ACEC Metropolitan Washington

What ACEC Metropolitan Washington does

ACEC Metropolitan Washington (ACEC/MW), legally the American Council of Engineering Companies of Metropolitan Washington, is a non-profit professional trade association founded in 1958 and headquartered at 43330 Junction Plaza, Suite 164, Ashburn, Virginia. The organization represents 100+ consulting engineering firms employing more than 5,200 professionals across the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Its core mission is to educate, engage, and advocate on behalf of member firms, with a stated focus of 'Lead, Advocate and Educate' on industry, workforce, and procurement issues.

The association does not develop proprietary technology products; its service portfolio consists of membership benefits, advocacy, committees, programs, awards, scholarships, and member events. Core offerings include monthly business networking luncheons with agency leaders, the annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) Gala attended by 300+ professionals, an annual conference, scholarship golf tournaments, webinars, the Engineering Student Scholarship Program (three $3,000 awards annually to ABET-accredited students), the Emerging Leaders Institute, and the Young Professional of the Year award. Standing committees cover transportation, water infrastructure, buildings and infrastructure, advocacy and policy, small business, member engagement and belonging (MEB/DEIB), Maryland and Virginia municipal engagement, and a DC Procurement Task Force. The organization also operates affiliated political action committees — the DC Engineers PAC (DCEPAC) and Virginia Engineers PAC — to advance Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) procurement advocacy.

Revenue is generated through recurring annual membership dues from engineering firms plus transaction-based revenue from events (luncheons, EEA Gala, annual conference, golf tournaments). Membership pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The organization is affiliated with ACEC National as its Metropolitan Washington chapter and coordinates with sister chapters ACEC/MD and ACEC/VA, including participation in a Joint Legislative Committee with AIA Virginia. Governance is member-driven via an elected volunteer Board of Directors (current Board Chair Arthur Jones-Dove for 2024-2025, succeeding Mugdha Tipnis), supported by a small paid staff led by President Hugh 'Mac' Cannon (with the organization since 2008) and Association Administrator Anna Seekins.

Name

ACEC Metropolitan Washington

Legal name

American Council of Engineering Companies of Metropolitan Washington

Website

https://acecmw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACEC Metropolitan Washington is a non-profit professional association founded in 1958 that represents 100+ consulting engineering firms and 5,200+ professionals across Washington DC, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia through membership, advocacy, committees, awards, scholarships, and business events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Engineering trade association
• Professional membership services
• Legislative advocacy engineering
• Industry networking events
• Professional development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashburn

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/MW generates revenue through annual membership dues from engineering firms. The organization represents member firms in the Metropolitan Washington area, providing advocacy, networking, and educational services.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from events including luncheons, the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, annual conferences, and golf tournaments that also raise funds for scholarships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ACEC/MW is a nonprofit professional trade association that serves engineering consulting firms through annual membership. The association delivers legislative advocacy, networking events, committee participation, professional development programs, the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, and scholarships for engineering students in the DC Metro area.

Product overview

ACEC Metropolitan Washington is a professional trade association representing engineering firms in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The organization does not offer technology products; instead it provides membership services including networking events, educational programs, awards (Engineering Excellence Awards), scholarships, advocacy, committee participation, and a member directory. The association is managed using Naylor Association Management Software for membership operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACEC/MW Scholarship Program: Student scholarship program for engineering students in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, established by the Past Presidents' Committee Scholarship Subcommittee.
• Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA)
• Emerging Leaders Institute
• DC Engineers Political Action Committee (DCEPAC)

Products and services

• ACEC/MW Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• The engineering and design services industry supports over 328,000 jobs in the DC Metro region
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ACEC National (American Council of Engineering Companies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW operates as the Metropolitan Washington chapter of ACEC National. The organizations collaborate on advocacy efforts, legislative issues, and national programs. ACEC National President and CEO Linda Bauer Darr has been mentioned as working closely with ACEC/MW leadership on various industry matters.
• ACEC/MD (Maryland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW collaborates with ACEC/MD on legislative advocacy and industry initiatives. Leaders from both organizations meet regularly and work together on shared priorities affecting member firms in both states.
• ACEC/VA (Virginia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW works with ACEC/VA on state-level advocacy and industry initiatives. The organizations participate in the Joint Legislative Committee (JLC) together with AIA Virginia to address common legislative priorities.
• DDOT (District Department of Transportation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW maintains a strong partnership with DDOT, hosting events and partnering sessions. DDOT participates in ACEC/MW luncheons and collaborates on transportation policy and procurement matters.
• WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW has established a meaningful partnership with WMATA, hosting events and recognizing WMATA leadership with awards. The organizations collaborate on transit and rail infrastructure advocacy.
• DC WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW partners with DC Water on water and wastewater infrastructure initiatives. DC Water actively engages with ACEC/MW for feedback on programs like Lead Free DC and participates in industry events.
• VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW collaborates with VDOT on transportation infrastructure projects and policy. VDOT leadership participates in ACEC/MW events and partnering sessions to discuss project opportunities.
• WSSC WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW partners with WSSC Water (Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission) for Montgomery and Prince George's County water/sewer infrastructure initiatives.
• Fairfax WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACEC/MW has established partnering relationships with Fairfax Water for infrastructure discussions and industry collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) Mid-Atlantic Region: Regionally-organized chapter of DBIA promoting integrated design-build project delivery. Comparable in serving DC-area A/E/C firms with advocacy, networking events, and awards relevant to ACEC/MW member firms.

Regional players

• Greater Washington Board of Trade: DC regional chamber of commerce representing cross-industry businesses including engineering firms. Comparable nonprofit membership organization providing advocacy, networking events, and policy engagement in the DC Metro region, though broader in scope than ACEC/MW.

Broad incumbents

• Construction Management Association of America (CMAA): National nonprofit association serving construction management professionals. Comparable in advocacy, education, and event programming for the A/E/C industry, with overlap in DC Metro region government infrastructure work.
• National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE): National nonprofit professional society representing licensed professional engineers across all states. Provides advocacy, continuing education, and networking comparable to ACEC/MW but with an individual-membership (rather than firm-membership) model and national scope.
• ACEC National (American Council of Engineering Companies): National umbrella federation of which ACEC/MW is the Metropolitan Washington chapter. Both are membership-based nonprofit trade associations representing engineering firms, providing advocacy, networking, and recognition; ACEC National operates at the federal level while ACEC/MW focuses on DC/MD/VA.

Direct peers

• Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Potomac Post: DC-area post of SAME serving engineering professionals in the federal/AEC space. Comparable nonprofit professional association with networking events, awards programs, and government agency engagement in the DC Metro region.
• ACEC/VA (American Council of Engineering Companies of Virginia): Direct sister chapter covering Virginia engineering firms, collaborating with ACEC/MW on state-level advocacy and the Joint Legislative Committee alongside AIA Virginia. Comparable mission, member base, and programming for engineering consulting firms.
• ACEC/MD (American Council of Engineering Companies of Maryland): Direct sister chapter covering Maryland engineering firms, with which ACEC/MW collaborates via the Joint Legislative Committee. Both are nonprofit trade associations serving engineering consulting firms with overlapping membership in suburban Maryland.
• ASCE National Capital Section: DC-area section of ASCE serving civil engineering professionals. Comparable nonprofit professional society in the DC Metro region offering networking events, awards, and continuing education to engineering members.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA) Virginia: Virginia component of AIA, partnering with ACEC chapters in the Joint Legislative Committee on shared design industry policy. Comparable nonprofit professional association serving A/E/C firms with advocacy, events, and awards in the DC Metro region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ACEC_MW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acecmw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ACEC Metropolitan Washington