Welcome to the November edition of Blakely Brown Insights!

This month, we’re feeling especially grateful. With Thanksgiving on the horizon and Blakely Brown celebrating three incredible years, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who’s been part of our journey. Whether you’ve been with us since 2022 or recently joined our community, your support means the world to us.

We’ve had the privilege of working with so many talented colleagues, clients, and candidates along the way, and we truly appreciate each and every one of you.

To our US readers, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Dive in for this month’s updates, highlights, and industry insights!

With appreciation,

The Blakely Brown Team

Blakely Brown Third Year Anniversary

This month marks our third year as a business, founded by Ross, Ryan, and Jacob in November 2022.

Since then, we’ve come a long way. Our team has more than tripled in size, welcoming new colleagues across both the US and the UK, with even more joining us in the new year. This growth has supported the opening of our Leeds, Miami, and Houston offices, Miami now serving as our primary US headquarters.

As our team has expanded on both sides of the Atlantic, so too has our reach. We’ve moved into new markets and now support an even wider range of sectors across the AEC space. This evolution has introduced us to a diverse array of new clients and allowed us to build strong, lasting relationships with professionals throughout the United States.

We’ve also strengthened our mergers and acquisitions offering, and we’re proud to support both new and existing clients looking to expand into new locations or broaden their service capabilities.

Over the past three years, we’ve connected with countless candidates, many of whom have since become valued clients, continuing their partnership with us long after their initial placement.

And of course, we’ve celebrated the highs (and tackled the inevitable lows) together, with celebratory team trips across both Europe and the US.

As we look ahead, we’re excited to see what the next three years hold for Blakely Brown. We’re incredibly grateful to our colleagues, clients, candidates, and wider network for their support, whether you’ve been with us since 2022 or have only recently joined us. Thank you for being part of our journey.

AI and Construction

AI is rapidly reshaping industries, including construction, at a pace unlike any previous technological shift. Advancements in generative and multimodal AI models are accelerating weekly, and adoption is scaling faster than any technology in history. While construction has long faced labor shortages, productivity challenges, and a retiring workforce, AI isn’t a future concept, it’s already influencing hiring patterns, workflow design, and workforce planning across sectors.

Early data shows significant efficiency gains: companies are hiring fewer graduates, many programming jobs are disappearing, and organizations that embed AI or partner for implementation are seeing the strongest results. Successful cases, like IKEA reskilling call center staff and driving major revenue gains, illustrate that AI augments people rather than replacing them.

Looking ahead, construction is poised to benefit. As other industries automate, construction’s physical complexity will delay full automation and attract talent displaced elsewhere. Robotics will augment, not replace, the workforce, and AI-enabled workflows will allow smaller firms to compete with larger players. Over time, business models will shift from hourly billing to value-based pricing. Architecture and engineering will transform first; field construction will follow more gradually.

Takeaways for Recruiters:

1. New Talent Flows: Automation elsewhere will drive more jobseekers into construction.

2. Evolving Skill Needs: AI literacy, automation fluency, and hybrid human–AI skills will become core requirements.

3. Reskilling Wins: Companies that upskill employees (vs. replace them) will see stronger performance and retention.

Takeaways for Engineers:

1. AI-Driven Workflows: Faster design, modeling, and decision-making through generative AI and AI agents.

2. Robotics as Force Multipliers: Rapid robotics progress will augment labor and improve productivity, especially on large or remote projects.

3. Smaller, More Capable Teams: AI enables leaner teams with broader impact, giving adaptable engineers a competitive edge.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our colleagues, clients and candidates!

As our team is split over the US and the UK, some of our team may still be available this Thanksgiving holiday, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.

For those of you who will be recharging over the long weekend, we wish you a happy holiday and thank you again for your ongoing support. We look forward to reconnecting with you over the next few weeks.

Thank you!