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MATT CRAFTON, from page 5

City – Nashville has been growing for the last five years, and according to the University of Tennessee, the entire state, and Nashville along with it, will continue to grow through at least 2025. “Arcadis brings 150 years of experience in environmental restoration, urban planning and development, and resiliency, with a proven track record of bringing private, public, and investment communities together to deliver successful remediation and redevelopment programs.” The Arcadis index is the centerpiece of what’s known as a seller-doer proposition, meaning Arcadis is not just shed- ding light on the possible land deals, but would participate in them as a consultant. “Arcadis brings 150 years of experience in environmental restoration, urban planning and development, and resilien- cy, with a proven track record of bringing private, public, and investment communities together to deliver successful remediation and redevelopment programs,” the index con- cludes. I’m sure many of you have helpful advice for people entering our profession, and I would love to hear what you have to say. MATT CRAFTON is president and CEO of Crafton Tull , an architecture, engineering, and surveying firm based in Rogers, Arkansas. He can be reached at matt.crafton@craftontull.com. person who can form and foster relationships with clients, bringing new work to his or her firm, will always be highly valued. “The person who can form and foster relationships with clients, bringing new work to his or her firm, will always be highly valued.” 8)Look for challenging opportunities. It’s easy to fade into the woodwork. Just show up for work, do the hours and leave at the end of the day. Don’t be that guy or gal. Ask your boss for challenges and difficult projects. When the office needs someone to organize a fundraiser, step up and take it on. Be the person who stands out because of your enthusiasm for any task. 9)Become involved in your community. Life is not all about you. Invest time outside work hours in things you are pas- sionate about: church, professional or technical societies, social clubs, Big Bros/Big Sis, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, coaching youth sports, etc. Find something that you are genuinely interested in and give back. Your life will be richer for it.

be able to get along with people to have any chance of success. 5)Become an excellent writer. For most in our industry, our college education is spent in classes teaching the technical parts of the profession – doing calculations and working problems. Unfortunately, far too many new graduates leave college without the ability to write a paragraph that is gram- matically correct, with correct spelling, correct punctuation, etc. Don’t slip into “text mode” in business communication, including letters and email. Learn to write well and don’t be afraid of edits and feedback from others. 6)Become an excellent speaker. Let’s face it; most folks in this profession are introverts. There’s nothing we love better than cranking out drawings and spreadsheets all day. But, to be a successful architect or engineer, you’ve got to learn to be com- fortable speaking in front of others. It doesn’t come naturally for most people, so it takes practice, practice, practice. When an NBA player hits a clutch shot at the last second to win the game, he didn’t make that by accident – years and years of practice went into preparing him for that moment. The same is true with speaking in public – it takes practice, so look for ways to hone that skill and it will serve you well. 7)Establish relationships with clients. The lifeblood of this business is revenue, and revenue comes from clients. The “Don’t slip into ‘text mode’ in business communication, including letters and email. Learn to write well and don’t be afraid of edits and feedback from others.”

ARCADIS, from page 7

healthy market, but for the properties to turnover, “a lot of parties have to come together to make it happen.” Another key aspect of the index is its ranking of cleanup costs. On one hand, there’s the unrestricted closure of a site, or “clean closure.” On the other is restricted closure, or “cleaned to suit end use,” which is much more affordable. At No. 2 on the Arcadis index, Charlotte is poised to take full advantage of re-urbanization and the remediation of brownfields. On the upswing for decades, signaled by the arrival of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and the NFL’s Caro- lina Panthers, Charlotte is in the process of increasing its footprint northward. Under construction is the Charlotte Area Transit System’s Blue Line Extension, a 9.3-mile commuter rail connect- ing Uptown with the UNC Charlotte campus. Scheduled to open next year, the line is expected to open up new areas to development, including a few brownfields. By comparison, markets like Houston and Los Angeles, which are much larger than Charlotte, rate lower on the list because the remediation costs, and thus the threshold for entry, are much higher, a factor that could hamper long- term profitability. Anchored in part by the auto industry and a healthy real es- tate market, Nashville also ranked high on the Arcadis in- dex. Blessed with an internationally known brand – Music

THE ZWEIG LETTER June 6, 2016, ISSUE 1155

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