Aloha ACECH Members,
Is Engineering a department in a Technology Firm or is Technology a department in an Engineering Firm?
This is the question that ACEC President and CEO, Linda Bauer Darr, asked to open the National Board of Director’s meeting at the ACEC Fall Conference. (ACEC – 2025 Fall Conference)
Was there a theme for the Fall Conference? Well, there was not an official theme, but it was advertised to be centered around bold leadership, future-shaping ideas, and engineering excellence. If you ask me, a significant portion of the conference was dedicated to how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will reshape our industry. Sessions included discussions on AI agents, AI-readiness, AI applications, and data management using AI. But how smart is AI really? What if I insert into this article the name Alan Iverson (AI), one of the greatest basketball players of the NBA? Will a ChatGPT question about Alan Iverson pull up information about ACEC’s Fall Conference? Who knows, maybe, maybe not. This brings up important concerns about the use of AI. Although there were many sessions on the use of AI, I only noticed one on AI ethics. One speaker gave great advice, treat AI like an intern. It requires detailed input and guidance, oversight, and check it’s work.
Another interesting quote from the ACEC CEO, in her Opening General Session Remarks (Opening General Session Remarks from Linda Bauer Darr | Engineering Inc) said that she asked ChatGPT:
“What if engineering firms fail because technology takes over?” It said:
“if design engineering firms failed because technology replaced much of their role, it would be because the profession failed to claim its role in guiding, governing, and complementing technology”
Full disclosure, I am not an AI expert, far from it. My journey to understanding and exploring AI is in its infancy but this conference gave me great insights and “food for thought”.
Was it only about AI? Definitely not, there were discussions about major challenges facing our industry: the government shutdown and staffing cuts, new restrictions on H-1B visas, changes by the U.S. Department of Transportation to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program, generational strategies, ownership trends, mergers and acquisitions, and contract language sessions.
Was Hawai‘i well represented? Absolutely! We had a great group from Hawai‘i and I would like to personally thank those that attended and help represent our great State.
(left to right: Lindsay Nakashima, Dayna Nemoto-Shima, Simone Simbeck, June Nakamura, Scott Hayashi, Shannon Holmon, Joe Kwan, Charles Jury, Garrett Masuda, Yen Wen Fang. Not in photo: Ian Arakaki, Bri Simonian, Janice Marsters, Nimr Tamimi)
What else did you miss? A lot, this conference is open to all our membership and in addition to the sessions, the round-table discussions and forums offer valuable insights and information for firms of all sizes. You also missed a few of us recreating the Top Gun scene where Goose sings “Great Balls of Fire” at the actual location that the movie was filmed! There are photos but they are not good enough to post on the internet, so if you want to see them, you will just need to ask me at the next ACECH event that you attend.
How to get more involved between conferences? Check out the ACEC Coalitions and Committees. Coalition membership used to require an additional fee. This barrier to entry has recently been removed by the National BOD. “ACEC national members (firms) are eligible to join the specialty groups known as ACEC Coalitions — dedicated communities of ACEC members organized by practice area or firm size. The coalitions provide a range of practical, day-to-day resources to enhance the operation of your business and make it more profitable by sharing knowledge and best practices with peers in your area of specialization.” (Coalitions – ACEC).
ACEC also recently rolled out a new Committee Portal. “Open committees” can be joined anytime by employees of any ACEC member firm. Check out the new portal and see if you can contribute to our community. (https://netforum.acec.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=ACECAOCP10
National is great but what about here at home? I would like to take this opportunity to personally congratulate the newest graduating class from our Emerging Leaders Program!
Cohort 6 Graduates:
Amy Baek, ParEn Inc. dba Park Engineering; Pac Chung, Bowers + Kubota Consulting; Kenneth Daniel, Sam O. Hirota, Inc., Ellie Dunkle, Sea Engineering, Inc.; Linyan Goo, Oceanit; Scott Kesaji, HDR; Sean Klein, Kennedy Jenks Consultants, Inc.; Maile LaFave, SSFM International; Lance Lam, Carollo Engineers; Bianca Lindsay, HDR; Sidney Nakao, Bowers + Kubota Consulting; Alyssa Nonaka, Stantec; Ryan Okahashi, AECOM; Taylor Onizuka, Geolabs, Inc.; Daniel Shinsato, Haley & Aldrich, Inc.; Jordan Stewart, Coffman Engineers; Jasmine Teramae-Kaehuaea, Austin Tsutsumi & Associates; Evan Yamamoto, J. Uno & Associates, Inc.
Please join them to celebrate their accomplishment as they present their capstone projects on Thursday October 30, featuring topics such as:
- Technological Advancements and Integration
- Sustainability and Climate Change
- Workforce Shortages and Skills Gaps
- Urbanization in Land-Limited Cities
This General Membership Meeting will also include a briefing from our Risk Management Committee, so stay up to date on ACECH efforts. Oh, it’s also a Pau Hāna!
Mahalo,
ACEC-Hawaii President