acec illinois

What acec illinois does

ACEC Illinois (American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois) is a private nonprofit professional trade association headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. It operates as the Illinois state chapter of ACEC National and represents over 220 consulting engineering and land surveying firms across the state. The association's core function is collective industry advocacy, professional development, and member services for engineering firms registered as Professional Design Firms in Illinois. ACEC Illinois operates a unified member platform combining policy advocacy (state and federal lobbying, PAC activities, Transportation for Illinois Coalition membership), structured education programs (Leadership Institute, Future Leaders Program, technical seminars, on-demand compliance training), networking through 25+ standing committees, and exclusive benefits including the ACEC Business Insurance Trust, Life/Health Insurance Trust, and Retirement Trust administered through EPIC Insurance Brokers.

The organization's revenue model is membership-dues-driven, with Member Firm dues calibrated to employee headcount, fixed rates of $2,000 for Non-Resident Members and $1,150 for Affiliate Members. Secondary revenue streams include event registrations (webinars, seminars, the annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, Fall Conference, Midwest States Conference), tiered annual sponsorships ($500-$1,500), and on-demand recorded content sales. Distribution is direct: dues-based subscriptions approved by the Board of Directors, self-serve event registration through a Cvent-integrated portal, and trust enrollment through partner insurance administrators. The technology footprint is light, centered on the Novi AMS association management platform with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or public API.

ACEC Illinois is led by President & CEO Kevin Artl, with Bethany Rademaker as VP of Events, Marketing & Membership and Sarah Dean as Director of Education & Membership. Strategic partnerships include ACEC National (parent federation), Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois Tollway, Transportation for Illinois Coalition, and various regional engineering firms that serve as annual sponsors. The operating geography is Illinois, with limited multi-state engagement via the ACEC Midwest States Conference partnership with Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma chapters.

Name

acec illinois

Legal name

American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois

Website

https://acecil.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ACEC Illinois is a nonprofit trade association representing over 220 consulting engineering and land surveying firms in Illinois through membership advocacy, professional development, industry recognition programs, and exclusive insurance and retirement trust benefits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual dues collected from member firms based on membership type and firm size. Member Firm dues calculated by employee count, Non-Resident Member dues fixed at $2000, Affiliate Member dues at $1150.
2. Event Registrations: Revenue from educational events including webinars, seminars, training classes, conferences, and regional luncheons. Registration fees vary by event type and membership status.
3. On-Demand Webinars: Sale of recorded educational content including compliance training such as Illinois Sexual Harassment Training available on demand.
4. Annual Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from member firms and service providers including marketing sponsors and event sponsorships at various tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACEC Illinois is a nonprofit professional trade association that represents over 220 consulting engineering and land surveying firms in Illinois. It delivers its value through annual membership subscriptions, professional development events and webinars, industry recognition programs, government advocacy and political action, and exclusive member benefits including business insurance, life/health insurance, and retirement trusts.

Product overview

ACEC Illinois operates as a professional industry association serving over 220 Illinois engineering firms, offering a unified membership platform rather than a software product. The core offering is the member association service combining professional development (Leadership Institute, Future Leaders, webinars, seminars), industry recognition (Engineering Excellence Awards), advocacy (PAC, government relations), and member benefits (insurance trusts, retirement programs, committee participation). Key products include event programming like the Fall Conference and Midwest States Conference, monthly Connector newsletters, the Engineering Works podcast, and advocacy resources including QBS support. The association also coordinates over 25 committees covering IDOT, transportation, water/environment, and emerging professionals topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACEC Illinois Membership Subscription-based membership in the ACEC Illinois statewide trade association, available to Illinois-based engineering firms, out-of-state firms with Illinois staff, and affiliate service providers. Dues are annual and vary by membership type and firm size. Members gain access to advocacy, events, training, committees, and exclusive insurance and retirement benefits.
• Engineering Excellence Awards Program Annual awards program recognizing outstanding engineering projects by ACEC Illinois member firms, including the Lincoln Grand Conceptor Award and other project categories. Recognized firms and projects are honored at the annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala.
• Leadership Institute Multi-session leadership development program for emerging professionals in the engineering industry, covering leadership, communication, business development, finance, and recruiting skills. Welcomes the Leadership Institute Class of 2026.
• Future Leaders Program One-day foundational training program for emerging engineering professionals with less than 10 years of experience, designed as preparation for the Leadership Institute.
• ACEC Midwest States Conference Joint regional conference of ACEC Illinois, ACEC Kansas, ACEC Missouri, and ACEC Oklahoma, bringing together engineering professionals across multiple states for networking and education.
• PSMJ A/E/C Project Management Bootcamp Two-day intensive project management training program for architecture, engineering, and construction professionals, priced at $1,800 for ACEC Illinois members and $3,600 for non-members.
• Illinois Sexual Harassment Compliance Training On-demand Illinois Sexual Harassment Training that meets mandatory state compliance requirements for Illinois businesses, available 24/7 with group pricing for organizations of 15 or more employees.
• ACEC Business Insurance Trust Group business insurance program available exclusively to ACEC member firms, providing comprehensive business insurance coverage at competitive rates through EPIC Insurance Brokers as Program Administrator.
• ACEC Retirement Trust Retirement planning and benefits program available exclusively to ACEC Illinois member firm employees, providing pooled retirement savings vehicles.
• ACEC Life/Health Insurance Trust Group life and health insurance program available exclusively to ACEC Illinois member firms and their employees, providing pooled benefits at member rates.
• Political Action Committee (PAC) and Advocacy Services Political advocacy and PAC services representing member firm interests in Washington, DC and Springfield, including lobbying, policy development, and government relations on transportation and infrastructure issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 220+ member firms representing engineering companies of all sizes across Illinois
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and minor.

• ACEC NationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization representing thousands of engineering companies nationally. ACEC National strengthens the business environment for member firms through government advocacy, political action, and business education. ACEC Illinois operates as the Illinois state council under this national umbrella.
• Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint hosting of technical conferences and training programs including IDOT Bridge Seminars, ORD training, and policy updates. Collaboration on transportation infrastructure initiatives and professional development for consulting engineers.
• Illinois TollwaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for workshops and training on Illinois Tollway design and construction standards, including annual spring workshops and regional luncheons for industry collaboration.
• Transportation for Illinois Coalition (TFIC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition collaboration for lobbying and advocacy efforts on transportation funding and infrastructure policy. Joint Lobby Day events in Springfield.
• H.W. Lochner, Inc.supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual marketing sponsor and member firm since 1991. Chicago-based transportation and infrastructure engineering firm providing engineering services and event sponsorship support.
• Holmes Murphy & Associates, Inc.supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual marketing sponsor. Insurance and risk management services provider for engineering firms, offering ACEC member discounts on insurance products.
• ACEC Business Insurance TrustcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive insurance program for ACEC member firms providing access to comprehensive business insurance coverage at competitive rates through EPIC Insurance Brokers as Program Administrator.
• NIU Naperville Conference CenterminorOthersVenue partner for in-person training events including NEPA Essentials courses, IDOT training, and professional development programs held in Naperville, IL.
• Hyatt Regency O'Hare ChicagominorOthersVenue for Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala held annually in February at Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, IL.
• alliantminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment incentives consulting firm presenting webinars on Section 41, Section 48, 48C, 48X, 179D, and other incentive programs relevant to engineering and data center infrastructure projects.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Illinois Society of Professional Engineers (ISPE): Illinois state society for licensed professional engineers, affiliated with NSPE. Competes with ACEC Illinois for individual engineer engagement and continuing education dollars within the same Illinois engineering community, though its primary customer is the individual engineer rather than the firm.

Emerging players

• National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE): National professional society for licensed professional engineers with state chapters including in Illinois. Comparable to ACEC Illinois in serving the same engineering community with advocacy, continuing education, and networking, but oriented toward individual PE licensure rather than firm representation.
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Illinois Section: Discipline-specific professional society with an active Illinois Section serving civil engineers. Comparable as a competing professional association seeking member dues and volunteer engagement from the same Illinois engineering workforce, though ASCE is technically individual-member rather than firm-member focused.
• APWA Illinois Chapter (American Public Works Association): Illinois chapter of a national association serving public works professionals and the engineering/consulting firms that serve them. Overlaps with ACEC Illinois's municipal and transportation-focused committee work and competes for similar event sponsorship dollars from public-sector engineering stakeholders.

Others

• Society of American Military Engineers (SAME): National professional association connecting public and private sector engineering stakeholders, with relevant overlap on infrastructure, federal contracting, and engineering leadership. Comparable as an adjacent association serving similar engineering audiences, though focused on military and federal engineering rather than firm-level advocacy.

Direct peers

• Consulting Engineers Council of Missouri / ACEC Missouri: ACEC sibling state chapter and co-organizer of the ACEC Midwest States Conference. Direct peer due to shared model, joint programming, and similar scale, particularly relevant for benchmarking revenue diversification across dues, events, and trust programs.
• ACEC Indiana: Another direct ACEC sibling state chapter with the identical operating model, scaled to a different state. Useful for benchmarking dues levels, event pricing, committee structures, and benefits trust configurations against ACEC Illinois.
• ACEC Wisconsin: Sibling state chapter of ACEC National, operating the same membership model for Wisconsin consulting engineering firms. Direct peer because it shares ACEC National affiliation, similar dues structures, and a comparable single-state trade association footprint scaled to a different geography.
• AIA Illinois (American Institute of Architects Illinois): State component of AIA serving architecture firms in Illinois via membership, advocacy, continuing education, and conferences. Highly comparable operating model to ACEC Illinois but applied to architects rather than engineers, including PAC activity and member benefits trusts in the same structure.

Broad incumbents

• ACEC National (American Council of Engineering Companies): National umbrella and parent organization of ACEC Illinois. Operates the same trade association model at a federal scale, coordinating advocacy, business education, and benefits programs for engineering firms across all 50 states. Most directly comparable because it sets the membership and benefits framework ACEC Illinois executes locally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ACECILLINOIS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-council-of-engineering-companies-of-illinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 →

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