TZL 1342

ON THE MOVE WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES PROMOTION OF JIM STANARD TO STUDIO MANAGER, ARCHITECTURE FOR IRVINE AND INLAND EMPIRE OFFICES Ware Malcomb announced Jim Stanard was promoted to studio manager, architecture for the firm’s Irvine and Inland Empire offices. In this new role, Stanard will help manage the team and assist with the architecture studio with business development and operations throughout Orange County and the Inland Empire in Southern California. Stanard brings over 40 years of architectural experience to Ware Malcomb, including work on a wide variety of project types such as retail, office, industrial, healthcare, retail, restaurants, and education. He joined Ware Malcomb in 2018 as a senior project manager for the Irvine Architecture group and quickly became an

integral part of the team, working on several large, complex projects with local and national clients. As a licensed architect, Stanard leads projects from initial master planning and design stages to successful construction completion. “Jim is a devoted team member who cares about our clients, our people, and our culture,” said Tom Myers, regional vice president of Ware Malcomb. “His strong technical knowledge, keen attention to detail, and excellent client service have been a huge asset to every project. We look forward to his continued contributions in his new role as Studio Manager,” added Greg Spon, Director, Architecture. Stanard is a registered architect in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and Washington. He holds a bachelor’s degree in architectural

engineering from Arizona State University, as well as a technical degree in architectural drafting and design from the Phoenix Institute of Technology. Stanard is also a LEED Accredited Professional. Established in 1972, Ware Malcomb is an international design firm providing planning, architecture, interior design, branding, civil engineeringandbuildingmeasurement services to commercial real estate and corporate clients. With office locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 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 a Hot Firm and Best Firm To Work For by Zweig Group.

JOHN BRAY, from page 3

is unacceptable – why would you set lower expectations for your clients than you set for yourself? Look at your collection process and A/R to create a follow-up process that fixes this issue and gets your firm the cash it needs faster. 6) Contact people you haven’t talked to in a while to see how they are doing. Reach out to clients or former colleagues just to check in without trying to sell them anything. Lots of people right now just want someone they can level with and talk to on a personal level. Maybe you can offer some advice from your own experiences that could help them out. Maybe they are uncertain about their own future and could be a valuable addition to your team later this year. You never know unless you pick up the phone. 7) Find out if there are certain clients or activities that can be handled remotely to help save time (and money) in the future . Is there a client who has taken a particular liking to video calls? Is there a meeting that you now realize can be handled via email? Are there employees who actually don’t need to be in the office every day? Use this time to find out how you can be more efficient in your processes as well as where you can offer more flexibility to your employees. 8) Learn how to use Slack or Google Hangouts effectively. You’d be surprised how much more efficient than email these can be if used appropriately. 9) Learn how to use LinkedIn effectively. Social media, especially LinkedIn, is seeing heavy traffic right now. Using this tool effectively can not only establish you as a thought leader in your field, but even get your firm some new proposals as well. 10) Perform stress tests on your finances so you can be prepared for whatever the future may hold. What would happen if your interior design studio saw a 40 percent decrease in revenue this year? What if your healthcare projects get put on hold for six or more months? Figure out what your business will look like in possible situations so you can be prepared to communicate with your employees and guide the ship like a true leader when they need you the most. It could be the difference between layoffs and getting to retain your staff. JOHN BRAY is an advisor with Zweig Group’s executive search and recruiting team. Contact him at jbray@zweiggroup.com.

2) Host a sponsored webinar. This is an opportunity for you to stand out as a thought leader amongst your competitors by delivering original, relevant content in a new way. You can also take this time to strengthen existing relationships with your sponsors and build new ones as well. Get them involved in what you are doing. 3) Hold a contest for your employees or clients. You are still allowed to have fun with your colleagues and employees right now. Do something to keep them engaged and positive. Trivia night. Best designed work-from-home station. Most creative side projects. Get creative and give your people something to get excited about. “Instead of keeping yourself up at night worrying about things you cannot control, you should be using this time to take advantage of this situation and get things done that maybe you wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.” 4) Research (and implement) new ways to train your employees. It is still important to make sure your employees are getting the training that they need. This is also an opportunity to try new methods to see if they work for your firm. Not sure where to start? Check out Zweig Group’s online learning opportunities. 5) Get organized. Think about the following: ❚ ❚ BD strategy. What clients/markets should you be focusing on right now? Where is the money still going to come from for the foreseeable future? ❚ ❚ Expenses. Many companies procrastinate this. Take a long look at how your firm spends money and cut out anything that isn’t necessary. Is there anything you can permanently change about the way your firm spends money in the future? ❚ ❚ Accounts receivable. Many AEC firms are comfortable with an average A/R collection period of 90 days. This

THE ZWEIG LETTER APRIL 27, 2020, ISSUE 1342

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