President's Message (Fall 2004)

Friends:

The Fall season has arrived with a stormy mix of hurricanes in the Southeast—which have fortunately spared KCI’s Tampa, Florida, Office—a contentious presidential campaign, and an ongoing debate in Congress over financing a new federal transportation bill. Since the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) expired a little over a year ago, State DOTs have navigated projects through piecemeal funding extensions, hindering long-term planning, design, and construction efforts. A reauthorization bill is critical to KCI and to our state DOT clients, which depend on a steady stream of federal funding.

The bill’s fate lies amid the President’s desire to show fiscal restraint (with the White House endorsing $284 billion in guaranteed funding and $299 billion in total authorizations) and a Congressional proposal to fund a larger package, enabling donor States to receive 93 cents on every dollar contributed in tax. Once passed, the reauthorization bill will provide millions of jobs and provide a roadmap for maintaining the nation’s transportation and transit systems at current levels.

The State DOTs’ ability to sustain their programs is crucial to KCI’s strategic direction and to the health of the consulting profession. KCI is working hard with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) and the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) to lobby for a new and expanded bill. Not a week passes without our employee-owners calling, emailing or faxing position statements to legislators. By encouraging legislative action among employees on a grass-roots level, engineering firms can influence the political currents that will shape our industry’s financial future.

On the management front, KCI has just completed strategic planning exercises, identifying measures that will help us grow the company, while sustaining current levels of profitability and customer service. Providing clients with great service means recruiting and retaining the best people in the business. By building on successful partnerships with our clients and business partners, we can provide our people with great projects, competitive benefits, and an Employee Stock Ownership retirement program that is unrivaled in our business.

In early October, the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce honored KCI as an employer-of-choice, inducting the firm into its Business Hall of Fame. We are proud to join the esteemed ranks of past honorees, including the Black & Decker Corporation, led by Alonzo Decker; McCormick & Company, Buzz McCormick; Verizon Maryland, Bill Roberts; and Nottingham Properties, Doug Dollenberg. This great honor reflects our employees’ technical expertise and their selfless service to the community.

Terry F. Neimeyer
President, Chief Executive Officer
& Chairman of the Board

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