Technical and business technology conference for civil engineering firms

NATICK, Mass.—Chief information technology (IT) officers, vice presidents of technology, IT directors, and other senior leaders from AEC firms will be attending a two-day educational conference late this spring. ZweigWhite’s AEC Technology Strategies 2007 will be held at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa in Las Vegas on June 7-8, 2007.

Attendees from civil engineering firms will be especially interested in targeted technical sessions such as, "Not Your Father’s GIS: Strategic Geographic Business Analysis," by Brad Hurley, director of application development for Fuss & O’Neill Technologies. Additionally, many focus sessions on technology for business applications will be presented by professionals at well-esteemed firms, including the following: "Creating Value and Solving Problems with Your Intranet," by Chris Pinckney, CIO for Psomas; "Implementing Effective IT Strategies and Policies to Improve Your Bottom Line" by Vincent Ferrara, director of graphic services and CAD operations at DeSimone Consulting Engineers; and "Strategies for Implementing a Document Management System" by Gregory Gould, vice president and chief technical officer of Burns & McDonnell Engineering.

This event, now in its eighth year, brings together technology and business managers from AEC firms to learn about the latest tools, tactics, and strategies firms are applying for their design and business systems, and IT infrastructure. Additionally, leadership and the role of the AEC IT manager will be explored.

Conference chairman, Ken Sanders, FAIA, is CIO and managing principal of design and delivery systems at Gensler Architecture Design & Planning Worldwide. He has firm-wide responsibility for the research, development, and implementation of knowledge management, Internet, CAD, financial, and other professional-practice applications for a 2,000-person design firm. Sanders authored the award-winning book, The Digital Architect, and received the Ed Forrest Award, which recognizes industry leaders who have furthered the pursuit of excellence in the design and construction industry.

Featured keynote sessions include the following:

• Planning and Executing a Large-Scale System Roll Out, by Kristine K. Fallon, FAIA, president, Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc.;
• The Business Implications of 3-D Project Delivery: How Technology is Changing the Work Process, by James G. Jacobi, P.E., principal and CIO, Walter P Moore and Associates, Inc.;
• Product Review: An Update on Building Information Modeling and Supporting AEC Technologies, by Lachmi Khemlani, Ph.D., founder and editor, AECbytes; and
• AEC Industry Evolution and the Ways in Which Technology is Adapting, by Patrick MacLeamy, FAIA, CEO, Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK).

Event sponsors, Newforma, BST Global, ColumbiaSoft, and Deltek, are joined by media sponsors CE News and Structural Engineer. For more information, go to www.aectechstrategies.com or call 800-466-6275.