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T R E N D L I N E S W W W . T H E Z W E I G L E T T E R . C O M M a y 2 , 2 0 1 6 , I s s u e 1 1 5 0

In-house recruiting

A primer on written communications

Less than a third of firms (29 percent), with 1-10 people have an in-house recruiter, while 35 percent of firms with 11-50 people have at least one recruiter. As many as 78 percent of firms with 51-200 people have a recruiting staff, while all firms with more than 200 people have an in-house recruiting staff, according to the 2016 Recruitment & Retention Survey of A/E/P and Environmental Consulting Firms . F I R M I N D E X Aon FPE .................................................2 Atwell, LLC.............................................4 Belmont Freeman Architects...................6 Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. .....10 Carter & Burgess ..................................12 Forrest & Cotton ...................................12 Jacobs Engineering Group Inc..............12 Jensen Hughes ......................................2 Karins and Associates ............................2 Momenee & Associates ..........................2 Momenee, Inc., a Karins Company .........2 Momenee Survey Group.........................2 RPS Klotz Associates .............................4 TLC Engineering for Architecture ............8

“D ear company employee’s: As per your request, enclosed herewith please find attached my thoughts on better written business communications. Its always good to communicate properly in writing – thats where its at when it comes to distinguishing yourself as an educated and intelligent person. I hope you don’t mind my utilizing your time this way – business communication abilitie’s are very critical to Chad and I. At the end of the day, we are very careful about whose on our team and want every one of you to be outstanding communicator’s. Their are just too many ways one can go wrong and him and me are going to do what we can to help you be better written communicator’s because everything we do either reflects positively or negatively on us all. I like people that are good writers. It’s almost like an exercise regiment that we all have to go through in order to get better. It won’t happen overnite as much as me and Chad want it to. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have on my comments attached hereto. Have a great day (or have great day’s) and your welcome!” P.S. I have seen every single one of these errors

“I have seen every single one of these errors (and more), made in communications coming from people in our firm recently.”

Mark Zweig

MORE COLUMNS xz CONSULTANT’S CORNER: Succession planning Page 3 xz FINANCIAL FITNESS: The blue pill or the red pill? Page 5 xz GUEST SPEAKER: Bridging the gap Page 9 xz THE FAST LANE: Trade shows, yes or no? Page 11

Page 6 In Havana, an opportunity See MARK ZWEIG, page 2

T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R A / E / P & E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U L T I N G F I R M S

TRANSACT IONS KARINS ACQUIRES MOMENEE Karins and Associates , an engineering, surveying and planning firm, announced the acquisition of Momenee & Associates and Momenee Survey Group , civil engineering and surveying firms specializing in land development and water resources engineering. The new entity will go by the name of “ Momenee, Inc., a Karins Company .” “Momenee has built an impeccable reputation providing services to institutional, residential, and commercial clients over the last 34 years,” says Dev Sitaram, PE, president of Karins and Associates. “Their services and markets parallel Karins’ in Delaware. We’re excited to increase our presence in the Pennsylvania market with the Momenee acquisition. Their culture of providing responsive service and practical solutions to complex problems is very similar to ours. We welcome and look forward to the integration of their 17 employees into the Karins’ fold. Kevin Momenee, the founder and president, will continue to manage the office as vice president.” “Karins’ operations and services are so closely aligned with our business that it’s a natural fit,” says Kevin Momenee, PE, PLS. “We will continue to provide engineering, planning and surveying services and will add 3-D laser scanning, traffic engineering, and hydrographic surveying to our offerings. We will be building market share by expanding our customer base but we will continue to provide the high level of responsive service to which our clients are accustomed. We’re all very excited about becoming a part of a larger organization and offering capabilities of Karins and Associates to our clients.” JENSEN HUGHES ACQUIRES AON FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING CORPORATION Jensen Hughes , the global market leader in the fire protection engineering, fire code consulting and related

Take your advice from Mark Zweig to-go. Listen to this and past editorials from The Zweig Letter via the free TZL Podcast on Stitcher, iTunes and Soundcloud. zweiggroup.com/podcast

life safety services industry, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Aon FPE . Formerly known as Schirmer Engineering, Aon FPE is one of the leading global providers of fire protection engineering, fire code consulting and security services to commercial, industrial and government facilities through 15 office locations in North America and a significant presence in the Middle East. Jensen Hughes is majority- owned by Gryphon Investors, a middle market private equity firm based in San Francisco, which purchased the firm in partnership with management in December 2015. Terms of this transaction were not disclosed. The combination of Jensen Hughes and Aon FPE brings together the two leading brands in the industry and increases the technical expertise and resources available to provide fire protection and forensic engineering, risk analysis and fire modeling, system design, code consulting, commissioning, research and testing and project management solutions that encompass fire protection, life safety, security and related disciplines to clients of both companies on a global basis. After the acquisition, Jensen Hughes will provide services to a majority of the Fortune 500 companies and other blue chip clients through more than 60 offices in North America, Asia and the Middle East and will employ nearly 1,000 professionals. Jensen Hughes CEO Phil Rogers stated “We are very excited to have completed the highly strategic acquisition of Aon FPE which is one of the leading firms in our core market and shares with Jensen Hughes a commitment to technical excellence and the capability of addressing its clients’ most complex engineering needs. This acquisition adds a talented group of managers and engineers to the Jensen Hughes team and strengthens our ability to provide lifecycle consultancy services to clients all over the world.”

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Managing Editor rmassey@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor and Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Megan Halbert | Design Assistant mhalbert@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560 Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: www.thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Blog: blog.zweiggroup.com

MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

(and more), made in communications coming from people in our firm recently. Tighten it up! Kill the stilted English – we no longer live in the Victorian era. “Herewith, therein, hereto, please find.” All bad! We don’t utilize – we use. Write like you speak. Don’t put apostrophes on plurals. Thank a client for meeting with “Joe and ME ,” not “Joe and I.” “Your” is not the same as “You’re.” Your never welcome. “Whose” is not the same as “Who’s.” Regiment, regimen, and regime, are three completely different words with different meanings. They cannot be used interchangeably. “It’s” doesn’t have the same meaning as “Its.” Drop clichés such as, “At the end of the day.” They say nothing. We like people WHO are good at something – not people THAT are good at something. Let’s be known as an outfit with outstanding communicators at every level. Let’s not confirm the worst stereotypes someone may have about those of us from the center of the country, or the Left Coast, or wherever we are. I don’t want to pick on anyone – everyone hates the grammar police. But this is critical stuff and we can all do better! Thanks! MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s founder and CEO. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.). $475 for one-year subscription, $775 for two-year subscription. Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399- 1900, ext. 139, or email TheZweigLetter@ TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2016, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

O P I N I O N

S uccession planning has traditionally been considered important only for top-level employees. The rationale that grooming successors should be at all levels of the organization has just recently been accepted. What you are about to read applies to the administrative assistant’s role in addition to that of the CEO or president. Succession planning Grooming internal candidates for promotion is something that should be done at all levels of a firm, not just at the top.

Gerri King CONSULTANT’S CORNER

Steps to succession planning: 1) Identify the organization’s long-term goals, priori- ties, and objectives (tied to your strategic plan). 2) Engage in selective hiring that looks at employee potential in addition to present expertise. 3) Establish a set of competencies that are considered desirable in high-potential employees and offer the training tools required to achieve them. “Grooming internal candidates ensures continuity and encourages a seamless transition process, because training begins long before an employee is promoted.”

Grooming internal candidates ensures continuity and encourages a seamless transition process, because training begins long before an employee is promoted. Someone starting anew is far more expensive than a person who holds the institutional knowledge that is the foundation of a well-functioning organization. And, the cost of overlapping the outgoing employee with the incoming person is far less when promoting a veteran. Though the target is usually key leadership positions, this model can work for all levels of the organization. Imagine everyone embracing a learning environment tied to a possible career path. Employees are ready for new roles and can easily step in with confidence. The message is: “We care about your future and the future of the organization.”

See GERRI KING, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

ON THE MOVE RPS KLOTZ ASSOCIATES NAMES 4 NEW PROJECT MANAGERS Texas-based civil engineering firm RPS Klotz Associates has promoted four of its engineers into project management roles. Beth Shelton , PE, has been promoted to project manager in the Transportation Department. Shelton has 10 years of experience in traffic engineering, including modeling, traffic impact analysis, wayfinding signing plans, access management studies and signal warrant analysis. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University. Morena Arredondo , PE, has been promoted to project manager in the Public Works Department. Arredondo has nearly 10 years of experience in site design, public utilities design, and water and sanitary sewer modeling. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston. Natalie Weiershausen , PE, ENV SP, has been promoted to project manager in the Public Works Department. Weiershausen has nearly 10 years of experience in a variety of projects, including water and wastewater planning,

utility relocation/design, flood plain analysis and roadway design. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas. Jonathan Griffin , PE, has been promoted to associate project manager. Griffin has nearly 10 years of experience in roadway design, bridge design and traffic studies, and holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Texas Tech University. “Congratulations to these rising stars,” said D. Wayne Klotz, PE, D.WRE, president. “We consider our team the best around and are proud to recognize them for their contributions.” MICHAEL MOORE NAMED DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES AT ATWELL Consulting, engineering, and construction services firm Atwell, LLC has appointed Michael Moore to director of environmental Services. His responsibilities will include national new business development, client management and strategic recruitment for the company.

Moore is a senior-level Hydrogeologist with nearly 30 years of national and international experience consulting on a broad range of environmental issues. He has served as both technical and legal advisor for property remediation, petroleum sites, fractured rock environments, river sediment contamination, and surface water/groundwater interaction. “Moore is a seasoned leader who can hit the ground running while bringing technical solutions to our projects across the country,” saidBrianWenzel, president andCEO. “His vast hydrogeology and geology work experience will be invaluable to our environmental clients as well as our internal team.” Atwell, LLC is a national firmwith more than five hundred professionals across the country that deliver a broad range of strategic and creative solutions to clients in a variety of industries including real estate and land development, power and energy, oil and gas, automotive, industrial, and mining.

planning allows choice from a talent pool that is already high- ly qualified. The upside for the employee is that he or she is working in an environment that values growth, provides op- portunities to develop new skills and abilities, and increases the chances for job security. Such an atmosphere is exciting in its commitment to learning and development, even though the promise of higher positions can’t always be assured. 2) Typically, a void produces a scramble to fill a position rather than being able to choose from a number of viable and com- petent employees. Once chosen, the transition time required to bring the new employee to the necessary level and inte- grate them into the culture is far less with someone who is already familiar with the workplace environment. 3) Employee satisfaction and retention are bound to increase because people are more attracted to a supportive learning environment that delivers the message: “Those who work for us are valued and worth nurturing.” Further, professional development is more meaningful when tied to possible career paths and individual growth. 4)There will be a consistent supply of well-trained, experienced, and motivated people who are ready to step into key posi- tions, while performing their present jobs with skill and com- mitment. They are often less resistant to change because they are part of the plan and more committed to continuous im- provement. If they know that they’re going to stay, they have a stake in the organization’s success. 5) And, finally, the organization’s image will be improved. It will be seen as a challenging, stimulating place to work and new hires will quickly acquire the energy and excitement shown by present employees. If this is not convincing enough, consider the peace of mind created by the knowledge that your firm’s future will be in good hands. GERRI KING, Ph.D., is a founding partner and president of Human Dynamics Associates Inc., in Concord, New Hampshire. For more information, visit gerriking.com.

GERRI KING, from page 3

4) Share key position descriptions and the requisite skills re- quired for success. 5) Develop a communication strategy that clearly describes pos- sible career paths, available training, and competency build- ing, in addition to the process that will be used to select a successor. “Recruiting from within means that employers are not waiting until a position becomes open to search for talent. Succession planning allows choice from a talent pool that is already highly qualified.” 6) Potential candidates should be assigned mentors who can guide and assist their development. 7) Put measurement tools in place to assess progression, the meeting of criteria, appropriate training, and expectations. 8) Utilize expertise from all levels of the organization. The people who do the job every day know what is needed to be successful. The design of the succession plan should not be the purview of leadership alone. 9) Ensure that the process has wide support and is constantly emphasized in day-to-day activity. 10) Review your process on an on-going basis to be certain that the plan that is in place still makes sense. Additional advantages to committing to a succession- planning program: 1) Recruiting from within means that employers are not waiting until a position becomes open to search for talent. Succession

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O ver the last two years, Zweig Group has supported more than 20 architecture, engineering, and planning firms in their pursuit of transitioning ownership from the founders to the second tier. We have assisted in moving them both financially and holistically to engage the new generation. The blue pill or the red pill? Successful ownership transition is difficult to achieve, and for it to happen, the first tier has to embrace the transformation brought on by the second tier.

Passionately engaged in the work of the firm, these founders worked their entire professional careers to build their organizations. It is no wonder that most often ownership transition is not just a financial transaction, but a process of letting go. Breaking up is hard, but letting go is harder – and can create potential opportunity beyond anything they could imagine. The fear is often the realization that they are turning over what they created, the very end game of their career, and placing their annuity in the hands of a younger generation that has to make good on its promise to safeguard the legacy. The challenge of the founder is to not just sell stock to another tier of leaders, but most importantly, to let second- and third-tier leaders handle vision, business development, and day- to-day operations. We have helped those in their 70s realize and materialize their idea, and we have assisted those in their 30s with creating their end goal transition so that when they reach their 50s, they have a strategic succession plan.

When we finally get into the details of the leadership transition, we often find that the senior leaders have often not thought about “Who are the whos?” – the most critical and often the least thought about question. “The challenge of the founder is to not just sell stock to another tier of leaders, but most importantly, to let second- and third-tier leaders handle vision, business development, and day-to-day operations.” Recently, we provided strategic planning to a highly dynamic firm that could not make the decision as to “Who are the whos?” from a leadership transition perspective. Turning to wisdom that transcends even our rational

See TED MAZIEJKA, page 8

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

Havan

P R O F I L E

Aerial view of Havana with the harbor and Morro Castle in the distance. In the left foreground is the legendary 1930 Hotel Nacional and, on the right, the rooftop pool of the 1957 Hotel Capri, which recently reopened after a total renovation. Central Havana, which lies beyond, is in a state of ruin. / Belmont Freeman

In Havana, an opportunity When the U.S. embargo of Cuba is lifted, a dynamic A/E/P market will open up in one of the world’s great, and crumbling, cities.

By RICHARD MASSEY Managing Editor

restoration could easily last for 25 to 50 years, and all told, with engineering thrown into the mix, could cost billions of dollars to complete. “It’s decrepit, but it’s unspoiled. It’s intact and will not be bulldozed.” Resorts and retail, medical tourism and historic renovations, infrastructure and renewable energy. Cuba and Havana need it all, and when the process begins and as it unfolds, there will be important op- portunities for American architects and engineers. “It’s a big market,” says Belmont Freeman, princi- pal of New York-based Belmont Freeman Archi- tects . Of Cuban lineage, Freeman has traveled to the is-

I f the politics play out as expected, one day soon the U.S. embargo of Cuba will be lifted. When that time comes, American capital is expected to flood the island nation, which has been under revo- lutionary control since 1959. With a crumbling building stock, an antiquated in- frastructure, and a totalitarian bureaucracy, Cuba, as it stands, is not a modern country and cannot handle a major influx of people and businesses. But for all its shortcomings, Cuba has one of the best assets in the world – Havana. With its dense core of architecture spanning five centuries, Havana, even in decay, is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And at least one expert on Havana’s inventory says the

Belmont Freeman, Principal, Belmont Freeman Architects

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2,

ana, Cuba

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The historic Hotel Packard has been an empty shell for decades. European hotel concerns have attempted redevelopment over the years, only to be frustrated by Cuban bureaucracy and regulations. The project has reportedly been revived by the Spanish company IberoStar. / Belmont Freeman

land at least 24 times and knows Havana well. He says that for as long as the Communist government is in power, it will be difficult, but not impossible, to work in Cuba. Lack of building materials and poor access to the Internet will also pose serious problems. But with Havana as the centerpiece, it will be worth the trouble. “It’s decrepit, but it’s unspoiled,” Freeman says. “It’s intact and will not be bulldozed.” President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in March signaled a thaw between the two countries – even if Obama was ha- rangued afterwards by former President Fidel Castro. Based on his expert assessment of Cuba, Freeman guesses that the embargo will be lifted next year, once Obama is no longer in office. Agricultural and business interests, as well as state and fed- eral officials, are pushing for an end to the policy, imple- mented in 1960. As many as 13 American airlines have ap- plied to provide direct flights to Havana from 20 U.S. gate- way cities, and major U.S. businesses already permitted to work in, or with Cuba, include Airbnb, Carnival, Caterpillar, General Electric, Verizon, and Western Union, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

While Freeman is optimistic the market will open up, even- tually, he is also cautious in his assessment of how rapid that process will be. If the embargo is struck down, the Commu- nist regime, and its dreaded central planning, would still re- main. Freeman notes that companies from Spain, France, Eng- land, and Canada have been in Cuba for years, and still have not been able to fully crack the code. The same might be true of American companies when and if the embargo is ever lift- ed. Also, there is no legal private practice of architecture in Cuba. All architects work for government agencies like the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Housing, or the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana. In effect, American firms wouldn’t be working with Cuban firms. Rather, they would be involved in joint ventures with the Cuban government. “It is a unique opportunity for a venue that has sat on the sidelines for 50 years while the rest of the world was being developed.”

See HAVANA, page 8

ER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

8 thought, Dr. Seuss provided the answer to the conundrum. It was classic Dr. Seuss, in How the Grinch Stole Christmas . All of the Whos in Whoville were saved by Mary Lou Who, the Who who transformed the Grinch and saved Christmas. Without the courage to step up and challenge the Grinch, the Whos in Whoville would have been lost. Mary Lou Who saved them, just like identifying the whos that will take over the leadership of a firm and propel it in a new direction. We are often placed into challenging positions to force the leadership transition decision, to radically transform a founder’s thinking, and to go out and recommend who we believe could provide significant change to the organization. In the cult classic, The Matrix , Neo is faced with an extreme decision from the character Morpheus: Take the blue pill and nothing changes, or take the red pill and his world is radically transformed. Without change, the status quo is maintained, the firm does not change and grow, and senior leadership runs the risk that without embracing the ideas and enthusiasm from the second tier, they compromise their annuity. By taking the risk, the status quo is radically shifted. Change is managed and mentored and the second tier takes the firm to places that the first tier never imagined. In recent engagements, we have recommended that highly TED MAZIEJKA, from page 5

valued, highly competent staff members in their early 30s become, in one instance, the chief vision officer, and in another, president of the firm. In both cases, the staff members were women, offering a radical transformation to the firm’s previous leadership culture and organizational structure. This change does not come without thought, exploration, and vetting of the second-tier ideas and ideology. Ultimately, it is their responsibility to prove to the first tier that they have what it takes to lead the firm. Change, in any situation, is never easy. Simple as a concept, but the ramifications are usually sudden, short- lived and over, and everyone moves forward. In ownership transition, the dynamics create the opportunity for long- term change, to radically alter the way the firm moves and operates. That risk has to be assimilated and embraced by the senior first tier. When change is fully accepted, and the second tier steps in, the first tier need only guide their successors. Their best approach is to gradually phase away from the day-to- day, allow the new team to engage the market, transform the firm, and successfully grow the organization into the future. The blue pill or the red pill? An apparently simple choice, just not an easy one! TED MAZIEJKA is a Zweig Group financial and management consultant. Contact him at tmaziejka@zweiggroup.com. Gonzalez says. “The country is destroyed in terms of infra- structure. Civil engineering will be the number one field in the beginning.” But unlike Freeman, Gonzalez is not so sure the embargo will be lifted next year. “I doubt it,” he says. Cuba still does not have freedom of speech, has not redis- tributed the property seized during the revolution, and only allows one political party. If those things don’t change – and as long as the Castro brothers are in power – Gonzalez does not see the embargo going away. But even if the political future is cloudy, the vision for a re- juvenated Cuban capital is not. “There are mock ups for the city of Havana,” Gonzalez says. In terms of engineering, he sees housing, standard tourism, medical tourism, and all manner of infrastructure as poten- tially healthy lines of business. When the time is right, he also sees American firms working hand-in-hand with Cuban engineers. “There are a tremendous amount of resources at their dis- posal,” he says. Firms like TLC, which specializes in medical facilities, will focus on higher-end, more complex projects in Cuba. While competition is expected to be fierce, once things get going, there should be plenty of work to go around. “There’s a big opportunity down there,” Gonzalez says.

HAVANA, from page 7

The emergence of Havana, Freeman says, is similar to the emergence of Hanoi, Vietnam, which, like Havana, is an ex- otic locale with an impressive trove of colonial architecture. “It is a unique opportunity for a venue that has sat on the sidelines for 50 years while the rest of the world was being developed,” Freeman says of Havana. “Without infrastructure, there’s nothing you can do. The country is destroyed in terms of infrastructure. Civil engineering will be the number one field in the beginning.” Plenty of people have their eyes on Cuba, and that’s espe- cially true in South Florida, home to the U.S.’s largest Cuban population. In Florida, and elsewhere, engineering firms are starting to position themselves for entry into the Cu- ban market. One such firm, TLC Engineering for Architecture , (Orlan- do, FL), not only has major offices in Miami and Deerfield Beach, but the manager of those offices, Erick Gonzalez, is Cuban born and is also a member of the Association of Cu- ban-American Engineers. He says when, and if, Cuba ever opens up, TLC will be in the mix, as will other American firms. “Without infrastructure, there’s nothing you can do,”

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

O P I N I O N

Bridging the gap Bridging consultants date back to ancient Egypt, but in today’s market, it’s a good way for architecture firms to position themselves in the design-build industry.

W hat is bridging? On most design-build projects, the architect or engineer works as a subcontractor to the design-build contractor. The project owner does not have an “independent” design professional watching out for the owner’s interests. In addition, designers and contractors complain that in a design-build competition, the expense of preparing cost proposals is too great.

G. William Quatman

To solve both problems, some owners, especially in the public sector, retain an independent consultant to prepare a preliminary design. They then prepare outline specifications, assist with the RFQ/RFP process, and even stay on board during the construction phase to review pay applications, inspect the work, and certify the completion date. “Bridging” is the name given to this process, a term first coined by George Heery, FAIA, formerly of Heery International , now chairman emeritus of the Brookwood Group in Atlanta. The bridging consultant, also called the “A/E-1,” prepares design documents, usually to a level of no more than 30 percent complete. These schematic design documents are then used to obtain competitive proposals from design-build teams, whose architects and engineers will complete the

remaining 70 percent of the information needed for construction. With the design already laid out by the owner’s consultant, some refer to this process as “draw-build,” because all that is left for the design-build team is to “draw it.” Oftentimes, the owner’s bridging consultant serves as the owner’s representative to provide construction administration services, including final inspections and project close out, acting in the traditional role of the architect or engineer. The consultant may also function as a neutral in resolving disputes and in passing judgment on the quality of work. OLD ROOTS. The concept of one design professional completing a design started by another is not new

See G. WILLIAM QUATMAN, page 10

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

G. WILLIAM QUATMAN, from page 9

and, in fact, has ancient roots. Going back 4,000 years, to the days of pharaohs and pyramids, shorter human lifes- pan, and the decades it took to build monumental struc- tures, the original designer would never see the project’s completion. Even during the Renaissance, it was never expected that the original designer would oversee final completion. Architect Leon Battista Alberti remarked in the 15th century that, “The brevity of human life and the scale of the work ensure that scarcely any large building is ever completed by the same man as begins it.” An example of early bridging is the great cathedral in Florence, Santa Maria del Fiore, whose original design was the combined work of architect Giovanni di Lapo Ghini and a competing master mason, Neri di Fioravanti. In 1366, the two designers built huge scale models of their designs for a competition. Fioravanti’s design was chosen with its unprecedented 143-foot wide dome. His technical submittal was a scale model, 15 feet high and 30 feet long – tall enough to walk inside. The cathedral took decades to construct and each year the cathedral’s architects and wardens were required to place their hands on a Bible and swear an oath that they would build the church exactly as the model (the bridging document), portrayed it. The project was later completed by another master builder, Fillipo Brunelleschi, who won the competition in 1418 to complete the cupola (or dome). Although many credit Brunelleschi as the “architect of record” for the Florence Cathedral, it was Fioravanti whose elaborate set of “bridging” documents – his huge model – outlined the overall design for the structure and dome, while Brunelleschi merely engineered and finished the dome as a successor architect. PROS AND CONS. The detractors of bridging say this method of procurement eliminates many of the advantages inher- ent in design-build. They say that bridging precludes the design-build team from any significant creativity and inno- vation, since basic solutions and concepts are determined before the design-build team begins. Also, when 30 percent or more of the design is provided in the RFP, the selection of the design-build team tends to be more price oriented, with less emphasis on qualifications-based selection. “Public owners who are used to having an architect to discuss the project with, to advise them, and to ‘keep an eye on the contractor,’ often feel more comfortable with a bridging consultant.” On the “pro” side, public and private owners who have down-sized their construction staffs, or have minimal staff, need to outsource the RFP process and construction administration to a consultant. Public owners who are used to having an architect to discuss the project with, to advise them, and to “keep an eye on the contractor,” often feel more comfortable with a bridging consultant. Design-build without such a consultant requires a great deal of trust, and some owners are just not ready for that level of trust.

G. William Quatman

By providing a preliminary design, bridging also helps reduce the cost of competition for design-build teams. TARGET MARKET? Bridging is a target market for some design firms, whose main focus is to be the “A/E-1,” handling con- ceptual design and then acting as the owner’s agent during construction. While fees for “design criteria” architects are less than for full-scope services, there is an attraction to- ward this service for at least three reasons. “Bridging is a target market for some design firms, whose main focus is to be the ‘A/E-1,’ handling conceptual design and then acting as the owner’s agent during construction.” First, most architects will agree that the “fun” part of architecture is the design phase. Construction documents and specifications, the technical side of design, is less glamorous. Bridging architects get to do concept designs, the way they did as students in college, leaving the technical drawings and detailed specifications to the design-build team to develop. Second, the bridging consultant retains a close relationship with the owner, preserving the role of agent, advisor and trust that is enjoyed on traditional project delivery. Also, most architects resent being a “subcontractor” to a contractor in design-build, so the “bridge” role avoids that perceived problem. Last, there is less risk for the bridge firm. Insurance statistics show that the majority of claims against design firms are for design errors or omissions. With the bridge firm doing only a 30 percent set of schematic drawings, which are normally not even sealed, it is expected that the design-build team will prepare the final technical details used for construction and seal these documents. If there is a design error or omission in the final drawings or specifications, liability will most likely fall on the design- build team’s architect or engineer who prepared the documents, not on the bridge firm. G. WILLIAM QUATMAN is general counsel and senior vice president at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. He can be reached at bquatman@burnsmcd.com.

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Trade shows, yes or no? Take a look at the strategic plan, the budget, and the checklist, before making the decision on whether or not to attend.

A ttending trade shows can be a very expensive proposition, ranging from whether your firm sends only one person to having a booth and maybe hosting a hospitality event. So I get asked this question by my clients pretty often. And I have a definitive answer to the question: It depends!

Bernie Siben

There are a number of questions that I believe must be answered in making this decision. The checklist to the right shows the questions I always ask myself in making – or helping a client make – a decision about trade show attendance. If you’re not sure about the answer to question #1, ask your accounting folks. They will know if the firm ever wrote a check for that event. And their records will show whether you registered one person, multiple people, or a booth. An email to firm leadership down to the department head level will give you the answer to question #2. If the answer to question #1 is “yes” and the answer to question #2 is “no,” this event might be an automatic “no go.” If questions #1 and #2 result in “yes” answers, look at questions #3 and #4. If either or both result in “yes” answers, the prospects of attending are looking rosier.

Trade show checklist – yes or no 1. Have we attended this show before? 2. Did previous attendance yield positive results? 3. Do current clients attend this show? 4. Do current prospects attend this show? 5. Will anyone else be attending that we have been trying to meet? 6. Does this event help us achieve the goals set forth in our strategic plan? 7. Is attendance sufficient or do we need to have a booth? 8. Do we need to host a hospitality room? 9. How many additional people do we need to send for the hospitality event? 10. Is the total estimated cost of attending within our budget? 11. Do we need a special giveaway item or will our standard item(s) do?

See BERNIE SIBEN, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

BUSINESS NEWS WILTON N. HAMMOND, ENGINEER, 1927-2016 Wilton N. Hammond, the former chairman of multidiscipline A/E/P firm Carter & Burgess , died April 6, 2016, due to illness at age 88. A memorial service was held April 15th at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth with Dr. Ted Kitchens officiating. Interment was at Greenwood Memorial Park. Hammond was born on July 4, 1927, in Lampasas, Texas, to Wade and Grace Newton Hammond. After high school, Wilton enrolled at Texas A&M University. His time at A&M was interrupted when he entered the U.S. Coast Guard in May 1945, serving until June 1946. Hammond returned to A&M in the fall of 1946 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering.

Hammond worked for the Texas Highway Department in the Fort Worth District in Granbury and Stephenville, specializing in the farm-to-market roadway projects. He later served in the State Bridge Division in Austin. In 1955, Hammond was promoted to Fort Worth District design engineer. In March 1956, Hammond joined Fort Worth- based Carter & Burgess. His career at the firm spanned 52 years, and during his tenure, he served as president and chairman, and was chairman emeritus at the time of his retirement in 2008, shortly after the firm was acquired by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. During his tenure with Carter & Burgess, Hammond helped the organization evolve from a local engineering and planning consulting firm to

a 3,300-employee, nationally recognized multidiscipline design corporation with 26 offices throughout the United States. From 1966 to 1972, Hammond served as the firm’s principal-in-charge and design manager in the joint venture with Forrest & Cotton of Dallas to design a major portion of site development, runways, aprons and terminal infrastructure improvements for the new Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Hammond was active in many civic, fraternal, and professional organizations. He enjoyed travelling in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Pacific with his wife of 59 years, Camille, who preceded him in death in 2012.

BERNIE SIBEN, from page 11

in and out within 10 minutes, and may even make dinner plans with others. If you host an evening event, be sure to have 6-10 cards to give special attendees inviting them to join you for dinner later that evening. Otherwise, you could end up losing every prospect to someone else’s hospitality. The answer to question #9 depends on the level of hospitality you choose. If you just want someone to attend, who can wander the exhibit floor, giving out business cards and brochures, and maybe giving out dinner invitations, one person might be enough. If you take a booth, you need at least two, so the booth is always attended. If you choose to host a hospitality suite, you can always have additional people there just to help in the suite without having them give up work days and paying for them to attend the show. As for question #10, make sure your estimate also includes the salaries of anyone who attends for all the travel and attendance hours they spend, as well as the cost of your give-aways and any hospitality expenses. For question #11, I like to have one or two inexpensive items that I can keep on the table, and one more expensive item that I keep under the table and give only to those people who spend some time with me telling me about their firm’s needs and letting me share information on how my firm can help with those needs. These are the interactions more likely to result in an extended conversation later, an opportunity to present or propose, or even a contract for a specific project. Whether you decide to put a representative on the exhibit floor, host a booth, or host a hospitality event, make sure to invite the people you listed in the answer to question #5. If you’re just having one or two people attend, you can still contact someone, express a desire to meet them for 10-15 minutes, and offer to “buy the first cup of coffee.” If one or two of the people you want to meet agree to meet you for coffee or a meal, you might consider attendance at the trade show well worth the price. BERNIE SIBEN, CPSM, is owner and principal consultant with the Siben Consult, LLC, an independent A/E marketing and strategic consultant located in Austin, Texas. He can be reached 559-901-9596 or at bernie@sibenconsult.com.

If the answer to question #5 is “yes,” there is someone you have been trying to meet who will be at the show, this event might be an automatic “go.” How will you know? Ask the event sponsors. If it is within a month of the event, they will probably share the current registration list. If not, ask for a list of last year’s attendees to get an idea of who really attends. If there are other attendees you want to meet, keep a separate list of them. You will use that list later. For question #6, compare the description of the event and its attendees to your firm’s Strategic Plan. If there is convergence, it will be obvious. For questions #7 and #8, you might turn to your professional network – whether in your address book, or on LinkedIn or another online platform. Ask if others you know have attended this event and what they thought of it, whether they met people they wanted/needed to meet, whether opportunities to present or propose came from those meetings, etc. They will have useful insights about the event and the need for various levels of attendance and/or hospitality. “Attending trade shows can be a very expensive proposition, ranging from whether your firm sends only one person to having a booth and maybe hosting a hospitality event.” An additional consideration for question #8 is exclusivity. At one municipal association, no attendee can host an event when there is a trade show event going on. So all the breakfast events are the same morning and all the cocktail parties are the same evening. Under such restrictions, attendees tend to “work their way down the hall,” stopping in each room for a drink and a snack and then moving on to see what’s in the next room. If you are lucky enough to be at either end of the hall, you may keep your visitors for a longer period of time. Otherwise, they will probably be

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 2, 2016, ISSUE 1150

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