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Surrounding yourself Innovate. Learn. Evolve. Virtual environmental firm, with offices on three continents, is looking at a very real disruption in the industry. P R O F I L E
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
E ver wonder what it would be like to work for a firm that was 100 percent virtual? Well, Ken- neth Ogilvie knows what it’s likes to run one. Since 2005, he’s been chairman and CEO of EHS Support (#1 Best Firm Environmental and #30 Hot Firm for 2015), an 80-person environmental consulting firm with offices in the United States, South Africa, and Australia. “Creating a high performance virtual organization requires considerable investment in software, communication tools, and outside management consultants.” Prior to founding EHS, Ogilvie worked for two oth- er companies as a field scientist, supervisor, gen- eral manager, service line lead, vice president, and senior vice president. He then decided to strike out on his own to create a company that would be a great place to work, while delivering five-star cli- ent service. He wanted to form a company that was truly different and, he says, “We have definitely ac- complished that.” A CONVERSATION WITH OGILVIE. The Zweig Letter: What’s different about manag- ing a “virtual” firm compared to a brick and mor- tar one? Any key insights to offer here? Ken Ogilvie: There are always communication challenges and you need to look at doing things dif- ferently. We have evolved from emails and confer- ence calls to a virtual software model and an orga- nizational structure that allows us to communicate effectively while making everyone feel connected. You have to focus on culture and communication much more than you would at a brick and mortar location. Creating a high performance virtual orga- nization requires considerable investment in soft- ware, communication tools, and outside manage- ment consultants. However, if done right, it can be very successful. Our success has led to a lot of in- terest in the tools and methods we use, with Micro- soft even studying what we are doing to help make their software more focused on the virtual environ- ment.
Kenneth Ogilvie, Chairman and CEO, EHS Support
The staff at EHS Support.
TZL: Has EHS always been virtual or is that something that has evolved? KO: We started out virtual and have kept the model since the beginning. “Our success has led to a lot of interest in the tools and methods we use, with Microsoft even studying what we are doing to help make their software more focused on the virtual environment.” TZL: What are your key strengths? What do you feel the key strengths are for an effective leader? KO: Over the years, I’ve taken various management profiles. Meyers Briggs reveals that I am an ENFJ See Q&A, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER July 11, 2016, ISSUE 1159
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