Ownership Transitions in AEC: Key Takeaways from February's Principals Roundtable
Posted by [email protected] on Feb. 12, 2026 / Event Recap / Subscribe 0
SMPS San Diego's recent Principals Roundtable program, Ownership Transition & Its Effect on Marketing and BD provided a lively discussion on a timely topic. Schmidt Design Group hosted the event at their Point Loma office with David Lecours and Rigo Hernandez moderating the session.
Principals Roundtable is a peer-to-peer exchange of ideas on topics for principals and owners of firms that have a SMPS member on staff.
Here are four takeaways from the conversation.
Ownership transition is happening more frequently than in the past.
For two of the attendees, an ownership transition had occurred within the past two months. Nearly all attendees had experienced an ownership transition in their careers. There are two reasons that explain why now.
- A significant number of baby boomers are looking to retire in the next 5–10 years.
- There is a new influx of Private Equity firms looking to invest in AEC firms.
Big Finance now views AEC firms as a solid investment.
Renaming the firm depends on why the ownership transition occurred. Principals of OBR (Lionakis) and Delawie (Leo Daly), whose firms had recently been acquired, shared that they will eventually change their firm names to the name of the larger acquiring firm. This is typical of an acquisition. But for firms like KTUA and Schmidt Design Group, who experienced internal owner transition, they chose to maintain the firm name for continuity.
At minimum, update the visual brand identity.
Firms that kept their brand name after ownership transition, but wanted to signal a new era, chose to refresh their visual brand identity. An updated logo, colors, typography, or graphics were effective to bring new energy to their brands.
Tell employees, clients, and teaming partners before the big announcement.
The group agreed that advance notice to let employees know what's changing, and what isn't, is a priority for employee retention. Some firms offer retention bonuses to incentivize staff to stay through the transition. Letting clients and teaming partners know ahead of the public announcement is also a priority. Making clients feel valued is always essential. Ideally, share the news in person. If that's not possible because of timing or logistics, then a personal phone call is preferred over an email.
SMPS San Diego extends its appreciation to Glen Schmidt and JT Barr of Schmidt Design Group for sponsoring and hosting the event. Thanks to David Lecours and Rigo Hernandez for leading the discussion. Join us on May 20 at Geosyntec for the next Principals Roundtable: Policies on AI.
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