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BUSINESS NEWS JACOBS RECEIVES ENGINEERING CONTRACT FROM SAINT-GOBAIN INDIA PVT LTD. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. announced that it received a contract from Saint-Gobain India Pvt Ltd. to provide civil engineering services for the proposed third float glass line capacity expansion of SGIPL’s World Glass Complex in Chennai, India. SGIPL is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain S.A., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of building and high performance materials. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is providing civil engineering and design services for the float glass line capacity expansion. The project is a key component of SGIPL’s expansion program in India. The two float glass lines in the existing complex were also designed by Jacobs. The complex caters to local markets in addition to the markets in West Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and ASEAN countries. In making the announcement, Jacobs Senior

Vice President and General Manager, India and Asia Vinayak Pai stated, “We are proud to extend our relationship with SGIPL as it continues to invest in this region. I’m confident our global experience in the industry combined with our strong local knowledge can contribute significant value to this strategically important facility.” The project is being led by Jacobs’ industrial line of business. FLUOR WINS INNOVATION EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR INTEGRATED SCAFFOLDING SOLUTION Fluor Corporation announced that Fiatech has named Fluor a Celebration of Engineering and Technology Innovation Award winner for the company’s innovative integrated scaffolding solution on the North West Redwater Partnership Sturgeon Refinery Project in Alberta, Canada. Fluor received the award in the Scenario-Based Project Planning category. Fluor’s turnkey solution incorporates scaffolding into a project’s detailed design and

encompasses 3-D design, logistics, and field execution expertise. With a focus on efficient assembly sequencing, this approach optimizes scaffolding quantities and onsite productivity, thereby reducing costs. Additional benefits include schedule predictability and reduced site hours and congestion. The program is a partnership between Fluor and AMECO, Fluor’s equipment unit, as well as scaffolding manufacturer PERI. “Fluor is honored to be recognized by the capital projects community for our innovative execution methods that reduce costs and improve schedule certainty for our clients,” said Jack Penley, Fluor’s president of construction and fabrication. “Fluor’s integrated scaffolding solution drives a step-change in efficient scaffolding execution compared to traditional approaches. It is just one example of how our integrated solutions approach delivers project execution advantages.”

The biggest challenge to this option is the tax implication. Money to help pay student loans is taxable income. There is a bill in Congress right now, the Employer Participation in Student Loan Assistance Act, introduced by Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) on the House side, and on the Senate side by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). The House bill seeks to extend the tax exclusion that currently applies to employer- provided tuition assistance – up to $5,250 per year – to include employer contributions to employees’ student loans. The bill would also provide incentives for employers to subsidize student loan repayments. Whether this bill passes or not, there are some creative ways that a company can implement this benefit and create a strong recruitment and retention tool for new and current employees. This is one of those benefits that has yet to take hold in the design industry. I suspect that those early adopters who figure out a way to make this work will have a tremendous advantage over peer firms that are unwilling to be creative when it comes to developing new ideas and programs to attract and retain the best talent available. I honestly hope that someone will read this article and sit down with their CFO, controller, and head of HR, and figure something out. Please, do share your efforts with me and let me know how things go. As always, I’m available to discuss this topic or anything else related to recruitment, retention, and leadership. RANDY WILBURN is Zweig Group’s director of executive search. Contact her at rwilburn@zweiggroup.com “Imagine being able to offer new employees healthcare, a 401(k) program, and a student loan repayment option or bonus.”

RANDY WILBURN, from page 11

National student-loan debt is at an all-time high – and is expected to double in 10 years. Projections by the Congressional Budget Office put the total outstanding federal student-loan debt at $2.4 trillion by 2025. According to a 2015 survey by Iontuition.com (a website that helps manage student-loan payments), more than half of current students and recent college graduates with student loans said they would rather receive an offer of loan help than a health plan. Nearly half of those surveyed also stated that they would rather have student-loan help than a 401(k). These survey results are very telling. In the immortal words of the great R&B group, the O’Jays: “Give the people what they want.” This new opportunity has even spawned start-up companies that have developed student-loan repayment programs. Companies like Boston-based Gradifi Inc., and Student Loan Genius, located in Austin, have developed platforms that can help firms implement these new benefits. “This is one of those benefits that has yet to take hold in the design industry.” PricewaterhouseCoopers has taken this idea and leveraged it to their advantage on college campuses throughout the nation as they work to attract new hires. PwC worked directly with Gradifi to get the program up and running and make student loan repayment a reality for new employees joining the firm. Now I should say that, according to an SHRM survey, only 3 percent of companies in 2015 were currently offering to help their employees pay off their student loans. Based on anecdotal evidence, it appears the number is quickly rising.

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 9, 2016, ISSUE 1151

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