Key Takeaways: • Companies changed strategies, but not all of them worked out • Donald Trump's election brought a big bounce to stocks of some of the larger architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms • Workforce issues continue to drive decision making process Industry consolidation continued in 2016 at a steady but slower pace—with global economic and political trends pushing caution and no blockbuster linkages like those two years earlier. "We're looking at the first year-over-year decline in industry [merger and acquisition] activity in three years," said design-sector management consultant Morrissey-Goodale. "A combination of factors including uncertainty around the presidential election and mixed messages on the economy conspired to make this latest 12 months of industry consolidation the slowest since 2013." But the still strong need for the right skills at the right time to execute both projects and corporate growth pushed many companies toward the expediency of "buying" critical talent. [Read More]