Engineering Influence from ACEC

In this episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast, we sit down with Joe Bates of the ACEC Research Institute to break down the findings from the Q2 Engineering Business Sentiment Report. Joe dives into the latest data on how engineering firms are feeling about business conditions, workload, hiring, and the overall economic outlook. Whether you're a firm principal, project manager, or industry o...

A big thank you to Autodesk, the sponsor of Engineering Influence at this year's convention. Autodesk partners with the AECO industry and its leaders to shape a more connected, data-driven future, empowering engineers to work more intelligently and to make confident decisions to drive meaningful impact. This enables firms to evolve, stay competitive, and deliver stronger business outcomes, all whi...

Communities across the country are facing a new era of water challenges — from shifting climate patterns and extreme rainfall to growing stormwater demands, groundwater stress, and pressure from water-intensive industries. In this episode, we sit down with water‑resources expert Camilla Correll to explore how watershed governance is evolving, what climate trends matter most for the next decade, an...

Welcome to Engineering Influence, a podcast from the American Council of Engineering Companies coming to you from our 2026 convention and legislative summit in Washington, D.C. Host interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham about the state of American politics, the erosion of institutions, parallels between the 1920s and today, the rise of nationalized and atomized political discours...

In this episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast, ACEC’s Thomas Grogan sits down with Dan Palo of Barr Engineering to unpack one of the most important—and often overlooked—topics shaping our future: critical minerals. What exactly makes a mineral “critical”? Why are materials like lithium, rare earth elements, copper, and uranium suddenly at the center of conversations around energy, infrastru...

The residential market is shifting fast, and Diana O’ Lare and Mollie Carmichael of Zonda Homes break down what’s driving it—from rising rates and affordability pressures to the surge in build‑for‑rent, active adult, and multigenerational living—while highlighting the regions outperforming expectations, the looming boomer wealth transfer reshaping demand, and the policy ideas that could finally mo...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Ardurra on Engineering Influence, host Jeff Urbanchuk picks back up with Ernesto Aguilar, President and CEO of Ardurra Group, diving deeper into the topics that matter most to engineering firm leaders right now. After covering Ardurra's meteoric rise from a small regional firm to a national water and infrastructure leader, Jeff and Ernesto shift the focus to what...

Greg Kelly, CEO of STV, and Vice Chair of the ACEC Research Institute appeared on WTBQ-AM in New York to discuss the Institute's new research on the national shortage of engineers.  The shortage is being driven by a combination of retirements, visa limits for international graduates, and a shrinking recruitment pipeline. Greg explains how firms use internships, mentorship, and competitive salaries...

What happens when an industry faces a talent shortage serious enough to threaten its future? You stop waiting and start building the pipeline yourself. In this episode of Engineering Influence, host Jeff Urbanchuk sits down with leaders from ACEC Missouri, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and SCI Engineering to tackle one of the profession's most pressing challenges: the growing engi...

The health care and science+technology market is undergoing profound change — not just in how care is delivered, but in the physical environments where it happens. From AI-powered research labs to rural hospital closures, the forces reshaping this $70 billion sector are creating both urgent challenges and significant opportunities for engineering and design firms. ACEC's Winter/Spring 2026 Market...

What does it take to grow a small regional engineering firm into a nationally recognized, private equity-backed water infrastructure platform — in just nine years? In this episode of Engineering Influence, Ernesto Aguilar, CEO of Ardurra, takes us behind the scenes of one of the most intentional growth stories in the AEC industry. Ernesto walks through Ardura's evolution from its early days as a f...

Joe Bates, Senior Researcher at the ACEC Research Institute, sits down with WSVA-AM/FM Harrisonburg, VA Radio Station to discuss the engineering shortage that the U.S. faces. In 2022 about 184,000 engineers retired or left while only 166,000 new engineers entered the workforce, creating an 18,000‑person shortfall. The radio interview covers causes (retirements, career changes, and restrictive H‑1B...

How confident are engineering firm leaders heading into 2026? In this episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast, Jeff Urbanchuk sits down with Joe Bates, Senior Researcher at the ACEC Research Institute, to break down the findings from the newly released Q1 2026 Engineering Business Sentiment Report. This quarterly report captures insights from CEOs and senior executives at ACEC member firms ac...

How is engineering evolving — and what does the future demand from today’s leaders? Host, Molly Tuttle is joined by Rodney Chester and Kathy Renzetti for an engaging Engineering Week discussion on resilience, mentorship, and the power of engineering to strengthen communities. From lessons learned to what’s next for the industry, this conversation highlights the people and purpose driving engineeri...

In this episode of the Market Edge podcast, we connect the dots between policy, planning, engineering, and financing to reveal what it truly takes to build resilient communities in an era of growing risk. Our conversation explores how public and private sector leaders can collaborate to reduce vulnerability before disaster strikes. We dive into the role engineers play not just in rebuilding after...

Brock Storrusten and Dennis Boone join ACEC’s Engineering Influence to explore how AI and large language models are rapidly transforming the AEC industry—and what engineering firms can do right now to adopt these tools responsibly. In this episode, they break down the real-world opportunities AI presents, from streamlining marketing automation to leveraging existing tools for everyday workflows. T...

In this episode of the Engineering Influence podcast, we sit down with Betsy Bond from Prosci to discuss the importance of good change management in the AEC industry. In today’s rapidly evolving engineering landscape, even the best technical solutions can fall short if organizations struggle to adopt and sustain change. Leaders need the skills to guide teams through transitions, reduce resistance,...

In this episode, Diana O’Lare sits down with Phil Crone, Vice President of State and Regulatory Affairs at Leading Builders of America, for an in-depth conversation on the U.S. housing affordability crisis—and what political and regulatory hurdles exist. Together, they unpack the real-world challenges driving up costs and limiting supply, including permitting delays and the need for reform, the gr...

On this episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast, host Diana O’Lare sits down with Peter Nabhan to explore how artificial intelligence—particularly GPU-driven workloads—is reshaping the future of data center development. As AI adoption accelerates, demand for power is surging, fueling the rise of massive, campus-scale data center projects across the U.S. The conversation dives into the evolvin...

In this episode of ACEC’s Engineering Influence podcast, RS&H CEO Lisa Robert offers an in-depth look at the firm’s expanding journey into employee ownership and how it’s reshaping every corner of the organization. Robert explains why broadening participation through all-associate stock offerings has become a powerful cultural engine—strengthening retention, enhancing recruitment, and creating...

At the 2025 ACEC Fall Conference in San Diego, global futurist, author, and CEO of Tomorrow, Mike Walsh delivers a compelling vision for how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the business of engineering. Walsh explains why we are entering a new industrial revolution—one driven not by mechanical automation, but by the emergence of digital workers capable of reasoning, making decisi...

In this episode of Engineering Influence, we take a deep dive into how Bentley Systems’ and Seequent are bringing together more than just technology. Our guests explain how real-time subsurface data sharing is transforming design workflows, enhancing collaboration between field teams and engineers, and laying the groundwork for more robust digital twin capabilities across the entire project lifecy...

In this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with Apurva Sawant, a transportation project manager at Jacobs, whose professional and personal journey spans continents, disciplines, and leadership roles. Apurva reflects on her early years in India, where an unexpected spark of curiosity led her toward engineering—a field that would eventually guide her across the world to the United States....

At the 2025 ACEC Fall Conference, we sit down with ACEC Scholarship recipient Evan Lopez, whose journey from Rutgers University to Clemson University reflects both determination and a deepening passion for solving real-world engineering challenges. In this episode, Evan opens up about how he discovered industrial engineering, why the discipline’s blend of systems thinking and practical problem-sol...

In this episode of Engineering Influence, host Shreya Jain sits down with Mallory Weber, one of ACEC’s Young Professional of the Year, for an inspiring conversation about passion, persistence, and finding purpose in engineering. Mallory shares how her early love of Legos and growing up around construction sites sparked a curiosity that evolved into a career in transportation engineering. She walks...