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ON THE MOVE

THORNTON TOMASETTI PRINCIPAL NAMED AIA FELLOW International engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti (New York, NY) has an- nounced that Gunnar Hubbard , a principal and the firm’s sustainability practice leader, has been elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He was honored dur- ing the Investiture of Fellows Ceremony at the 2015 AIA Convention in Atlanta. WIDSETH SMITH NOLTING WELCOMES CIVIL ENGINEER IN TRAINING Blaine Green has joined the engineering department of Wids- eth Smith Nolting ’s Alexandria, Va., office. As an engineer-in-training at WSN, Green’s responsibilities include interpreting design criteria and developing site plans. He is in-

volved in programming, design develop- ment, building code review, construction budget analysis, and conducting field work. He is also responsible for general inspection/ observation, in addition to assisting other en- gineers in completing designated tasks. Widseth Smith Nolting is a multi-disciplined firm of more than 180 employees providing engineering, architecture, land surveying and environmental services. PENNONI PRESIDENT RECEIVES ENVIRONMEN- TAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Pennoni (Philadel- phia, PA), an award-winning multidiscipline engineering, science, and design consulting firm, has announced that its president and

NEVER MISS A BEAT Catch up on past editorials from Mark Zweig with the free TZL PODCAST! and is a national and local advocate for environmental issues and regulatory policies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund and Hazardous Waste Management programs. CEO, Anthony Bartolomeo , was recognized by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and presented with the PEC Achievement Award. Bartolomeo was selected “for exemplifying PEC’s motto – ‘conservation through cooperation’ – in all his work to protect the environment on the local, state, and national levels.” Bartolomeo has more than 30 years of experience in environmental engineering

MARK ZWEIG , from page 1

most firms for two reasons. One, many firms don’t need more work now. They have all they can handle and can’t/won’t hire more people to do it. The second problem is most owners don’t really believe there’s a link between marketing spending and results. So, we talk about it but don’t actually do anything, giving the appearance of not knowing what we really want. 4)“I’d like to get out of the business, but I don’t know what I’d do if I did get out.” This condition also exists in many firms with many owners. They really are tired of the grind but don’t know what else to do with their time. Perhaps their spouses would drive them nuts with too many “honey do’s,” or they’re just more interested in remaining productive than they are in eating dinner at 4 o’clock. Either way, their lack of ability to decide what they want drives the other principals crazy and may create ownership- and leadership-transition problems. 5)“I want my people to act like owners, but I don’t want to have any more own- ers.” Again, a common situation. These people want to have their cake and eat it, too. Even if you can’t make everyone who you’d like to be an owner into an owner, you can share information, bring people into certain decisions, and treat them with the respect you’d give an actual owner, and you can pay them accordingly. We see a lot of indecision here. 6)“I want my people to be better managers, but I won’t give them any training nor any time to actually be a manager.” The desire to make employees better man- agers clearly isn’t strong enough to actually invest in people. If it were, they’d do it. 7)“I want my people to take more responsibility for dealing with clients, but I don’t want them taking over any of MY clients.” Again, how badly do these own- ers really want to pass the baton? If you did make that decision, you would pass the baton. Common problem. Don’t be one of these people! So do people in this business really not know what they want? Or are they just unwilling to be honest about it and act accordingly? You tell me...

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38West Trenton Blvd., Suite 101 Fayetteville, AR 72701 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Andrea Bennett | Managing Editor abennett@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent lsullivan@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Correspondent rmassey@zweiggroup.com

MARK ZWEIG is founder and CEO of Zweig Group. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 508-653-6522 E-mail: info@zweiggroup.com

EDITOR’S NOTE THE ZWEIG LETTER ran a sidebar regarding claims not covered by Professional Liability Insurance in Issue 1109 on June 22. It has come to our attention that the first two items in the graphic could be misinterpreted. Please note: ❚ ❚ Damage to a client’s property, is covered by an A/E PLI policy, if the cause of loss is an architect’s or engineer’s negligence. By the same token, bodily injury caused to a member of the public and economic loss incurred by an A/E’s client is also covered. ❚ ❚ Actions of principals/directors/officers, if directed at damage to the business itself (i.e., a bad management decision) or one where a competitor sues, are likely not covered by an A/E professional liability policy, but would be covered by Directors & Officers Liability insurance, as noted in the graphic. However, actions by these individuals (officers, principals, directors), in the course of their role as design professionals for claims brought by clients or third parties, are most definitely covered by the A/E professional liability policy. TZL seeks to provide its readers with the most accurate information possible and regrets the error. Please let us know if you find errors by emailing abennett@zweiggroup.com.

Online: www.thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Blog: blog.zweiggroup.com Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.). $475 for one-year subscription, $775 for two-year subscription. Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399-1900, ext. 139, or e-mail TheZweigLetter@TheYGSGroup.com . © Copyright 2015, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 13, 2015, ISSUE 1111

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