Engineering Influence from ACEC

What do the 2026 midterm elections mean for infrastructure, the engineering industry, and the prospects for divided government in Washington?

In this episode of Engineering Influence, recorded live at the 2026 ACEC Fall Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, we sit down with Ambassador Jeff Flake, former U.S. Senator from Arizona and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, and Bruce Mehlman, one of Washington’s leading political strategists, for a candid, bipartisan look at where the election is headed and what it means for policy in 2027 and beyond.

On this episode of Engineering Influence, CTO Ron Sattan joins host Thomas Grogan to explore how engineering firms are moving beyond time-and-materials toward subscriptions, platforms, and outcome-based pricing. They dig into how data, AI, and agents are opening new service lines, driving efficiency, and creating revenue streams that don’t depend on billable hours.

Ron also shares practical steps firms can take now: building the right culture, getting data ready, and starting with focused pilots. For early-career professionals, his advice is simple: stay curious, and bring your problem-solving ideas to the table.

Jessica North digs into why so many engineering firms struggle with friction, rework, slow decisions, and burnout, and why the problem is usually the system, not the team. Unclear decision-making, competing priorities, and messy handoffs quietly drain performance.

Jessica shares how leaders can find and fix these hidden barriers: ask the hard questions, really listen, build psychological safety, and look past surface metrics to the full picture of how work gets done.

How can engineering firms prepare for a future defined by rapid change, evolving client needs, and growing complexity?

In this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with Hoss Tabrizi, from Ulteig, to explore how engineering firms can remain agile, resilient, and ready for what comes next.

Hoss discusses the importance of planning for multiple scenarios rather than relying on a single vision of the future, and how firms can use standardization, automation, and digitization to improve efficiency while preserving the creativity and problem-solving that are essential to engineering. From power and renewables to transportation and water, the conversation examines how changing demands are reshaping the way firms approach their people, projects, and clients.

Hoss also discusses one of the industry's most pressing challenges: workforce. They discuss global talent strategies, developing the next generation of engineering professionals, and how technology can help teams accomplish more while maintaining quality and innovation.

The conversation also explores resilience in an increasingly unpredictable environment, including preparing infrastructure and organizations for extreme weather, cybersecurity risks, and other emerging challenges.

Finally, Hoss shares his perspective on leadership during periods of uncertainty and why trust, transparency, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace change are critical for building strong teams and positioning engineering firms for long-term success.

In this special episode we collaborate with QBS Express and sit down with U.S. Representative Ron Estes of Kansas for a conversation on tax policy, infrastructure, and regulatory reform.

About the Guest: Representative Ron Estes has represented Kansas's 4th District in the U.S. House since 2017, following service as Sedgwick County Treasurer and Kansas State Treasurer. An engineer by training with years of private-sector experience, he brings a practical, problem-solving perspective to Congress and has been a key ally to ACEC members on the tax issues that affect engineering firms.

What We Cover:

- His lead role on the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act, and the years-long push to restore immediate R&D expensing instead of five-year amortization

- Why R&D cash flow matters for startups and small firms, not just big businesses

- The outlook for surface transportation reauthorization and shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund

- Why infrastructure means more than roads and bridges: water and wastewater treatment, waterways, and the systems that move goods and services

- Regulatory simplification and permitting reform, and why lawmakers with private-sector experience understand that businesses have to live with the policies Congress passes

Artificial intelligence is moving fast and engineering firms are being asked to adopt it just as quickly. But what does that mean for risk? On this episode of Engineering Influence, Jim Compton and Joe Bates dig into new research from the ACEC Research Institute examining how AI adoption is reshaping risk exposure across the engineering industry.

They break down what the data actually shows: where firms are seeing the most risk, how leadership is thinking about liability and oversight, and what firms of every size should be considering as they build out their own AI strategies.

Whether you're just starting to explore AI tools or already integrating them into your workflows, this conversation offers a data-driven look at where the industry stands and where it's headed.

Water infrastructure is the backbone of how communities survive and thrive in the face of a changing climate. In this episode, we sit down with Walter P Moore to explore what it really takes to build resilient water systems, from aging infrastructure challenges to forward-looking engineering solutions.

We dig into:

💧 The state of water infrastructure across the country

🌊 Engineering strategies for resilience and long-term impact

🏗️ How firms like Walter P Moore are shaping the future of water management

Tune in for a conversation about the systems that keep our communities running and the engineers working to make sure they keep running for generations to come.

In this episode of The Market Edge, Diana O' Lare sits down with veteran journalist and broadcaster Llewellyn King to discuss his concept of the "New Weather" and what it means for infrastructure, migration, economic development, and investment.

They explore:

✅ The economic implications of a potential Super El Niño

✅ Why heat and water constraints may reshape growth patterns

✅ The growing need for resilient infrastructure

✅ Who pays for adaptation in an era of rising deficits

✅ How AI could help predict and prepare for future risks

In this episode of the Engineering Influence podcast, Sharon Jean-Baptiste, President of Ardmore Roderick, shares her leadership journey in the engineering industry and the lessons that have shaped her career. She discusses the lasting impact engineering work can have on communities, offers advice for young professionals just starting out in the field, and speaks to why mentorship remains one of the most powerful tools for building the next generation of engineering leaders.

🎙️ Some Topics covered:

👉 Sharon's path to becoming President of Ardmore Roderick

👉 Advice for young engineers and professionals entering the industry

👉 How engineering projects shape and strengthen communities

👉 The role of mentorship in developing future leaders

Initially unveiled in Summer 2023, nearly 200 ACEC member firms have participated in the Roadmap — a DEI&B maturity model and benchmarking tool that gives engineering firm executives a comprehensive, data-driven way to assess the maturity of their firm's DEIB program, with actionable suggestions for making further progress.

Chad Clinehens brings the data and the on-the-ground perspective from years of benchmarking the AEC industry, and together unpacks what the roadmap recommends, where firms are already making progress, and where the real work still lies ahead.

🔗 Get the Report: https://program.acec.org/diversity-roadmap-acec-research-institute/?hsLang=en#get-report

🔗 Learn More about Diversity Roadmap test: https://program.acec.org/diversity-roadmap-acec-research-institute

In this special episode of the QBS Express — recorded in Washington, D.C. — host Scott Heidner (Executive Director, ACEC Kansas) and co-host Rob Krewson (President, ACEC Kansas) sit down with U.S. Representative Derek Schmidt of Kansas for a wide-ranging conversation on infrastructure, policy, and public service.

About the Guest: Congressman Derek Schmidt has spent his career in Kansas public service — as a legislative staffer, ten years in the Kansas State Senate, three terms as Kansas Attorney General, and now representing Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives. A licensed attorney, he brings a practicing professional's perspective to the policy conversation.

In this episode of The Market Edge, ACEC's Vice President of Market Intelligence, Diana O'Lare, speaks with FMI Chief Economist Brian Strawberry on What markets are growing? Which sectors are cooling? And what does the rapid rise of data centers and energy infrastructure mean for the future of the AEC industry?

In this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with Boris Martin, CEO of Engineers Without Borders USA, to talk about how purpose-driven engineering is reshaping careers and communities alike. Boris shares how EWB-USA partners with communities around the world and here at home to solve real infrastructure challenges. Volunteering on meaningful projects builds stronger, more fulfilled engineers. We discuss how firms can support purpose-driven work to boost retention and engagement, and what the next generation of community-focused engineering leadership looks like.

For more information or to connect, email CEO@ewb-usa.org.

On this episode of Engineering Influence, host Jeff Urbanchuk sits down with Sean Young from NVIDIA to explore how artificial intelligence — particularly agentic AI and large language models — is reshaping the AEC industry.

Sean and Jeff discuss why firms should start treating project data as valuable IP, how AI agents can automate repetitive CAD and BIM tasks, and the ways AI is accelerating design iteration. They also dig into why engineering firms need to position themselves as technology- and AI-first organizations to stay competitive.

The conversation highlights findings from the ACEC Research Institute's Firm of the Future initiative, along with practical steps firms can take right now to scale expertise across their teams and free up engineers to focus on higher-value design decisions.

As demand for AI infrastructure accelerates, successful data center development depends on more than identifying available land. Developers and engineering teams must navigate permitting challenges, stakeholder concerns, community sentiment, and political dynamics that can significantly impact project outcomes.

In this episode of The Market Edge, Diana O'Lare sits down with Flypower CEO Navdeep Martin to discuss how AI-powered site selection and community risk intelligence are helping teams answer two critical questions: Should we build here? and What is our path to approval?

ACEC position statement on data center development: https://www.acec.org/resource/45007/

Strategic Communications for Mission Critical & Pubic Facing Projects: https://netforum.acec.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=ACECAOOE10&prdKey=CCBDE0C4-55A5-4128-988E-2AE51A97BC2F&pc=ee

Learn More about Flypower: https://flypower.io/

A big thank you to Autodesk, the sponsor of Engineering Influence at this year's convention. Autodesk partners with the AECO industry and its leaders to shape a more connected, data-driven future, empowering engineers to work more intelligently and to make confident decisions to drive meaningful impact. This enables firms to evolve, stay competitive, and deliver stronger business outcomes, all while designing a better world. So thank you again to Autodesk.

This episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast features Mark Van Elden of the Life Health Trust and Dr. Brian Hill of HIP Nation discussing the growing health care crisis affecting employers and employees. They explore the rapid rise in costs, the failures of fee-for-service primary care, prescription drug pricing, and the promising—but uncertain—impact of GLP-1 drugs.

The conversation covers solutions such as direct primary care subscription models, the role of incentives and consolidation in driving costs, and the medical concerns and long-term implications of weight-loss medications. Practical insights for employers on coverage, utilization, and improving workforce health are provided throughout.

In this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with the CEO of FIDIC to explore the forces reshaping the engineering profession worldwide. We discuss how global standards help firms navigate cross-border projects, the growing role of artificial intelligence in engineering practice, and what it will take to build and retain a skilled workforce for the future. It's a conversation about where the industry is headed — and how firms can prepare for what's next.

Data is one of the most valuable assets an engineering firm has—but only if it's collected, connected, and put to work.

On this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with Deb Johnston of Tonic DM to discuss how engineering firms can transform the way they manage project data. Deb explains how Tonic DM helps firms streamline data collection, eliminate redundant processes, improve workflows, and ensure critical information is optimized rather than wasted.

From reducing inefficiencies to creating better decision-making across projects, this conversation explores why smarter data management is becoming essential for firms looking to improve productivity, collaboration, and long-term performance.

🎧 Listen now to discover how optimizing your data can unlock greater value across your entire organization.

This episode explains Progressive Design‑Build: a qualifications‑based, two‑phase delivery method that brings contractors and designers together early to develop preliminary designs, set firm prices, and use disciplined decision gates.

The ACEC Research Institute study shows increasing adoption, generally strong project outcomes, and uneven readiness across firms and owners. Success depends on rigorous collaboration, timely executive decision‑making, and building the skills needed for this more integrated approach—offering new opportunities for firms and clients.

View the key findings of the Progressive Design Build Study Findings: https://www.acec.org/resource/progressive-design-build-recommendations-for-owners-and-pdb-teams-on-effective-project-delivery/

View Full Progressive Design Build Study: https://netforum.acec.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=ACECAOPP20&prdKey=243AD001-D82A-4558-8C2B-965B41694AD4&pc=pp

View 2025 Progressive Design Build Study: https://www.acec.org/resource/progressive-design-build-practice-perceptions-and-potential/

Policy is moving fast — and markets are moving with it. In this episode of The Market Edge, Morgan Stanley’s Monica Guerra breaks down the biggest forces set to shape the U.S. economy in 2026. We cover midterms, industrial policy, labor supply, inflation, energy markets, construction financing, housing demand, and the rise of data‑center‑driven digital infrastructure. A must‑listen for leaders navigating the future of the built environment.