Annual ElevateAEC Conference

Zweig Group

ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala

Tampa Bay, FL | September 18-19, 2024
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Unite, Innovate, Celebrate, Educate: Elevate AEC

The 2024 ElevateAEC Conference and Awards Gala was incredible! The event was an inspiring convergence of industry visionaries and cutting-edge discussions with unparalleled opportunities to connect and collaborate, all set against the vibrant and beautiful backdrop of Tampa Bay.

View the 2024 album here

2024 ElevateAEC SPEAKERS

Aaron Lauinger
Vice President
About The Speaker
Chad Clinehens
President & CEO
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Chad Coldiron
Principal & Director of Development
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Christopher Lam
CEO
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Don Young
Executive VP, Operations & Organizational Development
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Iona L. Thomas, AICP
Chief Growth + Strategy Officer
About The Speaker
Jeremy Clarke, CTSA
COO | Managing Director, Talent
About The Speaker
Jeremy M. Pelphrey
Partner
About The Speaker
John McAdams
Founder & Chairman
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Joseph Campos
Principal, CEO | CIO
About The Speaker
Joseph Furey
President & CEO
About The Speaker
Justin Smith
Founder
About The Speaker
Kelly L. Stratton
President & Founder
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Kit Miyamoto
Global CEO
About The Speaker
Kristin Kautz
Partner
About The Speaker
Laura Nick
Communications Director
About The Speaker
Lauren Aguilar
Founder & CEO
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Leslie Lauer
Managing Director - Private Wealth Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager - Portfolio Focus
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Linda Darr
President and CEO
About The Speaker
Mark Zweig
Founder & Chairman
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Mike Makris, P.E.
Project Manager
BHC
About The Speaker
Mitch Fortner
President and CEO
KSA
About The Speaker
Rens F. Hayes IV, P.E.
Principal
About The Speaker
Shelby Harvey
Talent Development and HR Director
BHC
About The Speaker
Tiara Marcus
Project Management Group Leader
ISG
About The Speaker
Tom Godin
Director, Strategic Planning Services
About The Speaker
Tracey Eaves
Valuation Services
About The Speaker
Traci Petcoff Wong, PE
Principal- SoCal Region
About The Speaker
Will Swearingen
Principal & Director of Ownership Transition
About The Speaker
Ying Liu
Advisor, Strategy
About The Speaker
Randy Wilburn
Consultant, Podcast Strategy
About The Speaker

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

8:00am - 4:30pm
M&A Next Symposium
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Check-In for ElevateAEC
5:00pm - 7:00pm
M&A Next Closing Reception + ElevateAEC Welcome Reception

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

8:00am
Breakfast
9:00am
Welcome Remarks and Kick Off of 2024 Conference Theme: Return on Investment

with Chad Clinehens

9:20am
Opening Keynote & Panel - The AEC Firm of 2035

with Linda Darr, Iona Thomas and Mike Makris

10:10am
AEC Firm of 2035 Roundtables

10:45am
Break
11:00am
Industry Expert Panel - How to Accomplish Big Things

Driving ROI and Ownership of Your Most Valuable Initiatives Down Through Your Organization with Tiara Marcus, Aaron Lauinger, Rens Hayes and Justin Smith

12:00pm
Lunch

Featuring the Engineering Drone Videos of the Year from 2020-2024 and the Top New Venture Award

1:00pm
Breakout Session One

A: Beyond Culture: Compensation Strategies to Drive Recruiting and Retention Performance with Jeremy Clarke and Tom Godin

B: Intelligent Market Research to Drive Strategic Growth with Ying Liu and Sarah Kinard

C: Valuation Challenges and the Effect on Ownership Transition with Tracey Eaves and Will Swearingen

2:00pm
Break
2:15pm
Breakout Session Two

A: Building a Best in Class Corporate Training Program with Mitch Fortner

B: Using an ESOP as a Liquidity or Succession Strategy with Leslie Lauer and Jeremy M. Pelphrey

C: How to Equip Your Firm for an AI/Tech Driven Future with Kristin Kautz

3:15pm
Break
3:30pm
Breakout Session Three

A: DEI Is Not What You Think It Is with Lauren Aguilar

B: Enduring Legacies: How we Inspire and Transition Ownership to the Next Generation with John McAdams

C: Productivity and Efficiency Made Easy: New Intelligent Tools for AEC Leaders with Kelly Straton

4:30pm
Free Time / Beach Time

Thursday, September 19, 2024

8:00am
Breakfast
9:00am
Opening Keynote - Leading with a Cause

with Kit Miyamoto, Traci Wong, and Mark Zweig

10:15am
Break
10:30am
Best Firms Panel - Cultural ROI

How Firms Maintain a Strong, Positive Culture During Times of Rapid Change and Extremes with Shelby Harvey, Don Young and Joseph Campos

11:30pm
Lunch Presentation - Recruiting and Retention Solutions

sponsored by ElevateHER®

1:15pm
Trending Topics Roundtables

4-20 minute rotations

2:30pm
Closing Remarks & Break
6:00pm
Red Carpet Cocktail Reception
7:00pm
2024 Black Tie Awards Dinner and Gala
9:40pm
ElevateAEC Afterparty

Thank you to our 2024 Sponsors

Thank you to our 2024 ElevateHER sponsors