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ON THE MOVE WYCLIFFE OGEGA JOINS DEWBERRY Dewberry , a privately held professional services firm, has announced that Wycliffe Ogega, PE, has joined the firm as a project manager in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office. With nearly 10 years of experience, Ogega join’s the firm’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing group to expand its power systems services. He serves healthcare, municipal, commercial, industrial, and institutional clients
by performing short circuit, protective device coordination, arc flash, and load flow studies. In addition to his responsibilities as a power systems designer, Ogega is responsible for leading arc flash training and data collection exercises for clients and staff. Ogega earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota and is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the National
Society of Black Engineers. Dewberry is a leading, market-facing firm with a proven history of providing professional services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients. Dewberry is dedicated to solving clients’ most complex challenges and transforming their communities. Established in 1956, Dewberry is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with more than 50 locations and more than 2,000 professionals nationwide.
SET THE VISION, from page 7
drones are all part of this modern tech we’re using, and it continues to advance. For our policies, I like to always encourage family first and keep a good work-life balance. Even before the pandemic, we adjusted our policy to allow more flexibility in working from home and investing in the hardware and software for our team to do that. It benefits all of us if we give our people freedom and have the resources to be productive, not only in the office, but at home as well. Finally, opening two offices outside of Minster – Columbus in 2018 and Indianapolis this year – has been exciting. This has allowed us to expand our reach and enter into new markets. “Having someone from outside the business to turn to as an advisor is important. Sometimes it takes that outside perspective to offer a different way of doing things.” TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility as CEO? EB: Lead. I, along with our board of directors, need to set the vision and the example. I have to follow through on our why, which is to impact communities through dedicated service and smart design. My goal is to motivate our people to join me in that journey. I try to be that steady voice, reminding them who we are, why we do what we do, and where we’re going. It’s important to me that our people value our vision, mission, and values. TZL: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? EB: I believe it goes back to providing a culture where everyone feels valued and respected. We also want to put them in the best position to grow personally and professionally. To do this we’ve implemented social and wellness committees and created a team specifically for giving back to the communities we serve with volunteer and philanthropic efforts. The company also provides access to RightNow Media, which is a great resource for faith, professional, and personal growth with its video- based content. We’ve provided a competitive benefits package with profit sharing, paying overtime, flexible work hours, etc. At the end of the day, we want a total team effort, creating an environment where we’re all working toward and sharing in the success.
long, but it actually was done strategically. We had to be very intentional with our transition plan and not rush the process. It’s difficult to just turn over the keys to a business without training and coaching on how the business is run; there’s a lot of transfer of knowledge that has to happen. And for me, it was important to keep the legacy of what the founders built. Another key was using a business advisor. They guided us through some key components to work through in the transition, such as vision, mission, values, organizational chart, and strategic planning. Having someone from outside the business to turn to as an advisor is important. Sometimes it takes that outside perspective to offer a different way of doing things. TZL: What unique or innovative pricing strategies have you developed, or are you developing, to combat the commoditization of engineering services? EB: We’d rather not combat commoditization with pricing strategies. Companies can get caught up in pricing wars at times, and we prefer to set ourselves apart. In accordance with the Ohio Revised Code, it must be qualification-based in the public sector when an owner selects a design firm. We want to partner with a client who values us for who we are, the quality of work we do, and our level of service. TZL: Research shows that PMs are overworked, understaffed and that many firms do not have formal training programs for PMs. What is your firm doing to support its PMs? EB: We understand how important it is to invest in training and professional development for our PMs. They are given outside formal training on the project management role, and internally, we meet to discuss what it means to be a PM at Garmann Miller, what challenges they have, and what tools they need to be successful. We have a weekly production meeting and weekly PM meetings, which give them the opportunity to talk about what help they need and what’s going on. We’ve also implemented monthly check-ins to stay connected and allow for training opportunities. TZL: Since you started with Garmann Miller, what are some of the more significant changes you’ve experienced (new technology, policies, new service lines, etc.)? EB: AutoCAD to Revit, modeling in 3D design, has been significant. I’m really proud of our group. They’ve embraced this technology, and I’m amazed by how talented they are working in it. 3D animations, laser scanning, and
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THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 29, 2021, ISSUE 1385
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