Blog

The ACEC has announced the winners of its five national student awards, and among them is Lauren Grimley, winner of a/e ProNet’s first annual engineering scholarship. Grimley will graduate from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan this year and enter the University of Iowa’s master’s program in water resources and environmental engineering in the fall. Grimley’s credentials as […]

We partner with the AIA to give two scholarships to architecture students each year, and, as usual, we’re excited to announce the winners. Laura Colagrande completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2013 and is enrolled in the M.Arch program at the University of Pennsylvania. With a background in design, she has worked […]

Company cars. Employee drivers. MVRs. Hired and Non-Owned Auto Liability. Commercial auto insurance is an important coverage for design firms, and it’s also a deceptively simple one. In a short article, a/e ProNet member Walker & Associates Insurance urges design professions to be “aware of the top commercial auto insurance myths. What you don’t know can cost […]

Hackers make headlines daily with targets ranging from major Swiss banks to Minecraft users to German nuclear power plants. But what are the risks to architects and engineers? Professional Liability carrier Victor O. Schinnerer urges design professionals to Take Cyber Liability Exposures Seriously in a recent blog post: Cyber liability problems that have disrupted firm operations often […]

Complying with the many provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a concern for even those well-versed in the Act. Recently, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals clarified when the FMLA applies, and spelled out an affirmative duty of the employer to inquire and confirm if an employee wants to take FMLA […]

Design firms preparing to purchase or renew professional liability insurance ask the same few questions every year. How will my professional liability premium be calculated? Will my professional liability premium go up? Should I change professional liability insurance companies? One helpful resource to answer these questions is the 2015 Professional Liability Insurance Survey of Carriers, a report […]

Chicago architecture firm and a/e ProNet client John Ronan Architects is one of seven finalists for the design of the Obama Presidential Library, which will be built on Chicago’s South Side. The remaining seven firms hail from all over the world, so it’s exciting that at least one “local” architect made the cut. John Ronan Architects […]

In what attorney Brian Stewart calls a “disturbing trend,” more and more project owners design professionals to procure separate questionnaires from their insurance brokers. These “broker-verification questionnaires” are meant to re-state or re-affirm the limits, exclusions, etc. of the relevant insurance policies to the project.  If you’re an architect or engineer who has met push-back […]

They offer a bird’s eye view of construction sites. They provide breathtaking photographic opportunities for architects looking to showcase their work. And they’re fun to fly. However, while they may be intriguing tools for architects and engineers, drones open up the design firms that use them to many possibly unanticipated risks. These days, obtaining a drone is […]