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P R O F I L E
Super Surprenant Can-do leader of Minnesota A/E/P firm embraces growth and change, and leans on optimism when faced with trying times.
TZL: To what do you most attribute your firm’s growth? CS: Th ere are several factors. From 1993-2003, the growth was more organic, increasing a geographic- centric market share model. From 2004-2006, the growth was still organic, but we recognized that we were getting too large for our geography so we ex- panded our reach. From 2007-2009, feeling strong- ly that a bust was coming, we looked strategically at how we would function if the marketplace changed. We felt that we needed to shift from a geograph- ic-centric/market share model to a client-centric model where we would identify clients and not necessarily chase projects. From 2010-2012, we were forced to implement our post-recession plan. We roared out with business development and it See SURPRENANT, page 4 “I am not a micro-manager. I enjoy creating strategy, helping others identify a plan, and letting them execute it.”
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
A fter earning his civil engineering degree from Iowa State University, Chad Surprenant, CEO and president of ISG (Mankato, MN) – a 200-per- son architecture, engineering, and environmen- tal planning firm – returned to his roots to join his parents’ 10-person engineering practice. Over the next several years, he assumed more manage- ment responsibilities, helping the firm grow. To- day, there are 10 in-house disciplines of expertise and six o ffi ce locations in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Since 2007, ISG has been named three times to Zweig Group’s Hot Firm List, and in 2015 landed at No. 17. A CONVERSATION WITH CHAD. Th e Zweig Letter: What was your first job at ISG? Chad Surprenant: Performing structural engineer- ing and project management for building projects. Th e local area started a bit of a housing uptick, and I began designing and managing land development projects, too.
Chad Surprenant, CEO and President, ISG
THE ZWEIG LETTER March 7, 2016, ISSUE 1142
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