Why 2022 is A Design-Build Year to Remember

What a Difference a Year Makes

Lisa Washington, Executive Director & CEO
Lisa Washington, CAE – DBIA Executive Director/CEO

In so many ways, 2022 felt like a return to normalcy or at least a new normal.

Clearly, you agree, as we saw new attendance records at last month’s Design-Build Conference and Expo in Las Vegas and excellent registration for our education and training courses throughout the year. We hosted our first VDC Leadership Exchange this year, delivering on our commitment to focus on “VDC Done Right,” ensuring the fusion of people, process and technology continues to drive design-build success.

2022 was an excellent year for DBIA and, I believe, a precursor for what’s to come.

There are many ways we measure success here at DBIA, including financial health, membership trends, industry engagement and impact. So, let’s look at what 2022 meant for DBIA, our members and supporters, and what we believe is ahead for the new year.

We’re Fiscally Health

COVID presented unprecedented economic challenges for many organizations, including ours. DBIA is happy to report that, despite those trials, we’ve come out on the other side healthy, resuming our steady fiscal growth in 2022. Today, we’ve grown from a $6 million organization in 2012 to $11 million in 2022. Our “rainy day” fund now holds a year of reserves, double the national nonprofit association average. DBIA is well-positioned for the future.

Impressive Membership Growth

Increased membership is an essential driver of our financial strength. DBIA has seen a nearly 15% membership increase in 2022, with design firms leading the way, followed by consultant/owner advisor firms. We’re incredibly proud to report that more than 50% of our new Industry Partner members represent MWDBE firms, a great start to our efforts to ensure the “meaningful engagement” of these firms as part of design-build teams.

More Owners and Design-Build Teams Trained

Now, more than ever, America needs Owners that understand their role in successful design-build and well-trained design-build teams to deliver historic infrastructure investment projects nationwide. DBIA is committed to helping prepare our industry and has trained over 2,000 design-build team members on Design-Build Done Right® best practices this year alone. Nearly half of those have worked with DBIA to assess internal culture and needs to create customized training designed specifically for their teams’ specific needs. Equally impressive is that most of these custom sessions are with Owner agencies. Enlightened design-build Owners will drive our future success, and they’re looking for qualified design-build team members. That’s why it’s no surprise the number of DBIA Certified professionals continues to grow, with 570 in the 2022 Class and more than 6,300 total certified.

So Glad to See You Again

2022 marked the first time DBIA has hosted a full year of in-person conferences since 2019, and it’s clear that design-build team members were eager and ready to get back together again. Our events were well attended, with a record-breaking crowd at the 2022 Design-Build Conference & Expo. Planning is well underway for our sector-specific events, and registration is now open for the 2023 Design-Build for Transportation/Aviation (March 13-15) and Water/Wastewater Conferences (March 15-17) in Seattle. We hope to see you there!

It’s been a terrific year, and I look forward to celebrating 2023 with all of you.

Happy Holidays and here’s to a historic 2023!