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PROFILE
Taking care of people: Ken Hanifan Vice president of strategy at Westwood (Minneapolis, MN), an awarding-winning firm that provides multi-disciplined surveying and engineering services.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
H anifan supports Westwood in its development, execution, and monitoring of the strategic plan objectives to achieve the company goals. He oversees the company acquisition pipeline and is a member of the team responsible for identifying and evaluating potential acquisitions. “At Westwood, we work hard to integrate the seller at a pace that is comfortable for them,” Hanifan says. “We listen to the challenges and work very hard to overcome them. This is a people business and our number one priority is to take care of the people.” A CONVERSATION WITH KEN HANIFAN. The Zweig Letter: Your firm was acquired by Westwood in 2019. Tell me about the transition. What was your role before and how has it changed? Ken Hanifan: Prior to the acquisition, my role in Slater Hanifan Group was as CEO and president. Post transaction, my role changed several times throughout the more than four years since the transaction. Fortunately, Westwood’s leadership has worked with me to find a seat on the bus that is rewarding. In
my current role, we work on the short-, mid-, and long-term strategic planning for the company, including mergers and acquisitions. TZL: Your online bio states that you’re responsible for identifying and evaluating potential acquisitions. What are the key factors that most influence your decision to move forward or not? KH: There are several key factors that play into our decision to move forward including: Do our services match up well? What is the depth of their bench at the leadership level? Will our cultures blend well? What are the future plans for the leadership team? How will they integrate into Westwood? Do they want to continue to grow? TZL: Since you’ve been in this role, what have been the most challenging acquisitions Westwood has made and why? How were those challenges met? KH: Each acquisition has its own challenges, but most revolve around the people. Change is difficult and it is the seller’s and buyer’s responsibility to help the people integrate into
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