ACEC Virginia

What ACEC Virginia does

ACEC Virginia (American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia) is a non-profit professional trade association founded in 1968 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. It serves engineering and design consulting firms operating across the Commonwealth of Virginia, ranging from small boutique practices to large multi-disciplinary enterprises, and is the official Virginia state chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) National organization. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; it operates an off-the-shelf association management platform (GrowthZone) and a member portal at members.acecva.org to administer membership applications, event registration, the member directory, and ECV PAC contributions.

ACEC Virginia's service offering centers on four pillars: advocacy, education, networking, and industry recognition. On advocacy, the organization represents member firms before the Virginia General Assembly and state agencies such as VDOT, DRPT, and DEQ, with a particular emphasis on promoting Qualification-Based Selection (QBS) procurement. Its education portfolio includes the Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI), the Enhanced Leadership Program (ELP), PSMJ project management bootcamps, webinars, and K-12 STEM and workforce development initiatives (including Dream Big RVA, the Cardinal Education consortium, and the ACEC Career & Internship Center). Recognition is delivered through the annual Engineering Excellence Awards, the Next Generation Award, and the Legislators of the Year Award. The organization is governed by an Executive Board and supported by committees, past chairs, and ACEC Fellows, and is staffed by a small team (1-10 employees) including President C. Eric Burke and key operational staff such as Marchelle Albertson and Nancy Israel.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: recurring annual membership dues from engineering firms, event registration fees (with member and non-member pricing tiers), and event sponsorships. Pricing is not publicly disclosed for membership dues, but specific event pricing is published — for example, the Mid-Atlantic IT Forum charges $40 per ACEC Virginia / North Carolina / Metro Washington / Maryland member registrant and $100 for prospective members, with breakfast and lunch sponsorships priced at $350 each. Marketing and distribution are driven by the organization's website, the member portal, an event calendar, email communications, and the ACEC National affiliation, with in-person and virtual events serving as the primary member acquisition and retention touchpoints.

Name

ACEC Virginia

Legal name

American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia

Website

https://acecva.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACEC Virginia is a non-profit professional trade association founded in 1968 that serves engineering consulting firms in Virginia through membership services, state-level advocacy, professional education programs, networking events, and industry awards. It operates as the Virginia state chapter of ACEC National.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ACEC Virginia generates primary revenue from annual membership dues paid by engineering companies operating in Virginia. The organization operates a member portal for join applications and member management.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue is generated through paid event registrations for conferences, bootcamps, roundtables, and webinars. Events have member and non-member pricing tiers.
3. Sponsorships: The organization sells event sponsorships including breakfast and lunch sponsors for events such as the Mid-Atlantic IT Forum and Summer Conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACEC Virginia is a nonprofit professional trade association that delivers membership-based services to engineering consulting firms operating in Virginia. Its core offerings include tiered membership enrollment, advocacy before the Virginia General Assembly and state agencies, professional development programs (Emerging Leaders Institute, Enhanced Leadership Program, PSMJ bootcamps), peer networking events (Summer Conference, Mid-Atlantic IT Forum), and the Engineering Excellence Awards recognition program.

Product overview

ACEC Virginia (American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia) is a professional association serving engineering firms in Virginia, not a product company. It provides membership services, advocacy, awards programs, educational initiatives, and networking events for engineering and design services companies. The organization does not offer a software product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACEC Virginia Membership Annual tiered membership enrollment for engineering consulting firms operating in Virginia, providing access to advocacy, the member directory, events, and recognition programs. Membership categories are differentiated by firm size.
• Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI) Structured leadership development program for emerging leaders at ACEC Virginia member engineering firms, designed to build management and business skills.
• Enhanced Leadership Program (ELP) Advanced leadership development program for senior and emerging leaders at member engineering firms, building on foundational leadership skills.
• PSMJ Project Management Bootcamp Project management training bootcamp delivered in partnership with PSMJ, focused on A/E/C firm project managers.
• Engineering Excellence Awards Annual awards program recognizing engineering projects of member firms, providing peer-validated brand differentiation and project visibility.
• ACEC Virginia Summer Conference Annual multi-day summer conference providing networking, business content, and peer engagement for member engineering firm leaders.
• Mid-Atlantic IT Forum Regional forum for IT and technology leaders at member engineering firms, focused on technology adoption and operations in A/E/C firms.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ACEC National (American Council of Engineering Companies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC Virginia is the Virginia state member of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) National organization. The affiliation provides access to national advocacy resources, ACEC National PAC, specialty work groups, and shared brand recognition. ACEC Virginia participates in national initiatives and leverages the ACEC national brand for member benefit.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers): National professional society for licensed professional engineers offering overlapping advocacy, education, and licensure support that intersects with ACEC Virginia's member benefits, but at a broader national scope rather than state-chapter focus.
• ACEC National (American Council of Engineering Companies): National umbrella organization of which ACEC Virginia is a state chapter. Operates the same advocacy, PAC, and member-benefit model at the national level, providing overlapping capabilities but across a far broader portfolio than any single state chapter.

Direct peers

• ACEC/MD (American Council of Engineering Companies of Maryland): Sister ACEC state chapter serving engineering firms in Maryland. Operates the same membership, advocacy, awards, and event-driven business model as ACEC Virginia, and even co-hosts events such as the Mid-Atlantic IT Forum with ACEC Virginia.
• ACEC/NC (American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina): Sister ACEC state chapter serving engineering firms in North Carolina. Same chapter structure, dues/event/sponsorship revenue mix, and advocacy mandate as ACEC Virginia, making it a directly comparable state-level peer.
• ASCE Virginia Section (American Society of Civil Engineers): Virginia section of ASCE serving civil engineering professionals and firms in Virginia. Operates a similar professional society model with membership, advocacy, education, and awards programs targeting engineering practitioners in the same geography.
• ACEC/MW (American Council of Engineering Companies of Metropolitan Washington): ACEC chapter serving the Metro Washington area, frequently co-hosting events with ACEC Virginia (e.g., Mid-Atlantic IT Forum). Operates the same chapter-based membership, advocacy, and event model for engineering firms.
• AIA Virginia (American Institute of Architects Virginia): Virginia component of AIA serving architecture firms with a comparable membership, advocacy, awards, and event-driven business model. Serves a different profession but operates under the same state-chapter professional association structure as ACEC Virginia.
• ACEC/PA (American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania): Sister ACEC state chapter in Pennsylvania providing the same member services, advocacy, education, and awards programs to engineering firms. Directly comparable in scope and structure to ACEC Virginia.
• VSPE (Virginia Society of Professional Engineers): Virginia's state-level society for professional engineers, offering overlapping membership, advocacy, awards, and professional development services to engineering professionals and firms in Virginia.
• ACEC Georgia (American Council of Engineering Companies of Georgia): Another ACEC state chapter providing the same engineering-firm membership, advocacy, education, and awards programming. Directly comparable in structure and operating model to ACEC Virginia in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acecvirginia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACEC Virginia