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ON THE MOVE CHARLES BLANKENSHIP ELECTED TO FLUOR’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS Fluor Corporation has announced that Charles Blankenship Jr., chairman and CEO of Woodward Inc., a global energy control solutions company, has been elected to its board of directors. Blankenship will serve on the board’s Audit Committee and the Commercial Strategies and Operational Risk Committee, bringing the total number of Fluor board members to 11, of whom 10 are independent. “With Chip Blankenship’s appointment to Fluor’s board of directors, the company gains another distinguished advisor and business leader, known
for his transformative leadership in the industrial and aerospace sectors,” said David Constable, chairman and CEO of Fluor. “Chip’s strategic and operational expertise, paired with his ability to drive innovation, will support Fluor’s growth as we pursue opportunities in advanced manufacturing, life sciences, mining, chemicals and the energy markets, among others.” Prior to becoming Woodward’s CEO in May 2022, Blankenship’s leadership roles included serving as CEO of Arconic, an aerospace advanced alloys and components company, and a 24- year career at General Electric. While
at GE, he held significant leadership roles in aviation, energy and appliances, including CEO of GE Appliances and vice president and general manager of Commercial Aircraft Engines. He was also general manager of GE’s Aero Energy. Blankenship serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Manufacturers and the board of governors of the Aerospace Industries Association. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and served as the Montgomery distinguished professor of practice at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
If someone from the design community is willing to testify that they would have done things differently and, as a result, there would have been less damage, the case will likely go to a decision maker to weigh the testimony. One of the first inquiries our firm received in 2025 came from a renowned lawyer who has defended design professionals for decades. He was concerned that all the recent publications discussing climate change by both design professionals and insurance companies could be unwittingly changing the standard of care. The answer seems to be probably “yes.” How can you defend yourself when there are hundreds of articles on the topic? It may be human nature to point the finger at humans when disaster occurs. We’ve seen it for years; arguments that the road design, not the drunk driver on that road caused an accident. Now it has become even more pervasive with the news media and politicians actively engaging in the blame game. Trying to ignore recent news reports on weather and climate events, evolving conditions and their impacts or finding another profession altogether may be options, but they certainly aren’t good ones. On the other hand, staying aware of what is being published, what others are opining, what your insurance carriers are publishing on these emerging issues, and then warning your clients of the potential risks involved in any type of construction is a better option. Furthermore, becoming more active in your professional communities is another prudent course of action. What are other architects and engineers in your field doing? Continued education is one of the best ways to become and remain aware of evolving risks and, thus, to avoid or effectively manage them. We, as a community, can also become more aware that by our words as well as our actions, we are in a position to affect the standard of care. Lauren Martin is a risk manager and claims specialist at Ames & Gough. She can be reached at lmartin@amesgough.com.
LAUREN MARTIN, from page 9
Indeed, with respect to weather and climate, who would have expected Asheville, North Carolina, to sustain major hurricane damage as it did only a few months ago? Certainly, not the many people who moved there in 2022 when the area was ranked number one on a list of 10 cities considered “climate havens.” To be clear, the standard of care for architects and engineers has been evolving incrementally for many years as knowledge advances about emerging exposures, the long-term viability of certain building products, and construction materials and design practices given a new set of challenges posed by weather, climate, and anticipated versus actual utilization. Codes have changed, albeit sometimes seemingly slowly, as knowledge increases with the gathering of new evidence on the potential health impacts of indoor air and water quality, fire protection, mold, and other contaminants affecting the public. Protecting the public and ensuring safety remains the first tenet of every design professional license. Years ago, there was a time when lead paint and asbestos were routinely specified; however, few architects today recall that time. Before the COVID-19 pandemic at an annual meeting attended by attorneys representing the design community, one lawyer gave a speech on how climate change might affect the standard of care. A general counsel from an engineering firm expressed concern that if claims were made against the firm one tactic by the plaintiff’s firm bringing a claim might be to find out if any members of the defendant firm attended the speech. 2024 concluded with unprecedented damage from hurricanes; subsequently, 2025 began with unprecedented damage from wildfires. Damage invariably results in litigation. Individual and class action claims can result, as well as claims from insurance companies looking to recover their payments. There was a time when an “Act of God” defense was a strong argument against this type of lawsuit – and even times when these actions would be dismissed by the courts. Those times appear to be long gone.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 31, 2025, ISSUE 1579
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