February 5, 2021
Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP
President, Chen Moore and Associates
Last week: Recently, the American Council of Engineering Companies released the 2020 Engineering Industry Contribution report. This was significant because it finally identified the contribution that architects and engineers have on the economy separately from construction dollars. With an over $600 Billion contribution to the economy and generating $1.55 of GDP for every dollar spent on design, it was found that 1 in 33 Americans owe their jobs to this profession and over $120 Billion in taxes are contributed from these businesses. Enabling $2.2 Trillion in construction activity annually, this accounts for 11% of annual GDP in the US.
Looking ahead: Next week, I’ll be heading to Tallahassee for a series of meetings. While COVID is preventing the typical face to face interactions at the Capitol, it is important that everyone keeps their eyes on the ball with respect to key legislation. As the chair of the “engineers,” an affectionate term given to us when legislators can’t remember our alphabet soup of organizational acronyms, we’re pushing for more resiliency oversight and funding, funding dedicated to water projects like the dedicated transportation funding, smart energy planning, liability relief for engineers that volunteer in disasters and more. Make sure you advocate!
