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❚ ❚ The temperature on the green roof on the hottest summer days can be as much as 59 degrees cooler than convention- al roofs on neighboring buildings. ❚ ❚ During a 10-month monitoring period, ASLA’s green roof prevented 27,500 gallons of storm water – nearly 78 per- cent of all precipitation hitting the roof – from flowing into D.C.’s overburdened sewer and storm water system. ❚ ❚ Water quality testing shows that the water runoff contains fewer pollutants than typical water runoff. Most signifi- cantly, the roof is reducing the amount of nitrogen enter- ing the watershed. ❚ ❚ Except during repeated heavy rains, the roof only creates runoff during rainfalls of more than one inch. ❚ ❚ Energy saving. Landscape architects can use trees, shrubs, and other plants to lower a home’s heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent in the summer and up to eight per- cent in the winter. So, it seems that landscape architects who choose to go green, not only give a nod to the environment, but may save some green, too. issues, you are likely having lapses in client service. You may not realize it, but your clients feel it. If this is happening in your firm, it is rapidly eroding your brand. As the market softens and the work starts to thin out, your clients will show preference for those firms that are consistent in meeting their needs, regardless of economic cycles. It is important to constantly reinforce your firm’s commitment to client service, regardless of how busy you are. Make sure everyone knows it is a priority. As you bring in new talent to backfill your people in client service, make sure they know your firm’s commitment to provide responsive and superior client service. Everyone needs to understand the power of your brand name and its sensitivity to lapses in service. Turn your new kids on the block into rock stars and maintain a high level of client service while your competitors are struggling to meet commitments. Protect your brand and your culture with aggressive recruiting and immersive onboarding. CHAD CLINEHENS is Zweig Group’s executive vice president. Contact him at cec@zweiggroup.com “The new kids on the block have the potential of changing the complexion of your firm. To put this into context, we are working with firms that have as much as three quarters of their current staff with tenure of three years or less. For many this is an employee mix never seen in the firms’ history.”

CHAD CLINEHENS, from page 5

accelerating the new hire’s ability to plug into the company and people. Assign a mentor that spends a set amount of time per week with the employee helping them with everything needed. Make sure your mentor pool is composed of only those who are fully engaged in the company vision and are the most positive folks in your culture. The mentors can have a set number of weeks they do this and then if the relationship continues naturally after the onboarding is over, then that is even better. Also, immediately set goals for the new employee that tie into the overall firm vision and also foster teamwork with their new colleagues. Get serious about protecting and preserving your culture and make integration of new staff a priority and a long- term commitment. A major added benefit of an extensive onboarding process is you can improve an employee that may have been historically an under-performer. “Get serious about protecting and preserving your culture and make integration of new staff a priority and a long-term commitment.” On the external side, rapid increases in workload can cause client service issues that threaten the brand. Currently, firms are hiring as fast as they can and they are still behind. Recent client surveys we have conducted are showing more and more discontent with A/E firms among their clients in 2015. There are many comments indicating that firms are too busy and becoming less responsive. Do you know what your clients think of you right now? I have a warning for you: If your firm is struggling with workload

WHOLE TREES, from page 7

fact, there’s even an organization dedicated to the design of such healing gardens – the Therapeutic Landscapes Network. ❚ ❚ Bioremediation. Landscape architects use natural systems of plants, fungi, or soil microbes to transform formerly pol- luted industrial sites into a safe and valuable public green space. The American Society of Landscape Architects reports on several sustainable landscape projects that include turning an industrial wasteland into a community park, a parking lot that flooded into a rain garden and more. ❚ ❚ Green roofs. The headquarters for the American Society of Landscape Architects is home to a green roof and demon- strates the environmental benefits that they serve. Here are some of the highlights: ❚ ❚ The roof produced a 10 percent decrease in building energy use over the winter months. “Landscape architects can use trees, shrubs, and other plants to lower a home’s heating and cooling costs by as much as 50 percent in the summer and up to eight percent in the winter.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER February 8, 2016, ISSUE 1138

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