TZL 1363

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ON THE MOVE WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES PROMOTION OF SERGIO VALENTINI TO DIRECTOR, ARCHITECTURE Ware Malcomb , an award-winning international design firm, today announced Sergio Valentini has been promoted to Director, Architecture in the Los Angeles office. In this role, Valentini leads the growth and management of the Architecture Studio and oversees all architecture projects for the firm’s Los Angeles office. A multifaceted design professional, Valentini’s background includes team and project management of complex projects at different scales in a collaborative, creative environment. His understanding of different markets and strong technical background influence his design approach delivering the highest standard of client service while creating spaces that are sustainable, site specific and enhance the human experience. “Since joining Ware Malcomb last year, Sergio has successfully taken over the daily management of the Architecture Studio and spearheaded a diverse array of new work including residential adaptive reuse, creative office, entertainment, and industrial projects,” said Radwan Madani, principal of Ware Malcomb’s Los Angeles office. “Sergio’s leadership, work ethic and solid design and technical expertise have established him as a strong leader within our office and among our industry partners. We look forward to his continued contributions and leadership.” Valentini joined Ware Malcomb in 2019 as Studio Manager, Architecture in the Los Angeles office. Previously he worked at major firms in London, Chicago and Los Angeles. Valentini brings over 17 years of architecture

and design experience to the Ware Malcomb team, including international and domestic projects in high-rise office, mixed-use, entertainment, aviation, residential, and hospitality sectors. Valentini holds a Master of Architecture degree from Politecnico di Bari in Bari, Italy. He has been active in industry associations such as the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and is currently Chair of the Los Angeles chapter of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Established in 1972, Ware Malcomb is a contemporary and expanding full service design firm providing professional architecture, planning, interior design, civil engineering, branding and building measurement services. WATER/WASTEWATER EXPERT JEFFREY WING JOINS DEWBERRY Dewberry , a privately held professional services firm, has announced that Jeffrey J. Wing, PE, LEED AP, has joined the firm as the water/wastewater market segment leader for the Raleigh, North Carolina, office. Wing, who has more than 34 years of experience, spent the last four years as a vice president and director of utilities for WithersRavenel in Cary, North Carolina. Prior to that he spent 12 years at Kimley-Horn. He brings with him extensive multidiscipline engineering experience in project management and design for water conveyance, wastewater collection, water storage, onsite wastewater, site design, stormwater, and transportation projects. Wing has worked in the state/local, commercial, and industrial markets. Prior to moving to North Carolina in 2004, Wing spent time working in Sacramento, California, and Anchorage, Alaska.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jeff to our team,” says Dewberry Vice President Matt West, PE, LEED AP BD+C. “Our clients in the water market segment have unique challenges that require creative problem-solving, and Jeff’s expertise will add great value to their solutions.” Wing earned his master’s degree in environmental policy and management with a focus on energy and sustainability from the University of Denver, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Alaska Anchorage. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Water Works Association. Wing is actively involved in his community, and volunteers with Engineering Ministries International where he serves as an EMI Representative for North Carolina and is a chapter leader. His area of expertise is water and wastewater projects in developing countries, which includes biosand filters for water treatment and biodigesters for sanitation/energy development. 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. Recognized for combining unsurpassed commitment to client service with deep subject matter expertise, 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 2,000+ professionals nationwide.

GUIDE AND LEAD, from page 7

take, and what’s the timeline, to address the issue while minimizing impacts to the rest of the company? JD: We take a very data-centric, direct and transparent approach to help us identify problems and brainstorm on solutions. The key to adjusting departments, teams, or business lines that are not hitting targets is to avoid demoralizing the people working hard in those groups. Oftentimes it’s a process-related failure, not related to any one person. But as far as timing goes, there’s no time like the present to fix a problem; they don’t age well. TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way? JD: As we have gotten savvier with our data collection and analysis over the past few years, we’ve been able to really dig in deeper to our project financials, overhead, and true project costs. We learned the hard way that we had several jobs and clients that we were losing money on when it was all said and done. It’s sobering to see a number in red at the bottom of a spreadsheet after putting your blood, sweat, and tears into a project. But it’s also really motivating to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

planning, strategizing, and making decisions together. This approach aligns much better with our ego-free culture, allows for content experts in various fields to take ownership of that area of expertise and allows us to carry a bigger burden, collectively, instead of it being on any one person’s shoulders. “I’ve been very intentional about how I choose to spend my time each day, most of it spent working ‘on the business’ creating or fixing process issues to run more smoothly. It requires a lot of self-discipline and perfecting the art of delegating, which is the key to getting out of the weeds.” TZL: When you identify a part of your business that is not pulling its weight in terms of profitability or alignment with the firm’s mission, what steps do you

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THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 12, 2020, ISSUE 1363

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