Welcome to the January edition of Blakely Brown Insights!

It’s already shaping up to be a milestone year for our team. Our Miami headquarters continues to grow with a new wave of consultants, while across the Atlantic our U.K. headquarters is preparing to open in London later this spring. Together, these developments position us for our next stage of expansion and allow us to better support clients across the U.S. AEC market.

We look forward to sharing more in the months ahead and to connecting in person with many of you as our team travels throughout the U.S. this year.

With appreciation,

The Blakely Brown Team

2026 Expansion

Following a strong 2025 and continued momentum in Miami, we’re excited for our new location in 2026: London. Our Brickell office, opened last year by Ross and Jacob and now officially serving as our U.S. headquarters, has grown to a team of seven and counting, expanded our service offering, opened new client relationships, and broadened the sectors we support across the AEC ecosystem.

This year, we’re going back to our roots by establishing a U.K. headquarters in the nation’s capital. The London office will be led by Ryan and will work in close alignment with our U.S. team, supporting clients operating in the U.S. AEC market while giving us greater global reach and broader access to talent.

Over the coming months, we’ll be securing a permanent office space and building out a London team of experienced consultants. If you or someone in your network is exploring their next role in executive search, we’d welcome an introduction, please reach out to Ryan or Antonia to start a conversation.

Our Miami headquarters will continue to grow throughout 2026 as well. We will be adding both graduates and experienced consultants, and the team has already begun touring larger office spaces to accommodate the next phase of expansion. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining the Blakely Brown team in Miami, we’d be happy to speak with you.

AI Demand Fuels Historic Data-Center Builds in the South

Two massive data-center investments, totaling more than $26 billion, are moving forward in Arkansas and Mississippi, marking the largest economic development projects in each state’s history. AVAIO Digital Partners is launching a multi-phase campus in Pulaski County, Arkansas, with an initial $6-billion phase and eventual buildout topping $21 billion. Nearby, Elon Musk’s xAI is developing a $20-billion facility in Southaven, Mississippi, tied to newly acquired power assets. Both projects reflect the accelerating demand for compute capacity to support AI and cloud workloads, as well as the competitive push among states to streamline permitting, secure power, and offer incentives for high-intensity digital infrastructure.

Takeaways for U.S. Engineers:

1. Power is the gating factor These projects underscore that gigawatt-scale power procurement and grid integration are now central to data-center planning, not an afterthought.

2. Cooling and water strategies are evolving Developers are emphasizing water-efficient cooling, recapture systems, and site-specific sustainability measures as AI loads increase thermal demand.

3. Retrofits show flexibility in deployment xAI’s retrofit approach highlights that not all AI-grade facilities will be greenfield builds, adaptive reuse can accelerate speed-to-compute.

Takeaways for AEC Recruiters:

1. AI infrastructure is driving multi-year hiring waves Large campuses create long pipelines of construction, MEP, and commissioning talent needs, followed by sustained operations hiring.

2. Southern markets are becoming data-center hubs Arkansas and Mississippi are joining traditional metros in competing for digital infrastructure, broadening geographic hiring footprints.

3. Regulatory agility is a competitive advantage States that streamline permitting and energy approvals can attract multi-billion-dollar investment, pulling talent demand with it.

In-person Meetings

With our Miami office fully up and running, our team is now focused on expanding individual client coverage and deepening regional relationships throughout 2026. As part of that effort, we’re lining up in-person meetings with partners, clients, and industry contacts across the U.S. over the coming months.

These conversations have become increasingly valuable as market conditions shift, whether to compare hiring trends, validate compensation ranges, understand demand in new geographies, or assess talent strategies tied to emerging sectors like data centers, life sciences, and infrastructure.

If you’re planning hiring, expanding into new markets, or simply want to compare notes on what we’re seeing across the AEC and industrial ecosystem, we’d welcome the chance to meet up and discuss.

To book time: reply to this newsletter, connect with your usual point of contact, or email our Miami team to coordinate dates.