Engineering News-Record, an information source for construction industry professionals, will examine the industry’s priorities for the year ahead during the Construction Business Forum, “Your Business in 2008: Megatrends that Matter,” to be held Oct. 23-24, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.

The Construction Business Forum will kick off on Oct. 23, with a private tour of the $600 million Capitol Visitor Center construction project, followed by a welcome reception with Maj. Gen. Merdith (Bo) Temple, director of military programs, headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Presentations on Oct. 24 will begin with a keynote address by Tyler Duvall, assistant secretary for transportation policy, U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Additional panels during the day will include Infrastructure Action; Inspiration, Motivation and Change; Managing Project Risk to Achieve Profitability; and Using BIM to Achieve Competitive Advantage.

Tackling the topic “Infrastructure Action: What the U.S. Needs to Do Now,” panelists will explore the country's aging infrastructure following the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Experts from aviation, bridges and highways, flood control, power, water supply and business will brainstorm with ENR editors about how to prioritize what is critically needed to build or rebuild the country’s aging infrastructure. The panel includes:

*J. Jeffry Brightman, principal vice president and manager of global marketing & business development, Bechtel Power Corp.
*J. Richard Capka, administrator, Federal Highway Administration
*Richard Fox, president, CDM
*Angela Gittens, vice president, Airport Business Services, HNTB
*Ed Link, senior research engineer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland
*David Mongan, P.E., F.ASCE, president, Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani, LL
*Douglas Duncan, president and CEO, FedEx Freight

The Construction Business Forum is expected to draw more than 250 industry professionals from leading general contractors, architectural firms, engineering firms and building product manufacturers, as well as owners. The event will also host exhibits by construction product and services suppliers.

“ENR’sConstruction Business Forum will help construction industry professionals assess the issues that are top of mind for the coming year: sustainability, risk management and building information modeling,” said ENR editor-in-chief Jan Tuchman.

Additional information and online registration for the event is available at http://www.construction.com/event/ConstructionBusinessForum-Fall/.