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KCA, from page 11

Along with annual picnics, fishing trips, and holiday cele- brations, KCA also rewards employees for performance in a variety of ways, including activities such as golf outings, departmental luncheons, and professional football/baseball games. KCA participates in the employee education at 100 per- cent for an A grade with stepped reductions in participation based on grade. In addition, they pay 100 percent for spe- cific training needed for all positions. And, there’s more: ❚ ❚ Breakfast snacks once a week and monthly lunches ❚ ❚ Cakes to celebrate anniversaries and brownies for afternoon snacks ❚ ❚ Cash tenure rewards for employees for every five years of ser- vice that increase for each five years. ❚ ❚ Support for employee charities of choice ❚ ❚ Sponsored staff attending missions on a regular basis

KCA employees at Paint Your Heart Out.

president while walking down the hall,” Senerchia says. “The CFO knows my name, and I can crack jokes with the head of IT or HR. Having spent a little time working with a large company, where employees seem to be treated merely as a profit center with an ID number, I really value the relation- ships that are cultivated here.” KEYS TO SUCCESS. KCA has the staff and expertise to compete with the larger firms. The managers, staff, and marketing department work hard on project pursuits. They do their homework and research and they involve the whole pursuit team in developing solutions and innovation. “We spend a lot of time on strategy to determine what is important and what cannot be overlooked. We spend a lot of time on practicing presentations, answering questions, and mentoring newer presenters. We know that winning or losing a project can come down to the smallest detail men- tioned or overlooked,” McGucken says. In 1976, KCA was founded as an engineering consulting firm to serve the needs of their clients, both public agen- cies and private developers. The mainstays contributing to their early success include bridge inspection, civil engineer- ing, CEI, and transportation planning and design. “With the passing of each year, our successful accomplish- ments have sustained our steady growth into new business areas, from small local civil projects to large, long-term, mul- tidisciplinary projects in public transportation,” McGucken adds. “KCA continues to expand throughout the southeast- ern United States while providing additional services in as- set management, traffic analysis, environmental services, and design-build. The source of our continuing success is a dedicated and loyal staff with proven expertise.” PARTY TIME! This past June, to celebrate 40 years of success, KCA held an anniversary celebration. Special panels were made that commemorated key milestones throughout KCA’s history and are now hung in the lobby for all to see. “Our timeline of successful projects is extensive, and it’s truly inspiring to see all that we have accomplished in 40 years,” McGucken says. In addition, a 40th anniversary book was made and given to dedicated employees that have been with the firm for more than 10 years. Their celebration day began in the morning with a staff brunch and gift bags. In the evening, they invit- ed many clients and fellow consultants to a catered event in the office. Many stories were shared.

❚ ❚ An annual putt-putt tournament in the office ❚ ❚ Celebration of awesomeness (as needed!)

❚ ❚ Ongoing staff training (e.g., this past summer they had a three-day training on using Microstation for 3-D modeling of highways) Despite all these perks and benefits, Colleen Carter, vice president/director of human resources, says that recruiting can still be a challenge. “There was a time several years ago when recruitment of any position was not difficult at all. When KCA would post a po- sition, we had multiple qualified applicants along with em- ployee referrals. In more recent years, recruitment has be- come more of a challenge, wherein we rely heavily on em- ployee referrals to hire quality staff. We are fortunate that a high percentage of our staff is based on employee referrals,” she says. KCA has also been very successful with their internship pro- grams. Many are hired full-time upon graduation. They also have many engineers that are active in mentoring programs and participate in college engineering job fairs. WHAT ARE EMPLOYEES SAYING? Tim Heath, area manager/project administrator, has worked for KCA for more than 30 years. “I’ve always felt like I’m part of a family and not just an em- ployee. We’ve all gone through both good and not so good times, but we have always come through by supporting each other,” he says. Ashley Abdel-Hadi, environmental scientist, says that he most enjoys the constant opportunity to learn and be chal- lenged by the diverse array of company projects. This is sup- plemented by the inclination of project managers to train and further the development of less experienced staff. Abe Senerchia, GIS technician, most enjoys the small-busi- ness, family-type atmosphere. “I can chat with the CEO while getting coffee, or with the

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 31, 2016, ISSUE 1174

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