Engineering Influence from ACEC

How can engineering firms prepare for a future defined by rapid change, evolving client needs, and growing complexity?

In this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with Hoss Tabrizi, from Ulteig, to explore how engineering firms can remain agile, resilient, and ready for what comes next.

Hoss discusses the importance of planning for multiple scenarios rather than relying on a single vision of the future, and how firms can use standardization, automation, and digitization to improve efficiency while preserving the creativity and problem-solving that are essential to engineering. From power and renewables to transportation and water, the conversation examines how changing demands are reshaping the way firms approach their people, projects, and clients.

Hoss also discusses one of the industry's most pressing challenges: workforce. They discuss global talent strategies, developing the next generation of engineering professionals, and how technology can help teams accomplish more while maintaining quality and innovation.

The conversation also explores resilience in an increasingly unpredictable environment, including preparing infrastructure and organizations for extreme weather, cybersecurity risks, and other emerging challenges.

Finally, Hoss shares his perspective on leadership during periods of uncertainty and why trust, transparency, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace change are critical for building strong teams and positioning engineering firms for long-term success.

In this special episode we collaborate with QBS Express and sit down with U.S. Representative Ron Estes of Kansas for a conversation on tax policy, infrastructure, and regulatory reform.

About the Guest: Representative Ron Estes has represented Kansas's 4th District in the U.S. House since 2017, following service as Sedgwick County Treasurer and Kansas State Treasurer. An engineer by training with years of private-sector experience, he brings a practical, problem-solving perspective to Congress and has been a key ally to ACEC members on the tax issues that affect engineering firms.

What We Cover:

- His lead role on the American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act, and the years-long push to restore immediate R&D expensing instead of five-year amortization

- Why R&D cash flow matters for startups and small firms, not just big businesses

- The outlook for surface transportation reauthorization and shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund

- Why infrastructure means more than roads and bridges: water and wastewater treatment, waterways, and the systems that move goods and services

- Regulatory simplification and permitting reform, and why lawmakers with private-sector experience understand that businesses have to live with the policies Congress passes

Artificial intelligence is moving fast and engineering firms are being asked to adopt it just as quickly. But what does that mean for risk? On this episode of Engineering Influence, Jim Compton and Joe Bates dig into new research from the ACEC Research Institute examining how AI adoption is reshaping risk exposure across the engineering industry.

They break down what the data actually shows: where firms are seeing the most risk, how leadership is thinking about liability and oversight, and what firms of every size should be considering as they build out their own AI strategies.

Whether you're just starting to explore AI tools or already integrating them into your workflows, this conversation offers a data-driven look at where the industry stands and where it's headed.

Water infrastructure is the backbone of how communities survive and thrive in the face of a changing climate. In this episode, we sit down with Walter P Moore to explore what it really takes to build resilient water systems, from aging infrastructure challenges to forward-looking engineering solutions.

We dig into:

💧 The state of water infrastructure across the country

🌊 Engineering strategies for resilience and long-term impact

🏗️ How firms like Walter P Moore are shaping the future of water management 

Tune in for a conversation about the systems that keep our communities running and the engineers working to make sure they keep running for generations to come.

In this episode of The Market Edge, Diana O' Lare sits down with veteran journalist and broadcaster Llewellyn King to discuss his concept of the "New Weather" and what it means for infrastructure, migration, economic development, and investment.

They explore:

✅ The economic implications of a potential Super El Niño

✅ Why heat and water constraints may reshape growth patterns

✅ The growing need for resilient infrastructure

✅ Who pays for adaptation in an era of rising deficits

✅ How AI could help predict and prepare for future risks

In this episode of the Engineering Influence podcast, Sharon Jean-Baptiste, President of Ardmore Roderick, shares her leadership journey in the engineering industry and the lessons that have shaped her career. She discusses the lasting impact engineering work can have on communities, offers advice for young professionals just starting out in the field, and speaks to why mentorship remains one of the most powerful tools for building the next generation of engineering leaders.

🎙️ Some Topics covered:

👉 Sharon's path to becoming President of Ardmore Roderick

👉 Advice for young engineers and professionals entering the industry

👉 How engineering projects shape and strengthen communities

👉 The role of mentorship in developing future leaders

Initially unveiled in Summer 2023, nearly 200 ACEC member firms have participated in the Roadmap — a DEI&B maturity model and benchmarking tool that gives engineering firm executives a comprehensive, data-driven way to assess the maturity of their firm's DEIB program, with actionable suggestions for making further progress.

Chad Clinehens brings the data and the on-the-ground perspective from years of benchmarking the AEC industry, and together unpacks what the roadmap recommends, where firms are already making progress, and where the real work still lies ahead.

🔗 Get the Report: https://program.acec.org/diversity-roadmap-acec-research-institute/?hsLang=en#get-report

In this special episode of the QBS Express — recorded in Washington, D.C. — host Scott Heidner (Executive Director, ACEC Kansas) and co-host Rob Krewson (President, ACEC Kansas) sit down with U.S. Representative Derek Schmidt of Kansas for a wide-ranging conversation on infrastructure, policy, and public service.

About the Guest: Congressman Derek Schmidt has spent his career in Kansas public service — as a legislative staffer, ten years in the Kansas State Senate, three terms as Kansas Attorney General, and now representing Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives. A licensed attorney, he brings a practicing professional's perspective to the policy conversation.

In this episode of The Market Edge, ACEC's Vice President of Market Intelligence, Diana O'Lare, speaks with FMI Chief Economist Brian Strawberry on What markets are growing? Which sectors are cooling? And what does the rapid rise of data centers and energy infrastructure mean for the future of the AEC industry? 

In this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with Boris Martin, CEO of Engineers Without Borders USA, to talk about how purpose-driven engineering is reshaping careers and communities alike. Boris shares how EWB-USA partners with communities around the world and here at home to solve real infrastructure challenges. Volunteering on meaningful projects builds stronger, more fulfilled engineers. We discuss how firms can support purpose-driven work to boost retention and engagement, and what the next generation of community-focused engineering leadership looks like.

For more information or to connect, email [email protected].