SAN FRANCISCO, California, April 16, 2025 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), an internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm, is excited to announce that Vince DiPofi, PE, SSOE’s Chief Executive Officer, will be a key participant at this year’s YegaTech AI Summit and Strategic Planning Workshop: Aligning Business, Culture, and Operation. The event will take place from April 22-25, 2025, at the Fairmont Hotel San Francisco in California. This summit brings together industry leaders, technology experts, and innovators to discuss the era of AI in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) companies, foster collaboration, and identify strategies for growth in a rapidly evolving industry.
SSOE’s DiPofi will be joined by Tim O’Rourke, Chief Technical Officer of Wade Trim, and Sam Ishak, Chief Information Officer of Langan, for a panel titled, “AEC Leadership AI Roundtable Discussion” occurring on Thursday, April 24 at 10:30 p.m. PDT. This roundtable will explore how leading AEC firms are navigating the real challenges of integrating AI into legacy workflows while uncovering new opportunities to accelerate their process, reshape talent strategies, and elevate client outcomes. With candid insights and peer-to-peer perspectives, this session will provide a unique look at how top executive leaders are preparing their organizations for a radically different future.
YegaTech CEO Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ph.D., speaking at SSOE’s Planning Summit in 2023
DiPofi commented, “We’ve been working with YegaTech for two years, fine-tuning our strategy around AI to put ourselves on a path to fully leverage it. We’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of it and its potential to reshape our industry and enhance our work. This venture has showcased the importance of embracing AI not merely as a technology, but as a strategic asset capable of addressing critical challenges, like the engineering talent shortage. During the YegaTech AEC roundtable discussion, I look forward to sharing some of SSOE’s experiences and insights. We’re hoping to inspire others to leverage AI for greater automation, standardization, quality, and ultimately, a more resilient and competitive future.”
Harnessing AI for Industry Advancement
DiPofi’s enthusiasm for AI and its transformative potential for the AEC industry has been a driving force in SSOE’s digital transformation. In 2022, he spearheaded SSOE’s corporate-wide initiative to integrate AI and position it as a central business strategy. This ignited a company-wide dialogue, welcoming questions, concerns, and innovative ideas to the table from all levels of the organization.
DiPofi and his executive team devoted six months to researching and understanding the impact of AI, leading to the development of a comprehensive strategy focused on integrating AI into project delivery workflows, improving data governance, and fostering a culture of innovation. Additionally, an AI governance team was developed to create guidelines and regulations for the ethical and responsible deployment of AI at SSOE—both initiatives in partnership with YegaTech. In 2023, DiPofi led an online webinar with YegaTech as part of an ACEC Webinar Series, “AI for AEC,” demonstrating a framework by which participants can create a plan and implement AI into their firm to accelerate their business strategy.
In preparing for the YegaTech roundtable, DiPofi explained his approach to AI from the position as CEO, “I recognized the sense of fear surrounding AI at the time, and even still. First and foremost, we established data ethics and privacy protocols, which are governed by our Board of Directors. If our team could safely use AI and see for themselves how it enhances their work—and doesn’t replace them—it would alleviate much of the anxiety and foster greater adoption. This approach not only benefits our firm but also propels the advancement of our industry. By embracing AI, we can help shape its development to work for us and make it the best it can be. AI is here to stay, and we need to learn how to collaborate with it effectively and to our advantage.”
