1125

Firms’ contract review processes 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 MA R K E T I N G S U P P L E M E N T Pages 3-12 O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 , I s s u e 1 1 2 5

Email Though it has been around for a while, email isn’t going anywhere anytime soon; make sure you’re using it effectively.

E mail is not going away for those of us in the A/E business – even though, I confess, I didn’t really see the need for it when Fred White first told me about it years ago and suggested we both get AOL accounts. Email is one of those tools that we all use and assume our employees know how to use. The problem is they don’t always know how to use it (properly). Here are my thoughts about email and how to make it better: 1)Email isn’t always the best tool. Sometimes you have to pick up a phone and call some- one. Or get up, walk down the hall, and go see them. Or leave your building entirely and go see them. Not everything can be done via email. Put a bunch of non-confrontational, introverted design professionals together and they will email the person in the desk next to them before having any other type of interac- tion. Not good! 2)Emails can be misinterpreted. This is one reason you need voice and face-to-face conversations. If you are too brief, someone could accuse you of being terse. If you don’t use exclamation points, someone might think you aren’t excited (enough). There are many other signals one sends out when commu- nicating other than what they actually say. Email doesn’t have these other signals. 3)Signatures should be uniform within a firm. Everyone’s email signature should be

“Email is one of those tools that we all use and assume our employees know how to use. The problem is they don’t always know how to use it (properly).”

About 35 percent of respondents to Zweig Group’s 2015 Fee & Billing Survey say they have every contract reviewed by an attorney . Another 33 percent say they only have non- standard contracts reviewed , while 14 percent have only contracts for new clients reviewed , 4 percent have contracts over a certain amount reviewed, and 13 percent do not consult an attorney to review their firm’s contracts. — Vivian Cummings, research analyst assistant. F I R M I N D E X Arcadis .................................................. 4 Balfour Beatty Construction .................... 2 Becker Morgan Group ............................ 4 Bowers + Kubota Consulting ................ 12 Butler, Rosenbury & Partners ................ 12 Epiphany . .............................................. 7 Fluor Corporation . .................................. 4 GWWO Inc............................................ 4 Harrison French & Associates Ltd.. ......... 6 KS Associates Inc. ............................... 12 McAdams Company .............................. 6 P. JOSEPH LEHMAN Inc., Consulting Engineers . ............................ 2 Sam Schwartz Engineering ................... 11 Sasol Group Technology . ....................... 4 Shive-Hattery ......................................... 5 WOODARD & CURRAN ....................... 11

Mark Zweig

MORE COLUMNS xz BRAND BUILDING: The ownership brand. Page 3 xz MARKETING MATTERS: Things are changing. Page 9 Visually based social media Page 5

See MARK ZWEIG, page 2

The brand Pages 6,7 SPOTL IGHT ON:

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

ON THE MOVE

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

BALFOUR BEATTY CONSTRUCTION LEADERS HONORED AS 2015 WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION Constructech magazine recently named Balfour Beatty Construction ’s (Dallas, TX) Kasey Bevans and Nancy Novak to its 2015 Women in Construction list at the publication’s 2015 Technology Day event. The Women in Construction list is comprised of some of the most successful women working in the con- struction industry, who are driving innovation with technology and represent the leading construction companies in the country. At Balfour Beatty Construction, Bevans serves as senior vice president and chief information officer and Novak is vice president of operations. “The Women in Construction demonstrate exemplary leadership and have accelerated the growth of technology, while inspiring others within construction,” said Peggy Smedley, editorial director of Constructech magazine. “Each woman embodies passion, tenacity, and grace even under the toughest of circumstances, which ultimately has empowered them to take risks and challenge the status quo.” As CIO of Balfour Beatty Construction, Bevans leads the vision and strategic direction of the company’s information technology team. In her 12 years as CIO, she has developed a talented team and centralized IT across the business. As national vice president of operations, Novak is a key resource in assessing and strengthening the company’s ability to scale knowledge and bring consistency to strong, existing operating standards. She is helping to lead the company in building a true learning organization where collaboration and leverage for the benefit of the firm’s people and partners are the norm. “ Constructech ’s recognition of Kasey and Nancy with 2015 Women in Construction honors is well deserved and further reinforces the significant contributions they make to our company and industry every day,” said Mark Layman, chairman and CEO of Balfour Beatty Construction. LEHMAN ENGINEERS WELCOMES FRANCIS CATHERINE II P. JOSEPH LEHMAN Inc., Consulting Engineers (Hollidaysburg, PA) announced that Frank Catherine II has joined the firm as an environmental engineer. Catherine brings more than 30 years of experience managing environmental remediation and heavy construction projects. Catherine has experience ranging from supervising environmental cleanups to preparing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination permits to planning, coordinating and supervising multiple engineering projects. In Lehman Engineers’ environmental remediation department, Catherine will work with geologists and environmental scientists in developing solutions for environmental projects, including underground storage tank clean up projects, environmental site assessments, and asbestos, lead, mold, and air quality projects.

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Andrea Bennett | Managing Editor abennett@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor sparkman@zweiggroup.com Megan Halbert | Design Assistant mhalbert@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent lsullivan@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Correspondent rmassey@zweiggroup.com Jake Crawford | Intern dcrawford@zweiggroup.com

MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

timely response implies lack of interest. 7)Out of office assistant is bad. I’ve said it a million times. Do NOT let your people use this. It connotes poor ser- vice when you are telling the world you aren’t accessible. 8)Acknowledge when someone re- sponds to you. If you ask a question of someone and they respond, or if someone tells you something you need to know or gives you instructions, acknowledge it. Say “thanks, “ “got it,” or something similar. Saying noth- ing means “you didn’t get it” or aren’t thankful or don’t care or, worse, didn’t like the response you got. All of these are bad. 9)Employees need training! Don’t as- sume your people know ANY of these things. Who would’ve taught them? You have to teach them, or they won’t know. It might seem hard to believe, as these things seem like common sense, but, as they say: “Common sense is not so common.” MARK ZWEIG is founder and CEO of Zweig Group. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup. com.

the same and include their name, title, company name, logo, main number, direct-dial extension (if you have them), and cellphone number. The idea is to make everyone accessible to those who need them. 4)Clean out your inbox every day. Show me someone who forgets to do things and I guarantee that they have an inbox that has thousands of emails still in it. It’s a discipline. Process im- mediately. The fact that we spend more time with our cellphones on email than our regular computers doesn’t help. I delete everything I can as it comes in and then go back and file the rest later (as in soon after!). 5)Email folders really help. Get orga- nized. Get file folders. Then you can find what you need to later. And name your folders consistently so this doesn’t become a jumbled mess, which is as bad as an over-full inbox. 6)Respond quickly! Speed is everything today. Twenty-four hours is not nearly soon enough. A few hours might be too long. A few minutes is better. Lack of

Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560

E-mail: info@zweiggroup.com Online: www.thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Blog: blog.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 e-mail TheZweigLetter@TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2015, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

MARKETING A SUPPLEMENT OF THE ZWEIG LETTER

O P I N I O N

The ownership brand Instead of offering ownership as a reward, business leaders should think strategically of how owners reflects their brand. T he simplest definition of a brand is “how others perceive a product or service.” So, written words, images, people, and all other features of a firm contribute to the perception of its brand. Companies and individuals – including groups of individuals – also project a brand.

Let’s start being more intentional with firm ownership and view it as a part of the overall brand we are trying to define both internally and externally.

This includes a firm’s ownership and the people who make up that supposedly prestigious group of individuals. Firms’ leaders need to think multi-dimensionally as they consider new equity partners for company ownership. We see too many firms treating ownership like a reward for longevity or performance. Although considering those attributes is fine, they need to be part of a much larger overall qualification process, which should include considering the ownership brand you want to project. When considering equity partners, you must take into consideration how they are viewed by the rest of the organization and how adding them to this prestigious group makes the ownership more or less attractive to future owner candidates. A clear and very intentional formula for evaluating and selecting owner candidates goes a long way toward creating the ideal brand of ownership now and for future generations. Here are some things to consider as you seek to improve your ownership pool:

See CHAD CLINEHENS, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

BUSINESS NEWS

ARCADIS REFRESHES BRAND Arcadis (Tulsa, OK), a leading design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, has unveiled a new brand identity and modernized logo, the first rebranding for the Dutch firm in North America in almost 20 years. Along with new

leadership, announced in January, and a refreshed business strategy, Arcadis in North America renews its commitment to provide knowledge, market insights, and technical expertise to help its clients solve the world’s most complex challenges and to improve the quality of life for all in the communi- ties it serves. In addition to a single refreshed brand for its U.S. and Canadian operations, the new brand will be adopted across the 70 countries in which Arcadis operates and will replace legacy brands including Langdon & Seah, Hyder Consulting, ARCADISLogos and EC Harris. Callison and RTKL, Arcadis’ architectural brands, are also merging to create CallisonRTKL. John Jastrem, chief executive officer for Arcadis in North America, said, “Our new brand is a tangible, visual sign of our renewed commitment to our clients, employees and stakeholders. We are refocusing our efforts on innovation and on collaboration, all driven to deliver results that further our clients’ organizational goals. “This powerful, integrated Arcadis brand will provide clarity and consistency of approach to our clients, who are already benefiting from our global collaboration on mega projects such as the Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia and flood protection in New York City following Hurricane Sandy. “Perhaps most rewarding to us, is recognizing the value our people bring to the world in which we work and live. Their expertise is driven to enhance the social, economic and financial triple bottom line of our clients; as a result we can truly proclaim we are improving quality of life.” The new Arcadis logo brings a modern update to the Arcadis identity for the first time since the late 1990s. The boldness of the colors and the descriptor ‘Design & Consultancy for natural and built assets’ define both the capabilities Arcadis brings and the client markets in which Arcadis operates. The updated icon of the fire salamander remains as a representation of the sustainability and balance Arcadis seeks to achieve through its work, with the orange color linking to Arcadis’ Dutch heritage. BECKER MORGAN GROUP RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION Engineering News Record recently named Becker Morgan Group ’s Performing Arts Theater at the Ocean City Convention Center a Merit Award winner in the Mid-Atlantic Best Cultural Projects category. This awards competition recognizes the region’s best achievements in design and construction. The jury focused on projects that overcame significant challenges, adopted innovative ap- proaches, executed exceptional design and craftsmanship, and maintained safe sites. Winning projects were featured in a special Mid-Atlantic edition of ENR and will be highlighted at an awards ceremony on November 6 in Baltimore. Ocean City, Maryland’s new Performing Arts Center transformed two stories of underutilized exhibit space within the Ocean City Convention Center. The 1,200-seat performance venue offers tiered seating, state-of-the-art lighting, audio, video, and stage equipment, for a variety of events. The adaptive reuse of an existing, occupied facility, required intensive coordination by the entire design team to successfully retrofit multiple levels of existing structure into a seamless theater environment. Becker Morgan Group provided architectural, civil engineering, and interior design services with consulting architects GWWO Inc. of Baltimore. FLUOR SELECTED AS SASOL’S COLLABORATION PARTNER IN SOUTH AFRICA Fluor Corporation (Irving, TX) announced that it has signed a three-year agree- ment with Sasol Group Technology to perform a range of projects as an integrated team at Sasol’s facilities in Secunda and Sasolburg, South Africa. The primary objective of the agreement is for Fluor and Sasol to collaborate on small and mid-sized oil and gas projects. Fluor will also share its expertise on proprietary engineering and project execution tools and systems with selected Sasol Group Technology employees through on-the-job participation. Projects covered in the agreement range from conceptual studies to full engineering, procurement and construction management.

More BUSINESS NEWS, page 12

Firm owners present an image (a brand). Back to the branding point: Owners of a firm make a statement to employees and to the outside world. Many firms make ownership decisions that are indicative of a small-business mentality. Examples include making family members owners that are not necessarily deserving or supported by the overall organization and making owners that are simply so old that it “seems like the logical next step.” I have news for you: Neither of those scenarios is logical. They are misguided and simple- minded. An owner should have the qualities to be the CEO of the firm someday. Not saying that every owner should be the CEO, but all should have the qualities necessary if called upon. Let’s start being more intentional with firm ownership and view it as a part of the overall brand we are trying to define both internally and externally. Let’s be willing to break the conventional mentality of firm ownership being a part of a reward system or simply “golden handcuffs” and think of it instead as developing a serious group of business minded- individuals that can contribute to taking a firm to the next level. CHAD CLINEHENS is The Zweig Group’s executive vice president. Contact him at cec@zweiggroup.com.

CHAD CLINEHENS, from page 3

Firm owners are business owners. Does the person you are considering understand basic business principals? Is he or she wired to always keep the overall firm’s interest in mind, even if it conflicts with the best interest of his or her particu- lar group or job function? Does this person have the personal financial standing and understanding to accept the risks and rewards of business ownership? Ownership could include having to sign a guarantee of their personal assets or willing- ness to write a large check to cover payroll during difficult times. Firm owners must be in it for the long haul. Is the com- mitment of a particular individual truly in the best interest of the firm long term? We are quick to say that a star needs to have the “golden handcuffs” applied, so the firm does not lose this supposedly indispensable employee. But is that re- ally necessary, or could loyalty be bought with extraordinary bonuses? Money talks. In fact, many people sign up for own- ership blindly expecting bigger bonuses and ignoring the risks that come along with it. For current owners, maybe it is bet- ter to keep high performers latched with you with higher than market pay and bonuses and keep the rewards and risks of ownership in a smaller and more appropriate group.

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

MARKETING A SUPPLEMENT OF THE ZWEIG LETTER Visually based social media More and more companies are using image-based social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to attract interest.

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent

KEY TAKEAWAYS ... Here are some tips for using Instagram and Snapchat from PR News ’ Big 4 Conference in San Francisco: Instagram success Your visual media is the face of your brand. Find your approach and stick with it. Build relationships with users. Provoke your subscribers. Post content that begs a question and elicits response. Controversy can be a recipe for PR success. Offensiveness usually is a recipe for disaster. Success with Instagram requires strategy and timing. Plan ahead and anticipate ways your message could be negatively changed. Have a plan to refocus the conversation. Don’t just showcase your products, showcase the people that bring your brand to life. Be honest. Leverage your partnerships. Tie your posts to an upcoming holiday, observance, anniversary, etc. Using Snapchat as an emergency communication tool Meet with your emergency response team to coordinate possible messages. Have a plan for foreseeable disasters, such as severe weather, and have a plan for immediate threats, such as an active shooter. Once you and emergency responders have agreed on the messages, print a summarized version of each possible message. Also print a page with the message to announce when a threat has passed. Keep a set of these printed messages at your office, home, and in your vehicle. Upon learning of an emergency situation, take a photo of the printed message and add it to “MyStory.” If you have a manageable number of followers, you should also send each the message individually. If you have thousands of followers, consider your options, as it might not be efficient to select each recipient individually (by the time you do, the threat might have passed). Handle feedback the same way you would treat feedback from other social media sites. Prepare yourself with a set of anticipated questions, and a list of responsive people to contact for answers. If you receive feedback via Snapchat, you may respond in like form, but don’t hesitate to tell users where to find more information (website, inbox, etc.). Be sure to screenshot any outgoing messages so you can display them later, and your team can analyze how the emergency was handled.

F acebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are pretty much a given these days when we talk about social media. But what about other up and comers, such as Snapchat and Instagram? How are AEC firms using these visual channels? At the recent PR News’ Big 4 conference in San Francisco this was the topic du jour. Greg Kanz, marketing director at Shive- Hattery (Bloomington, IL) – a 400-person architecture, engineering, and full-service design firm – attended the conference, and he returned ready to hit the ground run- ning. CLOSING THE GENERATION GAP. When you visit Shive-Hattery’s offices, you’ll likely see high school students who are part of proj- ect-based learning programs from local school districts doing real-world projects as part of their high school curriculum. “This younger generation embraces social platforms like Snapchat,” Kanz says. “As we learn from the younger generation and understand how they want to communi- cate, we’ll embrace those technologies. If Snapchat continues to grow, we’ll add it to our social media mix to build relation- ships with future employees and clients. I think that’s why you see General Electric and other corporations launching Snap- chat channels to build relationships with future employees and customers. Our in- dustry should be open to the idea, too.” Kanz adds that Snapchat allows design- ers to share a beautiful design, to fea- ture employees and inspirations, to post understand how they want to communicate, we’ll embrace those technologies.” “As we learn from the younger generation and

See SOCIAL MEDIA, page 8

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

The b

Rebranding, big and small Thinking your brand might need an update? Here are two examples of successful brand updates within the A/E industry.

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent N o business today can afford to rest on its lau- rels. Your business might be keeping up with eco- nomic and market changes, but is your brand keeping pace? Here’s a quick peek at two companies who re- cently decided it was time for a change. One went all out, while the other was a bit more subtle. FIRM REBRANDING. Chad Clinehens, executive vice presi- dent and COO of Zweig Group, talks about a recent rebranding that McAdams Company (Durham, NC), a 110-person comprehensive design firm, underwent. Clinehens’ role as consultant involved wearing many different hats. McAdams’ leadership had several reasons for deciding to rebrand. The firm was emerging from the recession armed with a strategic plan that called for ambitious growth and expansions into new markets. The previ- ous branding elements, such as the website, were dat- ed and needed updating. McAdams’ leadership also wanted to project a more modern and refined image in order to achieve their goals. As the firm’s lone marketing consultant, Clinehens was responsible for designing the campaign and then executing it. “I did everything from design the highest level mes- saging and strategies all the way down to designing

the brochures, developing the videos, and writing the text for the website,” he says. Additionally, he served as a strategic consultant for other areas of the business that were in need of atten- tion as the firm grew dramatically. There were several challenges that included every- thing from expanding the firm’s audience from pre- dominantly within the land development market to one that included a diverse group of people from both the private and public sectors. “Those can be challenging to work on at the same time,” Clinehens says. “We worked hard to extend the core McAdams brand, which was tremendously strong in land development, into the government services sectors.” WHAT’S IN A NAME? Larry Lott, president and COO of Harrison French & Associates Ltd. (Bentonville, AR), a 170-person architecture and engineering firm, says that the company recently worked on rebranding its name and logo. “It was part of our new business strategy plan to con- tinue to expand our professional services and to rede- fine our purpose as a company,” he says. Part of the new purpose statement – “Creative Solu- tions, Meaningful Places” – was to help reinforce the cultural and service growth of the company.

IS IT TIME FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO REBRAND? The team at Mach One Communications (Elora, ON), a marketing solutions firm, says it could be time to rebrand if: company’s. After years of being in business, some company owners receive a letter from their competition saying that either their brand image or catchphrase is too close to their competitor’s. Rather than pay the legal fees to fight back, it might be wise to take this time to regroup and rebrand. You’ve expanded beyond your Your brand name or logo is too close to a trademarked

original scope. If you used to do “this” but now you do “this and that,” it might be time to rebrand. Remember, your customers will only know that you do “this” unless you find a way of making them see that you also do “that.” People have no idea who you are or what you do. Have you ever had someone ask you what you do? Have you found yourself fumbling to get the right words out? Does your description take longer than 10 seconds? If so, it might be time to rebrand. A product or service you sell is

taking over your business. If this is the case, it’s definitely time to rebrand so that your clients are clear on who you are and what you sell. You’ve moved or expanded beyond your geographical name. If you have a business with a geographical location in the title – like Dallas Builders – but you plan to add offices in Austin and Houston, it’s time to come up with a branding initiative that doesn’t place the emphasis on location. You share your name with an unsavory character. In 2005, there was an unfortunate sports drink called Tsunami that had to change its name

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTO

See PRIMORIS, page 4

brand

Zweig Group is social and posting every day! C O N N E C T W I T H U S

facebook.com/ ZweigGroup

twitter.com/ ZweigGroup

linkedin.com/company/ ZweigWhite

blog. ZweigGroup .com vimeo.com/ ZweigGroup

Is it time to let your logo go? Susan Milne, founder and president of Epiphany, gives advice on A/E branding and logos.

WHAT WAS THE END RESULT FOR HFA? The official company name has remained the same: Harrison French & Associates Ltd. The company logo became an abbreviation/name combination in 2008 to:

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent

A logo is the simplest form of your visual identity. Typically, your logo won’t explain what you do, but as your brand develops, it will serve as shorthand for what your brand stands for. If the logo is well known, such as the Nike swoosh, you might even see it used without the name of the business. However, most logos have typography that spells out the name of the organization. Logo is defined as “a distinguished representation, mark, or symbol of a firm.” Susan Milne, a principal at Epiphany – a firm that helps A/E firms work through the branding and rebranding process – says that the logo is defined as “a distinguished repre- sentation, mark, or symbol of a firm.” How do you know whether your logo is working for you? Milne suggests reviewing the following to ensure your brand, positioning, marketing, and methodology are all aligned with your logo. Brand: This is the space that your firm occupies in the client’s mind. It’s comprised of reputa- tion, expertise, process, culture, and ethos. For an A/E firm, because the product is service and expertise, a brand is intangible. Brands become tangible as they are articulated across multiple formats including, but not limited to: logo design, web design and development, printed materials, unique process/methodology, and thought leadership through blogs, vid- eos, social media posts, and white papers – just to name a few. Positioning: Your strategy is articulated in a way that separates your firm from its compe- tition. Positioning statements include your firm’s name, expertise, targets, processes and methodology, and the benefits your clients experience from working with you. Marketing: Simply put, marketing is the act of promoting and selling your business’ prod- ucts or services. The goal of marketing is to amplify your brand and nurture leads. Marketing is business development for A/E firms. It can be tracked, measured, and – when following inbound methodology – eliminate competition. Methodology: This is your firm’s process, or way of conducting business. Positioning, brand- ing, and marketing are all set up to serve the goals of the firm. The methodology depends on what the firm is trying to achieve. When should a firm consider a rebrand or creating a new logo? Milne says to think about it under the following circumstances: new or updated positioning; merger, acquisition, or change in leadership; change of business goals – entering a new market or significant growth of an existing sector; logo looks tired or outdated 3 STEPS TO REBRANDING SUCCESS. Milne further outlines how to go about starting the rebrand- ing process. It begins with three steps:

In 2014, the logo changed to HFA and included the firm’s new mission statement:

for obvious reasons. While this is an uncommon reason for rebranding, it’s still a very, very good one. You don’t want your customers associating you or your business with the wrong image. Your brand is boring. It might be hard to accept, but sometimes it’s time to rebrand simply because the brand image you started out with is a little boring. Rebranding can give your business new life. It can help you retain old customers, while successfully bringing in new ones. Lott admits that it took time to phase the various ongoing proj- ects into the new logo and to com- municate the purpose to everyone. The overall rollout took about six months. “It’s an ongoing process for us, since our new brand was more to- wards our purpose and growth as a company than just a name change,” he says. “Changing to a new brand does take a lot of logistic planning to provide a smooth transition.”

See LOGO, page 8

OBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

LOGO, from page 7

1)Create a vision. Start with a vision for the firm and set business goals to achieve it. Visions are created through a combination of interest, expertise, opportunity, and desire. They are passionate, personal, and compelling. 2)Position the firm. Visions are actionable through positioning. Brand positioning is rooted in your customer’s perspective, it de- fines where your firm is valued (expertise) and clearly states the benefits. Use internal and external research to create a brand posi- tioning that is strategic and bulletproof. Often, a third party must conduct this research so the process can stay objective. 3)Refer to your new positioning at every touch-point – logo included. Your new positioning must come with a road map that explains how you’re going to implement your new identity at every touch-point with the customer. One of the foundational pieces in the rebranding process is the logo. This will set the tone for the visual identity of your brand, and it must match the new brand positioning. What makes a brand special is going to be something that must be communicated and stressed in a logo, and will have a big influence on what the logo articulates. WHAT MAKES A LOGO WORK? “Logos need to work on- and offline,” Milne says. “Vertical logos are more challenging in online ap- plications than horizontal ones. Readability and visibility are also major factors to consider.” Where will the logo’s primary home be: Online? Business cards? How will the logo look on the side of a car? Will it be on the side of a building? How about T-shirts? Asking yourself these questions will help you to determine how your logo needs to work for your firm and how it should be designed.

SOCIAL MEDIA, from page 5

she says. “Most A/E firms share project photos. With Ins- tagram, we’ll be highlighting our people. With our partner, Sculpt, an Iowa City-based social media management firm, we will highlight creative images of our people and, in the process, share their passion and personality.” Phan says that they hope this approach will make them more approachable, which, in turn, will attract great em- ployees and clients. “By taking advantage of social media, you can share power- ful and engaging imagery with many followers,” she says.

informational graphics, and more. KEEPING IT REAL. Jenny Phan, who works in corporate commu- nications at Shive-Hattery, says that potential hires want to know what it’s like to work there and are curious about the projects they’ll work on. Clients want to know if they’re a good fit and to get to know who will be working on their project. This is where Instagram and other social media channels come in. “We plan to kick off our Instagram channel next spring,”

LEVERAGING THE POWER OF VISUAL SOCIAL MEDIA 5 T I P S F O R B R A N D S T H AT WA N T T H E I R C O N T E N T T O B E S E E N

“Engagement from Instagram users is as much as 10 times greater than other platforms.” — Dane Atkinson, CEO SumAll.com

“ Over 80%

of pins are repins on Pinterest” — RJMetrics, 2012

Facebook posts that include photos generate

53% more likes than the average post.

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

MARKETING A SUPPLEMENT OF THE ZWEIG LETTER

Things are changing ... From the early responses to Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Survey , we can already see differences from last year, but there’s still time to have your data included. O P I N I O N

A lot has changed in marketing approaches, budgets, and attitudes in the past couple of years, even in the A/E/P and environmental consulting industry. Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Survey is still open for participation, so any recent statistics presented in this article are very much subject to change as more people give us their input. The following is an interesting preview of things to come and a look back at our quickly changing industry.

Christina Zweig

In 2014, personal selling and relationship build- ing was the most successful marketing strategy. So far in 2015, most firms are reporting a combi- nation of website, social media, and relationship building as their most successful tactics. Firms are reporting spending an average of 7.3 hours a week on social media, most often to stay in touch with clients and get insights into their needs. In the 2014 version of the Marketing Survey , nearly one-quarter of respondents said they were unsure if their clients were even using social media. Marketing, research, and marketing insights are driving the industry. In 2014, just over half of marketing directors participated in the business planning process. So far, 88 percent of firms say their marketing director participates in the business planning process. Last year, close to one-third of firms reported they conducted market research to learn more about the market and clients or potential clients and about an equal amount used research for strategic decisions. This year, so far these numbers have nearly doubled. Please remember this survey is still open, so many of these numbers may change. If you’re interested in contributing your views to the 2015 Marketing Survey , go to zweiggroup.com/surveys. Survey participants get a 65 percent off coupon code that can be used on the full-price of any Zweig Group survey. CHRISTINA ZWEIG is a Zweig Group marketing and management consultant. Contact her at christinaz@ zweiggroup.com “Firms in the A/E/P and environmental industry most often create their plans at least three months in advance of its use.”

Most firms in the industry will already be think- ing about or working on their 2016 marketing plan. Both the 2014 Marketing Survey and the most recent statistics indicate that firms in the A/E/P and environmental industry most often create their plans at least three months in advance of its use. In the previous version of Zweig Group’s Mar- keting Survey , the vast majority of firms re- ported creating a formal marketing plan. Though more than 80 percent of respondents to this year’s survey report creating a marketing plan, one respon- dent stated, “Not having a formal marketing plan or budget is disappointing. I think people want to see concrete evidence of what’s working.” Indeed, staff today are more marketing savvy than ever, and younger staff members in particular want to know what is bringing in results and what mar- keting investments are being made by the firm they work for. “So far in 2015, most firms are reporting a combination of website, social media, and relationship building as their most successful tactics.” The most common element firms include in their plans is a firm-wide marketing budget, with 44 percent of firms reporting this. In this year’s survey, already more than half of all firms have this element on their marketing budget. In 2014, 43 percent of firms said they planned to increase their marketing budget over the next year, but the overall predicted change in spending was a measly 1 percent increase. In 2015, so far, expected increases were reported by 50 percent of all firms in amounts rang- ing from 2-25 percent.

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

C A L E N D A R : NOVEMBER 2015

deadline

conference/seminar

webinar

award

Becoming

Presented by the Albany Society of 25th annual transportation symposium

sessions. Topics covered: business planning, marketing/business development, financial management, project management, ownership transition planning, recruiting and retention. COST: First attendee: $1,575; additional attend- ees: $1,475 LOCATION: Las Vegas MORE INFO: zweiggroup. com/seminars/tpa/

Concrete convention & expo More than 1,500 engineers, archi- tects, contractors, educators, manu-

a Better Project Manager The first seminar tai- lored to new and aspir- ing A/E/P and environ- mental PMs. The course provides attendees with an understanding and specific tools they can use to be more effec- tive. Led by Howard Birnberg. COST: First attendee: $975; additional attend- ees: $825 LOCATION: Miami MORE INFO: zweiggroup. com/seminars/ better_pm/

Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Highway Engineers, Captial District Planners Association, Institute of Transportation Engineers, and NYS Society of Professional Engineers. LOCATION: Century House, Latham, New York TIME: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. MORE INFO: nspe.org/re- sources/pe-institute/live- educational-events/25th- annual-transportation- symposium ENR Southwest The ENR Regional Best Projects Awards are a series of special events to celebrate and honor the building teams that cre- ated the best projects of 2015 nationwide. These extraordinary projects are selected by juries of local prominent industry pro- fessionals. COST: $125 - $1,300 LOCATION: Phoenix Re- naissance Hotel, Phoenix MORE INFO: enrbestproj- ectsawards.com/

facturers, and material representatives gather for more than 300 committee meetings and 40 techni- cal education sessions covering the latest re- search, case studies, and best practices. LOCATION: Denver MORE INFO: aciconvention. org ENR Southeast LOCATION: Renais- sance Orlando at Sea World, Orlando MORE INFO: enrbestproj- ectsawards.com/ ENR New England

M&A in a

Day

Attendees will learn how to strategically

frame and effectively execute a transaction and will be prepared to meet challenges that arise during the deal process MORE INFO: zweiggroup. com/seminars/maiad/ Leadership in engineering workshop: For women only with confidence. LOCATION: Miami Designed using the “centered leadership” concept from the McKinsey Leadership Project. Five broad, interrelated areas are addressed: meaning, managing energy, positive framing, connecting and engaging.15 PDHs. LOCATION: Pinstripes, Edina, Minnesota MORE INFO: nspe.org/ resources/pe-institute/ live-educational-events/ leadership-engineering- workshop-women-only

Greenbuild The world’s larg- est conference and expo. LOCATION: Wash- ington D.C. MORE INFO: green-

Fall professional development conference

Get up to 5 PDHs. LOCATION: Courtyard Mar- riott, Saratoga Springs, New York MORE INFO: nspe.org/ resources/pe-institute/ live-educational-events/ fall-professional-develop- ment-conference

buildexpo.com

LOCATION: Seaport Boston Hotel and World Trade Center,

Becoming

Boston MORE INFO: enrbestproj- ectsawards.com/

a Better Project Manager

LOCATION: Chicago MORE INFO: zweiggroup. com/seminars/ better_pm/ ENR Midwest LOCATION: Westin Michi- gan Avenue, Chicago MORE INFO: enrbestproj- ectsawards.com/ ENR New York LOCATION: Shera-

13th National light rail & streetcar conference The two-day sessions showcase

Joint engineers conference Eleven profes- sional engineer- ing societies join together to offer

The Principals Academy The two-day agenda covers six critical areas of business management from

the positive results being experienced in metropolitan areas that have embraced light rail and streetcar and explore new ways to plan, design, construct, maintain, and operate light rail and streetcar systems. LOCATION: Minneapolis MORE INFO: apta.com/mc/ lightrail/Pages/default. aspx

over seven tracks and 70 sessions. Topics include business development, career development, ethics, and technical. 15 PDHs. LOCATION: Red Lion Colo- nial Inn, Helena, Montana MORE INFO: nspe.org/re- sources/pe-institute/joint- engineers-conference

ENR Mid- Atlantic LOCATION: Hyatt Regency Baltimore on the Inner Harbor,

the unique perspective of architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms, and is presented in tutorial and case study workshop

ton New York Times Square,

Baltimore MORE INFO: enrbestproj- ectsawards.com/

New York MORE INFO: enrbestproj- ectsawards.com/

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

MARKETING A SUPPLEMENT OF THE ZWEIG LETTER

B E S T P R A C T I C E S

CEO fashion: What’s your passion? Dressing for success is no longer defined by a strict dress code; here’s what leaders in the AEC industry are wearing.

By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent W hen Dress For Success came out in 1975, it set rigid rules for executive attire, but today, the game has changed. While it’s still important to look put together, dressingfor successnowmeansfinding the look that works best for you, and sticking to it. “There’s a power to looking consistent,” Jon Pat- rick, creative director of men’s custom clothier J. Hilburn, says. “It makes you seem focused.” “I can’t remember the last time I wore a tie to work and did not have some very important meeting.” STICKING WITH TRIED AND TRUE. Sam Schwartz, CEO of Sam Schwartz Engineering (New York, NY), a 100-person interdisciplinary transportation engineering and planning firm, says that the “uni- form” for many engineers, including him, is a blue

blazer, gray slacks, light-colored shirt, and conser- vative tie. “I always travel with those items,” he says. “If I want to go out and wear jeans, a blue blazer still looks good. When I have an important meeting, it’s the navy suit. I wear black suits if I’m partying and want to feel chic. If I’m only having office meetings, the tie comes off, although I always keep extras (and a blue blazer) in my office closet.” Douglas McKeown, CEO of WOODARD & CUR- RAN (Portland, ME) – an 850-person integrated engineering, science, and operations company – says that most days he tries to dress business ca- sual, but the firm does allow a more relaxed dress code in the summer months. “Shorts are not uncommon, but most of us don’t have the legs to allow that ... it really needs to align with the schedule that day, and whether any clients are coming in who I have to meet with,” he says. See FASHION, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

BUSINESS NEWS

KS ASSOCIATES DESIGNS RIVER FRONTAGE AREA FOR THE FOUNDRY KS Associates Inc. (Elyria, OH), a civil engineering and surveying firm, is helping put infrastructure in place to support Cleveland’s growing interest in the sport of rowing. KS Associates was responsible for designing the dock area and river frontage for The Foundry, a new state-of-the-art rowing facility located along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. The Foundry is the vision of Mike Trebilcock and his wife, Gina, who purchased a series of industrial buildings in hopes of transforming them into a recreational hub and education center for high school and college student athletes who want to become high performance rowers and sailors. In 2014, Trebilcock, in conjunction with MCPc Family Charities, contracted with KS Associates to prepare construction plans for the Foundry’s dock area. KS Associates’ design included 520 lineal feet of rowing and launch docks, gangway ramps, steel platforms, and anchor piles. KS Associates also provided some permitting and surveying services for the project. Trebilcock and The Foundry are exceptionally proud of the due diligence with the project, including obtaining a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, approval by the United States Coast Guard, and the Northeast Ohio shipping community. The docks, constructed by RowAmerica, and boathouse opened for their first season in August 2015, just in time for the 2015-2016 school year. When fully constructed, The Foundry will be complete with a fitness center, indoor rowing tanks, and park. The Foundry is located on the east side of Columbus Road across from Rivergate Park. With Rivergate Park and The Foundry on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the project is helping make the riverfront more accessible to the growing rowing community.

FASHION, from page 11

BEST IN SHOW. CNBC.com reports the following are the 10 top best dressed CEOs in America:

The bottom line? “I have to check with my daughter when in doubt. She sets me straight. But now that she’s away at college I’m a bit on my own,” he says. IF THE SHOE FITS… Geoffrey Butler, president of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners (Springfield, MO) – a 20-per- son architecture, structural engineering, planning, and development firm – admits that he is not the fashion leader of the architectural world. “Back in the day, when I was young and aspiring, I tried to dress sharp – a bit flashy to reflect my cre- ativity and still be somewhat business-like. Sport coats never really worked, as I was either working at my desk, driving somewhere, or on jobsites. My shoes generally were a wreck from jobsite visits and didn’t last long,” he says. “As I got older, it was more impor- tant to be comfortable, and I usually checked my cal- endar for the day in the morning and dressed accord- ingly. When selling, I would dress for the sale. When working, I would dress for the work.” Nowadays, Butler says that work-casual is the overall norm. Nice jeans, sport shirts, and loafers seem to be the ticket. “I can’t remember the last time I wore a tie to work and did not have some very important meeting. With the Internet and email, the meetings are fewer and fewer and conference calls dominate on meetings. If we ever took time to Skype, I could do the newscaster trick and have a nice shirt and tie while sitting there with no pants!” he chuckles. “Besides, as I get older, I have earned the right to be a bit eccentric and odd. It suits me well.” ALOHA! For Brian Bowers, president of Bowers + Kubo- ta Consulting (Waipahu, HI), a 150-person employ- ee-owned architectural/engineering firm, the ques- tion of what to wear to work is a no brainer. “We wear Aloha attire every day – an Aloha shirt and dress pants. Very casual,” he says.

James “Jamie” Dimon, JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Kevin Plank , Under Armour

Millard (Mickey) S. Drexler, J. Crew Group

Robert A. (Bob) Iger , The Walt Disney Co.

Antonio “L.A.” Reid , Epic Records

Desiree Rogers , Johnson Publishing Co.

Jack Dorsey , Square, Inc.

Jay Penske, PMC

Ellen Kullman , Dupont

Oprah Winfrey , OWN Network

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 26, 2015, ISSUE 1125

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12

Made with FlippingBook Annual report