2023 AEC Virginia Spring Conference Sessions

Leaders at all levels of an organization have the ability to influence the culture. The impact of the culture will determine the level of engagement you receive from employees. Let’s spend this roundtable discussing how to positively influence company culture and the tips and tricks to improving employee engagement.

This roundtable will discuss how to approach business development in a post-pandemic world. Where do we see market sector growth opportunities after covid? How has marketing and business development been impacted by covid, and where do we go from here? What do you do if your client is not having “in-person” meetings or gatherings or if they are working remotely?

Share your insights (if you wish) and hear what others in the AEC industry have to share about the challenges they face and the lessons they've learned in their efforts to grow and sustain strong leadership within their firms. Identifying and nurturing emerging leaders? Retaining top talent with leadership potential? Leadership demands and work/life balance? Leaderdhip in a hybrid or remote work environment? How to 'let go' so others can grow as leaders? Leadership/ownership transition planning? Something else related to leadership? This roundtable will cover what the participants want to discuss.

This roundtable will explore best practices in business development with the A/E/C industry, discussing trends and directions within the industries. This interactive discussion will expore subject matter such as market sector activity, industry differences, work/pursuit styles, pursuit tracking, and others.

Jay Langston (moderator): Curry Roberts, Linda Green, John Loftus, Steve Harrison/Doug Smith This session will explore Virginia’s increasing need for business ready sites, particularly larger sites, to attract economically impactful companies. Speed-to-market across all business sectors is increasing the need for sites that, if are not pad ready, they are one step away from having site disturbance permits issued. The panel will consist of state, regional, and local-level economic developers who are actively engaged in site development. They will discuss factors driving this work and the impediments sometimes faced.

Mia Gilliam, Wiley Wilson ; Caitlin Crockett, ATCS ; Bill Cooper

1. Encourage: Learn to advocate for support and sponsorship in your career and professional development. 2. Engage: Ascertain the value of continuing education and consistent career growth at every experience level. 3. Experience: Broaden your perspective of professional experiences and pathways to guide your career.

When an engineer is in the industry long enough, they are likely to find themselves on the receiving letter of a letter or email suggesting that they disappointed their client. But what happens next? This panel discussion will demystify the process of reporting a claim (or circumstance) to an engineer’s professional liability carrier and engaging/working with a lawyer to resolve the issue. This panel will also discuss how a claim may affect their business long-term, including disclosures in response to questions posed in RFPs and impacts on insurance renewals.

During this panel discussion, you will hear from ACEC’s and AIA’s lobbyist, Patrick Cushing, and Delegate Betsy Carr, a senior member of the House Democratic Caucus, on how the General Assembly works and the role of advocacy in policymaking.

This presentation will touch on key trends in our economy and how they will affect the design and construction industry in Virginia. It will focus on strategic issues that architecture firms and construction contractors will be dealing with over the coming years, including developing and maintaining a workforce, sustainable construction trends, renovating existing buildings, and emerging technologies that affect the design and construction process.