1121

ON THE MOVE BECKER EARNS WETLAND DELINEATION CERTIFICATION Mike Becker , en- gineering technician in Widseth Smith Nolting ’s Alexandria, Virginia, office, recently became a certified wetland delineator. Minnesota’s certi- fication program guarantees consistent implementation of the Wetland Conservation Act and other regulations. Wetland delineation is a distinct skill, and the voluntary program ensures delineations are conducted and reviewed by qualified people operating under a code of ethics. Becker’s new wetland delineator certification will deepen WSN’s wetland services credentials and ability to provide thorough and cost – effective wetland delineations. In addition to delineating wetlands, Becker’s primary re- sponsibilities at WSN include construction inspection and design. SKELLY AND LOY PROMOTES CIVIL ENGINEER Francis Gally III has been promoted to the position of director of civil engineering at Skelly and Loy and will oversee staff, projects, and resources of the firm’s Civil En- gineering Services Group, providing engineering, design, and construc- tion support services for municipal, water resources, acid rock drainage remediation, and land development projects. “Frank’s career reflects diverse project experience and a proven track

record for leading project teams that serve our clients well,” said Gerry W. Longenecker, Skelly and Loy’s vice president of engineering services. “This new leadership role will build on his ability to meet our clients’ needs and contribute to our firm’s continued success.” Gally has more than 17 years of public and private sector project engineering experience involving land development design and permitting, water resource permitting; mine permitting and reclamation; environmental regulatory compliance; and brownfields site assessment, remediation, and redevelopment. He has participated in the preparation and permitting of site development plans for many commercial, residential and industrial construction projects and has experience in stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System water resource permitting. Gally is also experienced in design and construction permit application preparation for acid mine discharge treatment systems, as well as providing engineering assistance for mining permit applications.

JUNE JEWELL , from page 11

#HOTFIRM2015 Here are some photo highlights from Zweig Group’s 2015 Hot Firm and A/E Industry Awards Conference in Boston. More pictures coming soon to zweiggroup.com/conference.

2015 and 2016, and saw this as an essential strategy for developing younger leaders, as well as improving overall financial results. Innovation. Being on the leading edge of technology has not been the strategy for the majority of A/E firms in the U.S., however the firms growing the fastest and experiencing the highest profit margins are pushing the envelope with innovation. Langdon Morris gave a fascinating keynote about the role of innovation in today’s business and says he sees it as an essential component to developing a successful organization. The challenge with innovation is that it requires the discipline to step away from the day to day project challenges and focus on problem solving at a higher level. My experience has been that, while many A/E firms have innovated on individual projects, they’ve struggled with leveraging those products and services they developed across the rest of their clients and projects. Several design firms, such as WD Partners out of Columbus, Ohio, have added branding services to their traditional architectural design repertoire as a way to add value to their clients’ growth strategies and provide a deeper level of support to their retail client base. It is exciting to see the entire A/E industry growing and prospering again, and now the focus seems to be more on overall improvement and excellence. Employees are the primary focus, and they should be in a services-driven industry. Now our focus can turn to 2016, and I already can’t wait to plan my attendance at next year’s Zweig Group conference at the beautiful Biltmore in Scottsdale, Arizona. I look forward to reconnecting with the many winners of this year’s awards, as well as seeing who will make it to the top of the list next year! JUNE JEWELL is the author of the book Find the Lost Dollars: 6 Steps to Increase Profits in Architecture, Engineering and Environmental Firms . She is the president of AEC Business Solutions. Connect with her on LinkedIn and learn more about how to improve your project management performance at AECBusiness.com

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 28, 2015, ISSUE 1121

Made with FlippingBook Annual report