Fireside Chat: Demystifying Return on Investment for Technology in the AEC

In the age of rising AEC tech and automation, many firms are navigating the difficult decision around value and ROI. Join in this fireside chat to get insights on process, success stories, and learnings from Steven G. Haines, VP at BVH Integrated Services, a Salas O’Brien company, Brooke Grammier, CIO at DLR Group,  and Andy Knauf, CIO/Vice President at Mead and Hunt.

Steve Haines

Steve Haines is a highly-regarded collaborator, big-picture thinker, and frequent lecturer in the design and construction industry. As Vice President at BVH Integrated Services, Salas O’Brien Company, Steve takes a leadership role in the firm’s information technology and related practice areas, forming the foundation for the firm’s ability to work effectively, communicate ideas, and produce quality projects. Leveraging his past experience with Centerbrook Architects, The SLAM Collaborative and IT consulting, Steve spends most of his time examining existing processes and disrupting the status quo to make room for innovation.

Brooke Grammier

Brooke Grammier earned a BS in Computer and Information Science from the University of Houston in 2002, and a MBA in Technology Management in 2017. Brooke worked her way up the IT ranks with international Architecture, Design, Engineering and Project Management firm Leo A Daly over the first 15 years of her career before moving to the CIO role with DLR Group 3 years ago in the same industry.

As the CIO on DLR’s executive team, Brooke works globally across the enterprise collaborating with Design, Operational, Practice, and Technology leaders and teams to formulate a strategic vision for technology at DLR Group.

Accountable for the delivery of business solutions to increase productivity and operational efficiencies, Brooke’s team tracks new technologies and develops innovative products to better serve the needs of DLR Group’s integrated design teams, clients, and ultimately, the people who utilize the spaces they create.

Brooke has moved traditional infrastructures to leading-edge cloud technologies, rapidly transformed Technology organizations with her talent for finding the right people to build diverse, high-performance teams, and leveraged IoT, AI, ML, Data Lakes, and advanced analytics to uncover insights leading to business success in unforeseen areas.

Beyond her day-to-day work with DLR, Brooke is active in AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) organizations where she is leading industry efforts to utilize data in ways that inform better decision making and drive innovation that elevates the entire industry. She is also active in mentorship programs benefiting high school students in the Houston area through the EFTA.

Brooke has a passion for leadership development fueled by the constant challenge of rapid change in the AEC industry and is active in mentoring and developing new leaders.

Andy Knauf

Andy Knauf has been with Mead & Hunt for 31 years, in roles of increasing responsibility and currently holds the title of Chief Information Officer. He also serves as a member of the company's Executive Committee. Andy is responsible for providing Leadership and Strategy for all technology operations as well as innovation and cybersecurity. In addition, Andy is heavily involved in ACEC and routinely speaks at the spring and fall conference as well as hosting an event yearly at Mead & Hunt.

As an innovation expert and strategic foresight leader Knauf identifies, evaluates, and assesses new technologies that bring value to our clients as well as the company. As a Cloud-First company, we are providing the greatest amount of flexibility to the people that work at Mead & Hunt giving employees the ability to work anywhere.

Knauf also serves on the Customer Advisory Board (CAB) of two different technology companies providing insight and guidance in their software. He is a regular contributing author and spokesperson for Mead & Hunt and has been a speaker at many industry events and webinars.

We live in an exciting time, where technology continues developing ways for us to get more done faster. Part of the challenge is securing the information, but the steps we have taken and will continue to do have satisfied and impressed both our employees and our clients.