How did a company like FedEx Corp. set its strategic direction for sustainability? That was the task given to D. Mitchell Jackson, FedEx staff vice president for environmental affairs and sustainability, when he took the post in 2007.Staff members suggested reducing fuel usage. Jackson responded, “That's a tactic, not a strategy.” He found the answer in what FedEx does every day. “We deliver eight million packages, but more than that, we connect the world, allowing customers to do business in 220 countries and territories.” Its sustainability strategy, therefore, was to “connect the world responsibly and resourcefully.”Jackson, a mechanical engineer by

Photo for ENR by Janice Tuchman CH2M Hills McKelvy, Kiewits Grewcock and Parsons Corp.s Harrington talked about strategies for training thousands of employees on rules of ethics as firms face increased scrutiny. Courtesy of Lane Construction Reaching out Lane uses colorful posters to encourage employees to make the call. Compliance officers searching for construction-specific advice should not feel alone. Speakers who presented best practices for small- and mid-size firms at the Construction Industry Ethics and Compliance Initiative forum, held in Denver on Oct. 10-11, all shared the same experience: They started their careers in operations or legal work with no

Photo courtesy of VHB/Eng-Wong, Taub Photo Credit: Owen Murphy/Louisiana DOTD Related Links: Hashtag This: Social Media Risks and Rewards in Construction Social Media Reshape Job Hunting and Recruitment at Smith Group, CH2M Hill In Social Media, Some Conversations Are Best Kept Private Water Social Networking Site Matches Water Providers With End Users Corps Finds Facebook Excels for Flood Emergency Communications Writing the Social Media Policy Handbook at Burns & McDonnell, HOK One of the positive outcomes that firms report in using social media is building rapport with clients. Often, it evolves from teaming with them to help make information about

For the first time this year, marketers in the AEC community will be able to earn university graduate credits for advanced training in professional-services marketing.At its annual conference, which drew 850 marketers and firm principals to Chicago on Aug. 24-26, the Society for Marketing Professional Services announced, in collaboration with the University of Maryland (UMD), the launch of the SMPS University Leadership Advancement Program. The course is geared toward mid-level marketers who wish to advance to the so-called C Suite, earning titles such as chief marketing officer.Scheduled for two-day sessions in October and November, the course will provide 25 continuing-education

This week, ENR writes the next chapter in its historic coverage of the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. More than 100 articles have been filed over the years. The first was in 1958, when “New Face for Lower Manhattan” described the $1-billion plan—delivered to Mayor Robert F. Wagner—that would bring sharp changes to the financial district.We trace the “World Trade Center Over Time” through the pages of ENR since that first story.In the 1960s, ENR wrote about the controversies surrounding the proposed development, including stories about the team, the design, the wind-tunnel tests, construction of the slurry-wall

Technology and how it can affect design and construction are clearly present concerns for ENR's readership. To gather our expanding coverage in one place, we have launched a twice-monthly e-mail newsletter designed to deliver insights, news, how-to's, links and more. Everything from gadget reviews to complex tech issues are explored in each FutureTech issue. NEWSLETTER DEBUTS First issue hit inboxesJune 14, next issue will be delivered June 28. “More firms are getting smarter about how they use technology and social media to serve their clients and cut costs,” says Erin Joyce, ENR's managing editor, integrated media. Coming to ENR last

In the midyear update to the 2011 McGraw-Hill Construction Outlook, one of the few sectors holding onto any gain is the electric utility market, and two power producers who spoke in Atlanta last week reinforced that forecast in a discussion of major works under way. TVA Speaking at the ENR-CURT Construction Business Forum on June 14, Robert Murray, chief economist for MHC, said there is a “huge amount of electric powerplant construction taking place,” supporting his continued forecast for overall growth of 3% in the electric utility market this year. But for all markets, Murray is revising his forecast to

Ready, set, enter! ENR’s 2011 Best Projects competition has now begun. This will be the first competition since McGraw-Hill Construction’s former regional magazines were integrated into the ENR brand. “With more than 1,000 entries, the annual Best Projects competition has become one of the premier awards programs in the industry, particularly focusing on an entire project’s life cycle, not just on the design or the construction phase,” says Scott Blair, ENR Southwest editor. Blair has been involved with the Best Projects competition for more than 10 years and led the team that brought the awards program to the national stage

Senior Editor Tom Sawyer wrote this week’s cover story after shadowing members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and their Japanese counterparts as they examined debris from the March 11 tsunami in Japan. The team searched for clues for improving design standards for all kinds of buildings and infrastructure that may face a tsunami in the future. It left Sawyer determined to bring home the message that the only possible gain from such tragedies is to learn from them and act on the knowledge. From left: ASCE tsunami team leader Gary Chock, ENR’s Tom Sawyer and members of the