Annual ElevateAEC Conference

See details here**

*Offsite at the Briscoe Western Museum

with Chad Clinehens (Zweig Group)

with Lynn Wong (LW Coaches)

with Scott Cattran (Woolpert), Vanessa McMahan (Pape-Dawson), Jered Morris (Olsson) and facilitated by Frank Lazaro (KP Reddy)

presented and sponsored by KP Reddy

LEADERSHIP: Fast-Track Leadership: Think Clearly, Move Quickly, Lead with Impact
with Barbara Shuck, FSMPS, CPSM (Everest Marketing Services)

In today’s AEC environment, leaders must make decisions under pressure, communicate with clarity, and guide teams through constant change—without slowing down. This high-energy session equips you with three fast-track leadership moves to sharpen your mindset, simplify your message, and lead with agility. Leave with a personalized leadership move to implement Monday morning.

INNOVATION: Deep Dive on DIAL: The Reference Standard for Innovation in Your Firm
with Frank Lazaro (KP Reddy)

This session introduces the DIAL Framework, a practical standard for measuring and improving innovation across six key areas. Attendees will learn how to transform innovation into a structured, repeatable process that drives change and long-term value. Complete the free DIAL assessment here before the session and get an instant report, with results also shared during the session. Only one response per firm needed.

STRATEGY: The Growth Trifecta: Vision, Marketing & BD
with Ying Liu (Zweig Group) and Scott Butcher (Stambaugh Ness)

Learn how aligning vision, marketing, and business development can create a powerful engine for growth. Gain data-driven insights, real firm examples, and practical tools to connect strategy with execution and drive revenue, reputation, and relevance.

PERFORMANCE: Beyond the Numbers: How Benchmarking is Driving Smarter Decisions in AE Firms
with Steve Burns, FAIA (The Well-Designed Firms)

Explore how benchmarking helps AE leaders navigate economic shifts, talent challenges, and changing client demands with confidence. Learn how top firms set performance targets, track progress, and leverage data to drive revenue, profit, and growth.

LEADERSHIP: Accelerating Leadership: Unlocking Strength, Resilience, and Coaching for Performance
with Dave Williams (ISG)

Learn how ISG’s approach to leadership has fueled rapid growth, geographic expansion, and increased profitability. Walk away with actionable strategies to build a leadership pipeline, align talent development with business goals, and drive long-term success.

INNOVATION: Looking Back, Looking Forward: Using Industry Data to Drive Innovation
with Scott Butcher (Stambaugh Ness) and Megan Miller (Deltek)

Learn how to combine internal, industry, and market data to fuel innovation. This session shares practical AEC examples for using data to boost productivity and gain a competitive edge.

STRATEGY: The Client Whisperer: Growing Revenue with the Right Clients
with Emily Waldenmeyer (HP Engineering, now IMEG)

Learn how to identify and prioritize clients that align with your vision. This session offers strategies to manage client life cycles and drive sustainable growth by focusing on the right work.

PERFORMANCE: Leaders are Readers: Insights & Inspirations from Outside AEC
with Tom Godin (Zweig Group) and Amy Jones (O'Connell Robertson)

This fast-paced session shares leadership and performance lessons from business, sports, the arts, and more. Attendees will leave with fresh ideas, actionable insights, and inspiration to elevate their impact and drive high performance.

LEADERSHIP: Ownership Thinking – Building a Culture of Accountability, Purpose & Performance
with Kate Allen (Stambaugh Ness), and Kristi Weierbach (Stambaugh Ness)

Learn how to foster ownership thinking to build a culture of accountability, purpose, and high performance. This session shares practical strategies to help staff connect their work to firm goals and take responsibility for driving results.

INNOVATION: Transforming Practice as a Data-Enabled Business
with Peter Devereaux (HED Design), and Bob Rayes (Corgan)

Learn how the Innovation Design Consortium helps firms become data-enabled businesses through CEO–technology leader collaboration. This session explores the long-term transformation needed to create a new business model and delivery system.

STRATEGY: From Deductions to Credits: Tax Tools for High-Performing AEC Firms
with Jennifer Nelson (Stambaugh Ness)

Discover how proactive tax strategies can fuel growth in AE firms. This session covers deductions, credits, and new legislation like the OBBBA to help leaders align tax planning with performance, innovation, and long-term value.

PERFORMANCE: Organizational Alchemy: The Chemistry Between Org Structure and Culture
with Rachel R Gresham (American Institute of Architects) NOTE: 90 MINUTE WORKSHOP

This session explores four core corporate culture types and how they interact with firm structure. Attendees will identify their firm’s cultural profile and learn practical negotiation and advocacy techniques to influence positive, lasting change.

Sponsored by RBC Wealth Management

with Mike Carragher (VHB)

with Hezekiah Harris (CMTS), Lisa Robert (RS&H), Mike Carragher (VHB), and facilitated by Ying Liu (Zweig Group)

LEADERSHIP: Bridging the Strategy Gap: A Case Study in Client Engagement
with Justin Smith (Zweig Group) and Mark Presti (Ulteig)

This case study shows how one firm beat initiative fatigue and made a client engagement push stick. Justin Smith and Mark Presti share practical lessons—clear messaging, engaging media, and reinforcement strategies—to align teams, drive behaviors, and deliver measurable results.

INNOVATION: Elevate the Win: How Real-World AI is Reshaping AEC Pursuits and Proposals
with Lucas Hayden (Unanet)

Learn how AI can help AEC firms pursue the right work, make smarter go/no-go decisions, and create proposals up to 70% faster. This session shares real-world examples of reducing wasted effort, improving hit rates, and winning smarter with practical AI.

STRATEGY: Strategic Fortitude: Achieving Your Vision by Never Letting the Dust Settle on your Strategic Plan
with Gordon Greene, Hiren Patel, Joseph Lauk, and Joseph Losaria (Patel, Greene, and Associates)

Hear how Patel Greene and Associates turned strategic plans into actionable growth, driving 20% annual revenue increases while maintaining an award-winning culture. Attendees will learn practical approaches to building, tracking, and executing plans that engage staff and deliver results.

PERFORMANCE: Compensation & Incentive Strategies to Drive Performance
with Kristi Weierbach (Stambaugh Ness) and Jeremy Clarke (Zweig Group)

Learn how to design compensation and incentive models that align employee behavior with firm goals. This session covers common pitfalls, alternative strategies, and practical tools for building performance-based systems that drive accountability and results.

with Stefanie Richter (sa.global) and Casey Shea (sa.global)

with Dr. Boris Martin, (Engineers Without Borders, USA), and Matt Wessale (Westwood)

with Marci Thompson (SMPS)