AEC THRIVE Agenda

Choose from 4 different subject areas curated for AEC executives:

• Strategy & Growth
• Financial Management
• Business Development
• Project, Tech, and Talent Management

Choose from 4 different subject areas curated for AEC executives:

• Strategy & Growth
• Financial Management
• Business Development
• Project, Tech, and Talent Management

Paul Prickett
Vice President
Aktion Associates
In today's M&A-driven AEC landscape, deals can make or break firms in months, not years. Yet many acquisitions fail to deliver expected value—often because leaders overlook the critical role of data and systems integration. Your firm's data architecture isn't just an IT concern; it's a strategic weapon that can accelerate deals, command premium valuations, or damage a transaction’s success.

Whether you're positioning for acquisition or eyeing your next strategic purchase, the firms winning in today's market are doing more than just managing data. Cleaning up your business model, your data and your process is a key factor in a successful acquisition, whether you are buying or selling.  From simple time entry data to massive AI accessible data takes covering all aspects of your business, getting it right matters not just now, but as you move forward into the AI dominated future.

In this high-impact session, you'll discover:

• Pre-deal positioning strategies such as how  to structure your data and systems to command maximum valuation and streamline due diligence (saving 6-8 weeks in typical deal timelines
• How to master due diligence, with the critical questions and red flags that separate successful integrations from costly disasters, plus how to evaluate a target's true data value
• Integration success metrics, essential reports and dashboards that prove ROI and identify integration risks before they derail your deal
• How to build your M&A strategy around data systems that unlock AI capabilities and competitive advantages

Join Aktion Associates' Paul Prickett to transform your approach to M&A success. Leave with actionable strategies that position your firm to thrive whether you're a buyer, seller, or strategic acquirer in the rapidly evolving AEC marketplace.

Judy Sparks
CEO
Smartegies
In the AEC industry, relationships still matter—but the way we build them has changed. Buyers aren’t waiting for your lunch invite. They’re online, doing their own research, forming opinions, and shortlisting firms before your BD team ever gets the chance to say hello. If your go-to-market strategy hasn’t evolved, you’re invisible—and falling behind.

In this provocative session, Judy Sparks—Fractional CMO to some of the most forward-thinking firms in the industry, and CEO of Smartegies, a strategic marketing consultancy for the built environment—shares what’s actually driving growth in today’s market. Drawing from real-world examples with clients like Nelson Worldwide, SSOE, Walker Architects, and Cummins Cederberg, Judy reveals how smart firms are modernizing their approach to win more of the work they want, recruit top talent and help doer-sellers become seller-doers.

Whether it’s helping niche firms diversify into financially healthier markets or supporting geographic expansion into untapped regions, Smartegies’ full-funnel, multi-channel strategies are proving that marketing is no longer just a support function—it’s a revenue driver.

If your firm is still relying on referrals, RFQs, and BD relationships alone, this session will challenge your assumptions and offer a roadmap to align visibility, positioning, and pursuit strategy with the way today’s buyers actually behave.
marketing is now fueling BD outcomes, and what firm owners need to know to make smarter investments in visibility, positioning, and growth.

Whether you’re still relying on referrals and RFQs or you’ve started to dabble in digital, this session will help you connect the dots between what your buyers are doing and how your firm shows up. The result? A more aligned, modern approach that drives real revenue. You learn:

• How to recognize and adapt to the reality that buyers research online, form opinions, and shortlist firms before traditional BD engagement occurs.
• How to evolve marketing from a support function into a strategic revenue driver using full-funnel, multi-channel approaches that fuel BD outcomes.
• How to align visibility, positioning, and pursuit strategy with how today's buyers actually behave rather than relying solely on referrals and RFQs.
• How to develop modern go-to-market strategies that help doer-sellers become seller-doers while supporting diversification and geographic expansion goals.

Aya Shlacter
CEO
MGS Global, Inc.
As Artificial Intelligence reshapes our world, AEC executives are naturally uncertain about its impact on our profession. Studies suggest a significant percentage of AEC tasks could be automated soon — leaving many wondering about careers, futures, and business models. The AEC industry is at a turning point, with AI reshaping how we design and build. While many firms are hesitant, Aya Shlachter sees AI as an opportunity, not a threat. This session offers a quick peek at AI tools for the AEC industry, focusing on Visualization, Generative Design, and Drafting. The results are surprising — and, most importantly, they will help any AEC leader make informed decisions and stay competitive in this rapidly changing landscape. She helps us:

• Understand the current transformation of the AEC industry through AI integration and its impact on design and construction processes
• Analyze and compare different AI tools specifically designed for Visualization, Generative Design, and Drafting in AEC applications
• Develop strategies to overcome common hesitations and barriers to AI adoption in architectural firms
• Apply insights from the research of 50+ AI tools to make informed decisions about technology implementation
• Create competitive advantages by effectively integrating AI tools into existing architectural workflows

David Burstein, P.E. 
Senior Consultant
PSMJ Resources
Leading AEC business data analyst David Burstein, P.E., breaks down the latest market and submarket numbers into actionable intelligence and clear-picture takeaways for making bold new growth decisions heading into 2026. A highlight of every annual AEC THRIVE summit!

Tom Wojcinski
Partner
Wipfli

Architecture and engineering firms face an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape. This session will provide executives with a comprehensive understanding of the current threat environment, focusing on the unique challenges faced by the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry. Participants will gain insights into the latest ransomware tactics and learn essential safeguards to protect their organizations from devastating attacks. This session will also examine emerging cybersecurity trends within the AEC industry and digital transformation initiatives specific to construction companies. These topics will have implications for architecture and engineering firms, highlighting both opportunities and potential vulnerabilities. By the end of this session, you'll be equipped with practical strategies to enhance your cybersecurity posture and ensure the resilience of your operations in the face of evolving threats.

• Current cybersecurity threat landscape specific to architecture and engineering firms.
• Key safeguards and best practices to mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks.
• Emerging technology trends on cybersecurity for architecture and engineering firms. 
  How to apply a proactive cybersecurity strategy tailored to the unique needs of the AEC industry. 
• Enhanced organizational resilience through effective risk management and incident response planning.

Jenifer Navard
CFO
EskewDumezRipple
Everything is moving along, the team is cranking, and backlog is strong. That was the case for New Orleans-based architecture firm EskewDumezRipple in the days and weeks leading up to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While we approach two decades since that devastating storm, the lessons learned still ring clear for CFO Jenifer Navard. Suddenly, Jenifer was thrust into a crisis management role that spanned from employee safety to cash flow to business development…virtually every facet of firm management was sounding alarms. How did Jenifer and her team keep the business running? Manage employee safety and morale? Get back on their feet? 

While we hope this level of business interruption never strikes our firms or one of our firm’s office locations, it is more prudent than ever to have a contingency plan and be thinking about the “what ifs” when making investments from insurance to technology and other business systems. In this session, Jenifer takes a very pragmatic and tactical approach to share how you can::

• Optimize cash flow in an urgent and unstable crisis environment.
• Communicate with staff and clients in a sensitive but realistic tone.
• Keep employee engagement and morale high in the face of significant adversity.
• Negotiate business interruption and other insurance claims.
• Find the silver lining and ways that your firm can come out stronger after the crisis

Bo Newman
CFO
Cuhaci Peterson
AEC executives face an avalanche of decisions daily: Which projects to pursue? How to allocate resources? When to pivot strategies? The difference between thriving firms and struggling ones isn't access to information—it's the ability to make smart decisions quickly.

Drawing from 25+ years of AEC leadership experience, Cuhaci Peterson CFO Bo Newman reveals the mental frameworks top executives use to cut through complexity and make confident decisions that drive profitability and growth. You'll discover how to identify when your brain is taking dangerous shortcuts that cost money and time, and learn proven frameworks to accelerate good decision-making without falling into common cognitive traps. Walk away with immediately actionable tools to improve your decision-making speed and accuracy, reduce analysis paralysis, and build a more decisive leadership culture in your firm.

• Master the AEC Decision Matrix - Apply a practical framework to evaluate complex business decisions with greater speed and confidence.
• Identify Your Costly Cognitive Blind Spots - Recognize the 5 most dangerous mental shortcuts that AEC leaders commonly make and implement specific countermeasures to avoid expensive mistakes.
• Implement "First Principles Thinking" for Strategic Decisions - Use this Silicon Valley technique to break down complex AEC challenges (like market expansion or service diversification) into fundamental components for clearer decision-making.
• Build Your Personal Decision-Making Playbook - Create customized mental models for your firm's most common decision types (hiring, project go/no-go, resource allocation) to reduce decision fatigue and improve consistency.
• Foster Faster Team Decision-Making - Install practical processes to help your leadership team make better collective decisions while avoiding groupthink and analysis paralysis 

• BWBR created a healthcare upskilling series with 18 learning modules, best practice guides, and expert-curated content. AI search makes it all accessible to new hires so they can quickly get answers to their questions.
• Turner Fleischer combined structured standards, #TechTalk videos, a searchable eTutor library, and an internal learning academy to build a robust KM foundation. AI search delivers just-in-time answers that support technology adoption at scale.
• Boulder Associates uses expert interviews to capture knowledge, such as seismic compliance strategies and Bluebeam project workflows. AI search then surfaces this expertise so project teams can get answers and connect directly with in-house experts.
• Bora Architecture & Interiors built a digital twin of their sustainability lead, Corey Squire, by integrating his best practices, project reflections, and even his book into their intranet. AI search (aka “Robo Corey”) now helps employees find standards, strategies, and subject matter experts for sustainable design decisions.
• Shepley Bulfinch created a comprehensive onboarding knowledge ecosystem, answering questions such as “How do I get staffed on projects?” or “Who knows Affinity Photo in Houston?” in the flow of work. AI search allows access to answers long after orientation.

Join us as we explore these cultural and process shifts that have helped AEC firms realize the promise of AI-powered knowledge management. Chris helps us: 

• Understand how AI-powered search can enhance knowledge accessibility and usability across diverse AEC firm contexts, from onboarding to sustainability practices.
• Identify key strategies used by AEC firms to capture and organize institutional knowledge, such as expert interviews, video libraries, and structured learning modules.
• Analyze the cultural and procedural shifts that support successful adoption of AI-enabled knowledge management systems within AEC organizations.
• Evaluate the impact of integrating AI search with intranet platforms on improving employee learning, decision-making, and productivity in real-world firm settings
• Explore practical case studies demonstrating how AEC firms are building living knowledge ecosystems that scale learning and expertise across teams and time zones.

Jared Jamison
Senior Consultant
PSMJ Resources
Is your firm is trapped in a race to the bottom? 80% of AEC firms struggle with commoditization, competing against dozens of qualified firms for the same projects, all telling the same basic story. Meanwhile, a select group consistently wins premium projects, enjoys stronger client relationships, and achieves industry-leading profitability. What's their secret? They've cracked the code on strategic positioning. Hear PSMJ Chief Strategic Planning Consultant Jared Jamison explain how to identify your differentiating position in the market and leverage it for maximum results. We dive into how you can:

• Escape the commoditization trap that's keeping your margins thin, and your team overworked
• Identify your firm's hidden competitive advantage that clients value most (it may not be what you think)
• Make the right strategic decisions to strengthen your competitive advantage, better serve your clients, and improve your profit margins
• Create a sustainable competitive moat that keeps competitors at bay while you capture market share

This isn't another theoretical strategy session. You get practical and actionable insight that transforms how you think about positioning, pricing, and how you run your firm —with actionable takeaways you can implement immediately. Stop hoping to outwork your competition. Start outthinking them.

Eric Liou
Chief Product Officer
OpenAsset
AI is transforming the AEC industry, but are you using it effectively—or falling into common pitfalls? Many teams unknowingly limit AI’s potential by making critical missteps that lead to inefficiencies, poor decision-making, and missed opportunities.

Join Eric Liou, Chief Product Officer at OpenAsset, as he draws on his deep AI expertise to uncover the top 5 AI mistakes teams make when adopting AI tools. From writing incomplete prompts to over-automating without human oversight, this session will challenge your assumptions and provide practical strategies to optimize your AI workflows.

Whether you're just getting started with AI or refining your approach, you’ll walk away with actionable takeaways to improve efficiency, enhance decision-making, and drive real results. You will:

• Learn how to structure AI prompts effectively to generate high-quality, relevant responses—complete with real-world examples of good vs. bad
  prompts.
• Understand why AI needs a clear business objective and how to align AI initiatives with company goals for maximum impact.
• Recognize the risks of over-automation and establish quality
  control processes to ensure AI enhances rather than replaces human expertise.
• Discover how data integrity directly impacts AI performance and learn best practices for maintaining high-quality, labeled datasets.
• Explore how to leverage AI for efficiency while ensuring human storytelling and critical thinking remain central to your workflows.

Wally Hise, PE
Senior Vice President
HDR
In today's competitive AEC landscape, successful business development demands both exceptional competency and disciplined execution. This translates to equal parts "what to do" and "how to do it." Join Wally Hise, PE of HDR as he reveals 8 essential elements of high performing business development professionals. Drawing from decades of experience, he developed an assessment tool to evaluate BD staff. Wally will also share practical coaching advice to help improve performance and develop your next generation of business development leaders.

• Identify and develop high-potential BD talent within your organization
• Master the competency and execution framework for BD excellence
• Apply a simple rating scale to assess the performance of your BD staff
• Use practical coaching to develop your next generation of BD leaders

Shaun Leeper
Principal
AECIQ

There are many factors contributing to talent acquisition in the AEC space being as challenging as ever. Understand the most hot-button topics, ranging from engaging passive candidates, retention, recruiting and retaining diverse talent, and leveraging data and analytics to inform hiring decisions that can enhance candidate experience and the overall effectiveness of talent acquisition strategies.

• Develop strategies for implementing data-driven hiring practices within your organization.
• Understand the role of data and analytics in enhancing candidate experience throughout the recruitment process.
• Strategies to maximize your company's retention rates.
• What methods and channels should you be utilizing to increase passive candidate engagement?

Brian Kirkpatrick, Operating Partner, Palm Beach Capital
Gene Dawson, Chairman, Pape-Dawson Engineers   

Private equity investment sets off alarm bells for many AEC leaders. Slashed staffs and budgets… unrelenting pressure to shift market focus… loss of control over strategic direction… a plundering of the equity you’ve spent a career building. But what if there’s another story you haven’t heard? From family-owned roots in Texas dating back to 1965 to a nearly 2,000-person multi-disciplinary firm with national momentum today, the story of Pape-Dawson Engineers is one of ambition, grit, and vision – and smart growth through a strategic partnership with Palm Beach Capital. Join us for this inspirational look at how the firm navigated significant challenges and punched past growth plateaus. You leave with practical insights on scaling with intention, navigating change, and building a resilient firm for the future along with specific insight in areas such as:

• Preserving your firm’s high-performance culture during robust growth
• Keeping the recruiting pipeline full to support growth
• When and where organic and acquisitive growth make sense
• Building the corporate governance infrastructure to support growth
• How to choose a PE partner for the long-haul

No matter where your firm is in its trajectory, you are sure to take away valuable insight to plot your pathway to long-term sustainable growth.

Ellen Bensky
Principal, CEO, and CFO
Turner Fleischer
What if the key to profitability is not more billable hours—but the systems and structures that allow project teams to work more efficiently and effectively?

Ellen Bensky, CEO and CFO of Turner Fleischer, shares how a 250-person design studio has restructured its practice by embedding operational teams at the center of firm performance. Departments typically viewed as non-billable—Digital Practice, Marketing, People + Culture, Finance, Knowledge Management, and Learning + Development—are fully integrated into project delivery and business strategy. Their work improves clarity, reduces redundancy, and ensures that design teams are supported by systems that enhance—not interrupt—the creative process.

With connected software platforms and a single source of truth for data, Turner Fleischer has built a resilient, scalable model that supports creativity, improves project outcomes, and drives long-term profitability. This approach reframes operations not as overhead—but as essential to practice success.

Ellen will share how her firm has developed a new strategy to:

• Structure operational roles to directly contribute to profitability and project success
• Use connected software and a single source of truth to streamline workflows and improve efficiency
• Reduce administrative burden and support creative focus through well-integrated operational teams
• Strengthen project outcomes, client relationships, and long-term growth through operational clarity

David Burstein
Senior Advisor
PSMJ Resources
Traditional profit center accounting in AEC firms creates perverse incentives that penalize growth, discourages collaboration, and wastes management time on internal revenue disputes. The fundamental flaws include unfair corporate overhead allocations, growth penalties for successful managers, and destructive competition over inter-company worksharing arrangements. David Burstein, PE, is a Senior Consultant with PSMJ and he explains a better way: the Business Unit Revenue Factor (BURF), a revolutionary approach that measures profitability using Direct Labor Multiplier and Utilization Rate to fundamentally change internal incentives for the better. By shifting focus from hoarding resources to maximizing utilization and optimizing efficiency across business units, firms can increase collaboration, improve accountability, and drive sustainable growth. Key Takeaways:

• Identify the hidden costs of profit center accounting including fairness problems, growth penalties, and collaboration barriers that undermine firm performance
• Learn the BURF formula (Direct Labor Multiplier × Utilization Rate) as a superior alternative to traditional profit center metrics for measuring business unit profitability
• Discover how BURF revolutionizes incentives by encouraging managers to maximize staff utilization regardless of project ownership and optimize efficiency using the best people across all business units
• Implement a transition strategy that includes correlation analysis, parallel tracking systems, and balanced scorecard approaches to safely migrate from profit centers to business units

• Why M&A market dynamics favor sellers
• How to  evaluate both internal succession and external acquisition paths
• How to understand valuation gaps when planning exit strategies and succession timelines

• The firm-level KPIs that really drive improved performance and how project management aligns with profit and growth strategy, with a breakdown of the DLM and chargeability correlation
• How the best-in-class firms foster a high-performance project management culture using PIC+PM Reviews, performance feedback and mentorship
• The most common skill gaps in Project Managers that lead to busted budgets 
• The traits that the best Project Managers have in common and how you can spot them early 
• And much more!

Brian Burnett, Senior Consultant
Jonathan Wilson, Senior Consultant
PSMJ Resources
As AEC firm principals, we want rising stars to accept the mantle of leadership and transition from being managers to true coaches for those under their supervision. But are we ready to help them make it a reality? What kind of mindset shifts are required to drive maximum engagement, passion, and productivity from technical professionals?

Get a step-by-step, AEC-specific roadmap for instilling a winning culture when you learn the essentials of inspiring and leading professionals, and how to set up your PMs to manage less and coach more. You learn key mindset shift that technical professionals need to make this jump, and the 4 leadership and coaching practices that drive employee retention and output.

• What the most productive and desirable new AEC talent expects in a modern workplace coach, and how it differs radically from traditional management styles
• How to apply employee assessment tools to target your coaching efforts and tailor your message for maximum effectiveness
• How to employ the four Core Coaching Practices that supercharge engagement, retention, and productivity in AEC workplaces
• Recognize and instantly assess the common workplace situations that call for coaching

Jeff Hirst
Account Executive
American Insurance
Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries—and AEC firms are at particular risk. While many leaders focus on visible risks, deeper, less obvious threats are quietly undermining performance and leaving firms exposed. These hidden vulnerabilities, once manageable, become dangerous liabilities in the AI era. Jeff Hirst specializes in helping AEC manage exposure, and in this fascinating presentation, reveals how to identify and resolve these foundational risks while equipping your team with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-transformed future. He explains how to :

• Recognize hidden operational and cultural vulnerabilities that erode performance and learn how to uncover and address them within your organization
• Assess where your AEC firm is most vulnerable in the AI era, given the unique risks our industry faces.
• Apply key skills AEC professionals need—like human experience, journey management and enhanced collaboration—to stay competitive and complement emerging AI technologies.
• Recognize your firm’s AI maturity and create a clear, actionable plan to strengthen future readiness.

Justin Neagle
Will Foret
Spot Migration
Most leaders don’t need to be IT experts to run a high-performing firm. What they need is a clear understanding of how to align technology with business goals. In this session, you’ll learn how the most effective AEC firms are using IT and cybersecurity not just to support their operations, but to drive growth, increase efficiency, and reduce risk across the organization.

Justin Neagle and Will Foret from Spot Migration will share a framework that helps non-technical executives evaluate the maturity of their current systems, identify hidden friction that slows down teams, and understand where technology is quietly costing them time and money. They’ll also share real-world examples of AEC leaders who made strategic IT improvements that boosted productivity, streamlined operations, and increased overall company value.

Whether you are scaling up or stabilizing for the long haul, this session will give you the clarity and confidence to lead your organization’s technology strategy without getting lost in the weeds. You’ll leave with actionable insights that help you turn your IT from a reactive cost center into a proactive growth engine your business can count on.

• Learn how better IT and cybersecurity can make your business more efficient, productive, and secure.
• Understand the hidden ways bad IT slows down your team and costs you money.
• Discover a simple way to check if your current technology is helping or hurting your business.
• See real examples of leaders who improved their IT and saw real business results.
• Arm yourself to turn your IT into a tool that helps your company grow.

Jennifer Acevedo,
Vice President for Marketing & Brand Strategy
NELSON Worldwide
With so many new client relationships starting from an online search, your firm’s business development success is tied to its ability to attract, engage, and convert prospects through digital channels. But how do you break through the noise?

Join Jennifer Acevedo to see how successful AEC firms are shifting from traditional outbound tactics to high-impact inbound strategies powered by storytelling, technology, and data. Discover how small (but mighty) marketing teams can drive measurable growth by aligning with business development and delivering content that resonates—at the right time, on the right channel, and to the right audience.

It’s not about having the biggest team—it’s about having the smartest strategy.

• Build brand awareness for your AEC firm that leads to real relationships
• Leverage tech tools to boost efficiency and insight
• Create a scalable, sustainable marketing engine
• Turn marketing from a cost center into a growth driver

Lucas Hayden
Unanet

AI is redefining how AEC firms operate, with the greatest opportunities emerging at the core of the business- the project lifecycle: choosing the right pursuits, managing projects effectively, and protecting profitability.

In this session, Unanet's Lucas Hayden will demonstrate how AI can be applied in practical ways- from surfacing insights for stronger go/no-go decisions and producing proposals 70% faster, to giving project managers, finance leaders, and seller-doers clear, real-time visibility and adaptive insights. We’ll show how firms can leverage AI for smarter pursuit strategies, project delivery, and financial oversight, reducing wasted effort, improving win rates, and driving healthier margins.

In this session, Unanet's Lucas Hayden will demonstrate how AI can be applied to help firms make better go/no-go decisions, create proposals 70% faster, and give project managers, finance leaders, and seller-doers real-time visibility. We’ll highlight how AI cuts wasted effort, improves win rates, and protects margins.

If you’re an AEC leader looking to make AI real—and valuable—across your firm’s projects, this session is designed for you.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how AI-powered pursuit guidance enables better early-stage decisions, so BD, marketing, and seller-doers focus on the right opportunities.
• See how secure, generative AI platforms help teams generate proposal drafts up to 70% faster, without compromising compliance or quality.
• Learn how AI-driven project and financial insights protect margins and keep projects on track.
• Leave with practical tips for safely and strategically introducing AI into your pursuit, project, and financial workflows- with firmwide buy-in.

Rashod Johnson
President & CEO
Ardmore Roderick

If you’re the kind of AEC leader who answers emails at midnight, powers through pain, and wears pressure like a badge—you’re exactly who this dynamic and interactive keynote address is for.

Twenty years ago, Rashod Johnson launched an infrastructure solutions firm from his attic. Today, as President & CEO of Ardmore Roderick, he leads a company managing over $30 billion in public and private construction as Prime. But the same drive that fueled his rise nearly pushed him over the edge. What looked like discipline from the outside nearly cost him everything.

Don’t miss this sharp, interactive session that challenges the myths we cling to in high-performance leadership in the AEC industry. Through real stories, real-time reflection, and a few uncomfortable truths, Rashod opens the door to a smarter, more sustainable way to lead—without losing your edge.

In this high-impact address, Rashod explores:

• How to let go without losing control
• Why protecting your health is protecting your edge