Message from Beth--September 24, 2025

ACEC Ohio Partners with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) on BIM Standards and Contract Updates. This initiative is part of a broader effort to move public facility projects toward more comprehensive digital deliverables that improve long-term asset management and operational efficiency.

Participate in the 2025 ACEC Ohio Salary & Benefits Survey

The 2025 Salary and Benefits Survey is now open. Participate by October 17 to access exclusive data from Ohio engineering companies at a discounted rate.

ACEC Ohio Presents PSMJ Project Management Bootcamp – January 28–29, 2026

Early-Bird registration ends December 19! Sharpen your project management skills at this two-day, high-impact workshop designed for AEC professionals.

Update from ACEC National 

H-1B Visas:

The Administration has proposed a new $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, for more information please see official proclamation from the White House and USCIS  Guidance document. The fee will only apply to new applications in the next round of the H-1B visa lottery or allocation. ACEC is coordinating with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other stakeholders on a response to the fee. At this time, they may seek an exemption for the industry to this proclamation. 

In addition, the Administration also plans to issue a proposal that would replace the H-1B visa lottery with a system to allocate the visas based on highest compensation. ACEC met with the Administration to express our concerns and will comment as soon as the proposed rule is publicly released. We are also hearing that they will reissue another one of their proposed rules from 2020 (none of which took effect at that time) that would increase prevailing wages for H-1B visa holders.

Click here to view the full update from ACEC National

• Designing Local

ACEC Ohio Continues Lunch & Learn Series--Register for one or all today!

Virtual Lunch & Learn Remaining 3 Sessions:

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - Strengths-Based Leadership Development
Presenter: Kate Allen
Engineers frequently step into leadership positions with deep technical expertise but little preparation for leading people. While leadership once relied on top-down authority, today’s success comes from empowering others, leveraging their natural talents.  This session provides practical tools to identify and apply personal and team strengths to foster trust, collaboration, and high performance.
Learning Objectives

1. Gain insight into why modern leadership emphasizes strengths over enforcing authority.
2. Discover your own strengths and how to apply them effectively in leadership roles.
3. Learn to use a strengths-based approach to building a high-performing team.

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - M&A Strategy
Presenter: Jeff Adams

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 - Ownership Transition
Presenter: Brad Wilson

Participants will receive Continued Professional Development (CPD) certificates upon completion of each webinar in the series!

Click HERE to register!

ACEC Ohio & ACEC Indiana Virtual Finance Forum

Join ACEC Ohio and ACEC Indiana for a Joint Virtual Finance Forum on Tuesday, October 21 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM, featuring Anirban Basu, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Sage Policy Group, as he provides timely insights on the economic outlook for the year ahead.

With the presidential and congressional elections of 2024 in the rearview, our eyes turn to 2025. Has the Federal Reserve engineered a soft landing, or is stagflation on the way? Can America continue to pace the advanced world, or will expanding indebtedness, policy uncertainty, and over-extended asset values prove our collective undoing?

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in breakout sessions.

Breakout Session 1: Internal Controls and Cash Flow Management

Facilitator Mike Farrell – CFO, United Consulting (Indianapolis)

Breakout Session 2: AASHTO updates and working with the DOTs
Facilitator – Jason Bainter, CBIZ, Shareholder/Director

Breakout Session 3: Market dynamics/M&A/Succession planning
Facilitator – Scott Sutton, CBIZ, Managing Director

Click HERE to view the full agenda!

Click HERE to register!