TFLEx Spring Workshop - March 12-13, 2012, Washington, D.C.

Business Intelligence and Asset Management
(Field of Study: Finance)
March 12-13, 2012
March 13, 2012 – Business Meeting

Program Content/Learning Objectives

As transit agencies implement new Business Intelligence (BI) technologies, more and more data is available to assist in decision making. Many agencies are also using new tools for managing their fixed assets. This workshop will have sessions geared to: 1) how agencies are developing and implementing BI projects; 2) how agencies can use BI in analyzing and reporting data; 3) industry initiatives (including FTA efforts) in managing assets and determining state of good repair of existing assets; and, 3) what fare collection methodologies are being put into place at different agencies. After attending this conference, participants will be able to:

• Understand how a business case for a Business Intelligence program for the transit industry can be developed and what the program mechanics for BI are.
• Learn how Washington Metro is using a new technology tool to implement Business Intelligence at their agency.
• Learn how RTA Chicago is using a grant from the FTA to report to their stakeholders on their systems state of good repair.
• Receive updated information on new fare collection practices being contemplated throughout the transit industry.
• Identify and share best practices through "Needs & Leads"

Group-Live Delivery Method
Program Level: Advanced
Pre-Conference Reading Material Provided
No Prerequisites*
Earn 10 CPE credits

*This program is at an advanced level of continuing education. Although no prerequisite course or work experience is needed to participate in this program, working knowledge of finance and transportation practices and policies, and knowledge of the program topic, is required.

To register for this course, contact, Irene DeMers, at 214-749-2630 or visit our Web site, www.tflex.org. For more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact Irene DeMers at 214-749-2630.

Click here to register online.

Transit–Finance Learning Exchange (T-FLEx) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.learningmarket.org

To attend:

Location: Hilton Arlington in Arlington, Virginia

Address: 950 North Stafford Street, Arlington, Virginia, United States 22203

Telephone: 703/528-6000

www.arlingtonva.hilton.com

Housing: The guaranteed maximum room rate is $249/night, however you may be able to get a lower rate depending on when you are planning on arriving. The Group code for our room block is “TRA”. You can call 1-800-Hiltons and request “TRA” or go to www.arlingtonva.hilton.com and put in your arrival and departure dates and then on the second page use group/convention code TRA.

Fees: The registration fee for the workshop is $125 per participant. Make check payable to "TFLEx", or use PayPal (PayPal account not required) - link for PayPay at www.tflex.org. Mail a check to:

Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Attention: Sharon Leary
POBox 660163
1401 Pacific Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75266-7243

DAILY WORKSHOP AGENDA (Draft posted 2/5/2012)

Day One – Monday, March 12, 2012 (8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Welcome and Review of Meeting Objectives

Business Intelligence Overview

Business Intelligence Program Mechanics

Business Intelligence Demonstration

Lunch – Speaker – Bob Tuccillo - Associate Administrator/CFO - FTA

Asset Management Roundtable

Needs & Leads

Monday night group dinner

Day Two – Tuesday March 13, 2012 (8:00 a.m.-noon)

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Welcome and Review of Meeting Objectives

Update on Fare Collection Procurements

Strategic Initiatives in Fare Collection

Changes in Open Payment Technologies / Guest Speaker

Wrap-up Day Two and Overall Workshop Evaluation

Lunch (noon – 1:30 p.m.)

Business Meeting (1:30-4:00 p.m.)
Please note that attendance at the business meeting is a must for at least one representative of member agencies. Representatives must be authorized to speak for their agency during the meeting.

"The Future of Fare Collection" workshop in St. Louis next week

The agenda for the "The Future of Fare Collection" workshop has been revised. Please visit the www.tflex.org website homepage for more information.

TFLEx Spring 2011 Workshop - The Future of Fare Collection

TFLEx Spring 2011 Workshop
"The Future of Fare Collection"
April 18-20, St. Louis

Click HERE to register online.

(Field of Study: Finance)
April 18-19, 2011
April 20, 2011 - Business Meeting

The workshop "The Future of Fare Collection" is scheduled for April 18-19th, 2011, hosted by Metro Transit in St. Louis, MO. Preliminary topics for the sessions cover topics such as:

• Overview of emerging technologies
• Open payment systems
• Bank processes for settlement and clearing
• Regional fare systems
• Issues between fare policy and technology
• Buying fare systems versus leasing
• Paratransit fare issues
• Needs and Leads
• Unveiling of the new Transit 101 eLearning tool
• Group-Live Delivery Method
• Program Level: Advanced
• Pre-Conference Reading Material Provided
• No Prerequisites*

* This program is at an advanced level of continuing education. Although no prerequisite course or work experience is needed to participate in this program, working knowledge of finance and transportation practices and policies is required, as well as knowledge of the program topic.

To register for this course, contact Irene DeMers, at 214-749-2630 or visit our Web site, www.tflex.org. For more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact Irene DeMers at 214-749-2630.

Transit-Finance Learning Exchange (T-FLEx) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba.org

Lodging and sessions are at the Westin St. Louis
811 Spruce Street - St. Louis, MO 63102
Phone: 314-621-2000
http://www.westinstlouishotel.com/
Group rate: $120 plus tax per night.

Workshop Fee
The registration fee for the workshop is $125.

For more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact Irene Demers at 214-749-2630.

To complete your registration, mail a check for $125 per participant to:

Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Attention: Sharon Leary
POBox 660163
1401 Pacific Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75266-7220

Make check payable to "TFLEx", or use PayPal:

A finalized agenda will be posted soon. Check back here for more details.

Electrification and Commuter Rail Workshop

March 22, 2011 Workshop - Chicago
On March 22, Transit Finance Learning Exchange and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) are co-sponsoring a one day workshop the subject of the electricification of diesel traction power systems in commuter rail. This is a DRAFT agenda for the workshop, please check back for more information. You can register online here.

Attendees should contact the Avenue Crowne Plaza Chicago directly for their housing needs. Use the group code TFLEx when registering.

Avenue Crowne Plaza Chicago
160 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Hotel: 312-787-2900
Group Code: TFLEx
http://www.avenuehotelchicago.com/
Group rate $99/night

Fees: Registration fee is $75/attendee.
To complete your registration, mail a check for $75 per participant to:
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Attention: Sharon Leary
POBox 660163
1401 Pacific Avenue Dallas, Texas 75266-7220
Make check payable to "TFLEx" or use PayPal option.

PayPal option for the Electrification and Commuter Rail Workshop

Agenda

8:15 - Welcome & Overview

8:30 - State of the Railroad

Across North America freight and passenger rail service is operated using multiple traction power alternatives. This session will explore the applications of these alternatives in the railroad industry today.

9:30 - Regulatory Issues and Technology Development

Rising environmental and safety expectations are spurring innovations in traction power technology. This session will describe the regulations that impact the railroad industry and how manufacturers are addressing these regulations.

10:30 - Break

10:45 - Powering GO Transit: A Case Study

Learn about the recent decision made by GO Transit to pursue the partial electrification for its system. Mr. McNeil will discuss the process and factors by which this decision was reached.

Noon - Lunch

1:00 - Operations and Interoperability

Traction power decisions impact railroad operations. This session discusses the characteristics and limitations of electric and diesel operations and the impact on interoperability with freight and passenger rail service.

2:00 - Energy and our Environment

Commuter rail plays an important role in protecting the environment and developing the communities which it serves. This session will explore the short and long-term environmental impacts and economics of traction power alternatives.

2:45 - Break

3:00 - Maintenance Requirements

Each traction power alternative presents its own maintenance benefits and challenges. This session will explore the issues with maintaining the diesel and electric infrastructure and vehicles.

4:00 - Where Do We Go from Here?

An informal roundtable of transit executives will reflect on the day's presentations and discussions.

5:00 - Adjourn

October 7th - Budget/Grants Special Interest Group

TFLEx invites all members to attend the October Budget/Grants SIG online meeting
Topic: Oct SIG Conference call
Date: Thursday, October 7, 2010
Time: 10:30 am, Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)

There are two ways to join the online meeting (see below). You may dial in with just your phone, or with both your phone and computer. If you connect to the meeting with your computer, you will be able to view any demonstrations or documents presented.

For reference, here are the time zones:
8:30 a.m. Pacific Time
9:30 am. Mountain Time
10:30 a.m. Central Time
11:30 a.m. Eastern Time

The agenda is still being determined. Some suggestions for topics include:

• Dart's Contract Manager software application
  
• Health Care & cost impact of new coverage requirement
  
• TFLEx job/training exchange opportunities
  
• Data center back-up/disaster recovery plan/location
  
• Use of BI/Dashboards vs. traditional handouts for management & Board reporting
  
• Records management system
  
• Investment model - incremental & total operations - FTA & internal decision support
  

If you have any other items you would like to bring up, you may send them before the call to Irene (idemers@dart.org) or just ask the SIG attendees during the call.

To join the online meeting, see the members only information located at http://tflex.securespsites.com (Password required)

Transit-Finance Learning Exchange Invites you to attend

Dealing with the Continuing
Economic Issues
(Field of Study: Finance)
October 18-19, 2010
October 19, 2010 - Business Meeting

Program Content/Learning Objectives

As transit agencies continue to deal with funding shortfalls from the ongoing economic slump, they are taking a hard look at operational areas (such as employee benefits) and making tough choices about what capital projects can be funded. This workshop will concentrate on 1) how agencies are dealing with continued cuts in operating funding; 2) how agencies are dealing with scarce capital funding by prioritizing capital projects; and, 3) what the economic outlook is currently and going forward. After attending this conference, participants will be able to:

Understand how transit agencies are dealing with the current economy by making changes in their benefit programs.
Understand how agencies are defining State of Good Repair and using condition assessments to prioritizne scarce capital funding.
Learn whether federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is actually creating jobs in Transit.
Learn how the Cleveland RTA is using Transit Stat to monitor performance measures.
Identify and share best practices through "Needs & Leads
Group-Live Delivery Method
Program Level: Advanced
Pre-Conference Reading Material Provided
No Prerequisites*
Earn 10 CPE credits

* This program is at an advanced level of continuing education. Although no prerequisite course or work experience is needed to participate in this program, working knowledge of finance and transportation practices and policies is required, as well as knowledge of the program topic.

To register for this course, contact, Irene Demers, at 214-749-2630 or visit our Web site, www.tflex.org. For more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact Irene Demers at 214-749-2630.
Transit-Finance Learning Exchange (T-FLEx) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba.org

Housing: Hotel Information
Mayflower Park Hotel
405 Olive Way
Seattle, Washington 98101
Room Rate: $135/night

Call the hotel at 800-426-5100 or email at mayflowerpark@mayflowerpark.com and refer to TFLEx. They will extend the rate for pre/post nights depending on availability, so call early.

Fees: The registration fee for the workshop is $125.

For more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies, please contact Irene Demers at 214-749-2630.

REGISTER NOW (click here)

To complete your registration, mail a check for $125 per participant to:
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
Attention: Sharon Leary
POBox 660163
1401 Pacific Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75266-7243

Make check payable to "TFLEx" or you may use the PayPal link below:

New Technologies and Their Capital Impact on Operations
Cleveland, Ohio

Summary of TFLEx Spring Workshop

The Spring 2010 TFLEx Workshop was held in Cleveland, Ohio, and was hosted by Loretta Kirk and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority (GCRTA). Our sincere thanks go out to Loretta and her staff for the wonderful job they did in making this workshop a successful event. Five of the sessions were broadcast on the web and our thanks go to Ray Garton for setting up the webcasting and making sure it worked well during the workshop. Thanks again to everyone at the GCRTA. Thanks also to the Cuyahoga Community College for providing what turned out to be one of the best facilities TFLEx has ever had in which to hold a workshop.

The main topic of this workshop was New Technologies and Their Capital Impact on Operations. Joe Costello welcomed participants and gave an overview of the workshop objectives. After his remarks, Joe introduced Joe Calabrese, the CEO of the GCRTA who gave attendees an overview of the issues his agency has been facing with the current economy.

The first presenter of the workshop was Greg Kildare, LA MTA's Executive Officer for Risk Management. Greg gave an interesting talk on LA's use of technology and their experience with Smart Drive cameras in dealing with liability issues and related impact on the cost of insurance.

Two member agencies then discussed prioritization of capital projects and how life cycle costing can be used to aid in the process. Rick Harcum, from WMATA talked about their mid-life rebuild program WMATA uses to extend the life of their rolling stock. Using life cycle costing, WMATA has figured that it saves nearly $500,000 per vehicle by extending the life of each coach from seven years to fourteen.

Grace Gallucci, from the RTA in Chicago, gave an update on their capital prioritization process. They have made progress since Grace first detailed the new process at the Boston workshop in the fall of 2008.

On Thursday Brett Jones from the Cuyahoga Community College's (Tri-C) Logistics and Distribution Institute and Terry Cordell briefed members on the proposed partnership between the two organizations in updating the Transit 101 e-learning modules. Tri-C contacted TFLEx about working together to have their professional staff update the content of the modules to make them more current and more interesting for participants. Tri-C has submitted a proposal that will be reviewed at the business meeting.

Terry Cordell briefly detailed the results of the IT Survey that had been sent out to members prior to the workshop. Six agencies had responded and the results are posted on the web site (and included at the end of this summary). As more are received they will be added to the results. Irene DeMers then led the Needs and Leads session which wrapped up the day.

Friday morning's first session was an economic update from Dr. Edward (Ned) Hill, Dean and Professor at Cleveland State University, who proved once again that economics presentations can be fun and interesting. His presentation can be heard (and the PowerPoint presentation viewed) by going to the TFLEx web site. Some of his points:

a.) North America is leading the industrial world's recovery
b.) The recovery in employment growth will lag, compared to past recessions
c.) Average duration of unemployment is the highest it has been since the 1960's
d.) The economic disadvantage of the unskilled is growing and accelerating
e.) Consumer confidence is starting to pick up, but CFO's are more confident in their own firms than in the economy as a whole.
f.) For the federal deficit, current near term deficits are defensible; long term prospects are troubling
g.) Personal savings are beginning to recover; the financial burdens of households are recovering, but still high
h.) This is the second workshop in a row with a presentation on the economy and it is a session that will probably be repeated at most future workshops. Attendees were very interested in what Dr. Hill had to say and there was a lot of discussion during the Q & A.

The workshop wrapped up with a rehearsal by Grace Gallucci of a presentation she will be giving at the APTA Bus and Paratransit Conference on May 3. TFLEx and the FTA have begun a dialogue about the possibility of working together to make improvements to the data gathering for the NTD.

The Fall 2010 Workshop will be held in Seattle, WA from October 18-19, 2010. The workshop will consist of sessions all day Monday and Tuesday until noon, with the business meeting to be held on Tuesday afternoon. More information, including topics, will be forthcoming.

The regular Business Meeting was chaired by Joe Costello on Friday afternoon. Minutes of this meeting are also available on the Sharepoint web site. All members are encouraged to attend the Business Meetings at the workshops.

Presentations from the Spring Workshop are available to members on the TFLEx Sharepoint website at http://tflex.securespsites.com.