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FINLEY Engineering Group’s new office in Prague, by bus and by foot, is about 15 minutes south of the Old Town Square, pictured here with Tyn Church in the background. / © Prague City Tourism www.prague.eu
Czeching it out US bridge-building firm opens office in Prague to be closer to work in Israel, but over time, role of European hub expected to increase.
But why Prague and not Vienna, Budapest, or War- saw? After a few years of consideration, it all came down to talented personnel, the cornerstone of any successful firm. Craig Finley, the firm’s founder and managing principal, explains. “We had a very good engineer working with us, Jin- drich Potucek, who is Czech,” Finley says. “He was starting a family and thinking about moving back “We had a very good engineer working with us, Jindrich Potucek, who is Czech. He was starting a family and thinking about moving back home. He had been with us for about five years and we decided that he was ready to lead FINLEY’s first international office.”
By RICHARD MASSEY Managing Editor
T here are certainly many reasons why a U.S. en- gineering firm would decide to open an inter- national office. Not too many of them, however, would set down roots in the enchanting City of a Thousand Spires – Prague, Czech Republic. But that’s what FINLEY Engineering Group (#4 Best Firm Civil for 2015), did earlier this year when the firm, an award-winning bridge builder, fittingly hung its shingle in Prague’s New Town, not too far from one of the most famous spans in the world, Charles Bridge. From its outpost in Prague, FINLEY looks to ex- pand into a market where it’s been active for 20 years – the Middle East. The move makes plenty of sense. From Prague, it’s only a 4.5-hour flight to Tel Aviv, whereas it takes nearly 20 hours to fly there from Tallahassee, Florida, where FINLEY is based.
Craig Finley, Founder and Managing Principal, FINLEY Engineering Group
THE ZWEIG LETTER Jun
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