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TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? NR: It comes down to keeping every commitment, no matter how big or small. This means sending a follow-up email by the time we said we’d send it, finishing the job by the date we committed to at the start of the project, completing project milestones on time along the way, and staying within budget. We have a high- quality bar for the work we deliver, and our clients depend on that. TZL: What skills are required to run a successful practice? What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now? NR: I started this business later in my career, after experience in banking, finance, and sales. My background in accounting and finance has been indispensable to me as a business owner. TZL: What type of leader do you consider yourself to be? NR: I want to create an environment where my employees can do their best work. My focus is on ensuring people are where they want to be, and that they feel empowered with the clarity and resources to make decisions. I’m committed to leading by example, which means demonstrating consistency, showing up, and maintaining a high quality of work. It’s important to me that my employees know I’m always available to them, to work through challenges and to find solutions no matter what might come up. “My focus is on ensuring people are where they want to be, and that they feel empowered with the clarity and resources to make decisions.” TZL: What benefits does your firm offer that your people get most excited about? NR: With the acquisition, we enhanced our benefits for all employees of the combined company. The team is most excited about our enhanced healthcare benefits and a new profit-sharing contribution for their 401(k). TZL: You’ve been in business for more than 30 years. What’s been one of the greatest industry evolutions you’ve seen and how has it affected your firm?
HEADQUARTERS: Fairbanks, AK
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 19
YEAR FOUNDED: 1983
OFFICE LOCATIONS:
❚ ❚ Fairbanks, AK
❚ ❚ Anchorage, AK
❚ ❚ Seattle, WA
CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES:
NR: Unquestionably, technology has been the biggest driver of transformation in the industry. When my dad first founded 3-Tier Alaska, land surveying work was conducted by two-person field crews using total stations and line-of-sight. There was no GPS or drone technology, and the work took longer than it does today. There’s also been a generational shift in the industry that in some ways is related to the broader technological shifts in society. Civil engineering now competes with software engineering for new professional talent. That makes recruiting a bit more of a challenge for a firm like 3-Tier Alaska, but it also means the services we offer remain in high demand. TZL: How often do you valuate your firm and what key metrics do you use in the process? Do you valuate using in-house staff or is it outsourced? NR: I don’t do it often – off the cuff, I use a simple 3-5x multiplier on free cash flow as an approximate gauge. TZL: What unique or innovative pricing strategies have you developed, or are you developing, to combat the commoditization of engineering services? NR: Part of the rationale for bringing 3-Tier Alaska together with Travis/
❚ ❚ Septic system design and
testing
❚ ❚ Road design and
inspection
❚ ❚ Spoil analysis and testing
LAND SURVEYING SERVICES:
❚ ❚ Subdivision design and
platting
❚ ❚ Construction surveying
❚ ❚ Rights-of-way and
easements
REMOTE WORK PIONEER: 3-Tier
has a long history of remote
work in many native villages
See KEEP EVERY COMMITMENT, page 8
across the state.
© Copyright 2021. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
UNE 7, 2021, ISSUE 1395
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