TZL 1605 (web)

October 13, 2025, Issue 1605 WWW.ZWEIGGROUP.COM

TRENDLINES

AI adoption

Not sure Not using AI Using AI Testing AI

This year’s winners prove marketing done right delivers higher margins and stronger growth. Marketing that moves the needle

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FIRM INDEX AECOM......................................................................... 6 Atwell............................................................................. 8 BHC..................................................................................4 GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc..........................8 Humphreys & Partners Architects.........10 Manhard Consulting...........................................8 Merriman Anderson Architects...................2 Pennoni........................................................................ 8 Siefert Associates, LLC.....................................8 Tamarack Grove Engineering....................10 MORE ARTICLES n SHELBY HARVEY: The case for curiosity Page 3 n MARK ZWEIG: Promoting the company … or yourself? Page 5 n HANNAH MILLER: Content is the new elevator pitch Page 7 n DUNCAN ROBERTSON: From risk to reward Page 9 Zweig Group’s 2025 Marketing & Business Development Report shows that AI adoption is gaining momentum across AEC firms, with 33% already using AI regularly and 39% currently testing its capabilities. Only 26% report not using AI, indicating growing interest in leveraging technology to enhance marketing and business development efforts. Participate in a survey and save on a Zweig Group research publication.

Z weig Group’s 2025 Marketing Excellence Award winners prove that strategic marketing isn’t just creative – it’s profitable. Each year, the Marketing Excellence Awards celebrate the most innovative and effective marketing campaigns in the AEC industry. The program recognizes outstanding achievements across 10 categories, including brand identity, drone video, publication, and more. Every submission is evaluated by a panel of industry experts for creativity, effectiveness, and alignment with business goals. The 2025 winners once again demonstrated the power of marketing to drive measurable results – fueling growth, profitability, and visibility across an increasingly competitive landscape. Zweig Group’s research shows a clear connection between marketing investment and firm performance. Nearly all award-winning firms (97%) reported revenue growth over the past three years. Almost half (46.7%) saw fast growth of 20% or more, and more than 56% achieved very high profit margins of 15% or greater, well above the industry average. These firms aren’t just growing – they’re thriving. Even in a shifting economic environment, consistent marketing investment continues to deliver stability. Fifty percent of winners reported steady, moderate growth, showing that firms committed to brand-building and communication weather change more effectively. That growth extends beyond revenue, too – 26.7% of winners increased their staff by 20% or more over the same period, proving that strong marketing supports recruitment, retention, and firm culture. THE BUSINESS CASE FOR CREATIVITY. For the AEC industry, marketing is no longer optional – it’s essential. Firms that view marketing as a strategic investment rather than a cost are seeing the returns in client engagement, brand equity, and profitability. The winning campaigns reveal a shared truth: great marketing starts with purpose. Whether it’s telling a firm’s story through digital media, reimagining how proposals communicate value, or creating campaigns that celebrate people and culture, these firms have shown that creativity backed by strategy drives results. The best marketing doesn’t just showcase projects – it builds relationships, communicates expertise, and strengthens the firm’s position in the market.

Mailena Urso

See MAILENA URSO, page 2

THE VOICE OF REASON FOR THE AEC INDUSTRY

BUSINESS NEWS MERRIMAN ANDERSON ARCHITECTS EXPANDS NATIONAL FOOTPRINT WITH NEW CINCINNATI/NORTHERN KENTUCKY OFFICE Merriman Anderson Architects, an award-winning and leading architecture and design firm, announced the opening of its newest office in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. This expansion is another step in the firm’s continued growth following the Fort

Worth, Texas office opening last year. MAA is currently leading several projects in the area and looks forward to strengthening its local presence. MAA now operates offices in Dallas, Austin, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Charlotte, and Fort Worth, with its headquarters based in downtown Dallas. The firm manages a diverse range of projects.

MAILENA URSO, from page 1

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD. Zweig Group is also proud to announce the 2025 People’s Choice Award winner: Calibre, recognized for its innovative Gateway to Adventure campaign. The immersive, storytelling-driven proposal transformed a traditional RFP response into a 64-page travel magazine experience – winning a $2.2 million contract and proving that even a small firm can outshine global competitors with creativity and vision. Voted on by peers and the public, the People’s Choice Award was announced live at the 2025 ElevateAEC Awards Gala in San Antonio, Texas, where Calibre was honored for its exceptional achievement. WHY MARKETING MATTERS MORE THAN EVER. This year’s winners underscore a key lesson: marketing excellence directly supports business excellence. Firms that invest in marketing – building teams, dedicating budgets, and treating communication as strategy – see higher profits, stronger brands, and more resilient growth. Zweig Group’s data reinforces what the winners already know: effective marketing drives measurable business outcomes. It builds trust, supports recruiting and retention, and creates visibility that opens doors to new opportunities. In today’s market, great marketing isn’t just about differentiation – it’s about direction. SEE THE 2025 WINNERS. The 2025 Marketing Excellence Award winners exemplify the creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking that define the future of AEC marketing. To see what the best of the best are doing – and to get inspired for your firm’s next big move – explore the full showcase of this year’s winning campaigns. Click here to view the 2025 winners and discover what’s working in AEC marketing today. LOOKING FOR MORE DATA ON AEC MARKETING PERFORMANCE? Dive deeper with Zweig Group’s newly released 2025 Marketing & Business Development Report – the industry’s most comprehensive look at how AEC firms structure, staff, and invest in marketing and BD. Featuring more than 100 data points, this report reveals how top-performing firms are allocating budgets, leveraging technology, and measuring ROI in today’s competitive landscape. Explore the full report and access benchmarks, trends, and insights to guide your marketing strategy for 2025 and beyond. Mailena Urso is chief marketing officer at Zweig Group. Contact her at murso@ zweiggroup.com.

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Chad Clinehens | Publisher cclinehens@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Senior Editor & Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Tel: 800.466.6275 Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: zweiggroup.com/blogs/news LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/22522 Instagram: instagram.com/zweiggroup Twitter: twitter.com/ZweigGroup Facebook: facebook.com/p/Zweig- Group-100064113750086 Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/year). © Copyright 2025, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

MARKETING & BD AS GROWTH ACCELERATOR Attendees of this free webinar will learn how to turn benchmarking data and best practices into actionable strategies that elevate marketing and business development from reactive support to integrated engines of sustainable growth. Join us October 23 at noon CST. Learn more!

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

OPINION

The case for curiosity

“T his year’s interns are bold.” It was only two weeks into our summer internship program, and I’d heard some form of this sentiment from multiple people. This time it was from one of our project managers, who had been cornered by a few of our interns and grilled about his compensation. Encouraging curiosity at work turns tough questions into opportunities to build trust, share knowledge, and strengthen engagement.

Shelby Harvey

Although he was surprised to have been asked so bluntly, he wasn’t offended. If anything, he seemed impressed. “When I was an intern, I never would have thought to ask that!” It’s true – so often, we consider asking tough questions to be an unspoken corporate taboo. In my experience, HR professionals (such as myself) are especially likely to clutch our pearls over an employee asking a bold question. It’s far easier to give a vague answer and move on, rather than misstep or say the wrong thing that could land us, or the company, in hot water. Yet so often, I hear leaders express frustration that employees don’t seem to grasp the full picture. We expect people to inherently understand corporate etiquette, while ignoring that each organization’s culture and norms are different. Which then begs the

question: how can we encourage productive curiosity in the workplace? UNDERSTAND THE WHY. It’s completely normal for your initial reaction to a probing question to be one of defensiveness. We’ve been socially conditioned to interpret being questioned as a challenge to authority. Instead of shutting down, try meeting their curiosity with your own. The project manager I mentioned earlier is an example of how to do this well. When asked a pointed question about his salary, rather than assuming the worst – that the interns were being nosey and prying, or trying to gain leverage – he first asked why they were asking him. It turned out the intern’s school wasn’t sharing salary data, and they had no frame of reference for what to expect when starting their

See SHELBY HARVEY, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

ELEVATE THE INDUSTRY®

Think critically about what truly needs to remain confidential and avoid defaulting to information gatekeeping just because it’s easier than navigating a conversation. Many organizations miss critical chances to build trust and rapport with employees simply by being overly cautious. When our interns shared that they felt a lack of clarity around industry compensation and career expectations, it would have been easy to just answer the initial question about salary and leave it at that. We decided to take it a step further. Our intern program coordinator partnered with the project manager the interns had approached for information to explain that career trajectories vary depending on several factors. They followed up with a short presentation illustrating the typical growth path of a design engineer, including how and when someone might reach a $100K salary based on a variety of factors such as performance, promotions, gaining licensure, etc. This sparked a great discussion among the interns and gave them a deeper understanding of performance-based raises and total compensation. CONCLUSION. I’ve come to realize these interns embody the same things that drew so many of us to this industry in the first place – an insatiable desire to learn the intricacies about the world we inhabit, how things work, and how to elevate our collective experience. It’s easy to get bogged down in our calendars, emails, and meetings throughout the work week, but we could all benefit from making the time to be more curious. You never know what you might discover. Shelby Harvey is vice president of talent development and HR at BHC. Contact her at shelby.harvey@ibhc.com.

SHELBY HARVEY, from page 3

career as an entry-level engineer. That question wasn’t about entitlement; it was about education. Give people the opportunity to share the reason behind their question, and be willing to challenge your assumptions. REDIRECT INSINCERITY. When you take the time to understand why someone is asking a question, you can often get to the root of their curiosity quickly. Personally, I would always rather someone ask me a direct question than make assumptions based on limited or incomplete information. If the question is being asked in good faith, the worst I’m going to tell someone is, “I can’t answer that.” In many cases, even if I can’t share everything, I can at least offer a partial answer or some helpful context. However, if it becomes clear that someone is asking a question to stir up drama or escalate an issue, it’s important to shut it down promptly – and to explain why their approach isn’t productive. In my experience, people typically realize they’ve crossed a line and back off. Still, it’s essential to explain why you’re not able to share certain information. Doing so helps the person understand the boundaries in place and promotes growth in their awareness of professional norms. REWARD GENUINE CURIOSITY. Genuine curiosity is a hallmark sign that your employees are listening and engaged. This presents an opportunity to share information beyond what they might have thought to ask, if it aligns with their interest and underlying motivation.

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

FROM THE FOUNDER

W hen you think about marketing for the businesses our readers are in – architecture, engineering, planning, and other related professional services – we tend to talk about how we can create an image for the company that helps it sell more work. Selling work is the point of marketing after all, so that makes sense. In a relationship-driven business, clients hire people they know and trust — not just the firms they represent. Promoting the company … or yourself?

Mark Zweig

We get into the projects we do and how we do them. We talk about how innovative we have been. We talk about our mission and vision and history. We list our rewards and recognitions. We get into our design and quality assurance processes and programs, and our budgeted to actual cost record. We talk about the professional backgrounds qualifications of our employees and ourselves. All of this stuff works to a certain extent. The typical firm has around a 15% to 20% success rate on the work it goes after. But it takes a lot of grinding away to achieve that. Responding to RFPs and submitting SOQs, going to trade shows, doing expensive photography, submitting for design awards, writing and sending press releases, and doing a whole bunch of other stuff that costs a significant amount of time and money and then gives us the results we get.

But one critical ingredient is missing in all of this that will greatly improve the number of inquiries we get and our success rate on closing them. And that is we spend little if any effort at all to share information about ourselves as individuals. If you accept the premise of my very successful friend Matt Lewis (whom I regularly run in front of my students) that “people need to know you, like you, and trust you,” in that order before they will buy from you, but then ignore that simple equation in all of your marketing, is it any wonder we aren’t more effective than we are? I think there are a whole host of reasons we don’t get into more personal stuff about ourselves. Many of us are introverts. We don’t believe that our personal

See MARK ZWEIG , page 6

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

ELEVATE THE INDUSTRY®

BUSINESS NEWS AECOM AWARDED TWO U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS CONTRACTS FOR ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING SERVICES ACROSS EUROPE AECOM, the trusted global infrastructure leader, announced it has been selected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District to deliver architecture and engineering services under two new indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts. The contracts will support projects throughout Germany, Poland, the Benelux region, Czech Republic, Norway, and Denmark, and have a combined program ceiling of more than $490 million, encompassing both Military Construction and Non-MILCON funding sources. “We are honored to continue strengthening our 30-year partnership with the USACE Europe District through this important work, which reflects our proven ability to deliver mission-critical infrastructure in complex, dynamic environments,” said Bane Gaiser, chief executive of AECOM’s global Buildings + Places business. “By aligning with host

nation requirements, NATO standards, and sustainability goals, we bring together global expertise and local insight to help build resilient, future- ready facilities across Europe.” AECOM will serve as the prime contractor for both five-year IDIQ contracts, which cover multi-disciplinary A/E services for the design of new and renovated military infrastructure. AECOM has been delivering on the predecessor A/E contracts for more than 15 years. The work includes project planning, concept design, design-build packages, full design, permitting, environmental documentation, and engineering studies, aligning with U.S., host nation, and NATO- specific design codes and standards. The projects will include both horizontal and vertical infrastructure development with a focus on resilience. The team was also recently awarded a five-year IDIQ contract to continue providing multi- disciplinary master planning and design services for the USACE Europe District in a program spanning 31 countries. AECOM

will leverage its extensive expertise in the region – where the firm has more than 25 offices and 2,000 professionals within the area of responsibility – and a global network of professionals to provide tailored, responsive services. Through these contracts, AECOM will help deliver infrastructure that not only supports operational effectiveness but also strengthens surrounding communities. AECOM is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients’ complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings. Our teams partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2024.

have Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn, among others. I understand why many of our readers avoid it. I took a multi- year long break from social media myself at one point. It can be a huge time suck. There is a lot of negative stuff there. But my belief is most of our clients are there, also, and it’s a great way to share our thinking, philosophies of work and life, personal insights, lessons learned, bits about our families and of our life history, and more. It’s one way to get people to KNOW us so they can decide if they like us or not. This is mandatory before we can establish the trust required to spend six, seven, or sometimes even eight figures or more hiring our firms to work on very expensive projects with total costs being multiples of what they are spending with us. AI isn’t going to do this stuff for us. We need to do it ourselves so it is “authentic” (sorry to use the term as it has become a cliche). But the payoff can be enormous. With enough sharing of the right stuff over an extended period of time, we can grow our networks ten- or twentyfold. People we have never met will feel they know us. They will spread information on us to others. We will help build relationships and trust, get more leads, and improve our selling success rates over other firms whose people won’t do this. None of this will happen overnight. Better to start now versus later. Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

MARK ZWEIG , from page 5

views and philosophy and life history are relevant to selling work. And if we are the top person in the firm, we hold back because we are trying to promote everyone else who works for us so we don’t tie all of our success as a business to ourselves – in large part because that makes the firm too dependent on us as individuals being there and therefore reduces the value of the business as a going concern that we are going to try to harvest upon exit. The other thing is that some of us don’t have a good sense of the boundaries of this sharing. We are afraid we will share too much and stray into politics and contentious social topics (for good reason, in my opinion), so instead we share nothing. Does all this make sense? But if it does – how do we get back to what has to happen if potential clients need to know us and like us to build enough trust for them to contract with us? We have to share a lot more information about ourselves as individuals than we do. And it cannot all happen one-on-one in our relationship-building business development meetings or through actually working on projects with clients. That’s too slow. And we will never get a chance to build that working relationship if we don’t get a chance to work together on a job in the first place. That’s analogous to saying “word of mouth” is the most effective marketing, but if you never get a job to do you will never have anyone singing your praises. So what other methods are available to us to share the more personal stuff? Social media is probably best. We

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

OPINION

Great content builds trust by showcasing expertise, culture, and value, creating lasting impressions long before opportunities arise. Content is the new elevator pitch

W hat would you say if you had 30 seconds to sell your services? The idea behind your classic elevator pitch is to provide a concise, persuasive speech that quickly captures your audience’s attention and sparks interest, but in today’s digital-first world, your potential client has already looked into you. They’ve clicked your website, scrolled your LinkedIn post and maybe even read your most recent blog post before you ever get a chance to shake their hand. Which means your content is your elevator pitch.

Hannah Miller

We’re quickly becoming a zero-click society, and many aren’t even googling – rather, asking AI is their first stop. More than ever, professional services firms need to think about their content – social media, thought leadership, case studies, or even proposals – as their first impression. And just like an elevator pitch, it should be clear, compelling and consistent. THE 95:5 RULE. Recent marketing studies have concluded that only 5% of potential B2B buyers/clients are in the market for your goods and services right now (or at any given time, really). This means 95% of your prospects don’t need your services yet, and unfortunately, you cannot persuade a buyer to go “in-market” – especially in AEC.

So, what do we do? Give up? No. We bide our time and wait for the perfect opportunities, using the months or even years to showcase our thought leadership and subject matter expertise so that when the time is right, they know we’re the firm for the job. Great content builds trust. When a potential client sees your firm sharing insights into challenges they’re facing or spotlighting recent wins, you’re establishing expertise without selling. It starts a conversation. The same goes for talent. Future employees want to know what your culture looks like. Every post, article, and project update contributes to the story people

See HANNAH MILLER, page 8

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

ELEVATE THE INDUSTRY®

TRANSACTIONS GZA ACQUIRES

ASSETS

Added Siefert: “My team and I are thrilled to be joining GZA, a strong strategic and cultural fit. As we’ve been working alongside them on many iconic projects, we’ve come to share a mutual respect for each other’s attention to quality, technical excellence, and client satisfaction. We’ve appreciated learning how much GZA shares our core values of honesty, integrity and life-work balance. We are excited to be part of a growing organization which offers excellent professional development and ownership opportunities. Together we will realize our shared vision of being a diversified and enduring professional engineering firm improving North America’s infrastructure.” Some of the marquee projects Siefert Associates has worked on include the Mobile Launcher 2 associated with NASA’s Project Artemis, the raising of the Bayonne Bridge in New Jersey, the MBTA Green Line Extension near Boston, and major overhauls of the Brooklyn and George Washington Bridges in New York. ATWELL ACQUIRES MANHARD CONSULTING, ADVANCING NATIONWIDE CAPABILITIES IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT AND ENERGY MARKETS Atwell, a leader in creating solutions for the built environment, announced the largest acquisition in its 120-year history: Manhard Consulting, a nearly 400-person, nationally recognized engineering and surveying firm headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois. The acquisition strengthens Atwell’s footprint in key regional markets, including Illinois, Colorado, and Texas, while expanding

into new markets, including Tennessee and Nevada. With this acquisition, Atwell’s headcount has grown to more than 2,100 employees. This strategic move enhances capabilities and expertise in all three of Atwell’s core markets – land development, power and energy, and hydrocarbons. Both firms were recently ranked by ENR among the 500 largest design firms in the U.S., with Atwell ranking at No. 70 and Manhard Consulting at No. 329. “Manhard is known for its innovation, technological excellence, and commitment to clients and employees, and we’re excited to welcome them into the Atwell Family,” stated Matthew Bissett, president at Atwell. “We see this acquisition as a catalyst for growth across both companies. We’ll both be able to expand our geographic presence, enhance our collective skill set, and deliver increased value to our clients.” With a history that dates back to 1972, Manhard has grown to hundreds of employees across 14 offices who are dedicated to a robust client base nationwide. The firm’s key services include engineering, surveying, project management, landscape architecture, land planning, water resource management, and construction management. Additionally, Manhard has received numerous accolades from entities such as ENR, the American Public Works Association, Crain’s Chicago Business, and NAIOP.

SIEFERT GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc., a leading multi- disciplinary firm providing geotechnical, environmental, ecological, water, and construction management services, has purchased assets of Siefert Associates, LLC, a national construction engineering firm with offices in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Siefert Associates’ employees have become employees of GZA. ASSOCIATES, LLC Founded in 2000 by president and CEO Vincent Siefert, P.E., Siefert Associates has grown into a leading construction engineering firm in the New York City area and beyond, specializing in designing efficient and creative means and methods to execute large-scale construction projects. Siefert’s team holds professional engineering licenses in 25 states, the District of Columbia, and Ontario, both in GZA’s primary service territories of New England, New York, the Mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes region as well as in California, Florida, Nevada, Texas, and Washington. GZA President and CEO Patrick Sheehan said: “Vincent and his team are premier construction engineering practitioners in Metropolitan New York and across the nation, and we’re pleased and honored to welcome them to the GZA team. Siefert Associates’ portfolio strongly complements GZA’s existing contractor services practice, giving us expanded construction engineering expertise and opportunities for our combined team to even better serve our contractor clients and the infrastructure market.”

platforms. If your proposal says one thing and your LinkedIn another, it creates confusion and dilutes your brand. Consistency not only reinforces your message, it strengthens credibility, builds recognition and shows your audience they can rely on you. Something to remember is that oversaturation is an issue, and AI cannot help you with original insights or unique points of view. Use AI to accelerate your thinking, not outsource your actual thinking. However, good content works while you’re not in the room. It keeps building relationships, showcasing your value and reminding people why they want to work with you. So yes, your handshake still matters. But don’t underestimate the power of that blog post you published last month or the employee spotlight you shared on LinkedIn. They might be the reason a client says, “I feel like I already know you.” Hannah Miller is a marketing and PR specialist at Pennoni. Connect with her on LinkedIn .

HANNAH MILLER, from page 7

tell themselves about your brand. Do you seem reliable? Are you transparent about your process? Are you proud of your people? When done right, marketing becomes a trust-building machine, laying the groundwork for everything from new business to top talent recruitment. WHERE TO START: ■ Be human. Even in technical industries, people connect with people. Content that highlights the faces behind your projects or tells the story of how a challenge was solved resonates more than specs alone. ■ Be helpful. Educational content (like FAQs, how-tos, and tips) is not only SEO gold but it also positions your team as trusted subject matter experts.

■ Be consistent. Messaging should align across all

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

OPINION

From risk to reward

Being able to turn challenges into lasting opportunities requires sacrifice, strategic risk, and strong teams.

G rowth requires sacrifice, risk, and a well-thought-out plan. Whether it’s investing in yourself to gain more knowledge, a professional certification, or a better position in the firm, this type of personal growth requires sacrificing time, money, and energy. When looking at firm growth plans, many are considered “stretch” goals that take a team or leadership group outside of their comfort zone. Growth often doesn’t happen when we’re comfortable, rather it takes smart, risky steps to grow in a healthy and successful way.

Duncan Robertson, CPSM

You may be wondering, why take a risk if what you’re currently doing is working? There has never been a time with as much change, technology advancement, and shifting across the industry as there is right now. Just because something worked at your firm in 2018, doesn’t mean that seven years later the same project, process, or tactic is going to be equally as successful today. Now is the time to take risks that are going to facilitate healthy growth and establish a foundation for the firm to build off of for the next decade. AI’S GROWING ROLE. According to BST Global’s AI + Data Report, 77% of AEC respondents believe AI will transform their business, but 33% reported that their AI strategy is

not aligned with their overall business strategy. These statistics are a telling sign that AI has already arrived and AEC firms have recognized the importance, however many haven’t figured out how to utilize it to benefit their people. Shankar Kalyana, a senior vice president at Stantec, one of the world’s largest AEC firms, stated, “If we can harness AI and data, there’s so much promise, but we must be mindful of how employees do the work. People and processes come first; technology is subservient. That is the real shift – use AI to empower humans, not replace them.”

See DUNCAN ROBERTSON , page 10

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

ELEVATE THE INDUSTRY®

ON THE MOVE HUMPHREYS & PARTNERS ARCHITECTS ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP, SIGNALING A GENERATIONAL SHIFT AND RENEWED VISION Humphreys & Partners Architects, a national leader in multifamily architecture and design, has announced a new leadership team and expanded operational structure, marking a generational transition and positioning the firm for its next 30+ years of design excellence. These changes aim to bring new energy, creative strength, and sharper alignment to the evolving needs of developers, investors, and communities across the U.S. “This is a firm built on design. We’re doubling down on a foundation over three decades strong,” said Robin Bellerby, AIA, newly appointed chief architecture officer. “Clients come to us for thoughtful, buildable, market-savvy solutions – and now, we’re even more focused on strengthening that mission.” Bellerby brings 30 years of multifamily and leadership experience to the role – much of it shaped during her long- standing tenure with Humphreys. In her previous role as senior vice president of Strategy & Risk, Bellerby played a pivotal role in guiding the firm’s strategic direction, overseeing project and

business risk, and aligning architectural practice with real-world performance while navigating the complex demands of today’s development landscape. On the interiors side, Chelsea Dora- Shibley steps into an expanded role as chief interior design officer while continuing as president of HPA Design Group. Under her leadership, the interiors practice has become a thought leader in the multifamily space – bringing elevated, resident-focused experiences to both new construction and renovations. “Our interiors work is about more than just finishes – it’s about creating spaces people want to spend their lives within,” she said. “Whether we’re collaborating with our own architecture team or with external partners, we bring the same attention to lifestyle, function, and design integrity.” This leadership transition comes after the passing of founder Mark Humphreys three years ago and the recent shift of Greg Faulkner, AIA, into a corporate growth-focused role as president emeritus. Faulkner helped guide the firm through its formative years, and his deep connections and relationships will continue to impact its future direction.

“My goal with Mark was to build a firm that clients could count on and that our teams could be proud of,” said Faulkner. “We built a hell of a firm, and I trust this new leadership to keep that fire lit and take it even further.” Brad Tillett, a Dallas native with deep financial and operational expertise, has been named Chief Operating Officer, after joining the firm as Chief Financial Officer in late 2024. He now leads firmwide operations and financial strategy, supported by Erica Brodie, newly appointed vice president of HR and Workplace, who is focused on employee experience and internal culture. “Culture isn’t just about perks – it’s about trust, communication, and clarity of purpose,” said Brodie. “We’re building an environment where people feel supported, connected, and proud of the work they’re doing. When that happens, everything else – the creativity, the collaboration, the results – gets stronger.” Humphreys remains focused on what it does best: delivering standout design, forward-thinking leadership, and dependable execution. With a revitalized leadership team and a clear-eyed view of the future, the firm is poised for continued growth and influence.

to take because of the potential growth that accompanied it. TGE also expanded locally, moving its headquarters to a space nearly triple the size to accommodate rapid growth and provide access for more people in the greater Boise region. THE RIGHT TEAM IS KEY. One of the most important factors when evaluating risk in the industry is having the proper team established to handle it. While a firm may want to double its size in a given amount of time, that may not be realistic without proper processes, procedures, and people in place. When establishing the best team to tackle a risky initiative, it’s important to evaluate the expertise and diversity of skills. Great AEC firms that are growth-oriented often have technical, human resources, operations, financial, business development, and marketing professionals as part of the decision-making team to ensure all angles are being evaluated. Risk is not something that firm leaders typically search for when planning for an upcoming year, but can have significant positive implications if handled properly. Always ensure a high-functioning team is in place, with a well-thought-out plan, and risk can turn into a great growth tool. Duncan Robertson, CPSM, is director of business development and marketing at Tamarack Grove Engineering. Contact him at duncan.robertson@tamarackgrove.com.

DUNCAN ROBERTSON , from page 9

AI is just one of many areas of risk that a firm can evaluate and create a plan for. Every growing and successful firm should create and revisit a strategic plan each year when planning for the next year, and also check on it periodically throughout the year to make sure they’re on track. A strategic plan is a great place to add risky initiatives, dream big, and take calculated risks when planning for the year ahead. A GEOGRAPHIC RISK. At Tamarack Grove Engineering, the firm created a strategic plan in 2023 that aimed to open a new office on the East Coast, knowing they were losing an engineer at the firm headquarters due to relocation. As both a retention tool for that key team member, and to capitalize on the potential opportunities for recruiting new clients and staff in a new geographic region, the firm’s leadership agreed this was a risky but necessary goal. While you can come up with some of the most detailed plans, it’s nearly impossible to plan for every situation that may occur within a calendar year. Not even halfway through 2024, the firm was finalizing plans to relocate an engineer to New Jersey, while also closing on a deal with an engineer and office space in Bozeman, Montana. The Montana engineer new hire and office was not part of the original plan, but it was an opportunity that presented itself and a risk the firm was willing

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 13, 2025, ISSUE 1605

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