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The Chile Baha’i House of Worship. SGH provided materials and structural design services for the project, and used silicate glass with a high seismic zone. / Hariri Pontarini Architects
A privilege, not a right CEO of old Boston firm has a few leadership styles in his toolbox, and always uses the right one for the right occasion.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
Mason Trestle at the historic Bethlehem Steel plant, and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum slurry wall resupport in New York – received multiple awards recognizing their engi-
I t was during a college internship that Glenn Bell was first introduced to Boston-based Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (Best Firm Civil Engineering #19 and Hot Firm #82 for 2015). That was more than 40 years ago. In 1975, he joined the then 30-person team housed in a Victorian home in Harvard Square as a graduate engineer, and con- tinuously advanced in his career to become CEO in 1995. Before he attained his current position with SGH, he was responsible for major works in all ar- eas of practice: structural engineering, building technology, and engineering mechanics and infra- structure. The American Council of Engineering Companies recently recognized three SGH projects as part of its annual state and national Engineering Ex- cellence Awards programs. These projects – the China Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015, the Hoover
neering achievements. A CONVERSATION WITH BELL.
The Zweig Letter: What are your key strengths? What do you feel the key strengths are for an ef- fective leader? GB: You have to have character. Absolute hones- ty and integrity are attributes that are often as- sociated with leadership, but unfortunately not all leaders adhere to them. It’s also important to build trust and to match your actions with your rhetoric. People will cut you slack if you are up front with them. I’ve always believed that leader- ship is not a right, it’s a privilege. You have to be responsible for shareholders and clients. It’s not See Q&A, page 4
Glenn Bell, CEO, SGH
THE ZWEIG LETTER May 16, 2016, ISSUE 1152
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