What’s on the minds of engineering firms… thoughts from the ACEC National Convention

Submitted by Bob Gomes, President & CEO

Bob Gomes speaking at
the ACEC convention

Last month I attended my first American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) annual meeting and convention, held in Washington, DC. I’ve been involved at the provincial level in Canada for many years but had never had much exposure to the breadth of the organization in the US until this event. Needless to say, I was very impressed with the high profile ACEC has in the US, and especially in Washington, DC.

At the invitation of the ACEC, I certainly got to jump in with both feet at my first event, participating in a CEO roundtable and serving as one of three morning panel speakers about industry trends and challenges. During the roundtable—which included about 50 CEO of firms larger than 500 employees—we discussed everything from getting more public support and understanding for funding for infrastructure improvements and the criteria for earning a Professional Engineer designation to paying more serious attention to mentoring and diversifying our workforce.

Diversity is an especially important topic to me. It’s well known that the engineering industry has tended to be perceived as rather homogeneous (although that is improving). I’d like to see organizations like the ACEC support more formal internal and external programs to help improve that perception and its reality. The convention’s federal markets teaming fair, in which large firms had the opportunity to meet with women-owned, minority-owned, disadvantaged, and other small firms, is one step in the right direction. At Stantec, we’re trying to more proactively engage all corners of younger generations through our partnerships with schools across the US and Canada and participation in initiatives like the ACE Mentor Program.

The other speakers echoed many of the same concerns raised during the roundtable. Mactec CEO Ann Massey shed some light on how the recession affected her firm and how they responded, while Paul Yarossi of HNTB stressed the importance and impacts of lacking transportation funding. Although I primarily focused on Stantec’s acquisition strategy—a topic I’m well versed on at this point!—I was also able to complement Paul’s discussion by explaining how Public-Private Partnerships, also called P3s, work in Canada and what needs to happen in the US to make them a source of infrastructure funding.

The NREL project team accepting its award

A highlight of the entire event for me was undoubtedly the Engineering Excellence Awards gala in which two of our own projects were nominated as national winners: the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Research Support Facility in Golden, Colorado, and an effort to reconstruct a century-old dam on the Kentucky River. There’s nothing like being there in person to see your own employees and clients honored by their peers in what is essentially the “Academy Awards” of our field.

Thinking back on the convention, I was really struck by the strong alliance and sense of unity our industry is provided through organizations such as ACEC. Stantec is intimately involved in local ACEC chapters in many states but has not had as strong a presence at the national level. More active participation certainly benefits our staff and our Company, plus helps contribute to the larger causes championed by the ACEC and our industry. So, ACEC, you may be hearing more from us this year!

Already looking forward to next year’s event…