[President Perspective] [Meet The Member] [Monthly Meeting] [ORTHOTROPIC BRIDGE CONFERENCE]
One of my duties as the local branch president over the past eight months has been to attend and represent our branch at the bi-monthly Section Board of Directors' meeting in Southern California. These meetings cover a wide range of topics at the local and national level. I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know fellow engineers such as the current L.A. Section President Harvey Gobas, Past President Carl Blum, and the other branch presidents from throughout Southern California. And let me tell you, they all comment on how lucky I am to live and work on the Central Coast.
One of the current hot topics at these meetings is the current financial condition of the L.A. Section of ASCE, and the related suggestion of mandatory section dues. In the past, section dues have been paid strictly on a voluntary basis. The percentage of our branch members who have elected to pay this voluntary fee is about the same as the nationwide rate members pay them, roughly 60%.
The issue of mandatory dues has risen, in my opinion, primarily due to the fact that L.A. Section financial reserves have taken a hit, as we all did, in the stock market downturn over the past year and a half. The section reserves are down, and programs have accordingly been cut back. Combined with this, section dues have not been raised in over ten years. However, changes have been made to investment policies to protect the section funds, and we are clearly on track to improve the condition of the L.A. Section's financial health.
The policy decision to make section dues mandatory (as currently required by the Texas Section) did not get the support it needed from the L.A. Section Board to be implemented. But I think the issue will be back for reconsideration in the next few years.
One of the new measures being taken to improve the section's financial condition is to make branches self-sustaining. Instead of being the "bank" for branch and student chapter money needs, the L.A. Section now distributes paid dues to the branches and student chapters directly and tells them "you figure out how and what to spend it on." Our branch has benefited greatly from this new policy and the SLO Branch is in the best financial shape ever.
The new era ahead for the SLO Branch involves the opportunity to take a more active role in providing benefits to our members and student chapter members. Over the next few months your branch officers will be coming up with ideas on what and how much to fund, including sponsored seminars, public outreach programs, scholarships and special projects to improve the condition and image of our local civil engineering community. If you have suggestions on how to spend our money, please let me or another officer know your thoughts. More details will certainly follow.
I look forward to seeing you at the July meeting at Rosa's, and I hope you are enjoying your summer.
by Russ Thompson, President
In this month's column we'll meet Dane Jensen. Congratulations to Dane on his recent purchase of Mid-Coast Geotechnical Incorporated. Dane is now owner and manager of this thriving North County geotechnical firm.
Dane was born in Atascadero to a family of two children. His father was a teacher at the Creston School. Those of you who are natives to the area may remember that Creston School was one of the last active one-room school houses in the county. Dane remained in Atascadero through high school except for summers spent at the family cabin near Garbersville.
Dane attended Atascadero High School. Following high school, he enlisted in the Coast Guard Academy. After the Academy, Dane returned to Atascadero to pursue his engineering career.
Dane's first career-related job was with Allan Campbell, a Civil Engineer in Atascadero. He worked for Allan for two years as a field technician. Dane then accepted a job with Mid-Coast Geotechnical, also as a field technician.
Dane returned to college at Cal Poly while working for Mid-Coast. He studied Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Geotechnical Engineering. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 1997 and subsequently received his P.E. license in 1999.
Dane's most recent career move was the purchase of Mid-Coast Geotechnical. Mid-Coast is an eleven employee firm that offers materials testing, forensic evaluation and percolation testing in addition to a complete package of geotechnical services. Mid-Coast Geotechnical has been in business for twelve years. Dane's goal is to keep the company small so that he can provide personal service to his many clients.
Dane is also a family man. He has been married to his wife Melissa for seven years. They have two beautiful daughters, Mikaela and Kerrigan. When not busy with raising his family and managing his new business, Dane occupies his time with golf, woodworking and mountain biking.
Dane offered the following quote: "Engineering is a service industry. An engineer must pay close attention to his client's needs and must incorporate engineering necessities into the reality of his client's plan."
by Greg Ray
It's that time again. This month we will gather at Rosa's in Pismo Beach to hear the perennially popular "Public Works Directors' Forum." A group of local city public works directors will update us on current projects, reveal new civil engineering projects, and detail what's happening at the local level due to the ongoing Gray Davis financial fiasco at the state level. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers. I hope to see you there, and remember, bring along an engineer who has never been, or hasn't been in a while, to an ASCE luncheon.
by Russ Thompson, SLO Branch President
The ASCE Sacramento Section is pleased to announce the upcoming Orthotropic Bridge Conference to be held in Sacramento, California during the third or fourth week of August, 2004. The Section is developing a six-day technical program to encompass a Two-Day Class, a Three-Day Technical Conference, and a One-Day Tour of Nine Orthotropic Steel Bridges in Northern California.
The tentative meeting schedule includes a 16-Hour Class on Orthotropic Steel Bridge Design Basics followed by technical presentations on Orthotropic Steel Bridge Design Case Histories; Construction Case Histories; Fabrication Case Histories; Wearing Surface Case Histories; Bridge Maintenance Case Histories; and Research Case Histories.
The Section invites participation of interested professionals on a variety of conference planning and technical committees. For further details, contact the ASCE Capital Branch Office at (916) 961-2723.
The deadline to submit an abstract for a technical paper and presentation is November 30, 2003. Contact the Branch Office for additional details.
[President Perspective] [Meet the Member] [Monthly Meeting] [ORTHOTROPIC BRIDGE CONFERENCE]