TZL 1551 (web)

TRANSACTIONS CORE STATES GROUP ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF BARGHAUSEN CONSULTING ENGINEERS, INC. Core States Group – an integrated, industry- leading AEC firm that partners with some of the world’s most recognized brands – has announced the acquisition of Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc., headquartered in Kent, Washington. Together, with a combined total of 25 offices nationwide and more than 600 employees, the two companies are forming an AEC powerhouse to drive innovation and improve everyday life for countless people. This transformative new chapter will strengthen Core States Group’s capabilities, expand its reach, and open more opportunities to impact the industry. According to D. David Dugan, president and CEO at Core States Group, “I am honored by the trust Tom Barghausen, Chris Jensen, and the

Barghausen leadership team have in Core States Group to take what they have built and carry on their legacy. This is a significant milestone in building the Core States Group of the future, and I’m so excited to see the growth of our amazing team of professionals.” “When I started Barghausen in 1982, I just wanted to help my clients be successful by providing good service and quality work product at a fair price. We have since grown into an entire team of dedicated, talented individuals working together. As we transition into becoming a legacy firm, I am confident that the decision to join forces with Core States Group is the right one for both companies at this time. We complement each other extremely well, and I’m excited about what the future holds,” said Tom Barghausen, who will actively continue in his role managing projects and supporting clients.

“The leadership at Barghausen is confident that this acquisition will allow our company to better serve our customers and employees alike. Together, Core States Group and Barghausen have a dramatically expanded national footprint with increased bandwidth and service offerings,” said Chris Jensen, Barghausen Vice President and Principal Engineer. As Core States Group and Barghausen combine their strengths and resources under the Core States Group brand, they are aligned in building a long-term strategy of developing market expertise, providing a collection of integrated services, and bringing a programmatic approach to their nationwide portfolio of projects. As Core States Group celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, this acquisition reinforces its commitment to creating a world where all environments improve everyday life.

ultimately delivered a summary document that exceeded my expectations. I view these initial projects as demonstrations of success. While the team may have felt uncertain as they navigated a vague scope, they ultimately persevered. They found their way and developed effective solutions that have already proven beneficial. Their strong design skills and ability to work collaboratively enabled them to capitalize on their expertise. Learning from this struggle will benefit them and enhance their leadership capacity. However, initial feedback from the leadership team prompted me to adjust my approach to the operations team. First, I made it clear that this work was important by specifying where team members should charge their time. I also explained how we would evaluate the time spent on these projects throughout the year by assessing the cost/benefit. We also began to treat “projects” more like true projects for clients – I provided specific expectations and defined the project scope, we established goals to achieve by the next planned meeting, and we identified a leader for each of the new projects. The next meeting went much better, had more structure, and team members walked away from it with a sense of purpose and direction instead of a vague concept of what to do next. I believe the struggle contributed to the sense of accomplishment and is a lesson that will stick with those team members as they move forward with other projects. We have effectively established this unique team, received critical feedback, and implemented changes. I am excited and enthusiastic about our operations team and the benefits they will deliver to our business unit and SCS as a whole. Anastasia Welch, P.E. is a business unit director at SCS Engineers. Contact her at awelch@scsengineers.com.

ANASTASIA WELCH, from page 11

policies, systems, and resources, while increasing alignment across the business unit before implementing changes. The group would brainstorm ideas and prioritize “projects” to work on. An added benefit is that team members gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to lead a business unit, thereby refining their leadership skills. Because I view the operations team as an avenue to promote collaboration across offices and groups, and a means to provide leadership opportunities for younger staff, I targeted members who would cherish the challenge/opportunity. Ultimately, I selected 10 diverse participants: experienced and young professionals, in-office workers from various locations, remote workers, those with long tenures at SCS, and newcomers to the company. Additionally, three members from the leadership team joined to ensure that the operations team’s activities and projects align with the leadership team’s vision for our business unit. I wanted the group to develop organically, so I took a backseat role in leading the initial meetings. Our first “project” was to update the annual performance review form to better reflect our vision, goals, and desired culture. The update was successfully implemented in a short time. The next project was to compile lessons learned on complex and high-liability construction oversight projects to streamline future work and allow everyone to benefit from the experiences of a few. Six team members volunteered to take on this project. While working on the construction oversight project, the team experienced fluctuations in progress, with initial stages being particularly challenging. Feedback indicated the team struggled due to a lack of clear direction and the absence of a designated leader for both the operations team and the project itself. Despite these challenges, the team

THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 26, 2024, ISSUE 1551

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