dbia mar

What dbia mar does

DBIA-MAR (Design-Build Institute of America — Mid-America Region) is a regional nonprofit membership organization founded in 2000 to inform, educate, and promote design-build best practices and integrated project delivery across Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. It operates as the Mid-America regional chapter of the national Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), which was founded in 1993 to advocate for single-source project delivery within the design and construction community. The chapter serves architects, engineers, contractors, project owners, and developers engaged in design-build methodology, offering a portfolio of educational programs, certification workshops, an annual regional conference, an awards competition, a project spotlight program, and recurring networking events including breakfast programs, site walks, golf tournaments, BBQ competitions, and clay and trap shoots. It also runs a Young Professionals/NextGen track aimed at emerging industry participants.

The organization operates a non-technology, community-led go-to-market model. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: annual membership dues (subscription/recurring), event registration fees (transactional), and corporate sponsorships across Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Regional tiers (subscription/recurring). Pricing is not publicly disclosed, with prospective members directed to a contact form. Distribution is direct, via the chapter's website and in-person programming across the five-state region. As a regional nonprofit entity under the national DBIA umbrella, DBIA-MAR does not have equity ownership, does not raise venture funding, and does not disclose revenue, headcount, or membership counts publicly. Notable regional projects showcased by the chapter include the John J. 'Buck' O'Neil Memorial Bridge in Kansas City, MO (completed December 2024, approximately 3 miles, owned by Missouri DOT, designed-built by Massman-Clarkson JV with HNTB as builder architect) and the Walmart Case-Ready Beef Facility in Olathe, KS (completed June 2025, 330,000 SF greenfield meat packaging facility, designed-built by McCownGordon with ESI Group USA as builder architect). Sponsorship and member rosters include Burns & McDonnell, JE Dunn, McCownGordon, Victaulic, McCarthy, Turner Construction, Clark Construction, and Crossland Construction, among others.

Name

dbia mar

Legal name

Design-Build Institute of America - Mid-America Region (DBIA-MAR)

Website

https://dbiamidamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DBIA-MAR is a regional nonprofit chapter of the Design-Build Institute of America serving Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. It educates design and construction professionals on design-build best practices through certification workshops, regional conferences, and recurring networking events, funded by membership dues and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for individuals and organizations in the design and construction industry
2. Event Registration Fees: Fees charged for participation in regional events including breakfast programs, site walks, golf tournaments, certification workshops, and social events
3. Sponsorship Revenue: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Regional sponsorships from construction and engineering companies including Burns & McDonnell, JE Dunn, McCownGordon, and others

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DBIA-MAR is a regional nonprofit membership organization that informs, educates, and promotes design-build best practices and integrated project delivery for architects, engineers, contractors, project owners, and developers across Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. It sells annual memberships, certification preparation workshops, an annual regional conference, project spotlight showcases, an annual awards competition, and a calendar of networking events such as breakfast programs, site walks, BBQ competitions, golf tournaments, and clay and trap shoots. Tiered regional sponsorships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Regional) are sold to construction and engineering firms seeking visibility within the Mid-America design-build community.

Product overview

DBIA-MAR (Mid-America Region of the Design-Build Institute of America) is a regional membership organization, not a software product company. It was formed in 2000 to inform, educate, and promote design-build best practices and integrated project delivery throughout Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. The organization offers a portfolio of educational programs, professional development events, and networking activities including regional conferences, certification workshops, project spotlights, awards competitions, and various social events (BBQ competitions, golf tournaments, clay shoots). These services support design and construction professionals in advancing single-source project delivery using the design-build methodology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design-Build Best Practices Education
• Regional Conference
• DBIA Certification Workshops
• Project Spotlight Program
• Annual Awards Competition
• Regional Sponsorship Program
• Annual Membership

Named customers2 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Burns & McDonnellminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Platinum/Gold/Silver regional sponsor of DBIA-MAR events and programs. Burns & McDonnell is an engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting solutions firm.
• JE DunnminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Platinum/Gold/Silver regional sponsor. JE Dunn is a construction services firm providing preconstruction, construction, and corporate buildout services.
• McCownGordon ConstructionminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Platinum/Gold/Silver regional sponsor. McCownGordon is a construction management firm serving clients in the Midwest.
• VictaulicminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Platinum/Gold/Silver regional sponsor. Victaulic manufactures mechanical pipe joining and flow management solutions.
• McCarthyminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Platinum/Gold/Silver regional sponsor. McCarthy is a national construction company specializing in commercial and industrial construction.
• Turner ConstructionminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Regional sponsor. Turner Construction is an international construction services company.
• Clark ConstructionminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Regional sponsor. Clark Construction is a national construction firm.
• Crossland ConstructionminorOthers · 1 January 20262026 Regional sponsor. Crossland Construction is a construction services company.
• Massman-Clarkson (Joint Venture)minorOthers · 1 January 2026Design-Builder on the John J. 'Buck' O'Neil Memorial Bridge project. Joint venture between Massman Construction and Clarkson Construction.
• ESI Group USAminorOthers · 1 January 2025Builder Architect on the Walmart Case-Ready Beef Facility project in Olathe, KS - a 330,000 SF industrial process facility completed June 2025.
• HNTB CorporationminorOthers · 1 January 2024Builder Architect on the John J. 'Buck' O'Neil Memorial Bridge project - a civil infrastructure project in Kansas City, MO completed December 2024.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Institute of Architects (AIA): National professional association for architects with local components including AIA Kansas City. A meaningful overlap audience for DBIA-MAR, as architects are key participants in design-build delivery, and AIA competes for continuing-education programming and event sponsorships.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): National construction trade association with regional chapters serving commercial contractors. Competes with DBIA-MAR for member mindshare and corporate sponsorships across the Midwest, though ABC's scope spans all delivery methods and is broader than DBIA-MAR's design-build focus.
• Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): The largest U.S. trade association for general contractors, with chapters nationwide including AGC of Missouri and AGC of Kansas. Competes with DBIA-MAR for construction-firm memberships and sponsorships, but covers all project delivery methods rather than specializing in design-build.
• Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA National): DBIA-MAR's parent organization and the national umbrella for design-build advocacy, certification, and best practices. Operates across all U.S. regions with a broader portfolio of programming, federal advocacy, and national conferences; serves as the strategic and curricular authority over DBIA-MAR.

Emerging players

• Construction Management Association of America (CMAA): National association promoting construction management as a delivery method. Overlaps with DBIA-MAR's audience of owners, designers, and builders, and competes for sponsorships from the same Mid-America firms — though CMAA is more focused on CM-at-risk than single-source design-build.
• Lean Construction Institute (LCI): Nonprofit promoting lean principles and integrated project delivery in construction. Reaches a partially shared member audience in the Midwest and competes for educational programming and event sponsorships targeting the same design-build owner/contractor community.

Direct peers

• Design-Build Institute of America - Western Pacific Region: Another regional DBIA chapter covering a different U.S. geography (Western Pacific states). Operates the same membership-and-events business model, runs certification workshops and regional conferences, and competes with DBIA-MAR for sponsor mindshare and shared member attention.
• Design-Build Institute of America - Southeast Region: A peer regional DBIA chapter serving the Southeastern U.S. with the same chapter-based membership model, regional sponsorship tiers, and design-build education programming — directly comparable to DBIA-MAR along business model, product mix, and target audience.

Regional players

• DBIA Upper Midwest Region: An additional peer regional DBIA chapter; while DBIA-MAR's Mid-America Region overlaps geographically with parts of the Upper Midwest Region in Minnesota and Iowa, the two operate as distinct chapters — making it both a direct peer in business model and a regional competitor for member dues and sponsorships.

Others

• ENR Midwest (Engineering News-Record): Regional construction industry media outlet serving the Midwest with news, rankings, and events. Not a membership association, but serves a similar audience of contractors, owners, and design firms in DBIA-MAR's geography and competes for advertising/sponsorship dollars in the regional construction ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dbiamar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 dbia mar