Leaders of the PAC

The 2024 election was like none we’ve ever seen, marked by moments that defied history and so much minute-by-minute change that even the ubiquitous 24-hour news cycle struggled at times to keep up. From immigration to infrastructure—and beyond—the future and fortunes of the engineering industry were on the ballot in November. That was the backdrop against which the ACEC Political Action Committee (ACEC/PAC) was conducting its fundraising efforts over the last 12 months. In spite of all that turmoil—indeed, likely because of it—the PAC racked up yet another record-breaking year, thanks to innovative, outside-the-box state level efforts and an army of volunteers who stepped in and stepped up to build a formidable war chest.  

In such a polarized political climate, and with so much at stake, it has never been more important to support those who support you. And to do that, the PAC coffers must stay filled. Throughout our federation, ACEC’s Member Organizations (MOs) rose to the challenge, raising $1.4 million. Of our 51 MOs, 49 met their respective PAC goals in 2024—up from 46 in 2023. Driven by those numbers, ACEC/PAC holds the number one slot among design industry PACs and ranks 14^th (up from 17^th) among all trade associations, irrespective of advocacy focus.

“This was yet again a phenomenal year for ACEC/PAC, further enhancing our advocacy and influence across Capitol Hill. We are inching ever so closer to having all 51 of our MOs exceed their state goal, which has been one of our PAC Champion priorities for several years now,” said ACEC/PAC Chair Jason Matson.  “As we are now approaching $1.5 million in total PAC annual funding, we can’t thank enough our members, MO leadership, and our PAC Champions who helped us expand our fundraising base to over 3,200 unique contributors representing nearly 900 firms.”  

Circle Time

Spring brought a new political donor program aimed at bolstering the Council’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill: the ACEC Leadership Circle. This program aims to strengthen relationships with key members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to ensure ACEC member firms have a seat at the table when decisions impacting the industry are made.

Headed by Hanson Professional Services Chair (and former ACEC Chair) Satch Pecori, the Leadership Circle is a coordinated giving program designed to amplify the impact of individual contributions. Each cycle, ACEC identifies 10-15 Congressional leaders, Committee Chairs, or “champions” who are influential on issues vital to the industry and our member firms. The Leadership Circle then bundles individual campaign contributions with ACEC/PAC contributions to maximize financial support to key lawmakers. The Leadership Circle helps the Council build the financial muscle needed to engage.

Not coincidentally, the first event was held in March—the height of the tax debate. Hosted in Washington for House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-MO), this inaugural event for the Leadership Circle raised $55,000. Subsequent events for Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) and House Transportation & Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves (R-MO) raised more than $100,000 combined.

Looking ahead to the fall, ACEC/PAC will host a Leadership Circle event for Speaker Mike Johnson in September and is in the process of planning dinner events for Transportation & Infrastructure Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Lloyd Smucker (a key supporter of the tax bill). There are also events planned in the fall for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and Minority Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA).

“Under Satch Pecori’s leadership, the coordinated giving by our Leadership Circle members—combined with ACEC/PAC contributions—will give us an even stronger platform to represent the interests of our member firms in Congress,” said Matson.

State MOs Bring it Home

ACEC is a federation composed of 51 discrete MOs (all 50 states plus Washington Metropolitan), each with oversight for their own strategy against their respective fundraising goals. Every year brings a sense of healthy competition among the MOs, with some of that competition giving rise to good-natured rivalries between state organizations and even within the MOs themselves. Big numbers equal bragging rights, and our MOs bring that fierce competitive spirit to their fundraising efforts. But even amid the ribbing, teasing, and bragging, there is always the knowledge that ACEC/PAC is about protecting the future of our firms.

That doesn’t mean it still can’t be a lot of fun.

A Rocky Mountain High for ACEC Colorado

From her office in Denver, ACEC Colorado Executive Director Heidi Gordon recounts how her team achieved—and exceeded—its PAC goal for the first time since 2015. “We’re the fourth largest MO by number of firms,” said Gordon. “We just really made a push to try new things.” Among those new things was a last-minute November event that ultimately helped push ACEC Colorado over the top: a wine tasting, but with a twist that Gordon knew would uniquely appeal to engineers. “It was about the wine, of course, but the difference was that [the event] also focused on the science of the glass,” she said. For the event, the PAC retained the services of a professional sommelier from Riedel, one of the world’s leading producers of wine glasses.

Riedel is known for its specialized glasses that are specifically shaped for different kinds of wine. For this $300 per person/$500 per couple event, attendees were walked through why and how the shape of a glass influences both the nose and the palate. There’s a great deal of science involved, and Gordon suspected that would be the draw. (That, and the wine, of course!) And she was right. The event—coupled with an at-home tasting kit available for purchase—added more than $10,000 to ACEC Colorado’s PAC coffers. (It also produced a group of people who now know why it’s best not to drink chardonnay and pinot noir in the same kind of glass.)

Earlier in the fall, ACEC Colorado traveled to Washington for a Congressional fly-in to the Council’s Capitol Hill Residence—its third in as many years. A reception on September 10 drew five members of Colorado’s Congressional delegation—Democratic Reps. Yadira Caraveo, Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, and Brittany Petterson, with Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper making what Gordon called an “unscheduled, but much appreciated visit.” The ACEC delegation also served as “consulting engineer representatives” during a check drop for Rep. Sharice Davids, a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee from neighboring Kansas. The ACEC delegation capped their fly-in with a private VIP tour of the U.S. Capitol for a behind-the-scenes look at the halls of power.

It all added up to a hugely successful fundraising year for ACEC Colorado—and Gordon is both quick and generous in praising the team for their efforts. “[Our success] was driven by word of mouth from within,” she said. “As we got closer to our goal, people got really excited.”

ACEC North Carolina Steps Up to the Plate

Stepping into a new role is never easy, but stepping into a fundraising role, in a hotly contested swing state, during a hotly contested election, presents its own unique challenges. Those were the conditions under which ACEC North Carolina (ACEC/NC) Executive Director Tara Robbins began her first year as an MO executive. Even with that steep learning curve, ACEC/NC blew past its PAC goal, raising more money than the MO has ever raised. The secret? Putting the “fun” back in fundraising.

“Traditional fundraisers can get stale no matter how good they are,” Robbins said. “But when you make it fun, raising money becomes a byproduct of the fun you’re having. It gives donors something to talk about.”

Something to talk about—and in the case of one ACEC/NC outing, something to trash talk about.

Taking advantage of the rivalry between Charlotte and Durham—the two cities where most of ACEC/NC’s firms are located—the MO held a baseball outing fundraiser at a MiLB game faceoff between the Durham Bulls and the Charlotte Knights. Billed as the East-West Baseball Challenge, the lead-up to the event was driven by the good-natured back and forth between Vice Chair Patrick Waterman (rooting for Charlotte) and President Elect Mike Holderman (rooting for Durham). The Challenge culminated with “PAC at the Park,” where donors spent an evening at Truist Park in Charlotte taking in the cross-state showdown. By the end of the night, there were two winners: the Charlotte Knights—and ACEC/NC’s PAC total.

In November, just as the weather started to get chilly even in temperate North Carolina, the ACEC/NC team launched another fundraising campaign: a raffle with a grand prize of a five-night all-inclusive getaway to a Caribbean resort, with the winner announced during the MO’s holiday party. Member firms were assigned a goal based on their total number of full-time employees, with firms with fewer than 10 FTEs given a $100 goal. All ACEC/NC member employees were eligible to participate, with each ticket going toward the firm’s company’s goal, and an extra ticket going to each contributor whose firm reached its goal. Add in a website featuring a leader board with team standings, and you have the makings of both a fierce competition and a successful fundraising campaign.

“That’s the first time we’ve done anything like that,” said Robbins. “That element of competing for bragging rights really helped with the excitement.”

ACEC West Virginia: Country Roads Lead to a Great PAC Year

After ACEC-WV went through a reorganization in 2024, then-president Tim Kirk set as one of his goals to be more active with ACEC National. He and other officers started attending more national meetings, where the importance of ACEC/PAC is always a major topic of discussion. “I met with ACEC-WV board members and they agreed that supporting the PAC should be a priority,” said Kirk. Those board members quickly contributed, and a plan was developed to begin reaching out to ACEC-WV members. “Tim extolled the benefits of the national PAC at membership meetings and in our weekly newsletter,” said ACEC-WV Executive Director Mike Clowser.

The ACEC-WV team met with members of the ACEC National advocacy staff, where the decision was made to host a reception for West Virginia’s Congressional delegation at ACEC’s Capitol Hill Residence. ACEC-WV members were encouraged to attend, with the only requirement being a contribution to ACEC/PAC. The event attracted Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (who at the time was ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and who is now chair) and Republican Rep. Carol Miller, both of whom discussed the tax bill and infrastructure funding.

“We had a great turnout of our members, and ACEC’s legislative team did a great job in briefing them on the key issues before Congress,” said Clowser.

The reception was such a resounding success that the ACEC-WV team held another in June 2025. Sen. Capito returned to the Residence, this time to brief ACEC-WV members on her committee’s activities to fund water and sewer projects and plans for the new five-year federal aid highway reauthorization bill. With two great DC events in the rearview mirror, and a fundraising goal hit early despite the change in leadership, Clowser says ACEC-WV isn’t letting up on the gas. “Our past president, Jason Boyd, is currently serving on our board as our ACEC National Director,” he said. “He has already begun work to exceed our goal for this year’s PAC contribution.”