Texas and Southern States
M&A, Strategy, and Innovation Symposium

The 500 Club Panel
Live Oak

In this lively and informative panel discussion, M&A experts – who between them have advised on over 500 successful transactions – will discuss what it takes for buyers and sellers to get deals done in 2023 and what to expect in 2024. They’ll share what they are seeing in terms of best practices and innovations for deal structuring, deal closing and integration.

PANELISTS
George E. Christodoulo, Partner – Lawson & Weitzen, LLP
Kent Collier, Managing Principal – Greyling Insurance Brokerage & Risk Consulting
Brendon Cussio, Vice President – Morrissey Goodale
David M. Sullivan, Partner – PKF O’Connor Davies

MODERATOR
Katharine Van Leer, Consultant – Morrissey Goodale

Opening Reception
Willie G’s Seafood – adjacent to the Post Oak Hotel.

Network with AE industry executives, investors, and experts from across the U.S. and beyond while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Breakfast
Grand Ballroom II

Start your day with breakfast and making valuable connections with industry executives and investors.

State of the Industry
Grand Ballroom I

Nick Belitz and Megan Miller reference a wealth of proprietary and up-to-the-minute, year-to-date data from Morrissey Goodale and the latest Deltek Clarity Report (for a combined data set of over 600 industry firms) to share how the AE industry is performing now and what lies ahead.

PRESENTERS
Nick Belitz, Principal – Morrissey Goodale
Megan Miller, Director of Product Marketing – Deltek

Networking Break
Grand Foyer South

CEO Strategy Panel: A view from the top
Grand Ballroom I

CEOs from some of the industry’s top firms discuss the state of the industry and where it’s headed. They’ll share their views on the trends that are reshaping how business gets done and the potential disruptions that lie ahead.

PANELISTS
Ernesto Aguilar, President & CEO – Ardurra Group, Inc. (ENR #89)
Erin Inman, P.E., LEED AP, President & CEO – Primera Engineers (ENR #382)
Jim Thompson, P.E. DBIA, Chairman & CEO – DCCM (ENR #129)
Chris Young, P.E., President/CEO – Plummer Associates, Inc. (ENR #422)

MODERATORS
Karen Erger, Senior Vice President & Director of Practice Risk Management – Lockton
Mark Goodale, Principal – Morrissey Goodale

Networking Lunch
Grand Ballroom II

Continue your day dining and making valuable connections with industry executives and investors.

The BST Global Innovation Series
Grand Ballroom I

This session will cover how technologies like AI, Machine Learning and Digital are transforming the AE and environmental industry. You’ll also learn how to foster innovation at your firm and determine which new ideas to pursue and which ones to reject.

PANELISTS
Javier A. Baldor, Chief Executive Officer – BST Global
Jamie Christensen, Director, Innovation – Gannett Fleming (ENR #26)
KiSeok Jeon, Vice President, Digital Advisory – STV (ENR #37)

MODERATOR
Sarah Thornhill, Consultant – Morrissey Goodale

Networking Break
Grand Foyer South

M&A Panel
Grand Ballroom I

This panel discussion brings some of the industry’s most prolific and skilled acquirers together with principals of firms who have recently sold or recapitalized their firms. The session will cover the decision-making processes that bring buyers and sellers together and industry best practices in terms of deal negotiations, deal structuring and integration of firms.

PANELISTS
John Doucet, P.E., LEED AP, VP Operations – Doucet, A Kleinfelder Company
Gary Elzweig, P.E., F.ASCE, Vice Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer – Universal Engineering Sciences (UES), (ENR #36)
Megan Steyer, Sr. Vice President,  Director, M&A Integration & Office Operations – CHA Consulting (ENR #69)

MODERATORS
Brendon Cussio, Vice President – Morrissey Goodale
Neil Shah, Senior Technical Director – alliantgroup

Networking Break
Grand Foyer South

What’s next for Harris County Infrastructure?
Grand Ballroom I

Home to twenty-three Fortune 500 companies, the largest Medical Complex in the world, the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage, two international airports, and over 60,000 engineers and architects, Harris County is the fastest growing Texas county measured by GDP (and the third fastest in the U.S.). With a population of over 4.7 million (larger than twenty five individual states), the county is poised for continued growth with Houston on track to become the third largest U.S. city by the end of this decade. Massive infrastructure and environmental needs lie ahead.

In this session, Mick Morrissey sits down with Tom Ramsey, Harris County District 3 Commissioner, to discuss the county’s politics, infrastructure needs, and business opportunities for AE and environmental firms.

SPECIAL GUEST
Tom S. Ramsey, P.E., Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner

Networking Reception 
Grand Foyer South

Continue your networking with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Networking Breakfast 
Grand Ballroom II

Start your day with breakfast and making valuable connections with industry executives and investors.

KEYNOTE: The economic outlook for the U.S., Texas and the Southern States
Dr. Ray Perryman, President and CEO – The Perryman Group
Grand Ballroom I

Called a “genius” by the Wall Street Journal, the “unofficial state economist” by the New York Times, and “the most quoted man in Texas” by Texas Monthly, Dr. Ray Perryman, President and CEO of The Perryman Group, will be addressing the economic outlook for Texas and the surrounding southern states.

Networking Break
Grand Foyer South

AE and Environmental Industry M&A Trends and Valuations
Grand Ballroom I

Nick Belitz and Jon Escobar team up to bring you the latest M&A trends and deal prices – nationally and in Texas and the Southern States.

Presentation of the 2023 Best Post Transaction Performance Award
Grand Ballroom I

The Morrissey Goodale team will present the Best Post Transaction Performance Award to this year’s recipient.

Networking Lunch
Grand Ballroom II

Make one last connection before you take what you’ve learned back to the office. This could be where you connect with your ultimate M&A partner or investor!