Engineering Florida - Summer 2023

Focus on

Workforce

Mental Health in the AEC Industry

WHAT CAN AGENCIES AND FIRMS DO?

Evolving Engineering Education

HOW FLORIDA SCHOOLS ARE PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENGINEERS

Strengthening our Framework

The Florida engineering community works to deliver innovative projects, promote public policy, create jobs, and enhance Floridians’ quality of life. We don’t get there without our workforce. What adjustments need to be made to support and strengthen the backbone of our industry?

Introducing Engineering Florida

To borrow a quote from Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” It sounds simple but when you really think about what the words mean, you get a look at the future of our organization.

Florida Engineering Society members may recall a publication called the Journal. Most importantly, many may not remember too much about the publication because it became smaller over the years. And it sometimes gave information that was not consistent between engineering professionals.

Having a unified voice when informing the public, and perhaps more importantly informing Legislative leadership in Tallahassee, can have profound consequences. This happened recently with our assembly of the Surfside Working Group, which brought together engineers and building industry professionals from Florida Engineering Society (FES), American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Building Officials Association of Florida (BOAF) and International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI). This group worked through their differences and agreed on steps the building industry in Florida needed to take to prevent another collapse such as what occurred with the Champlain Towers in 2021. The work group’s consensus recommendations from “the Florida Building Professionals” became the basis for Florida’s Condo Inspection passed in 2022.

Communication is critical not only to the legislative process, but to make the public aware of the contributions of engineers and the issues we face daily throughout the state. Most engineering associations have public advocacy as one of their top goals, and it’s a goal that each organization mostly approaches in their own unique ways. This no longer has to be the case and is why we are pleased and excited to introduce Engineering Florida – the new and improved official publication of Florida’s engineering community!

One of the most noticeable aspects of Engineering Florida is our mutual and joint approach to gathering, sorting and sharing information statewide for Florida’s multi-faceted engineering industry. Engineering

Florida is a new quarterly publication by the Florida Engineering Society (FES), the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida), the

American Society of Civil Engineers Florida Section (FLASCE), the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE), the Florida Structural Engineers Association (FSEA), and the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). The magazine will provide engaging, non-technical content that is of interest to engineers, legislators, and industry officials alike.

Engineering Florida is designed to amplify Florida’s engineering voices by keeping the engineering community informed of changes to state regulations; continuing education; legislative issues; technological advances within the industry; and the positive contributions engineers make to every aspect of life in the state of Florida.

By keeping you informed with a unity in our voice, Engineering Florida simultaneously informs the public and those at a Legislative level charged with using our knowledge and skills for the betterment of their constituents. By keeping the information in Engineering Florida in an engaging and not-tootechnical format, we are making news about our engineering community palatable to a much wider audience.

Please make this resource a way for professional engineers to come together, stay together, and work together for success!

This publication is designed to:

Amplify Florida’s engineering voices

Provide updates on state regulations, education, and legislation

Discuss technological advances

Educate the public about the engineering community in Florida

Celebrate the many positive contributions engineers make to the state of Florida

Kelly Cranford P.E., Env. SP FES President

Scott Martin P.E., LEED AP, DBIA ACEC Florida President

Editor-in-Chief

Stacey Butler

Managing Editor

Joe VanHoose

Layout Editor

Claire Jordan

Creative Direction

Hannah Groseclose

Contributors

Thomas Ehlers

Lindsey Ranayhossaini

Johnathan McGinty

Ad Director

Meghan Shiner

Editorial Board

Katie Batill-Bigler, CPSM

Patel, Greene & Associates | SMPS

Stacey Butler, Marketing Specialist

FES | ACEC Florida

David Cowan, Jr, PE, ENV SP

Chen Moore and Associates | FES

Kelly Cranford, PE, ENV SP

Culpepper & Terpening | FES President

Charles W. Davis, Jr, Ph.D.

Professor, Valencia College | FES

Allen Douglas, Executive Director

FES | ACEC Florida

Sunserea Gates, PE

VHB | ASHE

Carmelo Giglio, PE, SI

United Professional Engineering | FSEA

Andy Lauzier, PE

HDR | ACEC Florida

Scott Martin, PE, LEED AP, DBIA

Walter P. Moore | ACEC Florida President

Jennifer Nix McGerald, CPSM

RS&H | ACEC Florida

Edie Ousley, President

Yellow Finch Strategies

Cherie Pinsky, Chief Operating Officer

FES | ACEC Florida

Adam Schildmeier, PE

WGI | FES

Ann Schiola, CPSM CIP-II

RS&H | ACEC Florida

Meghan Shiner, Communications Coordinator

FES | ACEC Florida

Jignesh Vyas, PE

Parsons Corporation | ASCE

As Building and Infrastructure Bills Pass Florida Legislature, CCNA Faces Scrutiny

Allen Douglas Executive Director, FES and ACEC Florida

Florida’s legislative session ended in May, which means it’s time to take a breath and reflect on the bills passed by the 2023 Florida House and Senate. There are several that are sure to impact each of our engineering practices.

BUILDING CHANGES

SB 154 made some important revisions to the Condo Safety and Inspection Act passed as Senate Bill 4-D in 2022. Among this year’s changes:

It allows for milestone inspections by designated representatives of the Professional Engineer or Registered Architect in charge of the inspections, similar to Florida’s Threshold Inspection laws.

For buildings within 3 miles of the coastline, it increases the age of buildings requiring their first inspection from 25 years to 30 years but gives local jurisdictions the authority to reduce that back down to 25 years based on local circumstances.

Since a large number of condominiums will need to be inspected before the end of 2025 due to this new law, SB 154 provides some flexibility for owners to miss this deadline as long as they have entered into a contract with the engineer/architect that will conduct the inspections.

It requires the Florida Building Commission to establish a building safety program to implement this law within the Florida Building Code – Existing Building by the end of 2024. This program must include inspection criteria, testing protocols, and standardized inspection and reporting forms.

Finally, it corrects erroneous language from last year’s law and again allows structural integrity reserve studies, which determine how much money should be set aside for building maintenance and repairs, to be done by the reserve specialists that specialize in those types of assessments (not only an engineer or architect).

Scott Martin

Staying in the building industry, SB 360 reduced the statute of limitations that building owners have to file a lawsuit based on a building’s design, planning or construction from 10 years after occupancy to 7.

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

There was a good deal of activity in the transportation sector this session. In addition to the $13.6 billion included in the state budget for the FDOT’s five-year work program, SB 2500 appropriated $4 billion for the Governor’s FDOT Moving Florida Forward program. HB 1305 included provisions related to highway construction financing and authorized FDOT to use phased design-build. HB 425 contained requirements for roads to be compatible with autonomous vehicles and established the I-STREET Living Lab at the University of Florida.

Florida’s fertilizer industry was active in Tallahassee this year. HB 1191 requires the FDOT to study using phosphogypsum as aggregate material in roadway projects. Phosphogypsum is a waste product from manufacturing fertilizer that emits radon and contains several radioactive elements. An estimated 1 billion tons are stored in 24 stacks across Florida, with 30 million new tons created annually.

Additionally, lawmakers added a late provision to the state budget that would ban local governments from imposing rainy-season restrictions on fertilizer use for the next year – a measure many local authorities use to reduce nutrient runoff in efforts to protect water quality in the face of red tide and blue-green algae outbreaks.

CCNA UNDER PRESSURE

Everyone in our industry needs to pay particular attention to one piece of legislation passed that undercuts the law governing the procurement of engineering services for public projects – a law that has served Florida well for the past 50 years.

SB 7026, promoted by former State Senator and current State University Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, includes provisions that exempt Florida’s colleges and universities from complying with F.S. 287.055, also

P.E., LEED AP, DBIA ACEC Florida President

known as the Consultant’s Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA). CCNA was enacted in 1973 and is based on the federal Brooks Act, which requires public entities to use qualification-based selection (QBS) rather than low-bids to procure professional design services, including engineering and architecture.

In the years since QBS was established at the federal level, in Florida and in the 45 other states that have QBS laws, multiple studies have found that QBS results in lower overall construction costs, fewer project delays, increased benefits for small engineering and architectural firms, and advanced technical innovation through increased interactions with the project owner.

For a building construction project, design fees typically comprise less than 8% of a project’s overall cost. The studies prove that any savings in design fees captured by selecting a low-bid design firm are more than offset by increases in construction challenges and other cost savings measures that a low-bid firm would be forced to take to deliver the project.

This exemption was first introduced in HB 1259 but was removed by the House Appropriations Committee in April. This exemption may stay limited to universities moving forward or open the door to further erosion of CCNA as the way Florida procures engineering services. Regardless, it sets Florida back at a time when innovation, capabilities, trust, and relationships should continue to be the gauge as our firms compete for design contracts, not simply who is the cheapest.

The battle for CCNA will continue, and the 2024 session is only months away. ACEC Florida President Scott Martin and FES|ACEC Florida Executive Director Allen Douglas met with Chancellor Rodriquez and Kevin Pichard, vice president of finance and facilities for the State University System, on May 17 in Tallahassee. They were joined by AIA-Florida President Beverly Frank, President-Elect Rhonda Hammond, and Executive Vice President and CEO Beck Magdaleno.

The Chancellor emphasized in the meeting that it is not the State University System’s goal to lowbid project design but rather to allow flexibility so universities can use price as one factor in determining the award. Boards of Trustees will be able to make their own decisions when deciding the method to use during the procurement process.

Further discussions are planned, and the new law imposes a deadline of Sept. 30 for the Board of Governors to finalize the plans.

For a building construction project, design fees typically comprise less than 8% of a project’s overall cost.

Another U.S. Supreme Court Decision Strikes Down a Waters of the United States Rule

Jeff Littlejohn SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR, ADAMS & REESE

The United States Supreme Court released in May an opinion in Sackett v. EPA (styled Sackett II), in which the Court unanimously held that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overstepped its jurisdiction in classifying wetlands on the Sackett property as “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS).

In short, the Court’s opinion significantly limits the jurisdictional reach over WOTUS under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and ended the use of the “significant nexus” test to determine whether a wetland is subject to federal jurisdiction.

SACKETT II

The specific facts in this case concerned homeowners who had purchased a lot near Priest Lake in Idaho and began backfilling their property with dirt and rocks. Months later, they received a notification from the EPA that they were in violation of the Clean Water Act “because their property contained protected wetlands.”

The EPA claimed the wetlands on their lot were adjacent to an unnamed tributary on the other side of a 30-foot road and that the tributary feeds into a non-navigable creek, which then flows into a navigable lake. Utilizing the “significant nexus” test, the EPA concluded the homeowners were illegally dumping into WOTUS.

In Sackett II, a five-vote majority established a two-prong test that must be satisfied to exercise federal authority over a wetland.

THE COURT STATED:

In sum, we hold that the CWA extends to only those wetlands that are “as a practical matter indistinguishable from waters of the United States.” This requires the party asserting jurisdiction over adjacent wetlands to establish “first, that the adjacent [body of water constitutes]… ‘water[s] of the United States,’ (i.e., a relatively permanent body of water connected to traditional interstate navigable waters); and second, that the wetland has a continuous surface connection with that water, making it difficult to determine where the ‘water’ ends and the ‘wetland’ begins.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR FLORIDA WETLANDS?

The CWA preserves – and this ruling confirms – state primacy over water. Florida’s state law has an expansive definition of wetlands, so only federal wetland protection has been modified. Not a single wetland in Florida loses all protection because of the Sackett II decision.

WHAT HAPPENS TO FLORIDA’S 404 WETLAND PROGRAM?

Florida’s 404 wetland permitting program delegated by the EPA to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will probably not change in the short or medium term. FDEP adopted the federal Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) for determining what is a federal jurisdictional wetland under the 404 permitting program, as NWPR was the federal wetlands rule in effect at the time the program was delegated to Florida.

Federal law allows states 12 months from the time the EPA promulgates a new wetland rule to adopt that rule in delegated programs. That law spares Florida’s regulated community the whiplash of changes to the interpretation of jurisdictional wetlands triggered by EPA’s decision to disregard NWPR and promulgate a new set of wetland rules drafted by the Biden administration.

Sackett II should cause the EPA to propose new wetland rules or seek authority from Congress to regulate additional wetlands. In the meantime, FDEP will continue to regulate wetlands under state law and should continue to use NWPR in the delegated 404 program until a new rule is promulgated by EPA.

Design with community in mind

stantec.com

Sackett II should cause the EPA to propose new wetland rules or seek authority from Congress to regulate additional wetlands.

ACEC

Florida

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES of Florida

EXPANDING OUR WORKFORCE – AND EVOLVING OUR CULTURE

Scott Martin PRESIDENT OF ACEC FLORIDA

ACEC is a strong proponent of federal and state spending on public infrastructure, and our efforts are paying off. Over the past two years, our advocacy helped lead to the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) and Science Act.

With all of this infrastructure investment, there is so much work for our industry to look forward to. But, as we know, our industry faces a mounting challenge in finding a qualified workforce to deliver these projects and improvements to our country’s infrastructure.

On April 20, ACEC sent a letter to President Biden advocating the federal government act to assure that there are enough engineers to build the infrastructure funded by the IIJA, IRA, and CHIPS Act. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the engineering workforce was at full employment before the implementation of IIJA, IRA, and the CHIPS and Science Act. The ACEC Research Institute highlighted concerns about capacity in its most recent quarterly engineering business sentiment study when it reported that 49 percent of firms have turned down work specifically due to workforce shortages.

ACEC Florida supports a number of workforce growth initiatives, including expanded STEM education as a long-term solution to growing the next generation of engineers.

Growing engineers for the future will not solve today’s workforce challenges. ACEC also supports increasing the availability of H-1B visas, recapturing unused employment-based green cards, and expanding the F-1 OPT program. This will ensure that in the shortterm more international students attaining STEM

Andy Lauzier VICE PRESIDENT OF ACEC FLORIDA

degrees at U.S. universities are able to stay in this country and join the U.S. workforce.

ACEC Florida is investing in Florida’s future engineering workforce by joining with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and Federal Highway Administration to sponsor Construction Career Days, exposing thousands of high school students to hands-on Learning Labs that focus on various aspects of designing, building and maintaining Florida’s roads and bridges.

As ACEC National President and CEO Linda Bauer Darr recently wrote in her April message:

The world is a seismically different place than it was even a decade ago, with the perfect storm of COVID and civil unrest further shifting that landscape into something almost unrecognizable. The workforce now preparing for commencement at colleges

49% of firms have turned down work specifically due to workforce shortages.

and universities across the country – your prospective employees – speaks a different language than many of us are used to.

Where once a career path was decided by weighing salaries and benefits, this generation looks beyond. Issues like commitment to social justice, work-life balance, climate change and DEI&B all feature prominently in surveys of younger people entering the workforce. Legislation and regulation can set the table for meeting our workforce needs, but ultimately it will be up to all of us to serve a meal that younger workers find palatable. This is not the workforce we once knew, and there are lingering (erroneous) perceptions that our industry is an Old Boy’s Club.

ACEC will continue to work relentlessly for legislation that creates a favorable climate for our industry – but that’s just half the battle. The other half is that our industry must work relentlessly to create a favorable climate for our next generation of engineers.

Our future success depends on it.

AWARD-WINNING EXPERTISE

For more than 85 years, Walter P Moore has engineered structures and infrastructure for communities worldwide.

Infrastructure

Structures

Diagnostics

Technology

Where once a career path was decided by weighing salaries and benefits, this generation looks beyond.

Preparing a Workforce

Thomas Ehlers STAFF

You don’t have to look far to see progress being made across the State of Florida. For some, all you have to do is glance out of the window.

“If you’re in the Central Florida area, you’re seeing cranes everywhere,” said Charles Davis, professor of engineering and mathematics at Valencia College. “You’re seeing construction everywhere. Construction is not a shortfall; the work is out there especially in civil (engineering) and construction.”

The numbers back up his claim. U.S. jobs in civil engineering are projected to increase by 7% over the decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with 24,200 new jobs opening every year. More than 15,500 civil engineers are currently employed in Florida, the fourth most in the country, and employment is expected to increase in the state by 22% by 2030. The same Department of Labor statistics cite a need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, along with future projects.

FLORIDA ENGINEERING SCHOOLS ARE TASKED WITH RECRUITING AND DEVELOPING FUTURE PE s

“Construction is not a shortfall; the work is out there especially in civil (engineering) and construction.”

Photos

courtesy

of the University of Florida

CHARLES DAVIS, JR, PhD Professor of Engineering and Mathematics, Valencia College

WRITER

Who will fill them? Some of the best and brightest from Florida’s colleges and universities.

Davis is one of many professors helping prepare the next generation of the workforce. He notes the importance of achieving a degree from an ABET-accredited school. While not every school is accredited, those that are put students on a path to receive their licenses in the future. Accreditation is important because it ensures graduates are trained in modern curriculum and schools push for successful students, he said.

“It’s really about licensure,” Davis said. “The schools that actually go through the ABET accreditation – it’s pretty detail-intensive.

ABET began as the educational standard against which professional engineers in the U.S. were held for licensure. More than 80 years later, ABET’s standards continue to play a fundamental role and have become the basis of quality for STEM disciplines all over the world. ABET currently accredits 4,564 programs at 895 colleges and universities in 40 countries, including 23 programs in Florida.

The ABET Accreditation process is carried out by its accreditation commissions that set accreditation standards for specific program areas and degree levels. Its engineering criteria is developed by technical professionals from ABET’s member societies with a focus on what students experience and learn.

“What (ABET does) is come in and make sure you are following a certain curriculum, that they are able to give statistics on how students are doing in terms of their classes and in terms of job placement,” Davis said. “They also try to look at if the programs are refreshed because we don’t do the same type of stuff with civil engineering that we did in the ‘50s that we do in 2023.”

CRAFTING THE PERFECT CANDIDATE

That refreshing of curriculum is one thing Dr. Lisa Spainhour, chair and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Florida A&M-Florida State College of Engineering, and her colleagues have on their minds. The ABET-accredited joint college of FAMU and FSU has leaned into additional training in the classroom to increase sellable skills.

“We are working hard to modernize our curriculum, especially on the CAD (computer-aided design) side of things,” Spainhour said. “It’s CAD training that lets them hit the ground running. Many engineering firms see the first couple of years as a training exercise, and since having marketable skills is important to them, we have worked to get more of the professional CAD software skills in their pocket when they get out.”

Around 150 miles away, students in the University of Florida’s department of civil and coastal engineering are given a broad range of courses to help them stand out. By special emphasis and relevant elective hours, the program’s coursework is set up to create proficient graduates, according to Dr. Robert Theike, the Christian S. Bauer Jr. Term Assistant Professor and civil and coastal engineering department head.

The department requires students to have technical breadth in each of the program’s specialty areas: construction, geotechnical, structures, water resources and transportation.

“We’ve always had that you have to take at least one course in each of these areas and on top of that, you have to take another course in four of those five areas, so you are well rounded,” Theike said. “On top of that, we still allow students to have 15 credits worth of electives where they can specialize in design classes, capstone design classes, which integrate everything.

“The capstone experience is not unique; it’s an ABET requirement. We all do that regardless of the engineering program you go to, but with the other design on top of that and the breadth across the curriculum, we have some well-prepared students.”

There’s no better way to prepare than receive industry experience than an internship, and many schools in the state provide opportunities for their students as they matriculate. Most of Spainhour’s students complete an internship as part of their undergraduate program.

“We don’t require it but we surely encourage it,” Spainhour said. “It’s the singular most important non-academic thing they can do to both secure that first position but also get those skills to be successful in that first position.”

Davis echoed the importance of industry experience, particularly in the form of a mentorship.

“Those individuals who are going into this discipline or any other engineering discipline need to know that they will probably need to find a good mentor,” Davis said. “Someone who can show them outside the classroom a day in the life, what it’s like to be an engineer working on a site working in an office, meeting with a client.”

It’s not just civil-specific programs that are setting up students for success in civil engineering. Florida Polytechnic University, which offers a variety of engineering degrees, including computer, environmental, electrical and more, gives students an introduction to business along with its degree programs – allowing them to be well-rounded if they change course in their careers.

“We offer an Innovation, Science, and Technology (IST) building designed to inspire creativity, and our dedicated Office of Innovation and Technology Transfer supports students in turning their ideas into viable businesses,” said Ben Matthew Corpus, vice provost of enrollment management at Florida Poly. “This commitment to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs sets Florida Poly apart and makes us an excellent choice for ambitious students seeking an unparalleled educational experience.”

The University of Florida offers chapters of Chi Epsilon, Florida Structural Engineers Association, Institute of Transportation Engineers and Florida Engineering Society, along with a distinguished chapter award-winning American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) group. Theike noted the importance of these extracurriculars for student understanding.

Those individuals who are going into this discipline or any other engineering discipline need to know that they will probably need to find a good mentor, someone who can show them outside the classroom a day in the life, what it’s like to be an engineer working on a site working in an office, meeting with a client.”

“Most engineering programs – and ours is probably not totally different – struggle a bit with the fact that in the beginning, you are taking a lot of courses in science and math that are engineering-disconnected to a large extent,” Thieke said. “Sometimes it is hard to see where all of this can apply. By having these students involved with student societies, they can see the applications of what they are doing in a realworld scenario.”

Professionals in academia like Thieke have been receiving more frequent recruitment fliers and information. These documents reflect the needs of the profession.

“The industry needs it,” Thieke said. “Our advisory board is always clamoring for us to graduate more people. They have too much work and not enough humans to do it. It’s getting difficult to keep up in the business with the amount of work these firms have.”

– DAVIS

A NEW AGE OF RECRUITING

Many firms are stepping up their recruitment efforts as employment needs grow. Ryan Wetherell, Florida marketing manager and vice president at Kimley-Horn, said his company looks for more than engineering skills when judging a candidate.

“When I think about hiring a new civil engineering candidate to the team, you certainly want that broad technical foundation, that technical understanding that you are going to expect them to come out of school with,” Wetherell said. “You certainly want that foundational element, but beyond that, when you think about what makes the best, it’s beyond the technical piece of it.”

Wetherell continued that Kimley-Horn – like other firms – looks into how a candidate approaches a challenge, identifies it, creates a solution and how they communicate it to others. Criteria like articulation, leadership traits, passion and rigor are important – along with passing industry tests like the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam.

“Some schools require you to take the test before you graduate, while other schools don’t,” Wetherell said. “Somebody who decides that it is important for their career to go ahead and sign up and sit for the exam and prepare themselves to pass the exam shows some of those other intangible characteristics about who they are.”

Additionally, recruiters often look for more than just technically proficient candidates. Wetherell looks for those that can manage projects, bring other skills to the table and thrive in a multidisciplinary group or team. He also looks for candidates outside the state – not because Florida candidates are lacking, but because the company needs young professionals.

“We’ve got a lot of schools in the state that are producing talented individuals, but there are more opportunities than we are able to meet with graduates from within the state,” Wetherell, a Georgia Tech graduate who got his start in the Sunshine State, said.

No matter where candidates come from, Kimley-Horn works hard to ensure their candidates stay with the company for an extended portion of their careers. Wetherell noted extended flexibility coupled with experiences out of the office – like job site visits, training opportunities and industry events – that are used to promote a happy workplace, one that has been recognized as one of Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For 16 times.

From the marketplace’s perspective, Wetherell said it’s the perfect time to be graduating and joining the workforce in a state full of growth and opportunity.

“I don’t know how a job market can be more exciting than the one we’re experiencing right now,” Wetherell said. “There’s an awful lot going on, and as an individual, you have the ability to lean into a wide variety of passions.”

FES

FLORIDA ENGINEERING SOCIETY

David Cowan, Jr. SENIOR ENGINEER, CMA

Filling in the Talent Gap

News Alert! Florida is facing an engineering staffing crisis. Part of the solution, fortunately, could come in the form of recognizing the problem and recruiting new members for the Florida Engineering Society.

As our federal and state governments each pump more money into our failing infrastructure through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and similar programs, the need for talented engineers with experience is rising dramatically. Add to this the steady retirements of baby boomers, and we find that we come up short-staffed. As human resource professionals and company owners try to hire staff to do this work, they are finding talent gaps in the workforce.

A PERFECT STORM

This talent shortfall has been simmering on the horizon for years. Unfortunately, we have struggled to communicate to the next generation the value of our engineering profession. Stacked on top of this are major 2009 demographic changes, the effects of COVID accelerating retirement, and engineering professionals leaving – or never entering –the field.

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor indicated that careers in biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, and civil engineering would grow the most over the decade from 2014 to 2024, with civil engineering growing 8.4 percent. The estimated demand for civil engineers in 2024 would be close to 305,000 employees. These projections do not consider the impact the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will have on engineers in the next five to ten years.

In 2017, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) published a report identifying trends in engineering degrees. The data indicates that all disciplines generally saw a downturn in degrees awarded with a low point between 2007-2009. Even as the demand for civil and environmental engineers has increased and projections show even greater need for these engineers, these disciplines have remained relatively flat.

As construction contracted during the Great Recession of 2008, the need for engineers decreased. During this period, 2005-2010, engineering graduates found work in other occupations, a shift that continues today. This has resulted in a demographic bottleneck of professional engineers with 10 to 15 years of experience, which limits the availability of engineers currently in senior level roles.

Because of economic factors and increased demand due to infrastructure spending over the past few years, the market is seeing a surge in demand for engineers to deliver projects. In addition, there’s a need for senior engineers to lead the design teams through these projects. How will we deliver these projects now and not overshoot the demand for engineers in the future?

HOW CAN WE EVOLVE?

Recognizing that it takes time to develop the most valuable elements of experience and leadership, our industry needs to create more transparent processes for engineers who are just below the experience-bottleneck created by the last recession to take responsibility and methods for creating accountability.

Additionally, our education system needs to assist our industry in recognizing that engineers entering the market today need not just technical skills but also project planning and leadership abilities so that they can fill in the talent gap. Over the past five years, there has been a major shift in the industry. Workers want more flexibility, and they want employers to focus on the greater good, not just their bottom line. They also expect higher wages earlier but may be willing to trade off career advancement for work-life balance and well-being.

The industry needs to become more transparent about what it takes to move up in our companies. We, as an industry, need to reevaluate the training and retention models we’ve used in the past. As we try new workforce models like remote working, how do we keep people connected?

David Cowan, Jr., P.E., ENV SP, is a senior engineer at CMA in the West Palm Beach office. David has over 10 years of experience and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in civil engineering with a water resource focus. David serves as a state director for FES, District Director for TBP, and on the Urban Drainage Standards Committee for EWRI.

One idea used by several companies is biannual or quarterly gatherings, getting all staff into one location with their spouses and focusing on really getting to know their team and families. Another idea is to slow the brain drain that the industry is seeing through the retirement of baby boomers.

The industry needs to consider other work schedules than the 9-to-5 that would allow a person of retirement age to stay on, possibly part-time, for a drop period. During this time, the experienced engineer would provide dedicated and accelerated mentorship to a junior engineer that elected to be part of an intensive project management apprenticeship program. This could move more engineers into these missing leadership positions and, at the same time, slow the demand for engineers to be replaced.

Engineering firms can start looking for talent earlier through an apprenticeship program. Local community colleges can create associate in science degree programs (AS) that matriculate to local universities. These programs could produce engineering technicians that are ready to start at an engineering firm as a drafter/designer. The local company can take this student in an apprentice program as they pursue an ABET-accredited degree – possibly even with some level of financial support if the apprentice commits to proportional years of service. In the long run, this would result in firms retaining staff longer in a volatile market and staff at the end of their bachelor’s degrees having vastly more professional experience.

Employees and companies need mutual commitment to the companies’ mission statements and successes. This mission statement must include the success of the employee. As an industry, we need to find ways to work together across generations and industries to solve this talent gap and whatever future issues we will face.

We can help meet the challenge by joining together with others who share our passion for the industry. We all need to spread awareness of this problem among our peers. Together we can ensure “the boats on a rising tide” are filled with professionals who are taking advantage of the tide to steer their careers and our industry to successful destinations.

Market Spotlight

Volusia County

BY THOMAS EHLERS Staff Writer

As the host city for NASCAR’s biggest race, it makes sense that Daytona Beach would be on top of its roadways.

Issues on those travelways are exactly what Tadd Kasbeer, county engineer for Volusia County Government, and other county officials have in mind with their 5-year road program as the area experiences considerable growth.

Williamson Boulevard, which spans from Northeast to Southeast across Volusia County, is being widened and expanded.

Photo provided by Volusia County

From 1990 to 2020, nearly 183,000 more individuals moved into the county, boosting the county population to over half a million and resulting in 81,000 new homes built and the production of 18.2 million gallons of water per day. This commercial and residential growth continues today, leading to overcapacity on some of the roads in northeast Volusia. This area is one point of emphasis for the future.

“The developers are paying fair share payments to offset their impacts to the road network, and now it’s on us to take that money and offset those impacts once we collect enough funds to make an improvement,” Kasbeer said. “Generating the road network to handle the capacity in the northeast quadrant is one of our continuing problem areas and one of the things we are doing our best to address.”

His team is putting in the planning and work before further issues arise in the county’s southwest communities. The cities of Deltona, DeLand and Orange City – all of which are growing – connect at a point near the Intersection of Interstate 4 and State Road 472.

The county is actively working to create solutions for road overcapacity before scheduled commercial progress takes place.

‘There’s a lot of development that is potentially planned for that area,” Kasbeer said. “We’re trying to get ahead of the problem as much as we generally can, as much as our funds will allow.”

While certain portions of the county grow at different rates, Kasbeer is excited for a particular project that will expand Williamson Boulevard – a road spanning from northeast to southeast in the county and parallel reliever road to I-4 – to four lanes for much of the northeast section. The process has taken place in sections, but in time the boulevard’s entirety will be expanded, allowing greater movement.

“All of Williamson in the northeast will be four lanes,” Kasbeer said. “We’re excited about that, particularly because of the amount of traffic on that portion.”

A map of the Howland Boulevard Roadway Project in Deltona

Groundbreaking for the SunRail Phase 2

Northern Expansion Project

Photo provided by Volusia County

Photo provided by FDOT

MORE THAN NORMAL ROADS

Automobiles aren’t the only mode of transportation seeing emphasis from county and state officials. Area Amtrak lines will be able to take on additional lines as early as 2024, helping ease travel concerns that come with growth.

The SunRail’s Phase 2 Northern Expansion project adds an additional commuter station in DeLand and 12.2 miles of expanded service in the county. Peyten Maki, public information specialist for the Florida Department of Transportation’s District 5, said the $42.8 million project gives Floridians another choice for traveling through the district, which increases mobility and efficiency across our entire transportation network.

“This new station will benefit more than just commuters and congestion on our major roadways, as it allows users the chance to explore the local community of DeLand,” Maki added.

Another $1.2 million is being spent on a multi-use pathway for walking, running and bicycling. The 1.2mile stretch under construction is only a portion of the St. John River To Sea Loop Trail, which connects Volusia, St. Johns and Flagler Counties via over 260 miles of looped, multi-use paths.

“Once it is complete, [the Sea Loop Trail] will connect the cities of Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, South Daytona, Daytona Beach and parts of unincorporated Volusia County,” Maki said. “This project will positively impact the communities and is part of FDOT’s Shared-Use Nonmotorized (SUN) Trail network,

which prioritizes cyclist and pedestrian safety by developing and constructing paved trail corridors that are physically separated from vehicle traffic.

“Not only will this increase safety for our residents and visitors, but it will also offer additional transportation choices for them as well.”

Expansion projects to U.S. 92/FL-600 are expanding access to three abovementioned modes of travel. One project already underway between State Road A1A and the Halifax River Bridge involves resurfacing existing roadways and updating traffic lights, while adding 5-foot bicycle lanes and expanding sidewalks.

“This stretch of International Speedway Boulevard serves as the city’s main thoroughfare to the beach and is highly traveled by locals and visitors alike,” Maki said.

“Once it is complete, the Sea Loop Trail will connect the cities of Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, South Daytona, Daytona Beach and parts of unincorporated Volusia County.”

- Peyten Maki, FDOT District 5

Howland Boulevard

Photo provided by Volusia County

“The Department worked not only alongside its agency partners but this community and its stakeholders as well to develop this project, and through this partnership, it will improve safety, mobility, and access for all users that utilize this roadway.”

MORE BUMPS IN THE ROAD

Florida registered 95,640 electric vehicles through 2021, the second-highest number in the nation according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Energy. As this number grows, that means fewer of the 19 million automobiles in the state are buying fuel, a key funding source for transportation projects.

“As the number of electric vehicles on our road increases, that certainly is something we’re greatly concerned about,” Kasbeer said. “Especially because we don’t have, at the local level, any authority to be able to levy a tax or do something else to make up for that lost income to offset the impact of electric vehicles on the network.”

Much of the budget for transportation and related infrastructure comes from the state’s gas tax, Kasbeer added.

As more cars and car owners go gasless, it dries the only source of funding for road projects in the area and beyond.

Regardless, county and state officials will continue to operate together – as they have in numerous current projects –in hopes of providing the best services to the area.

“We’re always excited to work with Volusia County, Daytona Beach, everybody in the county to benefit the communities and all of the users of the roadways,” Maki said.

FSEA

FLORIDA STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION

FSEA Update: Staffing Needs Persist

As we explore workforce trends in our industry, we reached out to principals at firms across Florida and learned that the demand for new structural engineers is greater than the number of graduates looking to start their structural engineering careers.

Here are three viewpoints from firm leaders on the staffing crunch.

FROM A TAMPA AREA PRINCIPAL:

The state of the workforce for structural engineers in Florida has been vastly impacted by three key factors that have increased the demand for structural engineering services.

First, Florida has experienced a net migration of new residents, which has increased the demand for new housing, schools, hospitals and other services. This increased demand has fueled the design and construction industries.

Second, the collapse of Champlain Towers has increased the demand for structural engineering consultation on existing buildings, both residential and commercial, as building owners attempt to be better custodians of the building crop.

Lastly, Hurricane Ian has devastated Southwest Florida, resulting in the need for structural evaluations of damaged buildings and an increased demand for restoration and new design projects to replace the damaged structures.

These three key factors have boosted the demand for structural engineers, which has resulted in a shortage of structural engineering candidates to fill job vacancies. Increased wages and more flexible work schedules have been a result.

FROM A TALLAHASSEE AREA PRINCIPAL:

In Tallahassee, we have seen a decline of graduating civil engineers interested in structural engineering. Many of the recent graduates from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering have shown more interest in the other disciplines that fall under the civil engineering degree.

Additionally, we have seen more engineers graduating and taking jobs with contractors in our area rather than structural firms as the contractors will typically pay the engineers higher starting salaries than our local private firms. We have also seen an increase of graduating engineers interested in structural engineering moving away from Tallahassee to live and work in larger cities where more opportunities are available especially in regards to designing larger structures.

Even with this shift of interest in structural engineering or structural engineering jobs in Tallahassee, our local structural firms are busier than ever, so we have not yet seen a decline in work or a decline in the need of hiring new or experienced engineers.

Even with this shift of interest in structural engineering or structural engineering jobs in Tallahassee, our local structural firms are busier than ever.

FROM A PALM BEACH COUNTY PRINCIPAL:

In Palm Beach County, we have seen an increase in workforce demand due to the new building safety law. We are seeking more inspectors due to the increased project load. But we’re receiving very few resumes, and the ones we do receive do not have the proper qualifications that a special inspector’s authorized representative should have.

For structural engineering designer positions, there has been an ongoing issue with finding young engineers who know how to design. There are very few civil engineering graduates who are interested in structural engineering, and graduates who are interested have very little structural design knowledge. Employers are forced to expend a significant amount of time and energy training new graduates.

My opinion is that we need a better system going forward, where young graduates can “hit the ground running” when they join a structural firm. Perhaps colleges and universities can implement a 2-year mentorship program where the real-world training is obtained under PhD-level oversight.

This way, the hiring company does not have to expend so many resources to train a young engineer. Perhaps we’ll also have better, more uniformly qualified engineers with this type of new system.

The Florida Structural Engineers Association is dedicated to the advancement and enhancement of the practice of structural engineering in Florida, to the constant improvement of the Florida Building Code and other rules and regulations relative to structural engineering, and to the absolute safety of our buildings, bridges and other structures.

The Florida Structural Engineers Association is dedicated to the advancement and enhancement of the practice of structural engineering in Florida, to the constant improvement of the Florida Building Code and other rules and regulations relative to structural engineering, safety of our buildings, bridges and other structures.

The Workforce Crunch

HOW AEC FIRMS ARE MANAGING A TIGHTER LABOR POOL, SHIFTING EMPLOYEE DEMANDS AND A RISING PROJECT BACKLOG

BY LINDSEY RANAYHOSSAINI Staff Writer

With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in Nov. 2021 and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act (CHIPS Act) in Aug. 2022, the need for engineers, especially those in the building and construction industry, is rising dramatically. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects approximately 24,200 job openings for civil engineers each year through 2031, with a 7-percent growth in employment from 2021 through 2031.

In Florida, recent population growth fueled by the post-pandemic migration to the state has placed additional demands on aging infrastructure and demonstrated the need for new infrastructure. Unfortunately, the demand for engineers has come at a time when many Baby-Boomers are retiring from the engineering workforce and there is not enough mid-level talent to replace them.

“I think what we’re feeling are the long-term effects of what happened in 2008 and 2009,” said Angelina Fairchild, PE, a senior vice president and civil/structural engineer at Kimley-Horn, Inc. “During that depression cycle, we lost a lot of people who were the up-and-comers, the next generation of engineers. The consequence of that is that the very senior people are teaching the very junior people, and there’s a big knowledge gap that we’re trying to fill.”

But the engineer shortage has been caused by more than the Great Recession. It’s a complex problem stemming from the longtime struggle to attract young minds to the engineering profession and other challenges that have arisen as a result of workplace disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regardless, the shortage has left short-staffed engineering firms in Florida and the rest of the country to compete for engineers in the tightest labor market they have witnessed to date.

“It is harder to find an engineer now than I’ve ever seen it,” said Kelly Cranford, PE, senior vice president and principal engineer at Culpepper & Terpening, Inc. “After the recession in 2009, it was hard to get engineers. A lot of them left the

state when there wasn’t work and headed out West where there was. But now, with the internet and social media, we don’t have [location] as a restriction. We’re just seeing a national shortage of engineers.”

By Cranford’s account, Culpepper & Terpening could use about 10 more engineers. Katie Duty, PE, a vice president and civil engineer for HDR Engineering, Inc., said that her company was looking to fill 46 positions, with new needs and roles identified weekly.

“We are fortunate to be a large business with staff well beyond our Florida offices to support our project delivery needs, but we have definitely been impacted by the shortage of professionals here, often taking longer to fill roles and candidates with many opportunities to choose from,” Duty said. “Our clients are having challenges filling their open positions as well and are relying on companies like HDR to provide staff augmentation so their projects and programs can move forward.”

In Florida, recent population growth fueled by the postpandemic migration to the state has placed additional demands on aging infrastructure and demonstrated the need for new infrastructure.

THE PANDEMIC AND PRODUCTIVITY

One contributing factor to the engineer shortage could be an overall decline in worker productivity in recent years, according to Scott Martin, president of ACEC Florida and project director and design-build market leader for Walter P. Moore.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that U.S. worker productivity in the first half of 2022 plunged to its lowest level since 1947. And in the first quarter of 2023, nonfarm business sector labor productivity decreased by 2.7 percent.

The reasons for this dip in productivity are a combination of worker burnout, worker disengagement and the tight labor market that provides more leverage for employees. Some of these factors were catalyzed by the pandemic, when many people were forced to balance the demands and distractions of their full-time jobs with having their family members home throughout the normal workday.

“People in general have had to figure out worklife balance a little bit differently in the last few years, and it has led to loss of productivity,” Martin said. “People aren’t working 60 hours a week. They’re working 45 or 50, so there’s a chance that we’re just less productive as a society than we used to be. So we need more people to do the same amount of work. That’s one thought process.”

Studies of the workforce have also demonstrated a rise in “quiet quitting,” a phenomenon that occurs when employees choose to complete only their minimum job requirements rather than going above and beyond. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report found that at least 50 percent of the U.S. workforce was composed of quiet quitters and stated the true percentage was likely higher.

In the engineering industry, less productive workers compound the struggles of the current talent shortage and demand greater retention and engagement efforts by employers.

WHAT TODAY’S TALENT WANTS

When it comes to attracting and retaining talent, salary continues to be the primary factor that draws prospective employees, especially those in Gen Z. According to the 2022 State of Gen Z Report by the Center for Generational Kinetics, salary was the top priority for 49 percent of respondents, up from 37 percent in 2021.

But a high salary is not always enough to entice young engineers in a scarce talent pool. Martin said that firms have to be attentive to a variety of factors that are significant for the next generation of engineers, including advancement opportunities, sustainability programs, technology, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and flexibility. Even the nature of the projects that young engineers get to work on can entice them to one firm versus another.

“We work on some of the biggest – I think –coolest buildings in the country,” Martin said. “And that in itself is an attractive offer to young professionals who want to get out and work in building design or building engineering.”

Scheduling flexibility has also emerged as a recruiting tool for prospective employees. The State of Gen Z Report found that 32 percent of respondents ranked scheduling flexibility within their top three priorities. And Forbes reports that flexibility for employees concerns both when and where they complete their work.

“We know that with the younger generation coming out now, if we’re going to be an attractive company to work for, we’ve got to provide some level of flexibility to our staff,” Martin said. “And it’s less important where we work than it is what we’re working on.”

32% of respondents ranked scheduling flexibility within their top three priorities.

WHERE WORK HAPPENS

McKinsey’s 2022 American Opportunities Survey found that 58 percent of American workers reported having the opportunity to work from home at least one day a week. Furthermore, the survey found that 87 percent of Americans who are offered these flexible work options take advantage of them.

Three years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid work models have become a common facet of the American workplace. As engineering firms navigate the post-pandemic workplace and seek ways to attract and retain talent, many are offering employees some ability to work from home.

Whether engineering firms choose to allow employees the option of part- or full-time remote work usually depends on factors including the type of engineering, nature of the projects being completed and employees’ experience level.

At Martin’s firm, for example, employees are permitted to work in a hybrid model, and those with more years of experience are allowed to spend more work days at home than new engineers who need additional guidance and training. A more senior engineer might only spend two or three days a week in the office, while an entry-level engineer might be in the office four or five days a week.

Professional experience plays a role in those opportunities at Culpepper & Terpening as well, though Cranford said that she has not often encountered entry-level employees who are seeking opportunities for remote or hybrid work. According to Cranford, mid-level engineers with four to 10 years of experience are more likely to seek options to work remotely, while many of her firm’s entry-level engineers prefer opportunities for hands-on work in the field.

“[At] my firm, we start with planning, and we take a project all the way through construction,” Cranford said. “So if you’re remote, you can’t just run out to the site when it’s under construction and see what the problems are or see how the system is performing under heavy rainfall.”

Overall, Cranford noted that most remote work arrangements have worked well at her firm, especially when employees who were already members of the Culpepper & Terpening team have relocated for personal reasons.

“They already know the people and our expectations, and they have been able to go fully remote and still stay as part of our team,” Cranford said.

WHEN WORK HAPPENS

Not all engineering firms have fully implemented remote work for their teams. Both Kimley-Horn and HDR Engineering, Inc. ask their employees to report to the office most of the time, with flexibility for when those hours are completed.

“We’ve had a flexible work policy for years, allowing staff to work schedules they need to fit short or long-term situations in their lives, but our company culture is based on collaboration and we primarily work in offices to do that,” Duty said.

Kimley-Horn also has a flexible scheduling policy that predates the pandemic, allowing employees to work nine-hour days Monday through Thursday and a four-hour day on Friday.

Fairchild said that these hours can be modified to fit an individual’s needs as long as there is no disruption to that person’s team.

“We have offered alternate schedules, flexible schedules and reduced schedules,” Fairchild said. “What the pandemic has shown us is that alternate, reduced and flexible schedules can include time at home, or time not physically in the office. It’s not our preferred method, but we have a policy in place that for up to a certain number of hours a week per month, you don’t really have to ask for permission to change your schedule.”

THE WORKLOAD

Inevitably, the struggle to attract and retain engineers has created challenges for firms trying to keep projects on track without placing an undue burden on employees. In most instances, firms have had to turn new projects away to maintain existing project deadlines.

“No consultant ever wants to turn away work,” Duty said “At the same time, if we aren’t able to deliver quality projects to meet client expectations, that’s a big risk, so each pursuit and acceptance of assignments requires conversation, thought and planning.”

Kimley-Horn has had to shift engineers around to different teams to keep projects running on time, and in some cases, deadlines have had to be adjusted. As a senior-level employee, Fairchild said that she has not been able to delegate as many tasks because the skillsets of entry-level engineers at her company are still being developed. In the absence of midlevel employees who would have gotten their start during the Great Recession, senior-level employees have had to shoulder the burden.

“I don’t know if that’s causing a faster exit from the profession or not, but across the board, it has created some of that loss of talent at the upper levels as well,” Fairchild said.

THE WORK AHEAD

There does appear to be some relief in sight for senior engineers, as engineers who now have five to six years of experience are capable of stepping into mid-level roles. The greater concern for the future is attracting enough students to engineering programs to build the next generation.

“I don’t know that enough people are entering the profession at the university level to keep the supply going,” said Fairchild, who also serves on the board of the Florida Engineering Foundation, a charitable organization committed to engineering education. “I think that’s going to be the next challenge. The potential pool of talent isn’t growing fast enough. In fact, I think it’s actually shrinking.

“I think we’ve been doing a good job of reaching down to the high school level, but I think that actually may be a little late.”

Fairchild said that when she was in high school, she did not know what an engineer was, and there is still a lack of understanding about the profession among today’s students. In her view, more education about the engineering field needs to be provided to middle school students to generate interest early on.

Students with an interest in STEM fields have also been attracted by the allure of working for big tech companies like Microsoft and Google, Martin said, drawing talent away from the engineering profession. He added that more education is needed to promote the stability of civil engineering careers.

“Building construction and engineering – on our side of things – it’s pretty steady,” Martin said. “It’s been fairly consistent for the last 50, 60 years, so maybe we haven’t been doing a good job of promoting ourselves and talking about what we do.”

The greater concern for the future is attracting enough students to engineering programs to build the next generation.

PERSPECTIVES

The Art of the Question:

Asking Your Way to Business Development Success

Rich Friedman

FRIEDMAN & PARTNERS

Rich Friedman is Founder and President of Friedman & Partners, a marketing and management consultancy serving the AEC and Environmental Consulting Industries. He can be reached at rich@friedmanpartners.com or 508-276-1101.

If you know me or have ever interacted with me professionally, you’re probably aware of a certain reputation that I have.

I like to ask questions. Lots of questions!

I do this not to be annoying – though I’ve been told at times it can be – but to gain as clear a picture of the current situation as I possibly can. I’m also just naturally inquisitive. I want to know more about the people I’m speaking with – what they do, what interests them, where we may have some common ground or areas where we can help each other.

Mostly, I want to know who they are.

Asking questions comes more naturally to some people than others. But it’s important to know how to ask good, probing questions, especially in a business networking environment.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ASKING

“The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers,” said renowned 20th Century management consultant Peter Drucker, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of many modern companies. “The true dangerous thing is asking the wrong questions.”

Though this may come off as too ominous a warning for A/E/C firm leaders trying to encourage their people to learn the proper questions to ask and how to ask them, Drucker’s

quote nails an important fact: we spend far too much time worrying about the answers we’re going to give than we do on the questions we should ask.

A basic tenet of business development that I fiercely believe in is to talk less and ask more. This is a clear path to better understanding the pain points that your clients and prospects face, which in turn helps you establish a rapport and build credibility with them.

By formulating your questions strategically, you can move the conversation in the direction that you want to take it, better influencing their knowledge and perception of you and your firm. Asking good questions is also essential for assessing client satisfaction and creating opportunities for new and repeat work, while garnering intelligence that enables you to customize your business development approach and messaging.

A basic tenet of business development that I fiercely believe in is to talk less and ask more.

HOW TO ASK

Much of the art of asking good questions the right way lies in how you view the relationship. Is your purpose for speaking with someone simply a means to an end, or do you truly have their best interests at heart? While we’re talking about business networking here, this often holds true of any conversation for any reason.

The more you move your mindset toward the latter, the more likely you are to genuinely and spontaneously ask beneficial, positive questions that lead to a productive outcome.

One important tip to keep in mind is that open-ended questions tend to yield more robust answers:

OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS:

“What are your greatest challenges right now?”

“What do you know about our firm?”

If you’re speaking with someone about a pending project, ask:

“How will you define the success of this project?” or “What most concerns you going into this project?”

Asking open-ended questions offers you a better understanding of your client or prospect. It helps you gather intelligence that can inform the business development process and lead to strong, long-lasting relationships. This is also the best way to gather feedback on project performance while identifying future needs and opportunities.

Remember, ask questions in your own way and in your own voice; otherwise, they may seem awkward or phony.

WHAT TO ASK

Researching the people you’ll be talking with – or potentially talking with – is a vital tool that leads to the best questions to ask. Search the public domain, such as their firm’s website, LinkedIn (both the individual’s profile and their employer’s LinkedIn page) and other social media, or through internet queries. You can find a lot about a person by simply typing their name and a few details in the search bar.

It’s also helpful for people who are uncomfortable asking questions in business networking settings to practice their technique in places where they feel more at home, such as a club, community function or peer networking event. I encourage A/E/C professionals to join and participate in trade groups as a training ground. It’s amazing how easily people can learn the art of asking good questions through diligent practice.

Keep in mind the purpose of your discussion and to establish goals in advance. Are you just trying to make an initial contact that you hope to cultivate later, or is there a specific opportunity that you’re interested in pursuing?

Here are four situations that you or your colleagues may find themselves in, along with some sample questions you can ask.

? ?

TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOUR CLIENT’S OR PROSPECT’S UNIVERSE:

Asking open-ended questions gives the other person the leeway to expand the discussion into areas you hadn’t expected or known about. And it’s more likely to lead to something that should be a goal – having them turn the discussion around to ask you questions about yourself or your firm.

As a result, it’s important to remember that this is a dialogue, not an interview. So while preparing the right questions is critical, it’s equally necessary to be prepared to talk about yourself and your firm in the context of the discussion. Have that elevator speech ready.

What are your company’s/ organization’s goals for 2024 and beyond?

What role do you envision playing in achieving these goals?

What key drivers (e.g., technological, economic, demographic, regulatory) do you see most impacting your industry?

What are some examples of recent successful projects? Why were they successful?

PRE-QUALIFYING/GATHERING PRE-PROPOSAL INTEL:

What concerns you most about going into this project?

What’s the timeframe for this project?

Does this project have funding approval?

Tell me more about your budget constraints for this project.

Who else besides our firm are you considering?

GATHERING FEEDBACK ON PROJECT PERFORMANCE:

What could our firm be doing better with respect to understanding your needs, the quality of our services/deliverables, and project communications and responsiveness?

What feedback have you received from users on the project?

What additional advice/feedback do you have for us on our performance?

PUTTING YOUR QUESTIONS INTO PRACTICE

Doing your research and having questions at the ready is essential, but knowing how to “work” the conversation is equally important.

One approach I recommend is to start the conversation with broader, more innocuous questions to build the rapport and then begin to zero in more on the areas that lead you to learn the most vital information and achieve your goals.

For example, when gathering pre-proposal intelligence, save the questions that appear to be most self-serving until the end, after you’ve reached a certain comfort level.

When identifying future needs and opportunities, don’t neglect to ask the “closer” questions, but wait until the time is right. Examples include, “How would you like me to follow up with you?”and “Who else do you recommend we meet with in your company?”

You can learn to ask the right questions if you approach the conversation from a genuine place of curiosity, research and practice. You can start today by checking in with some current and past clients. You can also set up opportunities for your staff to learn these techniques and then practice them at lunch-and-learn sessions.

Ultimately, you’re in the conversation for a reason. There’s nothing wrong with serving your business purposes while also showing an interest in the person you’re talking with.

IDENTIFYING FUTURE NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES:

What do you see as your company’s/ organization’s greatest upcoming needs/challenges?

What opportunities exist for our firm to share case studies, best practices, and lessons learned with your company/organization?

Can we present an in-house lunch-and-learn for you and your colleagues?

You can learn to ask the right questions if you approach the conversation from a genuine place of curiosity, research and practice.

ASCE

The Hidden Knowledge Gap within the AEC Industry Labor Shortage

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry is facing a significant challenge: a shortage of qualified professionals. This shortage has intensified the competition among firms to attract and retain employees, leading to firms investing in employee development, promoting diversity and inclusion, and exploring internal mobility to fill vacancies and provide career growth opportunities for existing employees.

However, this challenge is further compounded by the fact that graduating students do not have the necessary knowledge to complete designs using Building Information Modeling (BIM) or Construction/Civil Information Modeling (CIM). This lack of knowledge and experience in BIM/CIM poses a significant problem for the AEC industry, which increasingly relies on these models for planning, design, construction and operations.

In recent years, transportation agencies have started to plan and design roads in BIM/CIM because they understand the potential benefits these systems offer in construction. These benefits include improved productivity of operations and worker safety.

Using BIM/CIM also enhances the bidding process and allows contractors to use Automated Machine Guidance (AMG) to yield higher quality and less expensive construction. According to a survey from the Federal Highway Administration1, transportation agencies can save 25% to 33% in the construction costs of highways and bridges by using BIM/CIM models.

Using these systems requires a specific set of skills that go beyond standard computer-aided design training. BIM/CIM requires the use of engineering concepts to create parameters to design and model construction projects. Additionally, the AEC field is vast, and different systems are used for many different areas in the field, further increasing the complexity.

Alfredo Cely

ASCE FLORIDA

VICE PRESIDENT DISTRICT II TO

According to a survey from the Federal Highway Administration1, transportation agencies can save

in the construction costs of highways and bridges by using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Civil Information Modeling (CIM) models.

25% 35%

Alfredo Cely is the founding member of Alfka, an Engineering Consulting Firm specializing in Transportation, and an Engineering Professor at the University of South Florida.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS FLORIDA SECTION

The ultimate challenge is the integration of BIM/CIM with design, requiring new professionals to have a well-rounded knowledge of engineering concepts and how those are applied within BIM/CIM and AMG systems.

The lack of knowledge and experience in BIM/CIM is not only a problem for graduating students but also for professionals who have been in the workforce for some time. The Florida Department of Transportation2 (FDOT) now requires engineers to sign and seal BIM files as part of the delivery of construction documents for building and maintaining our State’s highways.

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida3, in partnership with the FDOT, provides in-person training for using BIM with costs around $600 per hour, with a total required investment of 20 to 40 instructional hours. This translates to an additional $12,000 to $24,000 investment in just BIM training for someone entering the workforce. According to the National Center for Education Statistics4, in 2023 dollars, it costs an average of $17,000 per year in tuition to obtain a 4-year degree. Thus, including the BIM/CIM training is the equivalent of completing more than a year of college coursework.

The AEC industry must address this challenge by working together – practitioners, employers, and educators – to better prepare the future workforce. This can include updating AEC degree curriculums to include BIM/CIM, providing training opportunities for current professionals to acquire these skills, and encouraging firms to invest in employee development to retain talent and foster innovation.

In conclusion, the shortage of qualified practitioners and the lack of knowledge and experience in BIM/CIM are significant challenges facing the AEC industry. But by working together, the industry can address these challenges and develop a diverse pipeline of talented candidates to help meet the industry’s growing demand for professionals.

The benefits of using BIM and 3D models in construction are undeniable, and it is crucial that the industry invests in the necessary skills and knowledge to fully utilize these tools and continue to innovate and grow.

REFERENCES

1. FHWA Techbrief 3D Engineered Models for Construction (FHWA-HIF-13-050)

2. FDOT 2023 Florida Design Manual Chapter 130.4 Signing and Sealing BIM

3. ACEC Florida FDOTConnect Training Labs Course Schedule

4. National Center for Education Statistics. Table 330.10. Average undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board rates

The ultimate challenge is the integration of BIM/CIM with design, requiring new professionals to have a well-rounded knowledge of engineering concepts and how those are applied within BIM/CIM and Automated Machine Guidance (AMG) systems.

It’s Time to Talk About Mental Health Awareness in the AEC Industry

Thomas Everett

VICE PRESIDENT, RS&H

Thomas D. Everett, PE, is a former Executive Director of the Federal Highway Administration and current Vice President for RS&H, leading new business growth and strategy development. He can be reached at thomas.everett@rsandh.com.

In the last few years, mental health has become a subject near and dear to me for a few different reasons. If mental health wasn’t on your radar before the COVID-19 pandemic, it became front and center as we as a world dealt with disease and isolation.

But even before the pandemic, things started happening around me that made me make mental health awareness a priority for myself and my employees.

IT’S ALL AROUND US

A few years ago, I lost a coworker at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) who took their own life. It was a shock to all of us who knew them. There were no tell-tale signs. They appeared happy, fun to be around, and they were a great employee. Not long after that, an employee who worked for me considered taking their own life – fortunately, we were able to intervene – and another employee with PTSD was also struggling at work.

All of these things were happening, and I couldn’t help but think of how ill-equipped I felt as a colleague, supervisor and friend to respond.

I’m an engineer. We like our subjects to be black and white, for our problems to all have clean solutions. But this subject matter is very gray, every situation is different, and there isn’t always a solution or completion point.

Talking about mental health can take us far out of our comfort zones.

I knew I couldn’t be the only one feeling illequipped to respond to people’s mental health challenges. The more I started talking to colleagues, the more of their own stories I heard. Not a single person told me “I never had any of these experiences.” In fact, many told me things beyond what I ever expected.

But we don’t talk enough about the experiences we have. Mental health is not a subject we bring up frequently, often because of the stigma attached to it, yet sharing stories and experiences is one of the most helpful coping mechanisms.

WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE

When we started our journey at FHWA to create a mental health awareness plan, all we were trying to do was identify tools for supervisors. I knew we had people suffering, and I knew more people like me didn’t know what to do.

We started providing voluntary opportunities for people to share their stories. We engaged leaders and senior officials in our communications. As they shared their stories, employees appreciated seeing the vulnerability in highly respected leaders. It was really powerful.

When the pandemic hit, everyone started struggling with their mental health. They wanted to talk, and they wanted to have opportunities to get together and share their experiences. Because of the conversation we had already started within FHWA, our employees felt safe discussing the topic. You could see staff leaning on each other for support. Employees greatly appreciated the focus we placed on mental health. I would hear words of appreciation from them regularly. One emailed me and said these efforts saved their life. At that moment, I understood the impact our program was having on our staff.

THE POWER OF A MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM

Although it is difficult to quantify the impacts a mental health focus can have within a workplace, there is anecdotal evidence showing it is well worth the time and effort. I recall hearing from one of our hiring officials that we had new FHWA employees who were attracted to our agency because they had heard about our ongoing mental health awareness program.

Mental health is not a subject we bring up frequently, often because of the stigma attached to it, yet sharing stories and experiences is one of the most helpful coping mechanisms.

In a world where everyone is trying to hire and everyone competes for the same group of people, there is a competitive edge to have a program like this.

Of course, there are plenty of questions to answer. How far can we go in our industry, at our companies? How far should we go?

As Nicole Steffen, LMSW, of Steffen Counseling points out, our job as supervisors is not one of a clinician.

However, by understanding the connection we have with others, we can help decrease mental health issues within the workplace. Having simple conversations can develop that connection.

“Having those connections, communication and understanding of your team can be very beneficial for supervisors,” Steffen said. “Supervisors also need to understand themselves, their own biases, and thoughts and mental health, and know when they need to take a break and seek out support.”

“You are a human, too; just because you’re in higher management doesn’t mean you don’t have life situations.”

It’s vital to understand our employees and their personalities, strengths and weaknesses, says Steffen, who advises supervisors to keep up with their employees’ behaviors. If you have a high producer on the team and a couple weeks go by without them working to their usual level, have a conversation and offer help.

“If you have an employee telling you that they’re drowning, that it’s all too much, that they can’t focus, work up a plan with them on how to improve stress levels,” she added.

There is still the stigma around mental health that we must address. When we began our mental health awareness program efforts at FHWA, one of my colleagues asked, “Are you really sure you want to take this on? It might not be great for your career.” My answer was a resounding yes.

We pressed on and did what we felt was right.

HOW THE PRIVATE SECTOR CAN ADAPT

The private sector has challenges that government agencies do not. For government agencies, the concern around utilization rates and billable hours is not as great

By understanding the connection we have with others, we can help decrease mental health issues within the workplace.

– Nicole Steffan, LMSW

an imperative. But telling someone to take six hours of training is a bigger ask at private companies.

There are ways to lessen that burden, from shorter, bitesized training sessions to lunchtime webinars and small group discussions.

For companies to move forward on these objectives, it takes top-level leadership to buy in and support them. That support will flow down and grow as more and more people get involved.

Fortunately, many great resources already exist so companies don’t have to start from scratch. Training programs like First Aid at Work can be used and adapted by human resource departments to fit each company’s needs.

As I mentioned, if we are all competing for the same workforce, this is going to be an important enticement for employees, and that is certainly a reason to move forward. But even if we just want the most out of our employees – if we want them to be happy and do great work – we must keep going, and we must create environments where our employees are not afraid to bring their entire selves to work, where every person feels seen and like they belong.

And we have to go farther. The stigma is ingrained into society and many people don’t want to talk about mental health issues, but they are all around us.

Talking about these things is emotional and exciting, and it’s healthy. Tackling mental health as an industry is not about jumping on a bandwagon or checking a box.

As an industry, we must do this because it’s the right thing to do. When people feel seen, accepted, and safe to be themselves at work, amazing things happen. And that’s just good business.

CALL TO ACTION

Talking (and listening) is powerful. I encourage everyone reading this to talk about mental health with their colleagues, as well as their friends and family. Share stories, articles and resources on your social media channels and include #MindfulAEC

Engineering Leadership Characteristics for Professional Services Firms

Dr. Ralph Baeza

Professional services firms across North America are facing challenges in doing business in a fast-paced, global society with environments that require them to shape and coordinate the right culture that meets their strategic goals and creates sustainability with legacy.

To succeed in this environment, firms must become stronger at developing and retaining leaders and earning their commitment to a long and productive career in their organizations.

Consulting engineering firms are confronting an increased pressure for expansion of services and locations, delivery of more integrated services, investment in technology and significant increases in the costs of attracting, retaining and rewarding talent. As John Bennett and Mary Wayne Bush conclude in their study, Coaching in Organizations, these trends – along with an increasing use of technology, shortage of skilled workers, aging workforce and increasing generational diversity and multiculturalism –further demonstrate the need to develop and retain leaders.

In his seventh edition of Leadership: Theory and Practice, Peter Northouse defines leadership as “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.” This definition fosters leadership becoming available to everyone, since it occurs with interactive events between leaders and followers that affect them mutually.

STYLES OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP

This article uses the process/behavior approach definition of leadership based on several components:

1 2

Leadership is a process.

Leadership involves influence.

Leadership occurs in groups.

Leadership involves common goals.

PRINCIPAL, TLC ENGINEERING

Dr. Ralph Baeza, PE, LEED AP, is principal of TLC Engineering and a registered professional engineer with over 40 years of experience in all aspects of electrical engineering and project management. He can be reached at ralph.baeza@tlc-eng.com.

Servant Transformational

With this in mind, let’s review the authentic, servant and transformational leadership theories to define the concept of what a good consulting engineer leader is.

Authentic leaders exhibit “a behavior with self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of ideas and relational transparency,” according to Northouse. Additionally, as B.J. Avolio and W.L. Gardner developed the current definition of the authentic leadership theory in 2005, authentic leaders collaborate with individuals in organizations to foster self-development.

Servant leaders have “an attitude of service by being authentic, vulnerable, accepting, present and useful,” Northouse writes. “Thus, (servant leaders) place the good of followers over their own self-interest and emphasize follower development.” The servant leadership concept, first developed by R.K. Greenleaf in 1977, puts serving the greater needs of others as the primary goal of leadership.

This approach is fostered by leaders who sense a natural desire to serve and make a conscious decision to lead by valuing and developing people, practicing authenticity, building community, providing leadership and sharing status and power for the common good of followers, the total organization and the communities it serves.

Transformational leaders engage with others and create a connection that raises the level of motivation in the leader and the follower

alike. Author James Burns was the first to describe leadership as transforming and a quality that “recognizes and exploits an existing need or demand of potential followers.”

Transformational leadership is “a relation of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and leaders into moral agents,” Burns concluded. This theory is based on a movement that defines leadership as a process in which individuals engage to raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality.

CHANGES AND CHALLENGES

Engineers are known to lead in ways that are related but different from the leadership practices found in other professional groups in accordance with their expertise. Thus, their leadership is understood to be influential, which in the case of engineers, is based on experientially gained technical insights and building bridges across organizational units operationalizing their innovative ideas.

Three writers published a 2015 paper in Leadership that identified three engineering leadership orientations: technical proficiency, collaborative organization and organizational innovation.

Staff turnover remains an issue for knowledgebased organizations, making it important to create recruiting and retention strategies that target talent. Equally important is the proper management of talented people, with the delegation of complex jobs and assignments to individuals with the capacity of handling them, to become a high-performance organization.

LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS, DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION

Firm leaders are responsible for building and shaping organizations that meet their stakeholders’ expectations while facing today’s new challenges. These leaders are the decision makers that establish the purpose and direction an organization will follow.

Leaders must address issues such as how to adapt in a changing business and social environment, coping with increasing size and complexity, managing internal conflict, and shaping and coordinating the right organizational culture that meets organizational goals.

A/E/C firms need to build a strong culture to energize and motivate employees, unify people around shared goals and a higher mission, and shape and guide behaviors from the organizations’ stakeholders to be aligned with the organization’s strategic priorities. These priorities, per Richard Daft in Organizational Theory and Design, are driven by values that include:

1. The whole is more important than the parts.

2. Equality and trust are of the highest importance.

3. Risk-taking change and implementation.

This further requires leaders to create a management system in the organization for empowerment and self-leadership by providing a balance among the stakeholders’ needs and organization well-being, Stein Amundsen and Øyvind L. Martinsen conclude in their 2015 paper in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies.

Authentic, servant and transformational leadership help an organization’s members to feel personally empowered, be fairly rewarded by their contributions and influenced to perform to the utmost of their capacity.

As an example, firms show their engineering leadership identity by contributing to society with technical skills, vision, insight and leadership capacity addressing crumbling infrastructure, building global communication networks and generating environmentally sustainable energy systems at the local, state, federal and global levels.

Fostering the correct, desirable leadership characteristics in the organization’s leaders will ensure the firm’s employees contribute to achieve the business goals and avoid organizational stagnation. The development and retention of leaders by fostering desirable leadership characteristics requires organizations to be designed by providing a balance among the stakeholders’ needs and organizational well-being.

Authentic, servant and transformational leadership help an organization’s members to feel personally empowered, be fairly rewarded by their contributions and influenced to perform to the utmost of their capacity.

A good engineer leader is someone who fosters a culture of sustainability with legacy that develops and retains organizational leaders, for the present and future of the organization, by practicing authentic, servant and transformational leadership behavior.

Therefore, it is fostered by a leader who exhibits the leadership characteristics displayed in Table 1:

Leadership Characteristics in a Professional Services Firm

Ranking LEADERS

CARES FOR OTHERS

VISIONARY MOTIVATOR

GOOD COMMUNICATOR INTEGRITY

TRANSPARENT RESPECTFUL HONEST KNOWLEDGEABLE LEADS BY EXAMPLE

ENTHUSIASTIC MENTOR/TEACHER/COACH

UNSELFISH CHARISMATIC HUMBLE

SELF-CONFIDENT PRUDENT

HIGH

BUSINESS PRACTICE

The findings indicate that leaders agree about the importance of maintaining a strong culture, with leaders having desirable leadership characteristics that foster relationships with all stakeholders on proper values that are communicated and institutionalized with behaviors that support them.

These leaders, Daft writes, can encourage adaptation and enhance performance, align actions and strategic priorities founded in energizing and motivating employees, unify people with shared goals and a higher mission and shape and guide behavior.

EMERGING LEADERS

CARES FOR OTHERS

MOTIVATOR

GOOD COMMUNICATOR INTEGRITY

VISIONARY LEADS BY EXAMPLE RESPECTFUL HONEST TRANSPARENT

MENTOR/TEACHER/COACH

CHARISMATIC HUMBLE KNOWLEDGEABLE

ENTHUSIASTIC UNSELFISH

SELF-CONFIDENT PRUDENT

HIGH ETHICS/VALUES COMMITTED

KIND

Strategic plans that include the necessary training for the leaders and emerging leaders are important in the approach to creating a culture that fosters sustainability for the development and retention of leaders in the organizations.

The strategic plans in firms should require not only a desirable leadership characteristics training program but implementation programs of accountability and mentorship for all employees in the organizations. Furthermore, these plans must include an understanding of the current business environment to develop the needed business methods to create the needed sustainability culture in PSFs.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION

Desirable leadership characteristics impact the leadership in organizations in ways where the participants are managing the talented people properly, with the correct delegation of complex jobs and assignments to individuals, and the capacity of handling them to be high performance.

This requires that all employees engage in their culture process by participating in work, involving people in decisions concerning their work to create job satisfaction, shifting power in the organization among leadership, managers and employees, working in a team rather than a silo approach, and working to solve problems that are difficult and challenging.

Here are a few action items to consider:

Corporate leaders, board of directors’ members, operations’ directors, and senior leaders in knowledge-based firms are encouraged to study and understand their organization leadership characteristics and create necessary strategies to implement changes where necessary.

Evaluate existing coaching, emerging leaders, and mentoring programs to apply the concepts from this study to leverage leaders’ desirable characteristics and align them with organizational competencies for the leaders and emerging leaders in the organizations.

Evaluate your existing recruiting and retention strategies, considering the findings in this study, to address staff turnover and target the talent needs that are relevant.

REFERENCES

Amundsen, S., & Martinsen, O. L. (2015). Linking empowering leadership to job satisfaction, work effort and creativity: The role of self-leadership and psychological empowerment. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 23(3), 304-323. doi: 10.1177/1548051814565819

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338.

Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Walumba, F. O., Luthans, F., & May, D. R. (2004). Unlocking the mask: a look at the process by which authentic leader’s impact follower attitudes and behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(6), 801-823.

Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. The leadership quarterly, 10(2), 181-217.

Bennett, J., & Bush, M. W. (2009). Coaching in organizations: Current trends and future opportunities. Od practitioner, 41(1), 2-7. Blackman, D. A., & Lee-Kelley, L. (2006). The role of human resource development in preventing organizational stagnation. Management Decision, 44(5), 628-643.

Boone, L. W., & Makhani, S. (2012). Five necessary attitudes of a servant leader. Review of Business, 22(1), 83-96.

Firm leaders are encouraged to foster a culture with:

Authentic leaders by practicing desirable characteristics that recognize the gifts and talents of others and call them through empowering actions.

Servant leaders who care, have integrity and high ethics, and are interested in and capable of building long-term relationships with stakeholders.

Transformational leaders who can communicate effectively and create a sense of ownership, inventiveness and a dynamic work environment among their followers with shared responsibility to attain organizational goals and the individuals’ aspirations and needs.

Humility and a team, not-siloed approach among the members of the organization play a significant role in the decision-making process when considering that leaders will exhibit selfknowledge, character, stability and capacity for improvement and teamwork.

I hope that practical implications – inspiring leaders in knowledge-based PSFs with this information – will address the problem of development and retention of leaders in these organizations for their sustainability and legacy. May we all be encouraged to navigate the current social, political, and economic environments successfully with high ethical and moral standards of character for the betterment of humanity.

Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York, NY: Harper & Row. Carter, M. Z., Armenakis, A. A., Field, H. S., & Mossholder, K. W. (2013). Transformational leadership, relationship quality, and employee performance during continuous incremental organizational change. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34, 942-958. doi: 10.1002/job.1824

Coulson-Thomas, C. (2012). Talent management and building high performance organizations. Industrial and Commercial Training, 44(7), 429-436. doi: 10.1108/00197851211268027

Daft, R. L. (2013).

Organization theory and design. Mason, OH: South-Western. Greenleaf, R. K. (1997). The servant as leader. South Bend, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

Grille, A., Schulte, E., & Kauffeld, S. (2015). Promoting shared leadership: a multilevel analysis investigating the role of prototypical team leader behavior, psychological empowerment, and fair rewards. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(3), 324-339. doi: 10.1177/1548051815570039

Laub, J. A. (1999). Assessing the servant organization: Development of the servant organizational assessment (SOLA) instrument. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Florida Atlantic University.

Maister, D. (1993). Quality work does not mean quality service. Managing the professional service firm, 69-77.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Rost, J. C. (1993). Leadership for the twenty-first century. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Rottman, C., Sacks, R., & Reeve, D. (2015). Engineering leadership: grounding leadership theory in engineer’s professional identities.

Leadership, 11(3), 351-373. doi: 10.1177/1742715014543481

Strumpf, S. A., Doh, J. P., & Clark, K. D. (2002).

Challenges and opportunities for improving performance. Organizational Dynamics, 3(2), 259-279. doi: S0090-2616 (02) 00113-4

Tiller, S. R. (2012).

Organizational structure and management systems. Leadership and Management in Engineering.

Van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1228-1261. doi: 10.1177/0149206310380462

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Building a Solid Foundation: Why Being an Ethical Engineer Matters

Edwin Bayó

PARTNER, GROSSMAN, FURLOW & BAYÓ, LLC

While I am not an engineer, I have heard it said that laying the foundation for a building takes up a vast majority of the project time and budget. There is a good reason for this: a strong foundation is the key to a sturdy, well-built building.

A good engineer knows they have one chance to lay a foundation properly. A great engineer understands that the results of laying an improper foundation can be disastrous, putting the whole project, as well as the public, at risk. These “common sense” principles in the practice of engineering are just as important when they are applied to your license to practice engineering. Thankfully, the difference is that it is never too late to lay a proper ethical foundation.

This article will briefly explain the sources of engineering law in Florida, as well as ethical considerations within those sources, common ethical issues engineers face, and the codes of ethics adopted by several engineering organizations.

LAWFUL CONSIDERATIONS

Engineers in Florida are regulated by two Florida Statutes, Chapters 455 and 471. Chapter 455 contains a number of laws applicable to all practitioners under the umbrella of the Department of Business and Professional

Regulation (DBPR), including general grounds for disciplinary action against all DBPR licensees.

Chapter 471 contains regulations that apply only to engineers in Florida. This chapter is usually called the “Florida Engineering Practice Act” and fulfills several key duties. First, it provides the requirements for licensure as a Professional Engineer in Florida. Second, it creates the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (BOPE) and grants it the authority to promulgate rules. Third, it provides the grounds for disciplinary action against a Professional Engineer.

In addition to the Florida Statutes cited above, the BOPE Rules found in Chapter 61G15, Florida Administrative Code, contain all the rules promulgated by the BOPE, including grounds for disciplinary proceedings and disciplinary guidelines.

It’s important to note that engineering is a profession as opposed to a job or occupation. As such, it requires education, skills, judgment and the exercise of discretion. Most engineering codes of ethics stress that engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public. This means that ethics in engineering is a broad professional concern.

Edwin Bayó is a former Counsel to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. He is Board Certified in State and Federal Government and Administrative Practice by the Florida Bar.

Indeed, the definition of “engineering” in Section 471.005(7), Fla. Stat. specifically describes a number of services and activities “insofar as they involve safeguarding life, health or property.” Engineers may at times be pressured to “think like a manager, not an engineer,” especially when working for a non-engineer. However, “the boss made me do it” is never an available defense and may subject you to discipline for misconduct or for negligence in the practice of engineering.

Understanding the sources of engineering law is critical when examining the ethical issues engineers face. Some of the most common ethical issues are the acknowledgment of mistakes, conflicts of interest, product and project safety, responsibility arising from actions of others, whistle-blowing, cutting corners, and plan-stamping.

FOUNDATIONS OF ETHICS

When examining these ethical issues, it is important to start from the ground up. To begin, ethics is, at its core, the study of the moral principles that govern the conduct of individuals or groups. More specifically, engineering ethics are the rules and standards that govern the conduct and interactions of engineers as professionals.

Most engineering societies and associations have a code of ethics. These codes are usually stated as general principles and almost never describe specific factual situations. Instead, they serve as a starting point for making ethical decisions.

Take time to examine the code of ethics provided by your engineering society or association, and feel free to research the codes of ethics or fundamental principles of other societies and associations for comprehensive study.

For example, the Fundamental Principles of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) state that “engineers must uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering profession.”

How can engineers accomplish this? By using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the environment. By being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public, their employers and clients. By striving to increase the competence and

prestige of the engineering profession. And by supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.

In addition to their fundamental principles, the ASCE has fundamental canons that call engineers to hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties, perform services only in areas of their competence, issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner and act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, avoiding conflicts of interest.

The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and other engineering organizations also have a code of ethics, which align with ASCE. Needless to say, there are several ethical principles that permeate through the various engineering organizations, several of which touch directly on the common ethical issues engineers face.

ETHICS AND THE LAW

The legal principle that ties these codes of ethics and fundamental principles to the law regulating engineers is due process. Due process is afforded to every engineer in Florida, and every licensee in Florida for that matter. Due process requires laws and rules that may be used to discipline a licensee provide reasonable and meaningful notice to licensees of the conduct that is prohibited. Therefore, any behavior that is not explicitly listed in the laws and rules as grounds for disciplinary action cannot (and should not) be used by the BOPE to support discipline.

Even though engineers should always strive to take the most ethical approach possible, it should be noted that an engineer cannot be disciplined for being unethical or for violating a provision of an ethics code. However, many ethical situations are covered under the BOPE’s definition of misconduct in Section 61G15-19.001(6), F.A.C. Therefore, abiding by the code of ethics adopted by your engineering society of choice will more often than not keep you from running afoul of the BOPE’s rules on misconduct.

The definition found in Section 61G15-19.001(6), F.A.C. is multi-faceted and contains several examples of what is considered by the BOPE to be misconduct. These definitions of misconduct have ethical counterparts found in the various codes of conduct and fundamental principles.

ETHICS IN PRACTICE

In order to develop a sturdy ethical foundation, there are several questions an engineer can work through when presented with an ethical dilemma. First, if the action in question is ethically or legally wrong, simply refrain from performing that activity. Second, you must always ask if the action in question complies with your values as an engineer. If it does not, that is a potential red flag to consider.

Third, do not be afraid to ask how the action will look to other engineers. Peer pressure is not always a bad thing, especially if it helps build strong ethics.

Finally, if you would feel bad by doing the action, you may want to stop and ascertain why. Do not be afraid to consult with close colleagues, or even an attorney, for particularly troubling or borderline issues.

Remember, Rome was not built in a day, and neither will the ethical foundation on which you should build your engineering practice.

For this article, four definitions of misconduct and their code of conduct counterparts are listed, but there are many more of both. It is the duty of the engineer reading this article to conduct independent review of the engineering laws and rules, codes of ethics and fundamental principles.

Expressing a public engineering opinion without being informed or competent. This example of misconduct fits neatly beside the statement in the NSPE Code of Ethics, which states: “Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.”

Being untruthful, deceptive, or misleading in any professional report, statement or testimony. Again, this is covered in the NSPE Code of Ethics when it states that engineers should “Avoid deceptive acts.”

Performing an engineering assignment – or signing and or sealing plans or documents –when not qualified by training or experience.

As per the NSPE Code of Ethics, engineers should only “Perform services only in their area of competence.”

Knowingly associating or doing business with fraudulent or dishonest partners.

According to the NSPE Code of Ethics counterpart, “Engineers shall not use association with a non-engineer, a corporation or partnership as a “cloak” for unethical acts.” In addition, the ASME Code of Ethics states that “Engineers shall associate only with reputable persons or organizations.”

SMPS

SOCIETY FOR MARKETING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

What Leaders Need to Know About Today’s Workforce

Jenni Nix McGerald CHAIR, SMPS DE&I COMMITTEE

The workforce is a constantly evolving entity. As the world changes, so do the needs and expectations of employees. Leaders must stay informed about these changes to attract and retain top talent.

The architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) industry has faced a dwindling resource pipeline for years. People charged with the success of organizations can no longer expect tactics and policies that worked in the past to work today.

EMPHASIS ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE

One significant trend in the workforce is a growing emphasis on work-life balance. Today, employees place a higher value on their personal lives and seek jobs that allow them to maintain a healthy balance between work and home. According to a 2022 study, hybrid and workfrom-home (WFH) model jobs reduce attrition by 33% and significantly improve job satisfaction. Hybrid and WFH jobs also increase working hours on office days and weekends. The U.S. labor market shows that about 83% of workers around the globe would prefer a hybrid work model.

Company leaders need to recognize this trend to attract talented employees. Research shows that 66% of CEOs know that things need to change, but only 26% of CEOs have a strategy to implement the change.

When employees can balance their personal lives with their work responsibilities, they are happier, healthier, and more productive overall, often increasing revenue growth by up to 7.4%. Rather than hide behind corporate-speak such as “eavesdrop learning” as reasons to hold onto organization policies that serve as roadblocks, leaders must take themselves outside their comfort zones to create environments for employees to thrive.

NEW HIRES VALUE A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

Diversity and inclusion have also become increasingly important in the workforce. Leaders need to ensure their organizations are actively seeking diverse candidates, providing equal opportunities for career advancement, and fostering an inclusive work environment.

According to Glassdoor, 76% of candidates reported that a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating prospective job offers, and nearly 32% of candidates would not apply to a job where there is a lack of diversity in the workforce. This means that practicing a strong DE&I mission in your business will increase candidate satisfaction and contribute to higher financial performance.

The age demographic of the workforce is also changing, and millennials have become the largest generation in the workforce. Millennials place a higher value on things such as remote work and DE&I policies, and companies need to be willing to adapt if they want to continue recruiting talented candidates.

When employees can balance their personal lives with their work responsibilities, they are happier, healthier, and more productive overall, often increasing revenue growth by up to 7.4%

THE TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION

Technology has revolutionized the way leaders run their businesses and manage employees. Employers need to stay current with the latest technological advancements to remain competitive. This includes investing in training programs that ensure employees have the necessary skills to utilize new technologies.

One of the most rapidly growing technological advances is the use of artificial intelligence (AI), which has more than doubled since 2017. Trends show that companies are investing more in AI as it continues to advance. The global AI market is expected to reach $267 billion by 2027.

Drone use has also significantly increased in recent years, specifically in the A/E/C industry, as a tool for capturing and analyzing 2D and 3D imagery. The A/E/C industry is projected to become the second-largest market for drones, which will improve safety performance, reduce inspection costs and enhance communication between stakeholders.

With transparency from leadership around the subject, employees should welcome and embrace technological advances, understanding how they can elevate and optimize an individual’s job performance rather than replace it. Additionally, employees who are trained in new technologies become more valuable to the company and are better equipped to succeed in their roles.

ADAPTING TO CHANGE

Leaders should understand the changing needs and expectations of today’s workforce to attract and retain top talent. By emphasizing work-life balance, promoting diversity and inclusion, and staying up to date on the latest technological advancements, leaders can create a work environment that fosters innovation, creativity and productivity, which is nothing but positive for the bottom line.

It is crucial for leaders to adapt to these changes to remain competitive and successful in today’s rapidly evolving world. Failure to do so can lead to decreased employee satisfaction, increased turnover rates, and ultimately, a negative impact on the company’s bottom line. Leaders who prioritize the needs of their employees and adapt to changing trends in the workforce will not only attract and retain top talent but also position their companies for long-term success.

RESEARCH ALERT!

SMPS Foundation has developed a survey designed to gain insight into the key factors clients consider when developing a partnership with an A/E/C firm. This information will be used to help SMPS member firms more effectively exceed client expectations.

ASHE

AMERICAN

SOCIETY OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERS

Sunserea Gates ASHE SOUTHEAST REGION PRESIDENT

Embracing Innovation and Inclusivity in the Workforce

With existing and projected shortages of professionals in the transportation industry, coupled with the accelerated rate of technical advancements, our workforce needs focused support from professional organizations like the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) to provide educational opportunities to the diverse workforce supporting transportation implementation.

More than ever, we are at a critical juncture where knowledge transfer and collaboration with all of our transportation partners is paramount.

ASHE was founded by a small group of dedicated engineers in the public sector and associates from contractors, material suppliers and consulting engineers who recognized the need for fellowship and collaboration. Today, ASHE strives to provide a forum to interact with one’s peers in the transportation industry while working together to help solve common problems and discuss pertinent issues such as rapidly changing technologies.

Our mission is to provide a forum for members and partners of the transportation industry to promote the advancement of safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation systems through education, innovation and fellowship.

Our mission is to provide a forum for members and partners of the transportation industry to promote the advancement of safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation systems through education, innovation and fellowship.

ASHE recently updated its 2023-2026 Strategic Plan with a renewed focus on this mission. ASHE is eagerly growing in membership and diversity with an emphasis on innovation and education. Our members seek compelling leadership opportunities to organically transfer knowledge to the next generations of the transportation industry. We are committed to providing value to our members and respecting one another while promoting inclusive industry collaboration and professional development.

The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan presents our plans for continued membership growth and fellowship, expanding our educational opportunities and community outreach, striving to advance the transportation industry through the most innovative technologies and best practices, with a commitment to ethical principles that provides open communication to the whole organization.

To support our varied workforce, ASHE will continue to advance innovation and inclusivity along with our other key values.

Innovation

ASHE provides innovation in the transportation industry through educational opportunities and participation in technology sharing with our membership.

ASHE encourages and accommodates creative processes and emerging technologies to advance the organization and the transportation industry. We value education excellence by providing high quality programs, practices and learning experiences that have a direct impact on the growth of our membership in the industry.

Inclusivity

ASHE values, respects and engages people from all sectors of the transportation industry including public agencies, consultants, contractors, students and suppliers.

ASHE also recognizes that the strength of the organization lies in the diversity of membership and industry expertise within the local ASHE Sections.

The primary benefit of belonging to ASHE is the opportunity to grow technically and professionally.

Become a member of ASHE today!

Advertise With Us

Are you looking to get your company in front of industry professionals, firm leaders, government officials, business leaders and potential clients from every part of Florida? If you are doing business anywhere in the engineering or consulting space in the Sunshine State, this is exactly the valuable audience you want to reach.

US POSTAL SERVICE STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION

Engineering Florida, ISSN 0015-4032, is published quarterly as the official publication of the Florida Engineering Society. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. FES members receive Engineering Florida as part of their membership benefits. Editorial matter, change of address, and correspondence regarding advertising should be mailed to: FES, P.O. Box 750, Tallahassee, FL 32302 or email fes@fleng.org.

Mailing Address of Office of Publication, General Business Office, Publisher: Allen Douglas, Owner:

Engineering Society, P.O. Box 750, Tallahassee, FL 32302-0750

The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during preceding 12 months.

FOR QUESTIONS OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT ENGINEERING FLORIDA MANAGING EDITOR JOE VANHOOSE AT JOE@TRESTLECOLLECTIVE.COM.

EDITORIAL CALENDAR

ISSUE 1.3 (FALL ‘23) Growth

• Cover Story: Economic Engines fueling Florida’s Economy (Airports/Ports/Tourism)

• Features:

• Applying a DE&I Lens to Infrastructure

• Florida Freight and Logistics Infrastructure

• Projects responding to — and preparing for — growth

ISSUE 1.4 (WINTER ‘23)

People & Projects of the Year

• Cover Story: Top Projects of the Year

• Features:

• People of the Year

• Young Professionals of the Year

WHO READS ENGINEERING FLORIDA?

Decision-makers from the leading engineering and consulting firms from across the state, as well as the public and private sector clients who hire engineering companies and the local and state officials who influence the A/E/C industry. Readers turn to Engineering Florida for relevant content highlighting business trends, economic development, public policy, and the innovation of Florida’s A/E/C business community.

OUR CIRCULATION OF 10,000 INCLUDES:

• Leading Professionals in the A/E/C Industry

• Private Developers

• State and Local Elected & Appointed Officials

• Key Leaders within State Agencies

• State and Local DOT Officials

• The Florida Governor’s Office and Key Staff

• County Commissioners, Managers and Department Heads

• Mayors, City Council Members and City Managers

• Utility and Planning Departments

• Economic Development Leaders

D e l i v e r i n g H i g h I m p a c t S t r a t e g i e s T o

D e l i v e r i n g H i g h I m p a c t S t r a t e g i e s T o

S o l v e C h a l l e n g e s A n d A c t i v a t e G r o w t h

S o l v e C h a l l e n g e s A n d A c t i v a t e G r o w t h