TZL 1342

BUSINESS NEWS WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE ON NEW TRAVEL PLAZA AT ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Ware Malcomb , an award-winning international design firm, announced construction is complete on a new travel plaza developed by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority at the Orlando International Airport in Florida. Ware Malcomb’s Miami office provided architecture and interior design services for the project. Located at the northeast corner of Jeff Fuqua Boulevard and South Park Place next to Terminal C at the Orlando International Airport, the new 9,000-square-foot travel plaza includes a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station, as well as a food court containing Baja Fresh and Built Burger restaurants. The exterior design features a steel and glass canopy in the front of the building that emulates an airport terminal, while both sides of the building curve up at an angle to mimic airplane wings. The plaza’s exterior design

also includes a canopy over the gas station. In addition, Ware Malcomb provided interior architecture and design for the food court, restaurants, convenience store, and gas station. A large flight board is incorporated into the food court for the convenience of travelers. The new travel plaza is directly connected to an existing cell phone lot designed for drivers picking up travelers from the airport. The site of the new facility was previously undeveloped, requiring significant engineering work to de-water and clear the swampy area and prepare the site for construction. The team collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure all building materials met strict airport guidelines and requirements. “We worked closely with GOAA to design a comfortable, convenient, and welcoming place for travelers who are coming to and from the Orlando International Airport,” said Rei Gomez, regional manager of Ware Malcomb’s Miami office. “This thoughtfully-designed

travel plaza is an exciting new addition to the airport’s outstanding facilities.” Established in 1972, Ware Malcomb is an international design firm providing planning, architecture, interior design, branding, civil engineering, and building measurement services to commercial real estate and corporate clients. With office locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Panama, the firm specializes in the design of commercial office, corporate, industrial, science and technology, healthcare, retail, auto, public/educational facilities, and renovation projects. Ware Malcomb is recognized as an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company and a Hot Firm and Best Firm To Work For by Zweig Group. The firm is also ranked among the top 15 architecture/engineering firms in Engineering News-Record ’s Top 500 Design Firms and the top 30 interior design firms in Interior Design magazine ’s Top 100 Giants.

MARK ZWEIG, from page 9

as No. 6 and 7 above. You have the time to do it. You can call people and check up on them personally. How are they getting along? How are their kids? How is their spouse? How do they like working from home? Do they need anything that would make that go better? I thought it was interesting that The Walton College where I teach entrepreneurship sent an email out to everyone the other day telling us that they had heard a number of folks didn’t have good desk chairs at home, and that we were welcome to get our office chairs from our offices at the university to take home if we wanted to. That showed some real care for us as employees. What can you do for your people in this stressful time? 9) Are you thinking about risk and how much of it you want to take from here on out? This whole thing is making many of us reevaluate our lives and some of the decisions we have made. I’m glad that my wife and I decided to start phasing out of the development and construction business about 18 months ago. Even though we still have too much overhead and some unsold/unleased properties, the situation would be far worse had we not taken the steps we did when we did to reduce our risk. There are other decisions I might now make differently than I would have prior to this pandemic. Learn from the experience and don’t repeat your mistakes. 10) Are you thinking about “life after” and how you want to spend your time? Everyone should be taking stock now about what direction they want to go personally and what direction they want their firms to take going forward. We each have only so much time left. It may be time for a new role. It may be time for an ownership transition. Or it may be time to grow and diversify your business with some select acquisitions of firms that can’t weather this storm. These 10 questions – and probably a number of additional ones – should be asked and answered by each of us right now. If there’s a silver lining in this crisis it is that we may each have a chance to reevaluate our priorities and improve the quality of our lives from here on. MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

get the AMEX bill we do at the the end of the month, but at least it is one third to one half of what it used to be. Good thing, too. In spite of being very fortunate that we don’t live paycheck to paycheck like so many Americans do, I just don’t feel like spending a dime on anything we don’t really need. It’s good to learn you can do without. 5) Are you spending time with your family? If not now, when in the world will you? If you can’t see someone because of their potential exposure or your fear of making them sick, that’s one thing. But at least now you should see your at-home kids and spouse more as everyone is stuck together. Use that time wisely. Give them each some real attention. And those you can’t see, give them a call or FaceTime or text with them. “Besides reacting to the industry-wide slowdown and working remotely as most of us are, now is also the time to focus on you. It is that time because – if you are like me – you have more time.” 6) Are you reconnecting with old friends? Just this morning I talked with a friend I hadn’t spoken with for 15 years. It really reminded me of the gratitude I had for the kindness he and his wife showed my older girls and me during a really bad time our family was going through 20 years ago. I’m so glad we have now reconnected. Who are the people you need to reestablish a relationship with? Make it happen! 7) Are you reconnecting with old clients? This is such a great time to actually reach people you haven’t talked with in some time. They are there and you both are more likely to have the time for a good conversation. Ask about how THEY are doing. Have them talk about themselves and their business. Share some about yourself. Connect on a personal level. Now is the time! 8) Are you reconnecting with your employees? Same idea

THE ZWEIG LETTER APRIL 27, 2020, ISSUE 1342

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