Engineering Inc. - November/December 2019 - 31

"Overwhelmingly, engineering firms
in general are growing their client bases,
profit margins, and size of their firms,"
says Matthew Murello, ACEC Coalition
Leaders chair-elect and president of
Lewis S. Goodfriend & Associates. "The
smaller engineering firms are looking to
diversify or expand either through their
services or geographically. Meanwhile,
some of the practice-based firms are
looking to expand on their practices
through mergers and acquisitions or by
adding new offices in new cities."
In concert with the success many
firms are experiencing in certain market
segments, all firms must continue to
operate with a certain agility and with a
keen eye focused on the long-term.
"The pipeline looks strong in both
public and private sides in a lot of

segments," says Kevin Peterson,

The increase in natural disasters and
extreme weather events-wildfires,
hurricanes, mudslides, and flooding-
have created opportunities for firms to

disasters, including California, New
York, Colorado, Vermont, and South
Carolina, are pushing for resiliency in
the planning design and operating of
transportation systems. "I expect other
states will follow their lead," says Kelly.
Federally, the America's Transportation
Infrastructure Act, which was approved
in August, includes a provision to invest
$4.9 billion over five years in a new
resiliency program to protect roads and
bridges from natural disasters. "It is
far from law, but the issue is not going
away," Kelly says, "so I see that as an
emerging trend."
For example, natural disasters and
extreme weather events have created new
opportunities for geoprofessionals, who
analyze soil and rock behavior, assess
slope stability, and the risk of landslides,

Matthew Murello

Kevin Peterson

Greg Kelly

provide more innovations in resilient
infrastructure, according to Greg Kelly,

rock falls, and avalanches.
"There is plenty of work, especially
on the private development side, which
fluctuates with the economy," says Chuck

"Overwhelmingly,
engineering firms
in general are growing
their client bases, profit
margins, and size of
their firms."
MATTHEW MURELLO
ACEC COALITION LEADERS
CHAIR-ELECT
PRESIDENT
LEWIS S. GOODFRIEND & ASSOCIATES

ACEC Coalition Leaders Steering
Committee chairman and president and

CEO of P2S, Inc. "But engineering firms
will have to remain agile and engaged
with their multigenerational teams to
keep pace and remain competitive, as
well as prepare themselves for any signs
of recession."
Coalition leaders offered their
perspectives on the most promising
opportunities for their membership in
the coming year-encompassing both
the short- and long-term outlook.

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

chair, Design Professionals Coalition
(DPC) and former president and CEO

of WSP USA and CEO of Heritage
Construction & Materials. "Many
states have experienced extreme weather
events in the last five to 10 years, and it
is reasonable to anticipate the country
will face more frequent weather events,"
Kelly says. "Given the importance of
infrastructure to the economy and the
well-being of people-it is incumbent
on our profession to think carefully
about how we provide more resilient
infrastructure solutions."
States most affected by natural

Gemayel, chairman, Geoprofessionals
Coalition (GEO) and COO and senior

vice president at SME-USA. "There
is also anticipation on the federal
infrastructure side with the new funding
introduced in the Senate," he says.
Mechanical and electrical engineers
can expect an uptick in infrastructure
upgrades tied to resiliency as well,
according to Joel Goodmonson,

chairman, Council of American
Mechanical and Electrical Engineers
(CAMEE) and principal and executive
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019

ENGINEERING INC.

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Engineering Inc. - November/December 2019

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