Blog Archives - Page 20 of 30

Could Texting While Driving Lead to Professional Liability Claims?

By Lynda

Tom Cochrane’s Life is a Highway has got you head-dancing in the fast-lane. Your hands are at a perfect ten-and-two. Your seat belt is secured. The signs say you’re two miles from the exit which will take you to your next appointment. It’s a good day.

Then your cell phone buzzes in the cup holder. The screen is obscured by the parking break. It buzzes again. Information is coming in and you’re missing it! Granted, it’s probably just a photo of your cat, Honey Booboo, wearing a Christmas sweater. But in case it’s your boss, you reach for the phone… even though it’s illegal to operate a cell phone in your vehicle in most states.

“According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study, distracted driving led to motor vehicle accidents that killed almost 5,500 people and injured close to 450,000 more during 2009. The 2010 study attributed about one-fifth of the accidents directly to cell phone use.” But did you know that, if the call/texts coming into your phone at this moment turn out to be work-related, any subsequent accident could leave you and your firm vulnerable to a Professional Liability claim? Continue reading “Could Texting While Driving Lead to Professional Liability Claims?”

Project Delivery Methods: A New Video CE Series from aecKnowledge

By Lynda

Partnering with aecKnowledge, one of the nation’s premiere sources of relevant and practical online continuing education for design professionals, a/e ProNet has sponsored a new video series on Project Delivery Methods.

This 5-part series is the culmination of a decade-long look at the exploration and evolution of alternative methods of project delivery. It will help you in your efforts to advise owners on making informed decisions about which project delivery option is most appropriate for each project. Choosing the most appropriate method helps align stakeholders’ goals relative to quality, schedule and cost control, decision-making and risk management, and leverages the skills, knowledge and resources available to each team member. Click here to watch a preview of this series, at no charge.

You will also earn 5 HSW Learning Units and, if you are an AIA member, your AIA credits will be automatically reported after you complete each course.

Purchase the courses in this series following these steps:

1. Register on the aecKnowledge website
2. Go to the Continuing Education module
3. On the right hand side, you will see Suggested Curricula. Click on Project Delivery.
4. Proceed to purchase each of the five courses.

If your insurance broker is a member of a/e ProNet, you are entitled to a 20% discount off of the lowest course prices available to anyone else. Contact your a/e ProNet broker today for the discount code.

Whether you are an architect, engineer, contractor, specialty consultant, owner, CM or advisor, these courses will enable you to make informed decisions about which project delivery method will best achieve your goals and, ultimately, create a better built environment. On behalf of a/e ProNet, we hope you find the Project Delivery Methods video series valuable.

A Good Time to be An Architect

By Lynda

Is it finally a good time to be an architect? We saw this question posed recently by ChicagoBusiness.com and, like many of you, we were excited to know the answer.

“I think there’s optimism—a very guarded optimism, given where we’ve been over the past four or five years,” says Scott Sarver, principal at Chicago-based SMDP LLC, which hopes to latch on to the better economy here, boosting its billings from domestic projects to 50 percent this year from 25 percent in 2012.

Among industry giants, San Francisco-based Gensler plans to add 50 professionals here through next year, to 273, says Nila Leiserowitz, a managing director in the Chicago office.

The pool of new architects is rising, too. Architecture schools awarded 10,252 degrees in the 2011-12 academic year, up 13 percent from 9,073 degrees in 2008-09, according to the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Things a looking up. And if the “industry giants” are hiring to meet the increase in project opportunities, it’s also probable that seasoned professionals will take this chance to open their own shops. We hope so! Continue reading “A Good Time to be An Architect”

Online CE Series for Architects: Growing a Small Firm

By Lynda

One way a/e ProNet supports the design community is by promoting continuing education for Architects and Engineers.

Growing a Small Firm Marketing — Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, discussing marketing strategies specific to small, growing firms with panelists Cass Calder Smith, AIA, and Melissa Werner from CCS Architecture, Sam Fajner from TEECOM and Sylvia Kwan, FAIA, from Kwan Henmi Architecture Planning, Inc.

aecKnowledge, in collaboration with AIA San Francisco and Mark Cavagnero, FAIA, has created an exciting new online series called “Growing a Small Firm”. This set of talks provides targeted advice to design professionals who have recently branched out on their own or are considering starting their own firms. Each panel discussion, filmed live at AIA San Francisco and moderated by Mark Cavagnero, features some of the Bay Area’s leading design professionals, contractors and owners generously sharing valuable insights gained from decades of experience. Among the topics:

Developing effective marketing and diversification strategies
Developing a clear, distinctive identity
Pursuing public design opportunities
Cultivating repeat clients
Teaming with larger firms
Elevating the role of women
Collaborating with other design and construction professionals
Forming partnerships with other small firm
Managing a small firm (while staying sane)
Leveraging online media and social networking

Click here to access the first in this series, Growing a Small Firm – Marketing.

This course delivers targeted advice on marketing and business development and captures decades of insights into how best to meet potential clients, expand a firm’s portfolio, implement a vibrant marketing program on a limited budget, create an identity that resonates with prospective clients, and successfully collaborate with larger firms and allied professionals in the pursuit of widely sought-after commissions.

Why Architects Need to Use Their Ears

By Lynda

Can you hear me now?

“It’s time to start designing for our ears.”

Classrooms, work spaces, restaurants, airplanes. These are just a few of the places we experience every day which should be reevaluated in terms of the audio experience. In this recent TED talk, Sound expert Julian Treasure demonstrates the importance of audio considerations in the design process.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5nbWUOc9tY]

Shout-Out Credit:

Earleen Thomas
Account Executive/Professional Services Specialist of Cornerstone Specialty Insurance Services – Irvine, CA
Email: earleen@cornerstonespecialty.com / Phone: 714-731-7700

The Construction Contract: 3 Essential Rules

By Lynda

For design professionals, it’s good business to have a solid, fair contract in place before you begin work on a project. So, what are the three essential rules of putting together a construction contract? Our January 2013 ProNetwork News newsletter has the answer:

In the construction world, the contract rules the parties. It is the blueprint (pun intended) that says what you can be sued for, when you can sue the other party, and what your damages will be. If you do not have any written contract, the law presumes certain things that you may not want it to presume. Therefore, you must treat the contract seriously, and consider these three essential rules.

Put all agreements in writing
Negotiate or strike through unfair or one-sided terms
Deal with discrepancies between the Proposal for Services and the Contract

(1) Put all agreements in writing

Design professionals who rely on “handshake” or “gentlemen’s agreements” are playing a game of Russian roulette. One bad project, and you’ll wish that you had a well-written, reviewed and negotiated contract.

Written contracts are crucial to enforcing binding agreements once the dirt begins to turn. Memories fade, records are lost, and key employees leave. Having all the crucial terms in writing eliminates the need to argue over how changes are handled, how compensation issues are dealt with, and how disputes are decided.

(2) Negotiate or strike through unfair or one-sided terms

While a written contract is important, it is almost better to have no written contract than to have a poorly negotiated, unfair, or unclear written contract. Continue reading “The Construction Contract: 3 Essential Rules”

For Easter: The Longest-Running Architectural Project on Earth

By Lynda

“Architect Antoni Gaudi’s vision for the Sagrada Familia, a church under construction for over 130 years, is aided by modern technology.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aa_S94O_os&w=640&h=360]

It’s still not finished.This is just one clip from the full 60 Minutes special, available to be viewed in its entirety here.

Happy Easter Weekend, friends & followers!

Architecture Billing Index (ABI) Shows Improvement

By Lynda

A steadily improving economy is spurring on construction activity in most regions of the county, and stimulating speculative development.

The following is an excerpt from the AIArchitect Blog post on the annual Architectural Billings Index report for 2012:

Final ABI for 2012 Caps Strongest Year Since 2007

“Architecture firms continued to report improving business conditions in December, with an Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 52.0. (Any score above 50 represents billings growth). While the pace of billings growth slowed slightly from November, it is still the fifth consecutive month of growth, which means eight months of 2012 showed improving business conditions, the most in one calendar year since 2007. Inquiries into new projects remained strong, and firm backlogs for the fourth quarter inched up slightly from the third quarter to an average of 4.5 months.

Business conditions continued to improve at firms in all regions of the country in December with the exception of firms in the West, which continued to struggle to recover from nearly five years of declining billings. Firms located in the Midwest reported particularly strong firm billings last month after suffering a period of softness in the middle of the year. And for the third consecutive month, firms of all specializations reported experiencing increasing firm billings. The pace of growth has slowed significantly from the middle of the year for firms with a residential specialization, but continues to improve for firms with a commercial/industrial specialization.”

You know all this good news makes you want to read on… and you can! Visit the AIArchitect blog for the rest of it.”

Shout-Out Credit:

Leslie Pancoast, CIC, RPLU
Past President of a/e ProNet
Managing Partner of IOA Insurance Services – Pleasanton, CA
Email: Leslie.Pancoast@ioausa.com / Phone: 925-416-7862

New President Named at a/e ProNet’s Spring Meeting

By Lynda

Last weekend, a/e ProNet held its annual meeting in San Diego, California. Members from across the country came together to discuss industry trends and best practices.

The meeting also marked the end of Leslie Pancoast‘s two-year term as President of a/e ProNet. She is succeeded by Jeff Todd, President of IMCI.

Jeff grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and after he graduated from High School moved to Charlotte, NC. He attended Wingate College in Wingate, NC where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994. Jeff joined IMCI in January of 1994 and specializes in professional liability insurance for Architects and Engineers. He is a licensed property & liability insurance agent and is currently working on his Certified Risk Management and Registered Professional Liability Underwriter designations. Jeff is a member of the Board of Directors for a/e ProNet, and formerly of the Board of Visitors for Wingate University and Phoenix Montessori Academy. He and his wife Cindy reside in Cleveland, NC and have four children, Blake, Mackenzie, Parker and Kendall.

Group picture time! (Don’t forget that you can find an a/e ProNet broker anytime on our website.)

First Row: Valarie Nunez of Marquis Agency; Mayensi Chavez of Assurance, Ltd.; Cindy King of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Diane Hoskins of Wortham Insurance & Risk Management; Melissa Roberts of Euclid Insurance Agencies; Debbie Christen of Marquis Agency

Second Row: Rich Standing of Prosurance/Redeker Group; Mike Welbel of M G Welbel & Associates; Terry Lee of PDI; Karen McCabe of IMCI; Lynn Campbell of Assurance, Ltd.; Wendy Arnold of Johnson Insurance; Tom Warner of Walker & Associates; Marsha Bastian of Heffernan Professional Practice Insurance Brokers; Alicia Igram of IOA Insurance Services

Third Row: Leslie Pancoast of IOA Insurance Services; Dave Johnston of a/e ProNet; Jeff Steen of IOA Insurance Services; Jeff Todd of IMCI; Meade Collinsworth of Collinsworth, Alter, Fowler & French, LLC; Mark Jackson of Lykes Insurance; Rob Supple of IOA Insurance Services; John Tenuto of IOA Insurance Services; Kyle Damalouji of Klein Agency; Earleen Thomas of Cornerstone Specialty Insurance Services

Fourth Row: Eric Alderson of ProMark Associated Agencies; Steve Wilder of M G Welbel & Associates; Karen Erger of Lockton Companies; Eric Moore of Moore Insurance Services; Bob Coleman of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Brett Coleman of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Greg Kumm, Jr. of Prosurance/Redeker Group; John Feeney of Heffernan Professional Practice Brokers; Will Leaf of Cobb Strecker Dunphy & Zimmerman; Jeff Gerrick of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Tom Coghlan of Design Insurance Agency