Mr. Baumohl began his career with the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank specializing in international affairs and national security. He later served as senior economist at European American Bank with responsibilities to monitor the global economy. Mr. Baumohl was also an award-winning journalist with TIME magazine who covered the White House, Federal Reserve and Wall Street. He is the author of an international bestseller, The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities.

He is well known for being ahead of the curve in assessing the direction of the U.S. and world economy. The Wall Street Journal has twice recognized him (2019 & 2025) as the nation’s top economic forecaster. Mr. Baumohl is a member of the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Panel and his projections on the economy and geopolitical risks are frequently cited in the news media. 

As director of corporate development, Jason Donker helps to lead and implement The HFW Companies’ merger-and-acquisition (M&A) initiatives and provide acquisition deal support in expanding HFW’s portfolio of AE Partner Firms across a national footprint.

Jason, as part of his role, also supports the development of strategic growth partnership plans, the creation and negotiation of deal terms, and the development of a strong deal flow pipeline across a national footprint. He is based in Tampa, Fla. Jason works with HFW’s M&A team and other stakeholders to close those transactions.

He previously served as finance manager at Tampa-based Cascade Residential Services, a $100 million-plus-revenue company with 500 employees. Other experience includes corporate financial planning and analysis, managing deal transactions, managing deal portfolios, and mediating conflicts and negotiations between buyers and sellers.

As a Senior Consultant with PSMJ, Greg Hart is passionate about helping AEC firm leaders strengthen their businesses to create lasting value. He advises clients primarily in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, ownership succession planning, and business valuation. Greg has personally worked with hundreds of AEC firms on these matters. Additionally, Greg frequently contributes to a range of PSMJ and industry publications and speaks to various audiences on topics such as market trends, M&A strategy, and succession planning.

As PSMJ’s President, Greg leads the organization’s overall growth strategy and plays a key role in ensuring that PSMJ always stays true to its mission of improving the business performance of AEC organizations worldwide. In this capacity, he is actively involved with PSMJ’s publications, events, and advisory services in areas such as strategic planning, new product development, and ensuring that every customer and client interaction with PSMJ exceeds expectations.

Greg has spent his entire career in and around the AEC industry. Prior to management consulting in the industry, he began his career as an Environmental Scientist and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Syracuse University. He has also successfully completed business valuation coursework through the American Society of Appraisers.

Mitchell Mafra, CM&AP, is an M&A Advisor at PSMJ, where he is focused on performing valuations and providing advisory services for both their sell-side and buy-side clients. He has a proven track record working on over 20 M&A deals in the AEC space, which includes deals with publicly traded AE firms, private equity, family offices, and various strategic buyers.

As a member of the M&A Advisory Practice at PSMJ, Mitchell has been a contributor to the M&A Insider publication, as well as a contributor to the M&A Essentials program, an educational program for firm owners. Further, he teaches the M&A process at the M&A Essentials Workshop for owners.

Prior to joining PSMJ in 2021, Mitchell worked at Adage Capital Management, L.P., a major hedge fund in Boston with over $44B in assets under management with a focus on industrial and energy sectors.

Mitchell’s strong academic foundation is evident in his dual degree from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He holds a B.S. in Management with a Finance Concentration and a B.A. in Economics.

Mike W. Matthews, P.E., FACEC, is a Senior Consultant with PSMJ, where he provides consulting and training services on the subjects of strategic planning, ownership transition, and mergers & acquisitions.

He served for almost 20 years as the CEO of an AE firm, which grew under his leadership from $4 million to over $40 million while overseeing multiple acquisitions for the firm before guiding the firm’s successful sale to a $3.7 billion conglomerate. He followed the AE firm sale by working as the CFO for a 120-person IT services firm. He culminated his C-suite career as the President and COO of a $40 million, 320-person geotechnical/environmental/testing firm with approximately 280 staff reporting under his leadership.

In addition to Mike’s formal business education, he developed and taught an MBA class at the University of Richmond entitled Professional Services Management. His other instructional engagements have included guest lectures at numerous universities, industry conference presentations, and participation as an expert panelist on a variety of topics.

After serving for two years on the national executive committee for the American Council of Engineering Companies, Mike was recognized by the organization as a fellow. Mike’s other recognitions have included the McCabe Leadership Award from the Virginia Council of CEOs, Engineer of the Year from the Richmond (Virginia) Joint Engineers’ Council, Distinguished Alumnus Award from Old Dominion University, and the Secretary’s Certificate of Recognition from Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for his efforts after the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania. Mike has been published twice in CE News Magazine and has been a contributor to industry newsletters, including PSMJ.

Bill has been focusing on ESOPs and capital markets since 1989. He is Co-head of The ESOP Group at Morgan Stanley, assisting business owners and corporations, including several in the Fortune 100, in areas such as corporate liquidity transactions, business succession planning, retirement plan design, and employee financial education.

Of particular note is his experience in assisting business owners that have completed or are contemplating an ESOP, understanding the complexities of Internal Revenue Code Section 1042, leveraging equity risk management, and tax advantaged strategies. Bill has successfully completed over 450 ESOP transactions.

Curt Peitzman is a seasoned executive with 25 years of experience in the construction industry, known for his leadership, strategic vision, and P&L management. He has successfully grown teams and revenue, transforming business lines and expanding market penetration. In his previous position, he led significant growth, established new markets, and managed large-scale projects, achieving impressive safety and financial results. Curt holds an Executive MBA from Washington University and is actively involved in community leadership roles.

Justin Ramirez is the Director of Strategic Growth at RTM Engineering Consultants. With a diverse background in construction, finance, accounting, law, and AEC exclusive management consulting experience, Justin brings a creative and unique perspective to RTM’s operations while playing an integral role in the development and execution of RTM’s organic and inorganic growth strategies.

Before joining RTM in 2024, Justin served as Director of Mergers & Acquisitions at Zweig Group, where he led M&A initiatives for AEC clients. He initially joined Zweig Group focusing on internal ownership transition, advising AEC clients on developing and implementing attainable ownership transition and succession plans, before becoming an advisor in the M&A department. Additionally, Justin has over nine years of experience in the construction industry from working with and having helped manage his family’s construction company.

Justin earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Finance and Accounting from the University of Arkansas, Sam M. Walton College of Business. He also holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law – Fayetteville and has been admitted to the Arkansas Bar.

Ira Starr, a founding partner of Long Point Capital, has been an active private equity investor for 35 years, focusing on investments in founder, family and management-owned companies. Ira invests in professional services companies (engineering, architecture, accounting, and other consulting companies), a sector where he is a recognized expert and a frequent speaker. Ira has built seven AEC platforms, including Cumming Group, CHA Consulting, EYP Architecture & Engineering, Woolpert, Inc., MNS Engineers, Allnorth Consultants, and BKF Engineers, each of which has been built through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions.

Ira often utilizes innovative capital structures that are tailor-made to meet the goals of the owners - generating significant liquidity, maintaining valuable ownership, and potentially eliminating the capital gains tax in selected situations through ESOP structures.

Prior to founding Long Point Capital, Ira was a private equity partner at MLG&A Partners, an investment banker with Merrill Lynch and a management consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton. Ira graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and from Harvard Business School with an MBA.

For 20 years, Noah has dedicated himself to the healthcare industry where his passion for exploring the convergence of efficiency and inspiration in the built environment perfectly resides. Noah has been instrumental in re-imagining Array’s design approach, which seeks to provide greater clarity and collaboration to defining spaces for healing. Noah’s varied experiences in developing products and bringing them to market, launching a company and working as a strategic consultant all led to the strong importance he places on a sound plan that is informed by “round thinking” and supported by hard data. Noah offers a broad skill set to facilitate project delivery with an enthusiastic leadership style and a comprehensive understanding of various project types.

While Noah’s projects take him across the country, so have his legs; Noah once biked from Oregon to New Jersey.

Joseph (Joe) Viscuso is Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Growth at Pennoni, where he leads initiatives in mergers & acquisitions, innovation, and the integration of emerging technologies.

Joe began his career by founding and growing his own engineering firm to 50 employees before merging with Vollmer Associates in New York City, where he became a partner. Vollmer was later acquired by Stantec, giving Joe firsthand experience in the full life cycle of acquisitions and integration.

He is a frequent speaker at industry events, sharing insights on best practices in acquisitions and the application of digital solutions to engineering and infrastructure challenges.

Joe’s technical expertise spans urban land development, roadway and highway design, utilities and drainage, environmental infrastructure, energy and sustainability, surveying and mapping, traffic engineering, planning studies, municipal engineering, and construction administration.