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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

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