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BUSINESS NEWS FEHR GRAHAM AS ENGINEERING NEWS-RECORD MIDWEST TOP DESIGN FIRM Fehr Graham, a leading Midwest engineering and environmental firm in the Midwest, announced its debut on the Engineering News-Record Midwest Top Design Firm list, securing the No. 60 position. The list highlights the largest Midwestern-based design firms, ranking them based on design-specific revenue. While Fehr Graham has consistently appeared on the ENR Top 500 Design Firms List, this marks the firm’s first recognition within the Midwest-specific category. This underscores Fehr Graham’s expanding influence and dedication to excellence in engineering. Fehr Graham President Mick Gronewold is proud of the firm’s continuous recognition. “Our team’s commitment to solving our clients’ challenges is at the heart of everything we do,” Gronewold said. “Being RECOGNIZED
listed on the ENR Midwest Top Design Firms shows our technical proficiency and the meaningful impact we have on the communities we serve.” Founded in Freeport, Illinois, in 1973, by Al Fehr and Joe Graham, the firm has rown from a modest office with five employees to 15 offices across three states with 250 people. Growth has come organically and by acquisition. Fehr Graham acquired Midwest Engineering Associates in April. Fehr Graham joined Trilon Group last year. ENR conducts annual surveys and ranks companies within general contracting, specialty contracting, engineering, architecture and environmental services based on annual revenue. These rankings are categorized into specific markets. Fehr Graham partners with private and public clients on projects ranging from water and wastewater treatment facilities to roads, bridges and highways.
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EZEQUIEL TOVAR, from page 1
micromanaging. It’s important to recognize that certain decisions regarding the firm’s direction may be made differently from how you would have approached them. That is why building the necessary trust in advance will help you navigate succession planning. 3. Transparency. What exactly are people buying? Not only as an investment, but culturally as well. There was an architectural firm in the Southwest that was growing gross revenue 6 percent each year for five years and their pre-tax, pre-bonus profit was 25 percent. They were well diversified in different markets. On paper everything was great, but behind that success were the burned-out individuals who could not take it any longer. One of the key employees had left a year before due to lack of transition planning and started his own business, another was dealing with a stroke that impaired his ability to work, and yet another who had significant client relationships was planning to leave in a couple of months. Being transparent with your staff will help you build credibility. This will communicate to the buying shareholders that you have their success in mind and that you have an honest perspective. These points give you another layer to view the context of your firm. What’s the point in mapping out the financial component, buy/sell agreements, and sell down schedule if you don’t have fundamentals straight? Be an effective leader and the rest will follow. Firm owners need to first be intentional, vulnerable, and transparent in order to make their transition a success. Ezequiel Tovar is an analyst within Zweig Group’s ownership transition team. Contact him at etovar@zweiggroup.com .
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THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 9, 2024, ISSUE 1552
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