Engineering Influence Podcast
Engineering Influence is the official award-winning podcast of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) bringing together respected engineering leaders, newsmakers, and elected officials for in-depth conversations on business trends, the economy, technology, and what's next for the engineering and design services industry.
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June 15, 2026
Connected Data, Better Decisions: The Next Era of Engineering Delivery
In this episode, ACEC’s Jeff Urbanchuk sits down with Jack Hsueh of Autodesk to explore how engineering firms can deliver more with constrained resources through digital project delivery. From connected data and collaborative workflows to automation and digital twins, they discu…
June 8, 2026
Reps. Peter DeFazio and Bill Shuster Discuss the Current State of Congress
On the latest episode of Engineering Influence, former House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders Bill Shuster and Peter DeFazio come together for a candid discussion on the future of America’s infrastructure. Drawing on years of bipartisan leadership, they …
June 5, 2026
The River Comes Back to Life | EEA Grand Conceptor Award Winner: McMillen Engineering
What does it take to undo 100 years of harm to one of America’s great rivers? In this episode of Engineering Influence, we sit down with the team winner of ACEC’s 2026 Grand Conceptor Award, McMillen Engineering. McMillen, Inc. earned ACEC’s top honor for the K…
June 1, 2026
Joe Bates Discusses the Q2 Engineering Business Sentiment Survey
In this episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast, we sit down with Joe Bates of the ACEC Research Institute to break down the findings from the Q2 Engineering Business Sentiment Report. Joe dives into the latest data on how engineering firms are feeling about business condit…
May 26, 2026
The Politics of the Moment with Politico’s Jonathan Martin
Recording from the 2026 ACEC Convention, Politico’s Jonathan Martin discusses congressional culture, the shift from centrist policymaking to polarized primaries, and the need to address gerrymandering. The episode highlights the rise of authenticity and the popularity of l…
May 22, 2026
The Market Edge: Rethinking Water Resources
Communities across the country are facing a new era of water challenges — from shifting climate patterns and extreme rainfall to growing stormwater demands, groundwater stress, and pressure from water-intensive industries. In this episode, we sit down with water‑resources expert…
May 18, 2026
Past as Prologue: A Conversation with Historian Jonathan Meacham
A big thank you to Autodesk, the sponsor of Engineering Influence at this year’s convention. Autodesk partners with the AECO industry and its leaders to shape a more connected, data-driven future, empowering engineers to work more intelligently and to make confident decisi…
April 24, 2026
Mining the Future: Why Critical Minerals Are America’s New Backbone
In this episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast, ACEC’s Thomas Grogan sits down with Dan Palo of Barr Engineering to unpack one of the most important—and often overlooked—topics shaping our future: critical minerals. What exactly makes a mineral “critical”? Why are material…
April 9, 2026
The Market Edge: Inside The Housing Market
The residential market is shifting fast, and Diana O’ Lare and Mollie Carmichael of Zonda Homes break down what’s driving it—from rising rates and affordability pressures to the surge in build‑for‑rent, active adult, and multigenerational living—while highlighting the regions ou…
April 1, 2026
Building for the Future: Discussing the Value of Engineering with Ardurra Group’s Ernesto Aguilar
In Part 2 of our conversation with Ardurra on Engineering Influence, host Jeff Urbanchuk picks back up with Ernesto Aguilar, President and CEO of Ardurra Group, diving deeper into the topics that matter most to engineering firm leaders right now. After covering Ardurra’s m…
March 28, 2026
ACEC Research Institute’s Greg Kelly on the Engineering Workforce Shortage
Greg Kelly, CEO of STV, and Vice Chair of the ACEC Research Institute appeared on WTBQ-AM in New York to discuss the Institute's new research on the national shortage of engineers.
March 25, 2026
Teaching the Teachers: Fixing the Engineering Pipeline
What happens when an industry faces a talent shortage serious enough to threaten its future? You stop waiting and start building the pipeline yourself. In this episode of Engineering Influence, host Jeff Urbanchuk sits down with leaders from ACEC Missouri, Missouri University of…
March 16, 2026
From Regional Roots to National Platform: How Ardurra Is Reshaping Water Infrastructure
What does it take to grow a small regional engineering firm into a nationally recognized, private equity-backed water infrastructure platform — in just nine years? In this episode of Engineering Influence, Ernesto Aguilar, CEO of Ardurra, takes us behind the scenes of one of the…
March 6, 2026
ACEC Research Institute Senior Researcher Joe Bates Discusses the Engineering Workforce Shortage
Joe Bates, Senior Researcher at the ACEC Research Institute, sits down with WSVA-AM/FM Harrisonburg, VA Radio Station to discuss the engineering shortage that the U.S. faces. In 2022 about 184,000 engineers retired or left while only 166,000 new engineers entered the workforce, …
March 3, 2026
The State of the Engineering Economy in Q1 2026
How confident are engineering firm leaders heading into 2026? In this episode of the Engineering Influence Podcast, Jeff Urbanchuk sits down with Joe Bates, Senior Researcher at the ACEC Research Institute, to break down the findings from the newly released Q1 2026 Engineering B…