www.csemag.com: Latest News http://www.csemag.com/ en www.csemag.com: Latest News http://www.csemag.com/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.csemag.com/ 18 16 TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 17 May 2013 10:40:00 -0400 Weekly merger, acquisition, deal update: May 17 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/weekly-merger-acquisition-deal-update-may-17/6ca61b7a2fe78bba5b66c20bb94aa79a.html This week Morrissey Goodale reported five deals in the United States and one international deal in... Morrissey Goodale reported five deals in the United States and one international deal in Australia. This week Morrissey Goodale reported five deals in the United States and one international deal in Australia. Courtesy: Morrissey Goodale M&A Transactions 5/8/2013 TRC (Lowell, MA) acquired the Covina, CA operations ofOcampo-Esta Corporation (Vallejo, CA), a power delivery engineering company. The deal, coupled with TRC's recent acquisitions of GE's Air Emissions Testing business and energy efficiency consulting firm Heschong Mahone Group, further expands TRC's service offerings to the utility industry. Link to details 5/1/2013 Professional and technical engineering and consulting firm NV5 (Hollywood, FL) acquired Consilium Partners (Denver, CO), a 20-person owner's representation and program management firm that serves both public and private clients. Link to details  5/13/2013 National, employee-owned consulting firm Hanson Professional Services (Springfield, IL) has added civil and transportation engineering, land development and water resources design firm Bowen Civil Engineering (Jacksonville, FL).  Link to details  4/30/2013 Full service engineering and design firm BCER Engineering (Arvada, CO) acquired Rimrock Group (Colorado Springs, CO), an engineering consultancy specializing in the design of technology systems. Link to details 4/30/2013 1,100-person, multi-disciplinary engineering firm Greenman-Pedersen (GPI) (Babylon, NY) has merged Nolan Associates (Ellicott City, MD) into GPI's Annapolis Junction, MD office.  Nolan Associates specializes in bridge design and inspection, structural design, highway design and H&H engineering. Link to details  4/16/2013 Global engineering, architecture and environmental firm GHD (Sydney, Australia) has acquired key business assets of ProMet Engineers (Perth, Australia), a mining industry-focused process engineering, project management and study management services firm. Link to details]]> Industry Roundup HVAC Electrical Fire & Life Safety Lighting Plumbing Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Automation & Controls Codes & Standards Power Fri, 17 May 2013 09:13:00 -0400 NEBB conference presentations available http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/nebb-conference-presentations-available/924e033cad311174164cb427b45a75a3.html The 2013 NEBB Conference presentations are available to download from NEBB's website. The 2013 NEBB Annual Conference was held May 2-4 in Montreal, Quebec. With more than 400 attendees and 22 exhibits, the conference program featured a mix of technical and business sessions.  The opening session presentations were delivered by Richard Greninger, the Chair-Elect for BOMA; Tony Keane, President for IFMA; and Tim Wentz, the Vice President of ASHRAE. Technical session presentations include Michael Ivanovich's discussion on air movement efficiency and Dan Int-Hout's discussions on air distribution basics and rules. Steve Wiggins and Curtis Anthony also discussed commissioning team building for BSC work. These presentations are now available on the NEBB website.]]> Industry Roundup Commissioning SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) SyndicationSource: Content Partner - NEBB HVAC Syndication: HVAC/R (heating ventilation air conditioning refrigeration geo-thermal under floor air distribution building enclosures) Syndication: Green and Environmental (USGBC LEED AP Dept. of Energy Energy Information Administration EPA photovoltaic solar panels wind turbines) Thu, 16 May 2013 09:45:00 -0400 Ingredients for a quality onboarding program http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/ingredients-for-a-quality-onboarding-program/a39a3ee16bafec6871fb6ad9b3661c11.html There are a number of ways to welcome new hires that can be critical to building positive... Phase 1: Pre-work The first phase of onboarding is the pre-work phase. Because employees need to feel important and needed when they begin, several strategies can have great impact.   1. Build contact: A new employee’s direct supervisor should call her periodically prior to the first day of work. When a person is coming into a new environment, it can be overwhelming to leave her old comfort zone to begin again; even the most senior leaders are vulnerable. Calling the new person to go over what to wear on the first day, what the first day will look like, and letting her know how excited you are to have her join your team really influences her initial perceptions. 2. Include the new hire in correspondence and meetings: Supervisors are keenly aware of projects and teams to which the new person will be assigned. For group e-mails or important meetings, invite the newbie to participate or join the conversation. Building camaraderie with future co-workers prior to the start is vital to building effective teams. 3. Set up building access, network access, and workspace: You’d be amazed how many supervisors and leaders get this wrong. Have the new employee’s workspace completely set up and ready on day one. This includes the computer with network and e-mail access, phone with working voicemail, instructions for using the phone system (including transferring calls and setting up conference calls and call forwarding), and business cards. And don’t forget keys, keycards, alarm codes, and written security procedures. We’ve all heard stories about IT departments that can be unresponsive; supervisors play a key role in ironing out these smaller details.  Phase 2: First day and week The second phase of onboarding centers on those first few days of work. Here are some ideas to ensure a great first week. 1. Take her to lunch: The new person has no idea what the norms are for lunch time. Is it an hour? Do people eat at their desk or go out? Welcome a new person by taking her to lunch or setting up a group lunch for the first day. On subsequent days, you can go an extra step and have other members of the team take her out to get to know her. Don’t underestimate the impact of this small gesture. 2. Introductions: Getting to know colleagues is the first step in building positive work relationships, ones that will endure through difficult projects and deadlines. Spend time introducing the new hire to others beyond the immediate team: parallel departments or project teams, and key employees in HR, IT, and support services. And introduce her to the president and key leadership. This makes new members feel valued and welcome. 3. Build a schedule: No one wants to begin their first few days mired in HR paperwork and forms. It’s important to have concrete tasks and conversations around work that first week. During the first week, make sure some meetings and team work are on her calendar. This creates space and time for her to quickly get to know co-workers while giving a sense of belonging and contribution quickly.  Phase 3: First 90 days The third phase of onboarding is keeping in close contact with the new person for at least 90 days. Here are some suggestions that don’t require a formal onboarding process, just some effort from key leaders and supervisors. 1. Progress meetings: Have bi-weekly or monthly progress meetings to check in. Are you certain your new hire knows what is expected of her? Does she know the priorities? How clear is she on the objectives of her work? Meetings help you keep the new employee moving toward the mission, meeting all expectations, and becoming a strong team member. 2. Provide a mentor: Assigning a mentor to your new hire does not have to be a formal process. Select a team member who has the work ethic, drive, and skills that you want to see in your new hire. Help the mentor plan meetings and touch points with the new employee. With your support of both, the mentoring relationship can increase job satisfaction and productivity tremendously within the first few months of employment.
Amy Smith is an associate professor at Concordia University Chicago. She has more than 20 years of experience in management and leadership. She was a presenter at the 2012 Career Smart Engineers Conference.]]> May 40 Under 40 SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) Career Smart Share on PE Share on CE Syndication: Education (CEU PDH class training) Recent Promotions and Hires Industry Roundup Wed, 15 May 2013 01:31:00 -0400 How to jump-start a new hire http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/how-to-jump-start-a-new-hire/124c0a559a4adc11bc794f0e0225d99b.html The first 45 days of a new hire’s job are the most important.
Welcome to the company. We know it’s your first day and all, but we’ve been busy with deadlines for a major project and we’re not quite ready for you. Your office will be down the hall to your right, but for now, it’s in a storage closet we cleared out next to the restroom. And your computer is on order, I think; check with Francine—that’s her in giant the office with the window. See John to order business cards, after he comes back from vacation next week. We’ll have a keycard for you after John gets back—he does those, too, plus network access! To get you started on your project, we’ve left a stack of plans and documentation on your desk. There’s also an employee handbook with a form in the back you need to sign after you’ve “read” it (wink wink). Any questions? As your new boss, I’m here to help. 
Although the concept of onboarding has evolved through the years, painful scenarios like the one above are common. So is a new hire leaving a company in short order because he or she wasn’t made to feel welcome or valued. Research tells us the average turnover, a new hire actually leaving the firm, within the first year of employment is 13% (Stein & Christiansen, 2010). For the second year, new-hire turnover more than doubles to 33%. The Wynhurst Group, an HR consulting firm in Arlington, Va., informs us that 22% of staff turnover really begins in the first 45 days of employment, when new employees start planning their exit after having a negative experience. Given the high cost of hiring a professional engineer, that amount of churn is incredibly expensive, and it can diminish the reputation of the firm. A quality onboarding program, however, significantly reduces new-hire turnover rates. Wynhurst reports, “New employees who went through a structured onboarding program were 58% more likely to be with the organization after three years.” What used to be “new-hire orientation” has evolved into a more formal process of integrating new employees into the culture and workplace of a new organization (Sette, 2009). What does a quality onboarding program look like? That’s too much to cover here, but here are three steps to developing an onboarding program or supplementing one your HR department might have.
  1. Know the goals: There are three main objectives to any onboarding effort: build confidence and enthusiasm in new employees; impart organizational mission, vision, and culture; and decrease time it takes employees to be fully engaged and productive (Giacalone, 2009).
  2. Check that HR is on the ball with all the minutiae a new hire needs, as described in the scenario starting off this column. You might ask to review HR’s onboarding program so you can ensure it has everything in order. (See the online version of this article for more information.)
  3. As a leader, realize that you know the culture, working norms, deadlines, deliverables, customers, and personalities of your own team better than anyone (Allen, 2006). So, be an organizational mentor to your new hire, or set one up and check that that the relationship is working out daily and then weekly for the first two months.
Keeping good people is hard; blowing it in a new hire’s first 45 days is easy.
Amy Smith is an associate professor at Concordia University Chicago. She has more than 20 years of experience in management and leadership. She was a presenter at the 2012 Career Smart Engineers Conference.
References Allen, D.G. (2006). Do organizational socialization tactics influence newcomer embeddedness and turnover? Journal of Management, 32(2), pp. 237-256. Giacalone, K. (June 2009). Making new employees successful in any economy. ASTD. American Society for Training and Development. Sette, S. (July-Sept. 2009). Is your onboarding process optimal or AWOL? Healthcare Financial Management Association. Snow, S. (April 27, 2012). You’re Hired. Now Figure Things Out (With the Help of This Whimsical Handbook). Fastcompany.com Stein, M. and Christiansen, L. (2010). Successful onboarding: Strategies to unlock hidden value within your organization. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.]]> May 40 Under 40 SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) Recent Promotions and Hires Industry Roundup Career Smart Syndication: Education (CEU PDH class training) Share on PE Share on CE Wed, 15 May 2013 01:29:00 -0400 Poll: What's your biggest engineering challenge when working in military buildings? http://www.csemag.com/poll/cse/alt_poll.cgi?poll_id=195&standalonePoll=1 Take this one-question poll: When engineering systems in military buildings, what’s the most... Industry Roundup HVAC Electrical Fire & Life Safety Lighting Plumbing Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Automation & Controls Codes & Standards Power Mon, 13 May 2013 01:15:00 -0400 Public review open for commissioning accreditation http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/public-review-open-for-commissioning-accreditation/30267ae1c1fb7a15d90696297ec87860.html International Accreditation Service (IAS) Commissioning Accreditation Criteria (AC476) document is...  Proposed Accreditation Criteria For Organizations Providing Training And/Or Certification Of Commissioning Personnel, is open for public comment.  Several commissioning organizations and members have monitored the development of this document and have expressed similar concerns about aspects of the accreditation criteria and its interaction with the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and the ICC Commissioning Guideline.    A number of issues have been identified that could significantly affect the commissioning industry as a whole and individual companies providing commissioning services. The public comment period is open until May 15, 2013, and a hearing will be held on June 7 in Los Angeles. In addition to the items highlighted below, we encourage you to read the complete AC476 document from IAS, as well as the ICC Commissioning Guideline. The IeCC is currently under public maintenance review, and the IgCC and CC G-4-2012 will be under public maintenance review later this year. Click here to download the complete document from the IAS website, including instructions on where to submit comments.]]> Industry Roundup Codes & Standards Commissioning SyndicationType: Article SyndicationType: Press Release - Non-Commercial SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) SyndicationSource: Content Partner - ACG Syndication: Energy Management (modeling audit tax credits) Syndication: HVAC/R (heating ventilation air conditioning refrigeration geo-thermal under floor air distribution building enclosures) Syndication: Green and Environmental (USGBC LEED AP Dept. of Energy Energy Information Administration EPA photovoltaic solar panels wind turbines) Fri, 10 May 2013 10:22:00 -0400 2014 NEBB conference: Call for abstracts http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/2014-nebb-conference-call-for-abstracts/806413d4f72813e6d605bcfeda4ca4c7.html NEBB is seeking abstracts for its 2014 conference, which is being held from April 3 to 5, 2014, in... The National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB) is seeking speaking proposals for the 2014 NEBB Annual Conference, April 3 to 5 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Conference organizers are interested in receiving abstracts for technical and business sessions with a focus on topics related to the NEBB disciplines.  The NEBB Annual Conference features prominent guest speakers and technical sessions to enhance the professional development of NEBB Certified Professionals and Certified Technicians. NEBB is the international certification association for firms that perform testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems in addition to building enclosure testing, building systems commissioning, sound and vibration measurement, retro-commissioning, fume hood testing and cleanroom performance certification. ]]> Industry Roundup HVAC Commissioning Upcoming Events SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) SyndicationSource: Content Partner - NEBB Syndication: HVAC/R (heating ventilation air conditioning refrigeration geo-thermal under floor air distribution building enclosures) Fri, 10 May 2013 10:16:00 -0400 Weekly merger, acquisition, deal update: May 10 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/weekly-merger-acquisition-deal-update-may-10/7d37cbc44ec7d36bf0bda1e85b5898a0.html This week Morrissey Goodale reported five deals in the U.S. and two international deals involving... Morrissey Goodale reported five deals in the U.S. and two international deals involving the U.K., Australia, Spain, and Brazil. This week Morrissey Goodale reported five deals in the U.S. and two international deals involving the U.K., Australia, Spain, and Brazil. Courtesy: Morrissey Goodale 5/3/2013 International engineering, architecture, design-build, surveying, and geospatial solutions firm Merrick & Company (Greenwood Village, CO) has acquired K.M. Ng & Associates (San Antonio, TX). The addition of K.M. Ng enhances Merrick's structural, civil, and mechanical/electrical engineering capabilities and will extend the firm's reach throughout Texas and the Southwestern U.S. on private, government, sustainable infrastructure, and water projects. Link to details  5/8/2013 Structural and civil engineering firm DCI Engineers (Seattle, WA) has acquired Structural Design Engineers (SDE) (San Francisco, CA). The firms are now functioning as one operation in the Bay Area, known as DCI+SDE Engineers (DCI+SDE). Link to details 5/1/2013 GPD Group (Akron, OH), an engineering, planning and architecture firm has added electrical engineering firm Pearce Engineering (Akron, OH). Link to details 5/3/2013 Chambers (Baltimore, MD) acquired CCI Club Design (Dallas, TX). Both Chambers and CCI specialize in architecture, interior design and planning services for private country, golf, city and yacht clubs. Link to details  5/7/2013 LogiCamms (Brisbane, Australia) a provider of engineering, project delivery and asset management solutions signed an agreement to acquire Independent Technology Holdings Limited (ITL) (New Plymouth, New Zealand), a specialist in oil and gas engineering services and project delivery. Link to details  5/6/2013 Multidiscipline planning, architecture and engineering firm Arup (London, United Kingdom) has acquired Strategic Economics Consulting Group (SECG) (Melbourne, Australia). The acquisition enhances Arup's economic consulting capabilities in a range of sectors including energy, transport, infrastructure, property, ports and water. Link to details   5/7/2013 Spanish engineering and technology group SENER (Las Arenas, Spain) has signed a purchase agreement to acquire 48% of Brazilian engineering firm SETEPLA (São Paulo, Brazil). The agreement contemplates acquisition of 100% of SETEPLA in 2015. Link to details ]]> Industry Roundup HVAC Electrical Fire & Life Safety Lighting Plumbing Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Automation & Controls Codes & Standards Power Fri, 10 May 2013 09:03:00 -0400 ASHRAE Guideline 1.4P open for public review http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/ashrae-guideline-14p-open-for-public-review/3139e69bb8b2839f1ccdbf0fe3470864.html A proposed guideline that will establish a uniform procedure for transmitting design, construction,... ASHRAE has opened public review on and comment on Guideline 1.4P, which is designed to establish a uniform procedure for transmitting design, construction, testing, and operational information for building owners and operators. Guideline 1.4P, The Systems Manual for Facilities, provides procedures for producing a systems manual as a resource for training, operations, maintenance and upgrading of facilities. The guideline applies to information from planning, commissioning process, design, construction, testing, and training activities and operations planning for new, renovated and existing facilities, equipment, and assemblies. ASHRAE Standard 202P, Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems and other ASHRAE guidelines on commissioning require development of a systems manual, as do several other standards and energy- and sustainability-related codes. However, no document or guideline outlines how to assemble a systems manual to current requirements. Guideline 1.4P is designed to provide these procedures, according to Gerald Kettler, chair of the Guideline 1.4P committee. The proposed guideline is open for an advisory public review until June 2, 2013. To read the guideline or to submit comments, visit ASHRAE's public reviews page here.]]> Industry Roundup Codes & Standards Commissioning SyndicationType: Article SyndicationSource: CFE Media (in-house) Syndication: Codes and Standards (federal state AHJs third-party associations) SyndicationType: Press Release - Non-Commercial Tue, 07 May 2013 10:35:00 -0400 Weekly merger, acquisition, deal update: May 3 http://www.csemag.com/industry-news/codes-and-standards-updates/single-article/weekly-merger-acquisition-deal-update-may-3/23262b849e61db0e495e07befbf1a680.html This week Morrissey Goodale reported one domestic deal and three international deals involving the... Morrissey Goodale reported one domestic deal and three international deals involving the UK, Thailand, Australia, Denmark, and Germany. This week Morrissey Goodale reported one domestic deal and three international deals involving the UK, Thailand, Australia, Denmark, and Germany. Courtesy: Morrissey Goodale M&A Transactions 5/1/2013 Multidisciplinary MEP firm Lilker Associates (New York, NY) has acquired EMO Energy Solutions (EMO) (Falls Church, VA). EMO specializes in energy audits, commissioning, energy modeling, and LEED consultation services. Link to details 5/1/2013 Architecture firms dwp Partners (Bangkok, Thailand) and Suters Architects (Melbourne, Australia) have combined to form an integrated design solution throughout Australia. The entity will be known as dwp|suters. Link to details  4/30/2013 Danish multi-disciplinary engineering, design and consulting firm Ramboll (Copenhagen, Denmark) acquired German urban water project specialist Atelier Dreiseitl (Ueberlingen, Germany). Link to details 4/22/2013 UK architecture firms AFL Architects (Manchester, UK) and S&P (London, UK) have merged to form AFLS+P. The combined firms will employ more than 100 staff with offices throughout the UK and Ireland. Link to details ]]> Industry Roundup HVAC Electrical Fire & Life Safety Lighting Plumbing Green Buildings & Energy Efficiency Automation & Controls Codes & Standards Power Fri, 03 May 2013 09:14:00 -0400