Conferences Archives

Richard Friedman to Speak at ProNet’s Fall Meeting

By Lynda

At the end of this month, a/e ProNet will hold its annual meeting in Chicago for our members, affiliates, and sponsors. ProNet has held these fall meetings for more than two decades, but the goal and capacity of the meeting continues to evolve to meet the climate of the industry. This year, we’re proud to host Richard Friedman, president of consulting firm Friedman & Partners as our guest speaker.

Richard has worked in and consulted for the A/E/C and environmental consulting industries for more than 25 years. Starting out in the trenches as an environmental consultant and business developer for Stone & Webster Engineering in Boston, Rich expanded his reach as the partner in charge of marketing and business development research, consulting and training for ZweigWhite. He also managed a variety of other projects involving strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and executive search. Since launching Friedman & Partners, he has worked with firms at all levels, from small niche consultants to large ENR 500 organizations. He’s also conducted hundreds of seminars and workshops for firms, design and environmental industry professional associations and venues, including AIA, SMPS, ACEC, AGC, NSPE, Build Boston/ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX), WTS and Chief Executive Network. Friedman & Partners is a marketing and management consultancy serving the U.S. and Canadian AEC and environmental consulting industries.

On the final morning of our fall meeting, Richard will speak to our members on “Selling to Architects and Engineers: Market Research and Penetration Strategies that Work.”

a/e ProNet Holds Annual Spring Meeting in Arizona

By Lynda

For the last few sunny days, a/e ProNet members from across the country have gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona for our annual Spring Meeting (March 1-3). a/e ProNet brokers are independent. Technically, we operate as competitors. Membership is by invitation only. We come together voluntarily as recognized leaders in our industry, meeting the insurance needs of architects and engineers. Our combined premium volume, experience, and national reach make our meetings an attractive target for insurance companies, premium finance companies, and other professionals. With our two annual meetings, we keep our fingers on the pulse of the insurance industry and advocate for our clients.

The Spring Meeting

The purpose of our Spring meeting has changed over the last three decades. Invited representatives from the companies and industries mentioned above present to the group on educational topics. This year, attorney David Ericksen of Severson & Werson in San Francisco also organized a series of five panel discussions:

Non-Traditional Project Delivery Methods
Cyber Communication Conundrums
The Prime/Sub Team: Roles, Responsibilities & Risks
Contract and Claims Connections
Material Transparency & Building Green

Ericksen staffed these panels with underwriters, claims adjusters, etc. from companies like Victor O. Schinnerer, AXIS, Hanover, RLI, Beazley, and several other a/e ProNet sponsors. The panel environment increases the awareness of each company regarding their competitors’ products and services. As well, it gives our members a quick, comprehensive understanding of the market’s overall perspective on these issues. Continue reading “a/e ProNet Holds Annual Spring Meeting in Arizona”

Gearing up for EdSymposium15

By Lynda

Design firms depend on a set of very important people to keep their businesses running smoothly: office administrators. These folks “manage, market, advance, streamline, protect, and regulate firms in the A/E/C industry,” according to Natalie Newman, current President of the Society for Design Administrators (SDA).

At the SDA’s upcoming national meeting in Golden, Colorado–EdSymposium15 (October 8-10, 2015)–a/e ProNet will be in active attendance. On Friday, a/e ProNet President Eric Moore, CIC, of Moore Insurance Services, will make a keynote presentation:

Your Application Matters – How to Influence Premiums for the Better

It is important to understand what underwriters and insurance carriers look for when renewing a professional liability application/submission. In this presentation, attendees will learn how to better understand the underwriting process, how information is presented on the application, and improve their understanding of limit and deductible options when making the decision to purchase coverage.

Eric Moore specializes in providing risk management and insurance services to Design Professionals, including Architects, Engineers, Environmental Consultants and Land Surveyors.

a/e ProNet will also sponsor lunch on Friday, and our Executive Director, Dave Johnston, will be present to answer questions about our organization and how we can be of service to design administrators.

Lots of other exciting topics and activities are on the conference agenda, including a talk on Cyber Security and a chance for attendees to go rock climbing! We wish all SDA members safe travels and an enjoyable conference.

Koning Eizenberg Wins at World Architecture Festival

By Lynda

We’d like to congratulate Santa Monica architecture firm Koning Eizenberg on their recent win at the 2013 World Architecture Festival! They received the prestigious Housing Award for their 28th Street Apartments project in Los Angeles, California.

The World Architecture Festival, held in Singapore earlier this month, gathered over 1,750 architects from around the world to exchange ideas and inspiration for design. This year, only 15 of the 260 shortlisted projects were from the USA, and Koning Eizenberg was the only American firm to receive an award.

Referring to the 28th Street Apartments, the judges noted: “This project demonstrates architecture as an agent for social transformation. The architect was able to knit together historical continuity and something very new, something of high architectural value.”

Koning Eizenberg’s website describes the project this way: “The restoration and expansion of a landmark YMCA built in 1926 restores principal spaces, reconfigures original housing, and innovatively adds replacement units. The design re-establishes this building’s role as an important community focus and brings living quarters in compliance with contemporary standards.” Read more on their website.

It’s so exciting to see our members’ clients set themselves apart on the world stage this way. Well done, Koning Eizenberg!

Shout-Out Credit:

Alicia K. Igram, AAI, VP & Branch Rep
Design & Consulting Liability Specialist
IOA Insurance Services – Aliso Viejo, CA
Email: Alicia.Igram@ioausa.com / Phone: 949-680-1789

a/e ProNet Partners with the Society for Design Administration (SDA)

By Lynda

In May this year, the Society for Design Administration (SDA), the nation’s largest professional organization for architectural and engineering design firm administrators and managers, announced its endorsement of a/e ProNet.

The proper management of professional risk factors such as contract administration, project administration, and document management are known factors in reducing professional risk in a/e firms. Both SDA and a/e ProNet are dedicated to providing a/e firms the necessary tools to better manage risk and improve firm management. ~ Deborah A Gill, CPA, CGMA, CDFA, 2013 SDA President

As announced in the June/July 2013 issue of SDA Today, “a/e ProNet will pay one half of a new SDA member’s dues if that member’s insurance agent belongs to a/e ProNet… Chapters can partner with the local broker and reach out to principals and managers in their network.”

a/e ProNet and the SDA will also collaborate on a number of educational events, including the SDA’s annual EDSymposium conference. Last year, past a/e ProNet President, Leslie Pancoast, made two presentations at EDSymposium12 in Portland, Oregon, and current a/e ProNet President Jeff Todd spoke at EDSymposium13 in Williamsburg, Virginia earlier this year.

We look forward to a long and successful partnership with the SDA.

a/e ProNet Clients Among Newly Minted AIA College of Fellows List

By Lynda

The American Institute of Architects recently announced that its 2013 Jury of Fellows elevated 122 AIA members to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession. Subsequently, we are proud to announce that several a/e ProNet members have clients on this illustrious list!

Kurt Schindler of ELS Architecture (Berkeley, CA)

Martin A. Diaz-Yabor of Martin A. D. Yabor & Associates, Inc. (Miami, FL)

Kenneth D. Levien of Levien & Company (New York, NY)

Terrence O’Neal of Terrence O’Neal Architect, LLC (New York, NY)

Claire Weisz of WXY architecture + urban design (New York, NY)

Glenn Keyes of Glenn Keyes Architects (Charleston, SC)

Turan Duda with Duda/Paine Architects (Durham, NC)

Clive Wilkinson of Clive Wilkinson Architects (Los Angeles, CA)

William J. Worthen of UrbanFabrick (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)

Congratulations, lady and gentleman, on this well-deserved honor.

The 2013 Fellows will be honored at an investiture ceremony at the 2013 National AIA Convention and Design Exposition in Denver.

South Coast Architects wins 2012 Gold Nugget Award

By Lynda

Congratulations to a/e ProNet client South Coast Architects of Newport Beach, CA on their Gold Nugget Grand Award for Best Custom Home over 10,000 sq. ft.

The winning design was the McKeever Residence (La Quinta, CA). South Coast Architects shares this acknowledgement with the Builder (Discovery), the Land Planner (SJA Landscape Architects), and the Interior Designer (McKeever & Company)

Judges’ Statement:

This home was built to evoke an ancient Roman village evolving through time. The Signature of this home is expansive courtyard that allows for interaction and indoor/ outdoor living from the majority of rooms in the home. These include the great room, dining area, kitchen, entry foyer, owner’s bedroom suite and second floor game room and guest suite. The home is uncompromising, both in its classic Italian architecture with Tuscan farmhouse influence and functional considerations to desert/golf lifestyle. A defined, three-level tower anchors the courtyard along with an inspiring, multiple-arched open air bridge flanked by two exterior stair cases linking the two distinct wings of this home. The classic designed pool becomes the central focal point of the courtyard. The result of the interaction of rooms with the courtyard creates the feeling of an ancient Italian village where the central courtyard becomes the gathering place. But this is only half the story, once you enter the home you are greeted by a breathtaking view of the golf course and picturesque desert mountains beyond the courtyard. The homes central living area is
uncompromising in its indoor/outdoor lifestyle, accentuated by a series of disappearing doors. With the drama of the courtyard, the indoor/outdoor living provided by the floor plan, the attention to uncompromising architectural detailing, this home has optimized golf/desert lifestyle living with a old world philosophy.

The 49th annual Gold Nugget Awards were handed out at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) late last month at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. The conference, according to the organization’s website, is a “gathering of America’s most prominent residential builders, developers, architects,” etc. The Gold Nugget Awards “honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.” You can download the full booklet of 2012 Gold Nugget Award winners at the PCBC website.