ACEC of Louisiana comprises more than 130 engineering firms, employing almost 6,000 engineers, architects, land surveyors, scientists, and other specialists.
Under the leadership of President and CEO Barker Dirmann, Chairman Nathan Junius, and National Director Michael Thomassie, the organization provides tools and educational opportunities for members to become better business owners and managers. ACEC of Louisiana is committed to advancing the private practice of consulting engineering, enhancing markets for private engineering services, educating the public on the importance of infrastructure investment, and promoting sound business practices within the industry and its client base.
Louisiana is about 52,000 square miles with 7,721 miles of shoreline. Like many states, it has its share of challenges with infrastructure and funding. The dearth of engineers nears the top of the list—making it one of the Member Organization’s main concerns for the future, says Barker Dirmann, president and CEO of ACEC of Louisiana.
By way of illustration, Dirmann talks about visiting his children’s elementary school. “Like all kids, the children love to play with blocks, building bridges from one side of the room to the other. But when asked what they want to be when they grow up, it’s everything from Spider-Man to doctor. Ninety-one kids graduated—moving on from fourth grade—and none wanted to be an engineer,” he says. “Several kids did say astronaut, and I was thinking those would be my engineers—but astronaut sounds way cooler.”
Therein lies the crux of the problem: how to make the profession seem cool to the next generation and to help people of all ages understand the importance of engineering in their daily lives.
“Like all kids, the children love to play with blocks, building bridges from one side of the room to the other. But when asked what they want to be when they grow up, it’s everything from Spider-Man to doctor.”
BARKER DIRMANNPRESIDENT AND CEOACEC OF LOUISIANA
Over the years, ACEC of Louisiana has seen legislative successes on issues such as Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), which the state passed in 2006 as the Mini-Brooks Act/Hammett Act. In 2012, the Member Organization worked to amend the Hammett Act to change the wording from “design professional services” to “architects, engineers, landscape architects, and land surveyors.”
But QBS seems to be a perpetual issue, as state legislators now have term limits and there can be a lot of turnover. “There are always people to educate,” says Dirmann, who has headed the Member Organization for the past three years. Recently, “after seeing increased use of non-negotiated lump sum contracts by public owners in the state, ACEC of Louisiana took the initiative to enhance our state’s QBS law by adding a provision requiring public entities to conduct a post-selection compensation negotiation with the most qualified engineering firm.” In June, H.B. 794 was sent to Gov. Jeff Landry for his signature. (Interestingly, while Dirmann wrote the bill, Rep. Foy Gadberry, the only licensed professional engineer in the legislature, filed it.)
The Member Organization is also working toward securing an increase in funding for transportation infrastructure. “People often joke that you don’t need a state sign saying you’ve entered Louisiana—the roads will tell you. Everyone talks about it, but no one wants to pay for it. The gas tax [traditionally used to fund road infrastructure] hasn’t increased since 1989,” Dirmann says. Efforts in 2017 and 2021 to raise the gas tax failed. “In 2021, it was pretty much dead on arrival,” he adds, although the legislature did “rededicate existing revenue for infrastructure. This was a win, but it will only be about $300 million annually, and we need $1 billion.”
Dirmann and an outside lobbyist spend their time educating people one on one—and not just at the statehouse. They reach out to municipal associations and mayors, as well as city, town, and village councils. And an ACEC of Louisiana delegation makes its way to Washington, D.C., each year to speak to representatives on Capitol Hill.
During the ACEC Annual Convention & Legislative Summit this year, “We spoke to representatives about QBS, research and development tax credits, immigration policies, and workforce development,” says Nathan Junius, chairman of ACEC of Louisiana and president of Linfield, Hunter & Junius Inc.
With $4.4 billion in funding already being funneled into Louisiana from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (and another $3.3 billion on its way through fiscal year 2026), the state is going to need every engineering professional it can get for its myriad upcoming transportation and coastal projects and other infrastructure needs.
Some of the Member Organization’s largest educational efforts are directed at the public—from schoolchildren to taxpayers. “Most kids don’t connect the dots from a new bridge or new stadium project to the engineers responsible for the design, so they don’t understand how significant of an impact engineers have on society,” says Michael Thomassie, national director of ACEC of Louisiana and principal and vice president at DDG.
And taxpayers have to understand that “investments in things such as transportation are a direct investment in the economy,” Dirmann says.
“We spoke to representatives [on Capitol Hill] about QBS, research and development tax credits, immigration policies, and workforce development.”
NATHAN JUNIUSCHAIRMANACEC OF LOUISIANA
“Most kids don’t connect the dots from a new bridge or new stadium project to the engineers responsible for the design, so they don’t understand how significant of an impact engineers have on society.”
MICHAEL THOMASSIENATIONAL DIRECTORACEC OF LOUISIANA
Which brings us back to the classroom. Kimberly McDaniel, board member of ACEC of Louisiana and principal and CEO of Intelligent Transportation Systems, helped start a STEM grant program, working in conjunction with the Louisiana Engineering Society, of which she’s a board member. The partnership has paid off. “Because at the end of the day, it’s the same people and the same firms,” McDaniel explains. “We’re better together.”
“Anything we do is grassroots. It’s not formal or elaborate. It’s really about connecting.”
KIMBERLY MCDANIELBOARD MEMBERACEC OF LOUISIANA
She also runs an ACEC of Louisiana-supported golf tournament each year, and for the past two years, they’ve granted money to local schools. “We had 25 applications the first year and 60 applications the second year,” says McDaniel, who adds that she has a passion for helping teachers because her parents were educators. In addition, “giving grants to schools for their programs and initiatives allows us the opportunity to meet the teachers and connect them with professionals who can help them or serve as advisors.” The programs can be very basic, particularly in lower socioeconomic districts, for example, purchasing school supplies like scissors and glue or helping students enter a science fair. “Anything we do is grassroots,” she says. “It’s not formal or elaborate. It’s really about connecting.”
She hopes that exposing students to engineering early will encourage them to go into the profession. But interest aside, convincing them to stay in the state is difficult. As McDaniel puts it, “The ‘shiny objects’ are not really in Louisiana: the high salaries and flexibility of working in fun cities like Austin and Denver.”
And those pursuing engineering degrees locally are less frequently interested in civil engineering, according to Thomassie. He cites local competition from the petrochemical industry as well as national competition from the “technology companies of the world—the Amazons and Googles.”
Once an engineer is hired, retention is the next hurdle. Thomassie says his firm is focusing on being more intentional about staff engagement and professional development. One bright spot is the success of the Member Organization’s Emerging Leaders Institute, in conjunction with the American Institute of Architects. Employees who have gone through the program “value the experience and come back with a little more confidence,” Thomassie says, adding that they gather new ideas and build a network with their cohort.
For now, the Member Organization’s efforts remain focused on community outreach and education. “Maybe there’s opportunity to collaborate with the Knock Knock Children’s Museum,” Dirmann muses. “And I’d like to get something mobile to bring to schools.” But he does say his younger child, age 7, tells him he wants to be an engineer. That’s a start.
Stacey Freed is based in Pittsford, New York, and has contributed to This Old House, Professional Builder, and USA Today.