California Counties Architects and Engineers Association

What California Counties Architects and Engineers Association does

California Counties Architects and Engineers Association (CCAEA) is a California-incorporated non-profit professional association founded in 1988 and formally organized in 1991, headquartered (without a fixed office) across board members representing Sonoma, San Diego, and Sutter counties. Its mission is to provide networking, professional education, knowledge exchange, and professional development opportunities for public agency architectural and engineering professionals responsible for planning and delivering capital improvement projects for California county governments. The addressable membership base comprises all 58 California counties, with the organization segmented into Large, Medium, and Small county categories for awards purposes.

CCAEA's core products are its Annual Membership ($125 per county/agency per year, running September 1 to August 31), Quarterly Meetings (alternating between Northern and Southern California, with additional attendees and non-members paying $40 per meeting), the Public Project of Excellence Awards Program (an annual recognition initiative launched in 2014 with Grand, Jury, and People's Choice awards), and general Professional Development and Networking Services. The underlying technology is a WordPress website (ccaea.org) used for information distribution; there is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI component.

CCAEA's revenue model is membership-fee based, with two disclosed streams: annual membership dues of $125 and per-meeting attendance fees of $40 for additional attendees and non-members. Distribution is direct: county departments enroll by emailing the Membership Director, and meetings are attended in person. The organization's primary strategic partner is the County General Services Association (CGSA), which hosts the annual awards presentation at its CGSA Academy conference. There are no funding rounds, no subsidiaries, no parent company, and no disclosed financial figures; total annual operating revenue is structurally small given the capped 58-county membership universe and flat $125 pricing.

Name

California Counties Architects and Engineers Association

Legal name

California Counties Architects and Engineers Association

Website

https://ccaea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

California Counties Architects and Engineers Association (CCAEA) is a non-profit professional association, founded in 1988, that provides networking, quarterly meetings, and an annual awards program for public agency architectural and engineering professionals across California's 58 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE) (EDAAALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Public agency networking
• Capital project education
• Government architecture awards
• Professional development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Fees: County departments pay annual membership dues of $125 to belong to the organization. Membership runs from September 1 to August 31 and includes attendance to meetings for one person per county/agency.
2. Meeting Attendance Fees: Additional attendees from the same member county/agency or non-members pay $40 per meeting. This provides incremental revenue beyond the base membership fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CCAEA is a non-profit professional association that provides statewide networking, professional education, and peer knowledge exchange for California county architectural and engineering professionals. Its core deliverables are annual membership access, quarterly in-person meetings with industry presentations and facility tours, and the annual Public Project of Excellence Awards Program recognizing outstanding county capital improvement projects across Large, Medium, and Small county categories.

Product overview

California Counties Architects and Engineers Association (CCAEA) operates as a non-profit network offering a portfolio of member services including an annual Public Project of Excellence Awards Program, quarterly meetings with industry presentations and facility tours, annual membership, and professional development and networking opportunities for California county architectural and engineering professionals responsible for capital improvement projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CCAEA Public Project of Excellence Awards Program Annual awards program recognizing outstanding public works projects delivered by California county architectural and engineering professionals, featuring categories for Large, Medium, and Small County projects plus Grand, Jury, and People's Choice awards.
• Quarterly Meetings Quarterly gatherings alternating between Northern and Southern California featuring industry presentations, roundtable discussions of member issues, and facility tours hosted by meeting host counties.
• Annual Membership Annual membership running September 1 to August 31 providing one person per county/agency access to meetings, with additional attendee and non-member pricing available.
• Professional Development and Networking Services Networking opportunities, professional educational programs, knowledge exchange, and information sharing services for California county architectural and engineering professionals.

Named customers13 records

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.

• County General Services Association (CGSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGSA is the primary partner organization for CCAEA's annual awards presentation. The CGSA Academy (annual conference) serves as the venue for CCAEA Public Project of Excellence Awards presentations. This partnership provides CCAEA with access to a broader network of county general services professionals and a platform for award recognition.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• American Public Works Association (APWA): A national association for public works professionals, including public agency engineers and architects responsible for infrastructure and capital projects. APWA's mission and member profile closely mirror CCAEA's, but at national scale and broader public-works scope.
• County General Services Association (CGSA): The parent/partner organization from which CCAEA originated. CGSA represents county general services directors statewide, while CCAEA focuses on the A&E staff underneath them. They co-host the annual awards ceremony and share overlapping California county-government membership, making CGSA the most directly comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC): National trade association for engineering firms, including those serving public agencies. While ACEC represents the firm/consultant side rather than in-house government A&E, its public-sector programming and advocacy overlap with CCAEA's member interests.
• National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE): The national society representing licensed professional engineers across all sectors. NSPE's continuing education, advocacy, and networking model is structurally similar to CCAEA's, though at national scale and broader engineering scope.
• Society of American Military Engineers (SAME): National professional association bringing together public and private-sector engineers in the federal/civil infrastructure space. SAME's post structure and focus on public-sector engineering parallels CCAEA's mission for in-house government A&E professionals.
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): The primary national professional association for civil engineers. ASCE provides continuing education, conferences, and local chapter networking that parallels what CCAEA delivers for the narrower California-county-engineering segment.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA): The dominant national professional association for architects. AIA offers continuing education, networking, and advocacy at scale. CCAEA serves architects specifically in California county government — a niche subset of AIA's broader membership, making AIA the most relevant broad incumbent.

Regional players

• California State Association of Counties (CSAC): California's statewide association for county governments and officials. CSAC serves county executives and policymakers, while CCAEA serves their A&E staff — both are California-only and draw from the same 58-county universe, making them natural ecosystem partners and comparable peers.
• California Special Districts Association (CSDA): California-based membership organization representing special districts — agencies that, like counties, deliver public infrastructure and facilities. CSDA's mission of supporting local public-agency operations parallels CCAEA's, though at the special-district rather than county level.

Emerging players

• Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP): California-based professional association for environmental professionals working in both the public and private sectors. AEP overlaps with CCAEA's California public-agency member base on environmental review and infrastructure planning issues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about California Counties Architects and Engineers Association