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ASLA Business Council
An executive peer network where landscape architecture's senior leaders share real business intelligence, solve shared challenges, and shape the long-term sustainability of the profession — in a candid, non-competitive boardroom environment.
ASLA Business Council
About the ASLA Business Council
The ASLA Business Council is the premier executive-level pillar of ASLA's newly established Practice Management Institute (PMI) — a highly curated forum for senior leaders in landscape architecture and allied industries to share practical business intelligence, collaboratively solve operational challenges, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of their firms.
Built strictly for — and led by — landscape architects and their closest allied industry partners, the Business Council reflects the licensed practice, business ownership, and public trust obligations unique to our profession. Unlike generic CEO peer groups, every discussion, case study, and expert session is grounded in the realities of running a design-led firm: equity transitions, public procurement, licensure, and the financial pressures of building a practice that outlasts its founders.
The council is self-managed by its members and operates as a closed, non-competitive executive forum. Membership is by invitation only and strictly limited to ensure a high-trust, boardroom-quality experience.
The inaugural cohort is limited to 30 members, structured to ensure both critical mass and intimate candor:
Firm Leaders must be equity-holding Shareholders, CEOs, Presidents, or Managing Principals. At least 25% of firm leader seats are reserved for small-to-midsize boutique practices. Industry Partners are C-level executives from architecture, engineering, construction, technology, legal, financial, and allied design sectors.
The ASLA Practice Management Institute (PMI) is a new professional platform dedicated to building the business leadership capacity of landscape architecture firms. The Business Council is the PMI's flagship executive program — complemented by educational resources, workshops, and peer-learning communities that serve the full spectrum of the profession, from emerging professionals to firm founders navigating succession.
All Business Council fees and ASLA Fund contributions support the long-term development of PMI curriculum, resources, and programming available to the broader ASLA membership.
Contact Daniel Martin, Managing Director of Development and Staff Liaison to the ASLA Business Council, at [email protected]. To nominate a peer for membership, email Daniel directly with a brief introduction.
The Five-Meeting Annual Cadence
Members commit to active participation across an intentional five-session annual cycle designed to address high-stakes financial, legal, and operational milestones in the life of a design-led firm. The calendar alternates between virtual sessions and in-person convenings to maximize both accessibility and depth of engagement.
The inaugural session brings the cohort together, establishes the council's norms and operating principles, and launches the first substantive executive dialogue of the annual cycle.
Held in conjunction with the ASLA Annual Conference in Los Angeles, this full-day convening is the cohort's first in-person session and includes a designated Council networking dinner.
Note: ASLA Annual Conference registration is a membership requirement for this session. A separate cost-recovery Council Dinner fee (~$125) applies.
A focused half-day working session where members engage a high-priority operational or financial topic determined by the cohort and Council leadership.
Held at ASLA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Members participate in expert briefings in the morning and meet directly with federal legislators on Capitol Hill in the afternoon.
Full-day attendance is required for this session to count toward the attendance record. Travel and accommodation are the responsibility of each member.
The closing session of the annual cycle. Members reflect on the year's work, surface priorities for the next cycle, and engage a final substantive executive topic.
Topics vary by cohort and evolve with member priorities. Past and planned sessions have covered:
Virtual sessions are full working sessions, not webinars. Active camera participation is required for a minimum of four hours. In-person convenings are device-free to ensure undistracted peer engagement — breaks are built in for correspondence. All sessions operate under strict Chatham House confidentiality rules.
Membership & Fees
Business Council membership is by invitation only and available in two categories. All fees are paid by the member's firm and support management, legal oversight, expert facilitation, and ASLA Practice Management Institute curriculum development.
Firm Leader
- Equity-holding Shareholders, CEOs, Presidents, Managing Principals
- Must hold or supervise active ASLA membership
- 18 seats available (60% of cohort)
- At least 25% reserved for small/mid boutique practices
AED & Industry Partner
- C-level executives from architecture, engineering, construction, technology, legal, finance, and allied design sectors
- 12 seats available (40% of cohort)
- One representative per firm
In addition to the annual participation fee, members are asked to make the following commitments:
- ASLA Annual Conference registration — required for the Q3 in-person session in Los Angeles. Members are also assessed a separate cost-recovery Council Dinner fee (~$125) for designated networking dinners.
- ASLA Fund contribution — a mandatory annual contribution in support of the profession's long-term research and PMI curriculum. Minimum: $250. Target executive-level contribution: $500.
Each member brings irreplaceable perspective. Strong attendance from all members is essential to every session's quality.
- Members must attend a minimum of two out of three consecutive Council meetings to remain in good standing. Failure to meet this threshold may result in non-renewal.
- Proxies are prohibited. Only the appointed member's personal attendance counts.
- For in-person convenings, full-day attendance is required to count.
- For virtual sessions, active camera participation for a minimum of four hours is required.
- Attendance is tracked by the ASLA Managing Director of Development, Staff Liaison to the Council.
Member Expectations
The value of the ASLA Business Council experience is determined entirely by the caliber, active engagement, and commitment of its members. As a self-managed executive forum, council members are expected to be dedicated, active contributors — sharing as much strategic value with the circle as they obtain from it.
A full Member Expectations document — including the Antitrust Compliance Pledge and Member Ethics Agreement — is provided to all accepted members prior to onboarding. The sections below summarize the key standards.
Open, honest, and specific sharing is the core driver of the Council's value. Members come to every meeting prepared to discuss actual operations, real numbers, active business decisions, firm valuations, ownership structures, successes, and hard-earned lessons. This level of candor is only possible when protected by absolute confidentiality.
Confidentiality rules:
- Everything discussed within a Business Council session — all statements, deal structures, financial metrics, and operational strategies — is held in strict confidence.
- The Council enforces a zero-tolerance policy. Any breach — including social media posts referencing session content or sharing presentation materials without explicit written permission — results in immediate and permanent expulsion.
- Under federal and state antitrust law, discussions of billing rates, fee schedules, compensation benchmarks, client pricing, or market allocation are strictly prohibited. All members must sign the ASLA Antitrust Compliance Pledge as a condition of participation.
Any member who discloses confidential firm operations, proprietary financials, or details of a peer's corporate structure — on social media, in public forums, or through unauthorized sharing of presentation materials — is subject to immediate, non-appealable expulsion from all Business Council rosters.
Stay Present and Participate Fully. In-person convenings are device-free — no active laptops, tablets, or phones except during designated breaks. Breaks are provided specifically to allow members to manage correspondence and check in with their offices.
No Self-Promotion or Solicitation. Members are selected for their professional standing, not as commercial prospects. Business solicitation, sales pitching, and self-promotion in any Council session or communication channel are strictly prohibited. Every presentation must deliver actionable, take-home strategic value to the circle.
Council Communications. ASLA provides a dedicated communications channel managed by Council leadership for scheduling, agendas, and relevant best practices only. Marketing materials, firm newsletters, and commercial solicitation are expressly prohibited. Misuse will result in revocation of access.
Mandatory Federal Advocacy. Business Council members have a standing obligation to leverage their C-suite influence for systemic lobbying. Meeting 4 in Washington, D.C. is an operational lobby day — members participate in legislative briefings at ASLA Headquarters and lead direct meetings with federal legislators on Capitol Hill, lobbying for professional licensure defense, federal infrastructure funding, and climate resiliency design frameworks.
State Advocacy. Throughout the year, members are also expected to champion local and state legislative initiatives to protect practice rights in their home markets.
ASLA Mission Priorities. Members are asked to actively incorporate ASLA's strategic mission priorities into Council contributions:
- Climate Resilience and Ecological Sustainability
- Equity, Access, and Community Health in the Built Environment
- Advancing and Protecting the Licensed Practice of Landscape Architecture
PMI Contributions. The Business Councils serve as the intelligence engine of the broader Practice Management Institute. Members are expected to contribute back to the profession by drafting whitepapers, contributing executive articles for ASLA Communications, and serving as speakers or panelists at the ASLA Annual Conference to mentor and educate the next generation of design-business leaders.
Ambassadorship and Recruitment. When you encounter outstanding leaders — across the profession or allied industries — who would elevate the caliber and diversity of this group, bring them as a guest, nominate them for membership, and work with Council leadership to facilitate their path to joining. Guest and membership sponsorship should never be used for personal or financial gain.
Actively seek to strengthen the Council's diversity across firm size, geography, practice type, career stage, and background.
Learn More About the Business Council
For questions about membership, the Practice Management Institute, or the Business Council program, reach out directly.