhance the quality and safety of the environment we live and work in, and help ensure the vitality of our communities. For more information, visit www.acecny.org.
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