Beyond Borders: Bringing Home the Benefits of Globalization
36th Annual Engineering and Construction Contracting Conference

Houston, Texas (August 20, 2004) -- The Engineering & Construction Contracting Association's 36th Annual Conference will be held on October 28-31, 2004, at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO. Last year, attendees indicated that many of the critical issues they face are a result of the rapidly changing and expanding marketplace. Despite where a project takes place (whether around the corner or around the world) the influences of the global marketplace are changing how these projects are planned, costed, engineered and constructed.

The conference theme, "Beyond Borders: Bringing Home the Benefits of Globalization" will be reinforced by the event keynotes from Darcy Winslow (Global Director for Women's Performance Footwear for Nike), who will challenge attendees to look outside their industry for ways to innovate and transform their businesses to compete in a global market. Day two keynote, Amory Lovins (CEO and Founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute), will share his experience in the energy industry and his thoughts on the implications of moving to a Hydrogen Economy. The "State of the Economy" will be presented by John McGinty (Managing Director, Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation).

This year's panels and forums will shed light on how many successful organizations are adjusting their strategies and practices based on the current market environment. Thorough planning is crucial to the success of international and domestic projects. Experts in the field, as well as experienced project practitioners will present approaches to avoid pitfalls and to ensure positive outcomes. Learn about the latest strategies for developing and implementing projects on a global basis...and learn how you can apply those strategies here at home. Presenters will include leaders from organizations such as BASF, KBR, Atofina, Army Corps of Engineers, Toyo, Foster Wheeler, Merck, Fluor, IPA, ConocoPhillips, Jacobs and more.

A new offering this year will "Issue Busters." Born from our 2002 Point Counterpoint session and the Vision process that the ECC has completed, Issue Busters will present the findings and recommendations from teams who've been working on issues uncovered at previous ECC conferences. Attendees have asked for work to be done around these issues, and this year, the ECC will deliver the results of that work.

And there will be many opportunities for networking with industry peers, which is rated as one of the top reasons industry executives and managers attend the ECC.

For registration, agenda, venue and general conference information, click to www.ecc-conference.org. Registration is $850 through August 31, 2004 and $900 thereafter. There will be a $25 fee for late registration after October 3, 2004. Guests can register for $110. Delegates may register online, by fax or phone (1-877-4-The-ECC).

About the ECC
The Engineering & Construction Contracting (ECC) Association (www.ecc-conference.org) is an affiliate of the AIChE, an organization of owners, contractors and suppliers committed to improving the outcome of capital projects and improving the global competitiveness of all members. ECC activities serve interests of a broad cross section of the process, refining, pharmaceutical and power industries as well as general manufacturing. The organization's annual conference, now in its 36th year, brings together key players from leading companies to help delegates discover better ways of improving capital project effectiveness. The ECC board of directors and sponsors include executives from leading companies including ABB Lummus, Aker Kvaerner, Alliant Energy, AspenTech, ATOFINA Chemicals, Inc., BASF, BE&K, Bechtel Corporation, Berwanger, BP, Commonwealth Engineering and Construction, Dow Chemical, DuPont, E.I. du pont de Nemours & Co., Eli Lilly, ENGlobal Engineering, ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, Fluor, Intergraph, Global Performance, Intergraph, Invensys, Jacobs Engineering Group, JH Kelly, KBR, Lyondell/Equistar, Merck & Co., Mustang Engineers and Constructors, OSECO, Pathfinder, LLC, SNC-Lavalin, Trinity Technologies, Washington Group, Zachry Construction.

NOTE TO THE MEDIA: The ECC will waive the conference fee for any press who would like to attend this year's conference. For press registration, please contact Tara Wilson at 713-877-8130 or twilson@hdinc.com.