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BUSINESS NEWS KP ENGINEERING AWARDED SYNGAS EPC CONTRACT; CONTINUES A RICH HISTORY IN THE EPC DELIVERY OF SYNGAS/HYDROGEN PROCESS PLANTS KP Engineering – an industry leader in engineering, procurement, and construction solutions – has been awarded a fixed-price EPC contract by Praxair, Inc. to expand carbon monoxide production at its Geismar, Louisiana plant.

The award from Praxair is among several major projects KPE has secured within the last 12 months, including the recently awarded fixed-price contract from Targa Terminals LLC, valued in excess of $100 million. “We appreciate Praxair’s confidence in our ability to deliver world-class results for this important expansion in Geismar,” said William Preston, president and chief operating officer

of KP Engineering. “KPE’s expertise integrates well with Praxair’s vision and forms an important part of our business, complementing our positions in the refining, midstream, and petrochemical sectors.” The overall scope of the KPE project includes engineering, procurement, and construction. The project is expected to be completed in 2018.

that would add $10,000 to his base salary and he signed it immediately. The point here is that firms need to know what is important to the candidates they want to hire. But many A/E firms often try to sell a benefit that the candidate doesn’t care about in order to side-step paying more in base salary. Current A/E candidates, especially ones that are employed but are looking for a change, aren’t going to do the following: take a salary cut or accept equal salary, be happy with reduced PTO, get really excited about profit- based bonuses that don’t guarantee more income, or the wonderful team culture that your firm has. Yes, selling your culture is always important, but it’s not worth a $5,000 to $10,000 base salary reduction to any candidate. Every firm should be prepared to up a candidate’s salary by at least 10 percent. If that doesn’t happen, the firm isn’t going to do well in the current A/E market. Thus, monitor your firm’s online reputation. Glassdoor requires users to leave a negative comment, or a suggestion for management, or both. There aren’t many A/E trolls, but there are an inordinate number of unaddressed comments from former employees who thought they were wronged in some way. If your firm is so named, you need to take care of the problem. Lastly, firms that want to hire can close positions within 14 days. They have a successful model to build upon and are focused. In a settled economy, firms that don’t really want to hire are going to have to eventually turn down more projects than they want to. These firms are not in recruiting season form. CHRIS PATTON is the team leader of executive search at Zweig Group. Contact him at cpatton@zweiggroup.com. “Current A/E candidates, especially ones that are employed but are looking for a change, aren’t going to do the following: take a salary cut or accept equal salary, be happy with reduced PTO, get really excited about profit-based bonuses that don’t guarantee more income, or the wonderful team culture that your firm has.”

CHRIS PATTON, from page 9

should be scheduled for an interview or a phone meeting as soon as possible. The overall goal should be a 14-day hiring process. On the other hand, time after time, we see A/E firms drag their feet for no reason. Excuses usually revolve around items such as being too busy or scheduling too many steps in the hiring process. Remember that every interview a firm decides to schedule after the second one means that the candidate has probably applied to 10 more open positions per day with other firms. A/E firms that have it together will show up at the second interview with an offer letter prepared. If the interview goes well, it’s time to make that offer and instill the qualified candidate with confidence rather than leaving he or she with the impression that the firm isn’t interested. Overall, interviews need to be focused, decisive, and well organized. It’s easier to make excuses that lead to a culture of not wanting to hire rather than streamlining methodology that treats candidates with respect and competency. Lastly, candidates who are not responded to in an expeditious manner may communicate their experience on social media. Glassdoor, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn all have groups and posting methods where A/E candidates can share their frustrating experiences with other professionals. Whether A/E firms like it or not, this can damage the firm’s reputation and restrict both its hiring and growth potential. “If the issues raised are not addressed, then potential candidates may be scared off and the ability to recruit effectively can be compromised due to a poorly developed online reputation.” PAY ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS. The current A/E market has settled after a huge boom and candidates are showing more reluctance to make a move. What’s more surprising is when firms botch an offer letter and insult a candidate after their salary background has been discussed. Recently, a large firm presented an offer letter to a senior project manager candidate that matched his current salary. The candidate immediately lost motivation to make a move since a higher salary was part of the reason he was looking around. The next week, another firm made an offer

THE ZWEIG LETTER November 28, 2016, ISSUE 1177

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