Join your architecture and engineering firm peers in Scottsdale for three powerful days of networking, strategy, and fresh approaches to improving business performance.
Welcome to the architecture, engineering, and construction industry’s leading growth
and profitability conference. AEC THRIVE brings together key decisionmakers for connection
and collaboration on the business and management strategies that drive lasting success.
Attending AEC THRIVE is your unique opportunity to learn what other firms are doing right now to vault to the next level of profit and performance as the business climate continues to evolve. Join us for:
- NEW ideas for grabbing more market share as the economy shifts from explosive to sustained demand
- NEW approaches to managing people and projects more profitably
- NEW strategies for staying ahead of the technology development and adoption wave
- NEW opportunities to network with peer AEC executives in a relaxing and recharging location
- NEW ways to CRUSH your firm's revenue and growth goals using fresh data, benchmarks, and tactics.

"The best AEC conference I have ever attended.”
“Rock-solid experts with real-life experience. I left for home feeling motivated to take action.”
“This event continues to be the most educational in our industry. Great range of topics. Challenging and broadens my thinking. Great job. I’ll be back next year!”
“The sessions are obviously very valuable... but it was the connections and discussions during breaks that I will cherish and build on for years to come.”

Where is this economy headed and how will it impact you and your business? Big picture: Ron Insana says it’s time to buckle up because the future may look a lot more like the past than anything we’ve experienced since the 1980s. A student of economic and markets history, Ron authored four books on these subjects. Ron lays out scenarios for the economic, business, and investing future – looking at the macro forces currently at play and identifying what happened during periods in history when similar forces converged. While history doesn’t repeat itself, it rhymes, as the old axiom goes. This long view helps Ron, a pioneer in broadcast financial news since 1984, provide clarity when assessing complex economic environments – connecting the dots and creating a coherent and actionable set of insights for audiences looking to plan for the future.

Is your AEC firm’s governance structure optimized for current market conditions... and what’s coming?
Hear how a structural engineering firm is meeting strategic objectives by rethinking the relationship between internal leadership, an advisory board, and the board of directors. Whatever your current model is, you benefit from hearing Greg’s revealing and practical
ideas for rethinking the decision-making process and driving growth.

Gene Dawson, Jr., P.E. serves as Chairman of Pape-Dawson, a leading 2,000-person, multidisciplinary civil engineering firm renowned for its innovative infrastructure solutions and community-focused development projects. With over four decades of experience in the industry, Gene has been instrumental in shaping the firm’s legacy of excellence, sustainability, and strategic growth.
As Chairman, Gene oversees the firm’s long-term vision, governance, and operations. His leadership has guided Pape-Dawson through significant expansions, promoted continued innovation, and built a culture that prioritizes professional development and community stewardship through sustainable solutions, civic involvement, and philanthropy.

Barry Barber of 5,500-strong engineering and design powerhouse Kimley-Horn has spent his career challenging the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality.
Barry reframes AEC executive thinking by asking the right questions about firm culture, ownership transition planning, employee and client satisfaction, skilled talent motivation, geographic, market, and client diversity, remote work practices, and much more. Plus, he provided a candid and revealing insider’s view from the top of one of the most successful (#15 on ENR’s Top 500, 14-time FORTUNE Best Places to Work) design firms.

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.

Robert Kaplan, Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs, served as the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 2015 until 2021. Before that, he was Professor of Management Practice and a Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School. He shared his business climate outlook for the AEC industry and the critical questions to ask yourself to become a more effective leader.
3 Reasons AEC THRIVE is MUST-ATTEND

Fresh case studies, eye-opening 2026 business data, and breakthrough ideas to help you RETHINK and RE-ENERGIZE your AEC firm's growth strategy...

Unique networking opportunities connect you with peer AEC firm leaders in a stimulating environment to swap bold new techniques...

Sessions on AEC financial management, business development, project execution, AI applications, and talent engagement to fuel explosive firmwide performance gains!
Get even more value out of your AEC THRIVE experience when you add our optional pre-conference session on Wednesday, September 30, 2026
AEC Executive Workshop:
The CEO’s Guide to Finding and Cultivating Superstar Next-Gen Leaders
One of the most significant questions looming over AEC firm leaders is “Who will run our firm tomorrow?"
Unfortunately, for too many firms, there is no clear answer as executives focus on urgent day-to-day client and project matters. Best-in-class leadership development programs focus on the right topics at the right time with the right people. Sound easy? It isn’t “hard”, but it is complex.
In this one-day deep-dive workshop, we cover virtually every facet of finding and cultivating your next business unit leaders, firm owners, and C-suite executives. You learn:
- What you might be saying, doing, and even thinking that is pouring ice water on your rising stars' passion for increased responsibility.
- How to structure a formal leadership development program that is scalable, effective, and affordable.
- Tools, resources, and tactics that take the guesswork out of identifying future leaders.
- How to get the correlation between ownership and leadership right so you never struggle to find future owners.
- And much more!
Unless you are completely convinced that your leadership development program is delivering the best possible results, don’t miss this critical add-on!
Registration options

AEC THRIVE plus AEC Executive Workshop
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AEC Executive Workshop: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
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AEC THRIVE: Thursday - Friday, October 1-2, 2026

AEC THRIVE Conference Only
- Thursday - Friday
October 1-2, 2026

AEC Executive Workshop Only
AEC Executive Workshop: delivers a wealth of action-oriented ideas to rethink and energize your leadership training and succession strategy.
- Wednesday, September 30, 2026

AEC THRIVE Venue
AEC THRIVE is coming to Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, offering luxury comfort, exciting evening opportunities, and sophisticated amenities.