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T R E N D L I N E S W W W . T H E Z W E I G L E T T E R . C O M J a n u a r y 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 , I s s u e 1 1 3 5

Mentoring programs for PMs

Entrepreneurial vs. small firms Think your small firm should stay small? Think again. Here’s why you should strive for growth in your firm.

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More than three-quarters (81 percent) of firms surveyed for Zweig Group’s 2015 Project Management Survey have a mentoring program for project managers. Almost half of respondents (46 percent) reported that senior members of the firm mentor PMs . Another 34 percent said that PMs mentor potential project managers or future leaders , while 10 percent had another type of mentoring , 16 percent had no answer , and 20 percent of firms had no PM mentoring program . — Vivian Cummings, research analyst assistant F I R M I N D E X Baxter & Woodman, Inc..........................4 Becker Morgan Group. ...........................4 Cannon Moss Brygger Architects..........12 Fraley AEC Solutions, LLC. .....................8 gkkworks................................................9 GZA........................................................4 Jacobs Engineering Group Inc................4 Pogue Engineering and Development Company. .......................10 Primoris James Construction Group......11 R.A. Smith National Inc.........................11 Timmons Group....................................11 Westwood Professional Services...........10

W ithout a doubt, there are some entrepreneurial firms in the A/E/P and environmental consulting business today. That said – and I’ve written it before in these pages – just because you are privately-held and a small business does NOT make you an entrepreneurial firm. Whenever I hear a firm described as a “practice,” it immediately conjures up negative images for me. “Practice” makes me think of a business that revolves around one or a few God-like owners who manage all aspects of the business, all clients, and all design work. They are lords and everyone else there is a serf. The business exists solely for their benefit and dies when they are gone. It’s somewhat analogous to a medical practice, where there is one doctor and then everyone else is a peon. I don’t like the term. We aren’t in the “practice management” business and the clients we work for want something more than a “practice.” Yet, there are still some people out there who own firms and believe that they can stay small successfully. They look at how much they as individuals earn from their business and it’s more than they ever expected to make, so they are happy with it. Yet they usually would have far more potential if they were an entrepreneurial firm. Entrepreneurial firms are all about growth. Their owners want to create value in their enterprises – value that can be realized when

“Entrepreneurial firms are all about growth. Their owners want to create value in their enterprises – value that can be realized when they either individually or collectively exit from the firm.”

Mark Zweig

MORE COLUMNS xz ASK CHRISTY: Your management questions, answered Page 3

See MARK ZWEIG, page 2

How to market with SlideShare

You get what you pay for

Page 5 T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R A / E / P & E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U L T I N G F I R M S Pages 6, 7

MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

Take your advice from Mark Zweig to-go. Listen to this and past editorials from The Zweig Letter via the free TZL Podcast on Stitcher, iTunes and Soundcloud. zweiggroup.com/podcast

they either individually or collectively exit from the firm. And this value is not just restricted to an external sale. It could be in an internal sale just as easily. How do entrepreneurial firms perform better than the rest of the industry? Consider the following statistics (pulled from Zweig Group’s Successful Firm Survey ). These are realty telling! ❚ ❚ Fast growth firms (those growing at a rate of 20 percent or more for three years in a row) make an average of 16.2 percent pre-tax, pre-bonus profit versus 9.9 percent for all firms ❚ ❚ Fast growth firms have an average revenue of $133,690 per employee versus $126,840 for all firms ❚ ❚ Fast growth firms make a 39.8 percent return on total assets (pre-tax, pre-bonus) ver- sus 19.7 percent for all firms ❚ ❚ Fast growth firms have a median total annual principal compensation of $290,000 ver- sus $194,000 for all firms ❚ ❚ Fast growth firms are worth a median of .59 times NSR versus .47 for slow growth firms Let’s consider the case of two principals. They each joined A/E firms out of school and at age 40, both became principals in the companies they worked for. Principal “A” became an owner in a $5 million NSR slow-growth company (growing by 5 percent a year) and Principal “B” became an owner in a $5 million high growth entrepreneurial company (growing by 20 percent a year). Ten years later, by age 50, Principal B’s career and financial position is dramatically different from his counterpart, Principal A, in the slower-growth, not-so-entrepreneurial firm. Both owned 20 percent of their firm’s stock when they bought in. In year one, Principal A, working in the slow growth firm, earned $194,000 in salary and bonus. His ownership was worth .20 (.47 times $5 million), or $470,000. By year 10, he would be earning $301,000 annually (assuming a 5 percent annual pay increase) and his stock was worth $729,000. Over 10 years, he would earn $2.44 million. His 10-year total would be $3.169 million. Not too bad considering he still has another 15 years to work, assuming he retires at age 65 (and many of us will hopefully work well beyond that). Principal B, on the other hand, was earning $290,000 in salary and bonus the first year he became a principal in a high-growth firm. His initial ownership was worth .20 (.59 times $5 million), or $590,000. By year 10, assuming a modest 5 percent annual pay increase, he would be earning $450,000 in annual salary and bonus, and his stock would be worth $3.05 million. His total of salary and bonus earned over 10 years would be $3.65 million making his 10-year total $6.69 million. Pretty amazing considering at this point Principal B is only 50 years old and still has another 15 years to work. Do I still need to convince you of the benefits of building an entrepreneurial firm? Now you know why we will be doing a new seminar this year – Building an Entrepreneurial Firm, in a number of locations around the U.S. in 2016. We’ll start with dinner, drinks, and comedy the night before to get everyone in the right frame of mind. Then we will teach you what we have learned over the last 28 years of working with companies in this business. 2015 was an amazing year for our industry and for Zweig Group. The time has never been better to be more successful as an architect, engineer, planner, or environmental consultant. Happy 2016, All! MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s founder and CEO. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. TALK TO US Do you have an interesting story to tell? Is your company doing things differently and getting results? Let us know. We’d love to contact you and feature you in an upcoming case study. If interested, please email abennett@zweiggroup.com.

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Andrea Bennett | Managing Editor abennett@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor sparkman@zweiggroup.com Megan Halbert | Design Assistant mhalbert@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent lsullivan@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Correspondent rmassey@zweiggroup.com Jake Crawford | Intern dcrawford@zweiggroup.com

Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560

E-mail: info@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 email TheZweigLetter@TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2016, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER Januray 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

Your management questions, answered This month, readers seek advice on topics related to social media, benchmarking, and increasing prices. O P I N I O N

WHO SHOULD FIRMS COMPARE THEM- SELVES TO WHEN BENCHMARKING? Dear Christy, “We’re about to start our strategic planning process and like to use industry benchmarks as comparisons. When benchmarking, who should we compare ourselves to?” —Benchmarking in Bismark. Dear Benchmarking, This is a good question that has a complicated answer. I’ve found a lot of firms can get stuck on a single, unimportant characteristic that ends up steering them in the wrong direction.

HAVE MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS YOU NEED ANSWERED? Dear Christy is THE ZWEIG LETTER ’s newest column, a place for industry leaders to anonymously submit their most pressing leadership, management, finance, marketing, or human relations questions. Each month, submissions will be answered in print, so that the entire A/E/P and environmental consulting industry can benefit from the shared experiences and information highlights. Have a question you need answered? Email Christy Zweig at christinaz@zweiggroup.com or send your letter to Zweig Group, P.O. Box 1528, Fayetteville, AR 72702. Even if letters are signed or if emails contain the writer’s name, all entries will be kept confidential and published anonymously.

Christina Zweig DEAR CHRISTY

Start by defining what you are benchmarking and then customize the parameters to that particular metric. Metrics most firms are concerned about benchmarking usually include salary levels, spending/budgeting, marketing effectiveness, fees, and a variety of firm processes and procedures. Discipline, market sector, geography, size, and revenue are generally the most important benchmarking parameters. Salary levels are just about the only benchmark for which I would always recommend using a geographic parameter. Due to the internet, social media, and other new technologies, many firms who were previously only able to work in a very specific region can now work all over the nation and even the world, making geographic comparisons less important than they were in the past. Still, cost of living needs to be a consideration in any discussion about salaries. For most things, like marketing effectiveness, national overall figures for firms in the A/E/P industry are going to be applicable to almost anyone. If you think that just because you’re a small firm, you shouldn’t be getting the same hit rate on a press release or spending (the same percent) on marketing, you’re wrong. When you’re trying to benchmark things like budget amounts (marketing, business

development, labor, etc.) I would recommend benchmarking yourself against firms of a similar size and possibly a similar market. Ultimately you have to ask yourself: “Who do I want to compare yourself to – average firms who might be struggling in the same way you are – or high growth, high profit firms?” Zweig Group does a Successful Firms Survey , which pulls out data from all of our surveys and shows the differences between these groups and firmsoverall. WHY SHOULD A/E PROFESSIONALS USE SOCIAL MEDIA? Dear Christy, “Will social media really benefit us? It’s not like people hire transportation engineers or sports arena architects because they posted a cute picture on Twitter. Why do we need it?” —Reluctant in Raleigh Dear Reluctant, You’re right; I highly doubt you’ll get a big job off one Facebook post or tweet, but that’s just like saying you shouldn’t go on a date because it’s unlikely you’ll marry that person the very next day. If you want to get new clients, you’re going

See DEAR CHRISTY, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER January 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

BUSINESS NEWS BECKER MORGAN GROUP RANKS IN BUILDING DE- SIGN + CONSTRUCTION GIANTS 300 REPORT FOR TOP ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING FIRMS Build- ing Design + Construction magazine ranked Becker Morgan Group 55th on the 2015 Gi- ants 300 list of the Top Architecture/Engineer- ing Firms. The report ranks leading firms in the nation’s architecture, engineering, and con- struction industry. The firm was also ranked among the top architecture firms in numerous building sectors, including K-12 (52nd), Uni- versity (103rd), Government (46th), and Multi- Family (95th). Additionally, the firm ranked 95th on the Top BIM Architecture Firms for use of 3-D building information modeling in project planning and design. JACOBS RECEIVES EPCM CONTRACT FOR PAINTS PLANT IN INDIA Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. announced today that it received a con- tract from Asian Paints Limited to provide en- gineering services for a greenfield paint plant in India. Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is providing detailed engineering and construc- tion supervision services for the plant. The contract duration is 37 months. When complete, the new paint plant is expect- ed to produce 300,000 kiloliters per annum of decorative paints. The plant is a key compo- nent of APL’s expansion program in India. In making the announcement, Jacobs Petro- leum and Chemicals President Gary Mandel stated, “We are delighted to expand our re- lationship with APL as it continues to invest in this region. I’m confident our global experi- ence in the chemical industry combined with our strong local knowledge can contribute significant value to this strategically important

facility.” APL is India’s largest and Asia’s third largest paints company, with 26 manufacturing plants in operation in India and around the world. Ja- cobs is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of technical professional and construction services. BAXTER & WOODMAN APPOINTS CHIEF MAR- KETING OFFICER Baxter & Woodman, Inc. is pleased to announce the promotion of Debo- rah Finn to chief marketing officer. Finn, who serves on the firm’s Board of Directors, joined the firm in 1994. During her tenure, she has held the positions of marketing coordinator, manager, and director. She was instrumental in establishing the firm’s marketing business practices, and currently manages business development, proposal generation, promo- tional activities, and corporate communica- tions. In her role as CMO, Finn is responsible for all aspects of marketing and will direct the busi- ness development efforts for eight regional offices to ensure the firm’s business plan for growth. “Deb’s extensive marketing experience, high accountability and strong focus on delivering results make her the right fit to lead our mar- keting team.” stated John V. Ambrose, presi- dent/CEO. GZA TO RECEIVE AN ACEC OF NEW YORK 2016 DIAMOND ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ONENYC RETAIL WATERFRONT PROJECT A lead- ing environmental and geotechnical consult- ing firm, GZA is proud to announce that it was selected to receive a Diamond Award in the 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards Compe-

tition by the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York for its entry, “OneNYC Retail Waterfront Emerges from Solid Waste” showcasing Thor Equities’ Brooklyn Bay Cen- ter Project on Shore Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. ACEC of New York presents the Engineering Excellence Awards to projects that encom- pass both the public and private sector in a series of categories. ACEC of New York se- lected GZA for a Diamond Award in the cat- egory of Special Projects. The firm served as the Remediation Engineer for the project, de- signed the sub-slab depressurization system, and oversaw the environmental remediation. All Diamond Award projects designed and built in New York State are in contention for the Empire Award, which is an award given to the highest rated project in New York. As a Diamond Award winner, the project is desig- nated as one of the finalists to represent ACEC of New York in the national competition spon- sored by ACEC. Each year, judges evaluate project submittals from more than 60 member firms based on a rigorous set of criteria, including complex- ity, innovation, and value to society. A panel of industry experts that includes military and government officials, ACEC National and Inter- national leadership, educators from colleges’ and universities’ engineering departments, and leadership from other organizations dedi- cated to the built environment judge the proj- ects. ACEC of New York will honor award recipients at the 49th Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Gala on March 19 at the Waldorf Asto- ria in New York City.

DEAR CHRISTY, from page 3

First of all, I’m a dill-pickle person, and no deli sandwich is complete without a nice cold kosher spear on the side, but I couldn’t tell you what brand is in my fridge! Be the big cheese: I love cheese and am totally willing to pay 50 percent more for a nice aged sharp cheddar – but how would I know there’s a difference between my favorite Tillamook Special Reserve and a block of Kraft if they had the same wrapper? You told me what your problem is: You’re generalists, and you’re probably trying to compete with a bunch of other average firms offering similar services with promises of finishing the job on time. If you want to command better fees and to be able to export yourself within any reasonable geographic distance from where you are based, you have got to specialize. Specialized firms always get higher fees than those that aren’t. You just cannot be all things to all people. This might have worked 50 years ago but won’t today because people have too many options.

to have to do a lot of different things. The great thing about social media is it has a life of its own. People can share and repost your tweets or Facebook or LinkedIn postings, and you’ll reach clients and other people you never would’ve any other way. Don’t cut yourself off from it. Remember when email seemed unnecessary and the Internet seemed like a largely useless thing? NEED TO INCREASE PRICES WITHOUT LOSING CLIENTS Dear Christy, “We’re a small generalist design firm in Iowa. We really have a hard time getting decent fees for what we think is excellent work. Any suggestions on how to push fees up? We’re tired of making less money than the painters on our projects, but I’m worried we won’t win any work if our prices increase.” —In a fee pickle. Dear In-a-pickle,

THE ZWEIG LETTER Januray 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

O P I N I O N

How to market your firm with SlideShare SlideShare is an easy and inexpensive way to present information to your target audience in a visually appealing manner.

S lideShare is a web-based service that gives AEC firms the ability to infuse a power- ful visual component into their digital marketing efforts. The thought of yet an- other Internet tool probably doesn’t sound very appealing, but SlideShare is worth considering because it’s virtually free, easy to use, and requires no ongoing time com- mitment. It also allows you to increase the potency of your marketing with your target audience by packaging your message in a reader-friendly format.

Brian Fraley

WHAT IS SLIDESHARE? SlideShare started out as an independently owned Internet-based service but was acquired by LinkedIn in 2012. The basic intent of the platform is to allow users to upload files or design a fresh concept, which it translates into slide decks. It has similarities to PowerPoint but much better functionality. “The main benefit of SlideShare for AEC firms is that it allows you to display marketing materials in an easy-to-read, image-driven format that is more likely to capture and hold the attention of your target audience.” WHY SHOULD I USE IT? The main benefit of SlideShare for AEC firms is that it allows you to display mar- keting materials in an easy-to-read, image-driven format that is more likely to capture and hold the attention of your target audience. It’s harder than ever to attract attention, especially on the Inter- net. The volume of information is incredulous. SlideShare benefits your audience by allowing

them to more quickly receive your content in a reader-friendly format. Your target audience still consumes volumes of information, despite claims to the contrary in our short attention span cul- ture. Some statistics suggest that Americans are actually taking in more information than ever. Imagery currently rules the day in marketing, primarily because it allows busy people to quickly and effectively consume and comprehend informa- tion. This is how SlideShare explains it: “In today’s world of visual communication, design is an im- portant element of your content you can’t ignore: Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than words, and can increase a viewer’s comprehension by 89 percent.” There you have it. HOW DO I USE IT? SlideShare is easy to use for even the most diehard Luddite. Start by creating a free account at SlideShare.net. You can either upload existing documents or build a slide deck from the ground up. Your end product will be a presenta- tion, infographic, or a basic document. SlideShare accepts a range of file types from PowerPoint to Microsoft Word to Adobe PDF for those that want to convert an existing document into a single slide or slide deck. Your other option is to build a slide deck from the bottom up, which will require some See SLIDESHARE, page 8

THE ZWEIG LETTER January 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

Publ

You get what you pay for If you want your book to have specific characteristics - like glossy paper or unusual dimensions - be prepared to pay more. O P I N I O N

T oday book publishing offers a myriad of options that can leave a person bewildered. For a novice, a first time effort can be quite costly. A discerning creative talent may find herself without an agent or a publisher due to self-imposed restrictions. For instance, my title Elbow Grease + Chicken Fat: Business Advice That Sticks to Your Ribs pairs tantalizing recipes with memorable anecdotes on how to succeed as an entrepreneurial startup. Simply put: That title confuses publishers.

Marilynn Mendell

Where to put it? Is it a cookbook or a business book? And the size I wanted didn’t fit normal parameters for shelving in the few independent bookstores still around. I wanted fancy paper and color, and each of those distinctions – that outside-of-the-box thinking – limited my chances of acquiring a professional company to publish my book. Marketers know that the message has to match the audience, and in book publishing the scope narrows considerably. Great writing skills must touch, move, and inspire, and be grammatically correct without spelling errors. The latter may sound like a given, however the editing process for a 225 page book can take months with as many as four professional editors reviewing it.

All facts need to be checked. Indexes alone can prove daunting for the most hardy of writers. So, what to do? Naturally, start with the large publishing houses and attempt to find an agent with integrity. Consider that more than 500,000 books get published each year. For first time authors seeking agents, I’d suggest thoroughly studying Jeff Herman’s tome on how to get published. Make stationery, business cards, a website, and a gorgeous pitch piece. Write individual cover letters to agents and a few publishing houses open to authors without representation. After producing and sending out

THE ZWEIG LETTER Janu

l ishing

Zweig Group is social and posting every day! C O N N E C T W I T H U S facebook.com/ ZweigGroup twitter.com/ ZweigGroup linkedin.com/company/ ZweigWhite blog. ZweigGroup .com vimeo.com/ ZweigGroup

the whole megillah, including the self-addressed stamped return envelope, wait. No response from anyone? Consider self-publishing. Self-publishing houses have requirements just like regular publishers. The “why” behind any author’s desire to produce a book must be clear before forking out $25,000 to produce 1,000 self-published books. My goals were simple: Prepare a client gift for my 15th anniversary and create a respectable book to have available for speaking engagements. As a side bar, I hoped to sell a few and inspire would-be entrepreneurs. Most self-publishing houses require standard sizes, one word titles, icky paper, no color, and they hire an incredibly lackluster editorial staff. If you’re picky about wanting a book designed with as few as possible spelling errors, proper grammar, and delicious paper and graphics, then pay for the best designers from the start and do all of the work yourself. Get a terrific print broker to locate the best print shop and deal. Courage and persistence – two important words for the author with discerning taste who self-publishes. Designers have wild temperaments, bookstores refuse to handle self-published books, printers pack books in boxes that break, and books get lost or destroyed. No matter how often an author has been published, writing a book alone without the advantage of an agent and a well-established publisher with a plethora of in- house editors requires one to learn a vast number of new things. I’d advise taking an Adobe InDesign course or two for starters. It helps to be able to manage the design process and cuts down on the time spent editing. Acquire a fondness for Dropbox or any reputable cloud-sharing platform. Ensure that all contracts with all designers are shared up front, that every draft gets put into that cloud file, and that no payment is received until each draft gets reviewed. Be careful not to give anyone your entire book all at once. Get parts back and then divvy up another section. Keep a private box for the most current versions, where you have the only access and be sure to save often to that place. Being held prisoner by a designer, editor, or printer will create fear, pain, and panic. Be cognizant of costs early on. Insist on a package rate, not an hourly rate. Begin slowly. See how the process goes, then add a little more. Designers are notoriously poor time managers, so the deadlines and pace must be agreed to in advance in order to ensure that all work coincides with everyone’s expectations. Use a minimum of four editors from diverse backgrounds and geographical locations. No two people read the same way. Many eyes catch a majority of mistakes. And expect mistakes – even after publication. I read books differently today. When I see an error, I no longer snicker. I have a deep-seated appreciation and empathy for the enormous effort any author takes to produce a near perfect document of 450 pages.

FOR YOUR BOOKSHELF

Elbow Grease + Chicken Fat By Marilynn Deane Mendell Elbow Grease + Chicken Fat: Business Advice that Sticks to Your Ribs! This book stirs up the perfect recipe to exceed your business expectations. Each chapter reveals solutions to business pitfalls, intriguing ways a creative mind can improvise, along with best practices from ethical conduct to showing appreciation.

Keep an Excel document of tasks required, like registering and buying ISBN numbers, sending drafts and the final product to the Library of Congress, buying storage for books, and wading through the complicated world of self- promotion and online sales. Amazon alone can reduce the hardiest of souls to tears. Think it’s as easy as ordering a book? Think again. Amazon for self-published independent authors (as opposed to the self-published Amazon authors) has a minimum of seven different divisions, many located with call support in different countries with less than optimal fluency in English. Emails and calls for corrections go totally unheeded. One section might handle the author’s page, another sales, another shipping, another a separate personal sales page, another an independent sales page where authors compete with their own book sales on Amazon’s in-house sales. Confused yet? Someone could write a whole book on how to navigate Amazon’s book sales. Often amateurs create helpful YouTube videos, but their tiny snippets of how-tos rarely cover Amazon’s labyrinthine leviathan in total. And, who thinks about where to store 1,000 books weighing hundreds of pounds that could take up a 20-by- 20-by-20 space, when they haven’t even been published yet? There’s a cost for storage because books need to be dry and kept cool. Book storage facilities that ship books and offer to handle Amazon requests for shipping aren’t always reputable. They need contracts, too. There’s a whole black market of books that somehow disappear from storage facilities and get sold overseas at low costs. Oddly enough, they show up on Amazon or other online sales places at vastly lower prices than the author’s selling price. At this point, an author might think that a single book on demand may be the better route. Again, go back to the beginning. Paper choices, sizes, and print quality are rarely available and few compare to a well-printed special run. And it can be much more expensive per book. Despite all of the obstacles a self-published author has to navigate, the final, well-done piece selling well makes all of the effort worthwhile and gives an author an immense sense of pride and satisfaction. Keep these tips in mind as the book gets written and save in the end on time, money, and grief. Good luck and best wishes.

uary 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

SLIDESHARE, from page 5

One of the obvious applications for AEC firms would be to upload a recent PowerPoint presentation, but there are other possibilities. You might also upload a multi-page feature story or advertisement on your firm, a company brochure, a statement of qualifications, an assortment of projects or service, or other marketing collateral for display on your website or sharing on social media. The possibili- ties are endless. WHERE SHOULD WE SHARE IT? The most incredible slide deck will serve no purpose without a distribution plan. Where you share depends on the nature of the content, but you might consider posting or embedding it on your website. Posting it repeatedly on social media is also effective for broad dis- tribution. One of the best ways to capture more eyeballs, however, is to create an email and send it out to your list. For a more personal touch, don’t hesitate to send an email to one or more existing or prospective clients if the con- tent is relevant to them. Creating a slide deck takes time and effort, so focus on creating content that can be shared for months to come without getting dated too quickly. “One of the obvious applications for AEC firms would be to upload a recent PowerPoint presentation, but there are other possibilities. You might also upload a multi-page feature story or advertisement on your firm, a company brochure, a statement of qualifications, an assortment of your projects or service, or other marketing collateral for display on your website or sharing on social media. The possibilities are endless.” WHAT ACTION DO WE WANT THE VIEWER TO TAKE? As a business, you need to focus on getting results. Refer back to “What is the purpose?” You will build your slide deck around the ques- tions that define your purpose, but it’s critical to include what we marketers refer to as a call to action. Your call to action tells the viewer in clear terms what action you want them to take. An obvious spot for your call to action is the last slide, but you might want to include one or more call to actions throughout your slide deck. Call to actions are like “the sale.” If you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it. SlideShare is yet another way for your AEC firm to add a powerful visual component to your online marketing ef- forts. It’s fairly easy to learn, requires no ongoing time commitment, and it’s free. And more importantly, it in- creases the potency of your marketing with the audience you’re trying to influence. Brian M. Fraley is the founder, manager, and chief strategist for Fraley AEC Solutions, LLC , a marketing communications firm. Brian can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, or at the firm’s AEC Straight Talker blog.

basic design work. You don’t have to be a graphic designer, but some basic computer and design savvy will help.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE? Start the creation of your slide deck with two questions: What is the purpose of the slide deck? What action do we want the viewer to take away at the end? The purpose is the glue that holds your slide deck to- gether and keeps your viewer’s attention. Are you looking to generate inbound leads? Do you want to direct traffic to your website? Is the intent to showcase your qualifications? An effective slide deck, like any other mar- keting tactic, must incite action. HOW DO WE DESIGN A SLIDE DECK? Unlike PowerPoint, SlideShare requires no template. You should, in fact, diversify the layout to keep your slide deck interesting. If you happen to be uploading an existing file, such as PowerPoint, the tem- plate is fine, but don’t start out with a template if you’re designing a slide deck from scratch. You will also notice the ability to add effects and transi- tions between slides. Keep it simple. It’s tempting to add bells and whistles, but it rarely adds value and also dis- tracts the viewer. The beauty of SlideShare is the ability to easily flip through slides without distractions. Focus solely on the quality of your content. WHAT CONTENT SHOULD WE INCLUDE? Your slide deck should be heavy on graphics and light on text. A good slide will often contain a richly colored, relevant centerpiece image that consumes the entire page with no more than a sentence, a word, or possibly no text at all. The image makes or breaks the slide so great photography and graphics are essential. Architects can include sketches and landscape designers might include color renderings. Black and white engineer- ing plans will not add much to the design so civil and struc- tural engineers should use them sparingly. You can even insert a video or chart into the slide. Don’t forget to add your keywords to the title, description, and tags to increase the odds of it being found online. “SlideShare benefits your audience by allowing them to more quickly receive your content in a reader-friendly format. Your target audience still consumes volumes of information, despite claims to the contrary in our short attention span culture.” “SlideShare is yet another way for your AEC firm to add a powerful visual component to your online marketing efforts. It’s fairly easy to learn, requires no ongoing time commitment, and it’s free. And more importantly, it increases the potency of your marketing with the audience you’re trying to influence.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER Januray 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

Remembering Ben Montoya Friends and colleagues remember Ben Montoya, board member and friend of gkkworks, who passed away in December. I N M E M O R I U M

B en Montoya, a longtime board member and a friend of gkkworks, passed away December 19 in Fairfield, California. “Ben was an exemplary American patriot. He was a hard-working, intelligent, and thoughtful person that I was proud to call my friend and mentor,” says Praful Kulkarni, president and CEO of gkkworks. Born in Indio, California, on May 24, 1935 to Ben- jamin and Margaret Montoya, Ben graduated from Coachella Valley Union High School in 1953 and attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before enter- ing the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated in 1958. Upon graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Virginia Cox, also of Indio. Happily married for 57 years, Ben and Ginney raised five sons and two daughters, who blessed them with 17 grandchildren. “One of Ben’s best traits was that he always lived life to the fullest and loved to laugh and smile. Ben taught me a lot over the years. He helped me real- ize the true value of friendship and how to balance career and family,” Kulkarni says. Ben’s 32-year naval career began with a tour in Viet- nam and he rose through the ranks to become chief of the Civil Engineer Corps. He retired in 1989 as a rear admiral. Ben also received an engineering de- gree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a mas- ter’s from Georgia Technical Institute and a juris doctorate from Georgetown School of Law. After the Navy, Ben served as a senior vice president with PG&E and then as president and CEO of Public Ser- vice Co of New Mexico, retiring in 2000. “He positively influenced my life in so many differ- ent ways, and I will miss him dearly,” Kulkarni says. “His memory will always be with us, and his lega- cy will continue through his work, ordinary people like his family and us. Ben would smile if he were here with us today. He would have a funny story to tell to make everyone comfortable, and we would forget our sadness for a moment. We will all miss him, and I am so grateful for having known him.” “Ben taught me a lot over the years. He helped me realize the true value of friendship and how to balance career and family.”

Ben Montoya with Praful Kulkarni.

Ben served on various boards including gkkworks, the National Parks Foundation, the California Board of Education, NASA, and the 1995 Base Clo- sure Commission. He was selected as a 2008 Dis- tinguished Graduate of the US Naval Academy. “He was one of those guys who always made you feel important and as if what you had to say was important.” “Ben Montoya was a real gentleman,” says Mark Zweig, founder and CEO of Zweig Group. “The last of a dying breed – he really knew how to treat peo- ple and had friends the world over. I worked with him on the board of gkkworks – you could not mention a client or potential client where he didn’t know someone. He was one of those guys who al- ways made you feel important and as if what you had to say was important. He was also a great dad and husband.” Ben battled cancer for two years until October, when it became untreatable. Ben passed quietly in the company of his family on December 19 at 8:45 p.m. He is survived by his wife and their seven chil- dren. Ben had a strong but quiet faith that he reaf- firmed at key points in his life. More than all of his many career accomplishments, he deeply touched the lives of many and will be greatly missed. Funeral services were held at noon on January 6 at Sacred Heart Church in Palm Desert, California. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to seabeedi- amondanniversary.org.

THE ZWEIG LETTER January 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

MERGERS & ACQUISI T IONS WESTWOOD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ACQUIRES POGUE ENGINEERING AND DEVELOPMENT COM- PANY Zweig Group congratulates Westwood Professional Services on its acquisition of Pogue Engineering and Development Company of McKinney, Texas. Zweig Group has provided ongoing consulting services to Westwood in this transaction.

capitalize on the combined expertise on both teams to better serve the growing needs of the commercial market.” Founder of Pogue Engineering, Randall Pogue sees the acquisition as a great way to enhance services to his existing clients. He says, “Pogue Engineering and Westwood share similar cor- porate values and are committed to excellence in engineering and surveying. The companies are a great fit and together, we complement each other to make a stronger team.” Pogue adds that the in-house professional

planning, landscape architecture, transporta- tion, and environmental teams at Westwood now add a level of expertise that his clients can more easily leverage on their projects. Doing business as Pogue Engineering and De- velopment Company Inc., a division of West- wood, the Pogue Engineering team will con- tinue serving clients from its McKinney location with little to no impact to service expected. For more information on Zweig Group’s M&A consulting services visit: zweiggroup.com/ consulting/mergers-acquisitions.php

The acquisition expands Westwood’s com- mercial market presence with the addition of the well-established expertise at Pogue En- gineering. Leading Westwood’s Dallas-Fort Worth office and the firm’s national land devel- opment business, Bryan Powell says, “Today is an exciting day for employees at Westwood and Pogue Engineering, and our clients who will benefit from this acquisition. We expect to

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THE ZWEIG LETTER Januray 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

Making the unattainable attainable Industry experts share tactics for handling clients who have impractical expectations and/ or requests that will take a project way over budget. B E S T P R A C T I C E S

❚ ❚ Are other parties significantly impacted by the suc- cess/failure of this project? The result of that discussion might guide the client to alternative solutions that: ❚ ❚ Modify the solution to focus directly on the primary objective, without expanding the scope more than necessary. ❚ ❚ Identify prospective partners who would benefit from the same project and possibly share the cost. ❚ ❚ Help firm to understand how the project might be achievable in progressive steps, or in sequential phases that can be completed over time as budget is available. At Timmons Group (Richmond, VA), a 330-per- son multi-disciplined engineering and technology firm, Steve Hostetler, principal, says that it is not uncommon for clients to have unreasonable ex- pectations on a project, most often related to con- struction cost or schedule. “Our job as a consultant is to explain the facts, even if they don’t want to hear them,” he says. In preparation for this discussion, Hostetler says they try to do the following: “Granted, some clients are more difficult than others, but if you can step them through the thought process and get them to trust that you are truly doing everything possible to make their vision a reality, they’ll appreciate you for your efforts and be a repeat client because you didn’t just tell them, ‘It can’t be done.’” “Develop alternatives that allow them to still meet their overall project goals, just in a different fashion than they expected at the outset.”

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent

S o, you have a client who has asked for some- thing that is either completely impractical or out of budget. What now? How do you gently steer your client back to Earth without crushing their dreams? Jeff Mazanec, a senior project manager at R.A. Smith National Inc. (Brookfield, WI), a 186-per- son multidisciplinary civil engineering firm, says this happens often. “A good first step is to gain a better understanding of the client’s primary goal and objective. What is it about their unattainable goal that they really need or want?” HAVE AN OPEN DISCUSSION. “A good first step is to gain a better understanding of the client’s primary goal and objective. What is it about their unattainable goal that they really need or want? Are there other ways to achieve that primary goal, or at least make progress towards achieving it?” he says. Often, people will lock themselves into a single so- lution so strongly that it seems to be the only way to achieve the goals. “We all need to really think through the core ob- jective and other possible options,” Mazanec says. “Sometimes just verbalizing those thoughts leads to a broader context/perspective needed to see oth- er solutions for less cost and with fewer barriers. This discussion might also identify risks or uncover the opportunity for unintended results.” Key questions to initiate this discussion might in- clude: ❚ ❚ What is the most important result you expect this project to achieve? ❚ ❚ Have others successfully met similar challenges? What lessons can we learn from their experience? ❚ ❚ Would this project generate side benefits? How would you describe them? ❚ ❚ Does not pursuing this project increase risk or gen- erate negative impacts? How would you describe them?

See STEER CLIENT, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER January 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

STEER CLIENT, from page 11

“Not only do we show them our opinion about the cost of construc- tion, we also provide them a total project cost summary sheet that shows many of the development costs (i.e. soft costs) that should also be included in their budget. This ad- ditional cost can vary, but normal- ly it is between 15 to 22 percent of the construction cost. Being able to see these additional costs, which they may not have thought of, helps them to fully grasp the total budget needed.” Once they’ve trimmed their budget, their dream building becomes a bit easier. At this point, CMBA begins a “want versus need” discussion. “We help themprioritize these wants and needs and match dollars to each of them. The client is then asked to select the items that truly have to be included. Should the client still want to pursue the out-of-budget project size, we then offer options in pro- gram size or finish options that can help bring the project costs back into reality,” he says. Other tactics include hiring an unbi- ased source such as an independent cost consultant to provide a more detailed cost opinion. “In every situation, we try to main- tain an open dialogue during the cost estimation process,” he says. “This transparency can really build trust and show a client the true add- ed-value architects provide.” Doug Mutcher, project manager at Westwood (Eden Prairie, MN), a multi-disciplined surveying and en- gineering firm, says that you should always try to make your client’s vi- sion a reality, but you need to edu- cate them along the way so they un- derstand the implications of their vi- sion. “Granted, some clients are more dif- ficult than others, but if you can step them through the thought process and get them to trust that you are truly doing everything possible to make their vision a reality, they’ll ap- preciate you for your efforts and be a repeat client because you didn’t just tell them, ‘It can’t be done.’ We’re better when we keep an open mind, take off our engineering blinders, and provide viable solutions.”

❚ ❚ Ask, “What is driving the client to this expectation?” Understanding their motivation for why they are asking for something is absolutely essential for effectively resolving the matter. ❚ ❚ Develop alternatives that allow them to still meet their overall project goals, just in a different fashion than they expected at the outset. ❚ ❚ Provide the client with talking points as to why their original expectation cannot be met. This allows them to explain their change in direction to others confidently, without the ap- pearance of having made a mistake themselves. “Not only do we show them our opinion about the cost of construction, we also provide them a total project cost summary sheet that shows many of the development costs (i.e. soft costs) that should also be included in their budget. This additional cost can vary, but normally it is between 15 to 22 percent of the construction LAY YOUR CARDS ON THE TABLE. Brian Crich- ton, president and CEO of Cannon Moss Brygger Architects (Sioux City, IA), a 60-person firm, says early intervention is the best prevention. Very early in a project, CMBA uses its prior project knowledge and cur- rent understanding of market condi- tions to help the client see what they can get for their identified budget. cost. Being able to see these additional costs, which they may not have thought of, helps them to fully grasp the total budget needed.”

ARE YOU THINKING SERIOUSLY ABOUT BUYING OR SELLING? The architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom in M&A activity. Is your firm ready to make a smart deal for growth? Is your leadership prepared to critically evaluate offers as they come in? For M&A In-a-Day, Zweig Group’s M&A team comes to you for a briskly-paced, interactive one-day session that covers all phases of a transaction – from developing a strategy to post-deal integration. The program is field- developed from actual client engagements and realworld experience advising hundreds of transactions of all sizes in the A/E industry. Attendees learn: ❚ ❚ How to develop an M&A strategy ❚ ❚ How to screen candidates and identify strong prospects. ❚ ❚ How to evaluating candidates and establish a basis for value ❚ ❚ How to weigh complex legal, tax, and accounting implications of transactions ❚ ❚ How to structure the deal and negotiate to their advantage ❚ ❚ Post-closing integration tactics to ensure success. Who should attend: With M&A in a Day, transaction specialists come to your firm to ensure confidentiality. Whether you are interested in buying or selling, firm leadership should attend the seminar. ❚ ❚ Business leaders, including presidents, CFOs, and CEOs ❚ ❚ Market/office leaders who will head up an acquisition effort for their line of business ❚ ❚ Corporate development and strategyfinance executives ❚ ❚ HR executives and others who will be involved in firm integration Continuing education: Attendees earn 6 CEUs. Zweig Group is registered with the AIA for continuing professional education credits. Attendees receive a certificate of attendance. For more information, visit zweiggroup.com/ seminars/maiad or email jkiser@zweiggroup. com

THE ZWEIG LETTER Januray 18, 2016, ISSUE 1135

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