TZL 1360 (web)

T R E N D L I N E S S e p t emb e r 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 , I s s u e 1 3 6 0 W W W . T H E Z W E I G L E T T E R . C O M

Emergency work premium

This is an opportunity to immerse your team in the best thought leadership and best practices in the AEC industry. Elevating the virtual experience

In Zweig Group’s 2020 Fee & Billing Report of AEC Firms , firms participating in the survey were asked if they charged a premium for “emergency work” or rush jobs. Almost a third of firms in the overall sample said they did charge an extra amount above their normal base fee. When analyzing the sample by firm profitability, we found that high profit firms were much more likely to charge these premiums than average or low profit firms. Participate in a survey and save 50 percent on the final or pre- publication price of any Zweig Group research publication. F I R M I N D E X Arora Engineers, Inc................................6 Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co.........4 Cowen Construction.............................10 Derck & Edson, LLC. ............................12 Dewberry........................................10, 12 EDA+FKI Engineers...............................10 Stantec...................................................2 Taylor Design. .........................................2 Wallace Engineering..............................10 Ware Malcomb........................................4 MO R E A R T I C L E S xz WILLIAM QUATMAN: A look back at design standard shifts Page 3 xz Leading by example: Manik Arora Page 6 xz MARK ZWEIG: The passing of a giant Page 9 xz JANE LAWLER SMITH: Writing right, right now Page 11

N ow that we are six months (and counting) into this COVID world, many could claim fatigue from endless Zoom meetings. Although I can relate, the reality is that virtual meetings are the way we connect during this time, and that connection is extremely critical. Our biggest “connecting” event is our annual conference, Elevate AEC, which posted our largest audience last year in Las Vegas with more than 400 attendees. The pillars of the event have been and continue to be Network, Learn, and Celebrate. Although those elements happen more naturally and easily in person, it doesn’t mean they can’t happen in a virtual environment. In fact, instead of viewing virtual as “plan B,” it’s an opportunity to say, “What can we do now that we couldn’t do in the traditional event?” It provided us the solution for Elevate AEC this year. This mindset can also be a powerful way for you to approach your business during this time. Instead of hitting the pause button on important initiatives, how can you do all of those things better with the current circumstances? ❚ ❚ The show must go on. The mission of Elevate AEC, to elevate the industry, must continue, and 2020 will be the biggest experience we’ve ever been able to offer. The 2020 Elevate AEC Virtual Experience will be an eight-week event, providing attendees powerful thought leadership and networking opportunities through highly produced live interactions. It includes both free and paid premium options. ❚ ❚ The free Elevate AEC experience. Everything that was a part of the original in-person event is going to be free, something that is not feasible with hotel, travel, and all of the other costs of a traditional event. As a result, the networking, learning, and celebration aspects are enhanced by a larger audience that has no travel or registration costs as a barrier. It kicks off September 30th with our inaugural ElevateHer Symposium, which is going to powerfully establish the purpose of the event to elevate the industry, transforming our ability to recruit and retain in the AEC industry. ❚ ❚ Something else we’ve never been able to do. Feedback from previous conferences included people wanting more training and thought leadership from Zweig Group and other industry leaders, something that was difficult to add to an already 2+ day conference. Training is also one of the top areas of AEC firm operations that has suffered due to COVID-19 (see the Impacts of COVID-19 on the AEC Industry Report). Now, we are able to provide this, and spread it out over eight weeks so people can get what they need only spending a few hours a day or week. We have to charge for this because this is our business, but it is an incredible deal. The paid premium experience offers unlimited access to an expanded array of exclusive seminars, webinars, keynote speeches, mini-conferences, roundtables, panel discussions, topical happy hours, workshops, and other premium learning and networking opportunities. It includes access to all of

Chad Clinehens

See CHAD CLINEHENS, page 2

T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R T H E A E C I N D U S T R Y

ON THE MOVE STRATEGIC HIRES ENHANCE TAYLOR DESIGN’S NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HEALTHCARE PRACTICE Taylor Design , an employee-owned architectural, interior design and design strategy firm, recently expanded its healthcare team in Sacramento and San Francisco. Joining the team are Teresa Endres, AIA, EDAC, AAH, and Ian Lawlor, AIA, LEED AP, both as project directors. “Teresa and Ian are both uniquely suited to help our clients address their current challenges and future needs,” says Kevin Hinrichs, AIA, LEED AP, president, Taylor Design. “With these important additions to our team, we are excited to continue expanding our healthcare design portfolio in Northern California. San Francisco is a known hub for excellent healthcare, of course, but the Sacramento area is also growing a vibrant, world-class network of healthcare facilities, and we’re pleased to be contributing to this growth.” With over 25 years of experience as an architect, healthcare planner, and project manager, Endres specializes in healthcare projects. Her expertise includes evidence-based design, healthcare planning, Lean health facility transformation, and OSHPD compliance. She has planned and managed over 25.5million square feet of projects with a total construction cost of more than $18 billion. Her projects have received awards from the AIA, Healthcare Design magazine, the ASHE Vista award, and Constructech magazine, among others. In addition, Endres serves as the chair of the Central Valley chapter’s AIA Academy of Architecture for Health, and is a member of the AIA National AAH Advisory Group. She is recognized as a leading expert in Lean planning and programming, having delivered numerous presentations and training sessions on the subject throughout her career. “Taylor Design has a corporate culture that is

deeply rooted in collaboration,” said Endres. “I am looking forward to working with a great team of people who are truly passionate about design.” Lawlor has a reputation as a project team leader for sustainable, high-performance architecture. He has more than 30 years of experience as a project architect, manager, and coordinator in the planning, detailing and construction of large-scale, complex healthcare and academic projects. Prior to joining Taylor Design, Lawlor was a project director for Stantec (formerly Anshen+Allen), where he collaborated on the LEED Gold certified UCSF Bakar Precision Cancer Medicine Building, the award-winning projects at VA Puget Sound Mental Health & Research Building in Seattle, and the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center in Cleveland. “I have worked alongside many of the staff members at Taylor Design throughout my career,” said Lawlor. “Joining the team feels like family already.” Taylor Design is a strategy-based design firm with practices in Architectural Design, Interior Design, and Design Strategy. The firm has five offices in California – Irvine, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento. Since 1979, Taylor Design has built a national reputation in the healthcare, education, science & technology, and senior living sectors. Taylor Design works with clients to discover, develop, and design solutions for the built environment. Clients include Kaiser Permanente, UC Davis, UC San Francisco; Stanford University; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; UC Berkeley; San Mateo County; Scripps Health, San Diego; UC San Diego Health System, San Diego; Sharp HealthCare; UC Irvine Health, Orange County; Hoag Health Network, Orange County; as well as others throughout California.

Driving Financial Results Webinar

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Solid financial management is crucial to the success of any company, and firms in the AEC industry are no exception. This short course provides an overview of business financial management – specifically tailored to our industry – to help firm leaders make informed decisions that drive results.

PO Box 1528 Fayetteville, AR 72702

Chad Clinehens | Publisher cclinehens@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Senior Editor & Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor czweig@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com

CHAD CLINEHENS, from page 1

our well-known seminars: The Principals Academy, CEO Roundtables, Elevating Doer- Sellers, Leadership Skills for AEC Professionals, Project Management Training, M&A Next, and more. ❚ ❚ Network, learn, and celebrate like never before. With the elimination of travel, hotel, meal costs, and a lower overall price point, you can now network with more firms and learn and celebrate with your team or entire firm. We’ve got enterprise licenses available to give your entire firm access to the entire experience. Use this opportunity to immerse your team in the best thought leadership and best practices in the AEC industry. I hope to see you and your team networking, learning, and celebrating throughout the eight-week Elevate AEC experience. Collectively, we will elevate the industry! CHAD CLINEHENS is Zweig Group’s president and CEO. Contact him at cclinehens@zweiggroup.com. THE VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE The 2020 Elevate AEC Virtual Experience will be an eight-week event, providing attendees powerful thought leadership and networking opportunities through highly produced live interactions. This experience will kick off with the inaugural ElevateHer Symposium and will include daily doses of keynote speeches, learning sessions, virtual social mixing events, and awards celebrations. Learn more.

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Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Facebook: facebook.com/thezweigletter Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/year) $250 for one-year print subscription; free electronic subscription at thezweigletter.com/subscribe © Copyright 2020, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

O P I N I O N

The ways our businesses and facilities function in relation to employees and customers are bound to adjust due to COVID-19. A look back at design standard shifts

T he ways our businesses and facilities function in relation to employees and customers are bound to adjust due to the current pandemic. Spacing, ventilation, and physical barriers are only a few areas that are in need of standardized guidelines to mitigate risks. However, developing and adopting new design standards and codes is a process that normally takes years, sometimes decades. A good example is the Americans with Disabilities Act.

William Quatman

The first nationally recognized accessible design standard – ANSI A117.1 – was released in 1961. But the ADA didn’t become law until July 1990. And a full year after that, the U.S. Department of Justice issued official design guidelines – the ADA Accessibility Guidelines – in July 1991. Businesses and the public were then given more than another year to comply with ADAAG standards before enforcement began. In total, 32 years passed from the first ANSI standard until the ADAAG was applied in 1993. Since then, the ADAAG has continued to evolve. It was revised four times between 1994 and 2010 and even the last version had a delayed enforcement period to early 2012.

The short story is official design guidelines are slow to be developed and made into law. And it stands to reason that this process will also apply to new design standards for the mitigation and prevention of infectious diseases, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. COPING WITH A GAP IN GUIDELINES. It took less than three months from the first report to the World Health Organization for COVID-19 to bring the world to a halt. With shelter-in-place orders throughout state and local governments in the U.S., cities and businesses were forced to shut their doors and favor social distancing for months. As a gradual, nationwide reopening began in May, though,

See WILLIAM QUATMAN, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

BUSINESS NEWS WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF FIRST 5 CENTER IN VALLEJO Ware Malcomb , an award-winning international design firm, announced construction is complete on the new Vallejo First 5 Center located at 3375 Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo, California. Ware Malcomb provided interior architecture and design services for the project. The new 7,500 square foot Vallejo First 5 Center, located within the Vallejo Plaza Shopping Center, is an innovative hub created to engage low income families in the community and provide a space for children to play, learn and grow. The facility includes children’s classrooms, a board room, conference rooms, open office space, meeting/huddle rooms, and family restrooms. The focal point of the space is a large indoor playground featuring a

fantasy theme of bugs and the outdoors. The playground includes wood logs and a giant mushroom house for kids to explore. “The goal of the Vallejo First 5 Center was to create a safe and welcoming environment for the families they serve, while also making it fun and playful for kids,” said Gary Drew, regional vice president of Ware Malcomb’s Pleasanton office. “It was exciting to design a space that meets all of the First 5 Center’s diverse needs, so that they can in turn meet the needs of local families for many years to come.” The Vallejo First 5 Center staff and community partners provide support for parents through workshops and classes, as well as connecting families to community resources. The Center offers over 20 classes each month for families including art, science, cooking, dance, music,

movement, baby sign language, preparing for kindergarten, and story time. Services and programs are provided at no cost. The general contractor for the project was Underwood Construction. 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 to corporate, commercial/residential developer and public/institutional clients throughout the world. With office locations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the firm specializes in the design of commercial office, corporate, industrial, science and technology, healthcare, retail, auto, public/institutional facilities and renovation projects.

WILLIAM QUATMAN, from page 3

through window for customer service; and incorporating specialized negative pressure ventilation in some settings, such as for aerosol-generation procedures in airborne infection isolation rooms and specialized autopsy suites. However, OSHA then gets more general again in discussing topics such as hand-washing instructions, signage in restrooms and wearing of personal protective equipment – all nice to know, but this level of information is almost intuitive to facility and business owners. What they want – and need – are specifics. CALLING FOR A STANDARD OF CARE. Right now, the industry needs the ADAAG equivalent of design guidelines for COVID-19, identifying how-to information to lay out spaces, select materials, and install systems that mitigate exposure to current and future contagions. In the absence of this guidance, the market is becoming saturated with individual firms’ thoughts on best practices and what our post-pandemic workplace will look like. Granted, the ideas these firms share are great, but what facility and business owners truly need is concrete, codelike standards developed by the brightest in each sector of the building industry, debated and adopted as the “standard of care.” The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry association, ASHRAE, is moving in that direction with its newly assembled Epidemic Task Force. This group aims to produce much-needed guidance to help hospitals and clinics cope with COVID-19 cases and ventilation, but the release timeline is unknown. Once a design standard for buildings is published and adopted into law, whether at federal or local levels, facility and business owners can rely on the resulting design minimums to create spaces that mitigate and prevent the spread of contagious diseases. Until we have the collective knowledge of industry specialists to guide designs and budgets like the ADA does, we must rely on individual approaches to best practices to provide a safe workplace for employees and others. WILLIAM QUATMAN, FAIA, Esq., is general counsel and senior vice president at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. He can be reached at bquatman@burnsmcd.com.

facility and business owners were faced with another challenge: wondering what new design standards would be required for workplaces and habitable spaces to mitigate the risk of communicable diseases like COVID-19. If the ADA is any guidance, it may be years before nationwide standards are published and adopted. Some well-intentioned national organizations have provided high-level recommendations, such as Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; Comprehensive Hospital Preparedness Checklist for Coronavirus Disease 2019 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; or the Preparedness Assessment Tool and Re-occupancy Assessment Tool from the American Institute of Architects. However, all lack specific design details, like those found in ADAAG. Instead, this guidance emerging during the pandemic paints in broad brush strokes about things like: ❚ ❚ Developing infectious disease preparedness and response plans. ❚ ❚ Preparing to implement basic infection prevention measures. ❚ ❚ Developing policies and procedures for prompt identification and isolation of sick people, if appropriate. ❚ ❚ Developing, implementing, and communicating about workplace flexibilities and protections. ❚ ❚ Implementing workplace controls. Certainly, discussion of broad topics such as physical distancing, contact transfer, aerosols, and waterborne contaminants are helpful, but they are not specific enough to guide a facility or business owner on exactly what to do. OSHA does delve deeper into highly sought-after information for engineering controls, such as installing high-efficiency air filters; increasing ventilation rates in the work environment; installing physical barriers, such as clear plastic sneeze guards; installing a drive-

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE

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Everything we do is in pursuit of elevating the AEC industry, bringing awareness of the incredible impact that engineers, architects, environmental professionals, survey- ors, planners, landscape architects and related professional service providers have on the world. Empowering organizations with the resources they need to perform better, grow and add jobs, pay better wages and to expand their impact on the community, Zweig Group exists to advance the profession.

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THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

P R O F I L E

Leading by example: Manik Arora President and CEO Arora Engineers, Inc. (Chadds Ford, PA), a firm that meets the evolving needs of its clients through more intelligent, sustainable, infrastructure solutions.

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent

A rora is the chief visionary and leader at Arora Engineers. He loves to be challenged and has a strong penchant for winning. As president and CEO, his most important responsibility is to Arora’s clients, ensuring their needs are met and exceeded. Within the firm, he promotes the company’s values of innovation, collaboration, and hyper-responsiveness to its 200+ professionals, nationwide. On a personal note, Arora is a motorcyclist and when the weather is nice, you can find him de-stressing by riding back roads. “Communication is vital to productivity,” Arora says. “I’ve always believed that it’s not about correcting someone, it’s about connecting with someone. If you do not connect, they may not be there for you when you need them. I also make it a point to personally visit people, sit in their offices, and have discussions about what’s going on.” A CONVERSATION WITH MANIK ARORA. The Zweig Letter: You started your career as in intern

with the city of Philadelphia’s Division of Aviation. Is there anything you learned there that you still carry with you today? Manik Arora: As an intern, I learned that the practicality of what happens in the field can be very different from what we perceive when we’re in an office environment. The chief engineer at the time taught me about the importance of quality and proper communication to ensure a well- executed project. I’ve carried that with me, always considering, “How do we ensure we provide the quality needed for a project?” I also learned that understanding the construction in the field has its own way of making you a better designer. Once you understand that what happens in the field is much more complex, you can bridge the gaps to design. I also learned that I was passionate about aviation. TZL: How far into the future are you able to reliably predict your workload and cashflow?

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTE

MA: The good news is that from a workload standpoint and from revenue projections, we can actually see out to mid- year 2021. With regards to cashflow, we look at our accounts receivable daily, but with a cashflow analysis we can see out to nine months. “I walk the walk and work as a change agent. I believe my role is not only to administer the entire firm and to set us up for success, but it’s my job to lead by example.” TZL: What role does your family play in your career? Are work and family separate, or is there overlap? MA: My parents have played a big role in my career. I grew up in the business and have worked with them for about 28 years. Even though they are retired, they still play a role and come into the office to work. I learned how to work hard for them and how to be genuine and sincere in our work. TZL: What type of leader do you consider yourself to be? MA: I walk the walk and work as a change agent. I believe my role is not only to administer the entire firm and to set us up for success, but it’s my job to lead by example. TZL: What, if anything, are you doing to protect your firm from a potential economic slowdown in the future? MA: We have set up our firm and diversified ourselves into five lines of business: Planning and design, program and construction management, facilities management, information technology, and asset management. This allows us to not only deliver a wide range of services to clients, but provides us with different sources of income to take us through any turbulent times to come. TZL: The firm was founded in 1986. What’s been the most challenging evolution to take place at Arora? How did you meet it? MA: My father, Manohar (Mike) Arora founded the company shortly after immigrating to the United States. His first office was in our family’s basement with my mother, Adarsh, who handled the accounting and human resources.

Originally, Arora only provided electrical engineering services, however additional services were added quickly as they grew. Those services included: mechanical, plumbing, fire alarm and suppression and security/special systems engineering. The most challenging evolution, we’ve encountered was migrating from a family firm to a corporation of about 230+ employees. While we are still a wholly- owned firm, it has been a challenge to make sure that our growing number of employees fully understand our culture, core values, and business philosophies. As a team, we’ve spent a lot of time focusing on the communication of these aspects through the use of DISC assessments and properly recruiting and managing the firm. We believe it’s very important that everyone has the same understanding and focus on our brand, why we do what we do, and making sure that that message is consistent. TZL: It is often said that people leave managers, not companies. What are you doing to ensure that your line leadership are great people managers? MA: To ensure the success of our leadership staff, our managers meet quarterly to assess financial impacts, employee engagement, and the breadth of production across all our offices. Also, we have established a Leadership and Talent Development group that focuses on the growth of communication across our firm, making use of DISC assessments and communication exercises that help us work more efficiently within our teams and across teams. “We are proud of that fact and we consistently look for ways to improve and create diversity across the firm. Externally, as a diverse business, we work with multiple equal opportunity agencies to promote diverse primes in the marketplace.” TZL: How often do you valuate your firm and what key metrics do you use in the process? Do you valuate using in-house staff or is it outsourced? MA: We valuate our firm annually and the key metrics we employ are looking at EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), applying See LEADING BY EXAMPLE, page 8

HEADQUARTERS: Chadds Ford, PA NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 230+ YEAR FOUNDED: 1986 NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: ❚ ❚ Chadds Ford, PA ❚ ❚ Atlanta, GA ❚ ❚ Baltimore, MD ❚ ❚ Boston, MA ❚ ❚ Charlotte, NC ❚ ❚ Chicago, IL ❚ ❚ Irving, TX

❚ ❚ Plantation, FL ❚ ❚ Cerritos, CA ❚ ❚ Nashville, TN ❚ ❚ New York, NY ❚ ❚ Philadelphia, PA ❚ ❚ San Jose, CA ❚ ❚ Philadelphia, PA ❚ ❚ St. Petersburg, FL MARKET SECTORS: ❚ ❚ Aviation ❚ ❚ Transportation ❚ ❚ Education

❚ ❚ Government ❚ ❚ Commercial ❚ ❚ Services:

❚ ❚ Initial planning and design ❚ ❚ Program and construction management ❚ ❚ Facilities management ❚ ❚ Geospatial technology (data solutions, organizational solutions, system solutions, research and studies) TAGLINE: Rethinking Infrastructure®

EMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

Arora Engineers staff taking part in Red Nose Day, a campaign with the mission to end child poverty.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE, from page 7

TZL: How do you maintain a culture of collaboration and “hyper-responsiveness?” MA: We combine face-to-face interactions with the use of technology. I believe in the lost art of, “If someone calls you, you must at least call them back.” Also, if you cannot get something done, communicate that to your colleague. Communication is vital to productivity. I’ve always believed that it’s not about correcting someone, it’s about connecting with someone. If you do not connect, they may not be there for you when you need them. I also make it a point to personally visit people, sit in their offices, and have discussions about what’s going on, instead of just reading an email. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility as CEO?

a multiple that we feel is tied to our industry, as well as looking at our year over year revenue growth, all of which we outsource. We also do a benchmarking analysis to evaluate where we stand in the industry compared to our peers. “My parents have played a big role in my career. I grew up in the business and have worked with them for about 28 years. Even though they are retired, they still play a role and come into the office to work. I learned how to work hard for them and how to be genuine and sincere in our work.” TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way? MA: Early in my career I learned that you cannot be nervous to pay for extensive experience. I discovered that the amount you put toward a less experienced employee and the subsequent turnover would have equated to what you would have paid for the right, qualified senior employee in the first place. I also learned that we cannot allow our firm to become lopsided with too many managers and not enough skilled workers on our team to efficiently complete all aspects of our projects.

MA: Growth is not an option, it’s required.

TZL: Diversity and inclusion are lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue? MA: Internally, 48 percent of our firm is made up of minority and female employees. We are proud of that fact and we consistently look for ways to improve and create diversity across the firm. Externally, as a diverse business, we work with multiple equal opportunity agencies to promote diverse primes in the marketplace.

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

O P I N I O N

The passing of a giant

“My good friend of more than 25 years, Jack Portman passed away suddenly on the morning of August 28.”

M y good friend of more than 25 years, John C. Portman, III – known by all as “Jack” Portman, chairman of Portman Architects – passed away suddenly on the morning of August 28. I just spoke to him a couple nights earlier and he was supposed to call me the day he died. He wasn’t sick. He was vital. He was nine years older and like a brother to me. We both went through a lot personally and professionally as individuals and together over the years.

Mark Zweig

Jack and I had a special relationship from the onset. I worked for his father, John C. Portman, Jr., who was one of – if not the world’s most financially successful architects. John Portman made his money, however, by combining his futuristic design abilities with his entrepreneurial skills as a developer and businessperson. He invented the atrium hotel and sold it to Hyatt. He created The Merchandise Mart in downtown Atlanta and started the redevelopment of the city that continues to this day. All told Portman designed and developed something like 28 medium- and high-rise buildings in downtown Atlanta alone over 50+ years.

also an architect, was instrumental to the success of Portman over the years. He was a talented designer in his own right. But besides the fact that he was just a great guy who could make anyone feel special, he got Portman the opportunity to do their very first project in mainland China – Shanghai Centre – also the first development project done by any American company on mainland Chinese soil. A Harvard GSD grad in 1973, Jack moved to Hong Kong in 1979 and later to Shanghai. He also spent a lot of time in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, and India. The guy had a great sense of humor. One time

See MARK ZWEIG, page 10

But enough about John Portman. His son, Jack,

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

BUSINESS NEWS GROUNDBREAKING HELD FOR SOUNDMIND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOSPITAL SoundMind Behavioral Health Hospital LLC has broken ground on a 55,000-square-foot facility in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, for general and geriatric inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services. The hospital, which will serve patients with acute mental and behavioral problems, including dementia, has been designed by Dewberry as a trauma-informed healing environment that will support safe and efficient operations. Dewberry’s design team worked extensively with administrators, physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, patients, and local authorities to design the hospital with a focus on comfort, safety, and compassionate care. The 72-bed hospital, set on a 14-acre site, will consist of three separate nursing units with 24 beds each. Each nursing unit includes a seclusion room, quiet room, and a nurses’ station with clear sightlines throughout the corridors.

Additional service areas include spaces for patient assessment and admitting, an ECT procedure room, a commons area/ activity space, visitor rooms, a dining room, provider offices and administrative areas, and outpatient group therapy areas. The facility has been carefully planned for visual monitoring of all patients when away from their rooms, and features anti-ligature hardware, doors, plumbing, and other building components specified for patient safety and suicide avoidance. The design emphasizes the creation of warm and inviting spaces that promote a calm and healing environment. Daylight and connections to nature, proven to positively impact patient moods, are emphasized throughout the facility with expansive windows and courtyards with visual and physical access to the outdoors. Artwork was also selected to enhance the therapeutic, calming, and restorative atmosphere within the patient spaces.

Dewberry is the prime architect, interior design consultant, and structural engineer for the project. EDA+FKI Engineers is serving as the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineer. Wallace Engineering is providing site/civil engineering. Cowen Construction is the general contractor. The project is scheduled to be complete in 2021. 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 more than 2,000 professionals nationwide.

MARK ZWEIG, from page 9

748, a motorcycle only someone half-crazy like Jack would use to commute to work. The real evidence of his character was shown by how he treated everyone he met as if they were special. He would always talk to the servers at any restaurant we went to. On one of my trips to Atlanta I was waiting for an Uber to pick me up in front of the Indigo Hotel downtown. The parking valet asked me what I was doing in Atlanta. I told him we were there visiting a friend. He asked me who. I said “Jack Portman.” He immediately smiled and said, “Oh yes! Mr. Portman comes over here and every time he does he stops to talk to us. Such a nice guy.” He never acted like he thought he was special because of his success. Jack loved his children (he had five) and all of his family members, and bragged about each of them a lot. He was also one of those people who maintained good relationships even with his ex-wives (not always easy – I speak from experience!). He took both of them and all of their kids on vacation together last year. The guy was fearless. Even though he was smaller in stature and soft-spoken, he would not back down from any kind of an altercation if he deemed it worth fighting for. And he would go anywhere to win a project. Portman was always pioneering. They did (and still do) huge landmark projects that functioned as seeds to revitalize urban areas. He would immerse himself in the local culture, learn the language, and know exactly what to do to bring it all to fruition. I don’t have that many friends that I regularly talk to. I’m going to miss Jack greatly as I know everyone in the Portman Companies will as well. MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

we had gone some time without seeing or talking to each other and he texted me out of the blue. He simply said, “I’m in New Delhi. There’s nothing new about it.” Jack’s father wasn’t always an easy guy to work for, and I’m sure it wasn’t always easy being his son and working in the business that bore his name. John Portman was powerful, demanding, and a larger than life figure. We all called him “Mr. Portman.” I always thought he was lucky to have Jack working there because not only did the Asian business Portman had because of Jack save them in the ‘90s, Jack was also the one who could always make people (including me!) feel better after they had a difficult interaction with his father. He knew how to treat people. Back in February, my wife and I were in Atlanta visiting with Jack and doing some work for Portman Architects. It was Valentine’s Day and Jack didn’t want any of us to miss it. He took my wife, Rob Halverson (president of Portman Architects) and his wife, and myself out for an amazing Valentine’s dinner. He was considerate and thoughtful. Jack had a million crazy stories and there are as many about him as he told. One time I was in Atlanta and he and I walked to dinner. On the way back to the office we started talking about one of our favorite subjects – cars. He always had cool ones. He told me he got a new car and asked if I wanted to see it. In the first parking place in the company parking garage sat a brand new Ferrari F355 Spider. He threw the keys to me and told me to take it out for a while. So I drove around Atlanta with the top down that night and felt like a rock star. Jack came to our firm’s first “Racing to the Future” CEO conference in 1997 that we held in Palm Beach that included two days at Skip Barber Racing School. He also came to our third “Racing to the Future” in Las Vegas years later at “Fast” Freddie Spencer’s superbike school. Afterward he traded his Harley in for a souped up Ducati

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

O P I N I O N

Writing right, right now

In our current digital and remote work environment, the basic task of note taking has become enormously important.

V ideo conferencing, video chats, Zoom, Skype, Monday.com, Basecamp, Planit. The list is long. And it was sudden. Yet here we are, all living in a remote work world. Strangely, some of us are getting more face time – albeit via a laptop monitor – than we had with our co-workers before.

Jane Lawler Smith

Yet as we zip from one Zoom to another, what are we left with? ❚ ❚ Some sense of personal connection. ❚ ❚ Perhaps a to-do list item or two. ❚ ❚ But often, especially when video meetings are scheduled back-to-back-to-back, an overwhelming feeling of dismay and the thought “what just happened?” “Remote working tends to shift the emphasis from verbal communication to written communication,” according to Gapingvoid’s article “A New Remote Era Unfolds.” “As handy as Skype and Zoom are, nobody wants to spend six hours a day on them. Be ready and act accordingly.” Which leads us to a real need – to start writing right, right now.

In our overwhelming digital and remote work environment, the basic task of note taking has become enormously important. We must all become active meeting participants during our remote meetings. This means not only contributing to the conversation, but also following all parts of the conversation. And to make sure our meetings are most effective – in the moment and in the days and weeks to come – we need to be intentional about our writing and recording. Which is easy if you follow a few basic steps: ❚ ❚ Assign a scribe. Unless someone is recording the conversation during your meeting, you are wasting time. This has always been true but is more significant now when you can’t just pop your head

See JANE LAWLER SMITH, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

BUSINESS NEWS THREE DEWBERRY PROJECTS RECEIVE 2020 ACEC NY ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS Dewberry , a privately held professional services firm, received three awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York. The Engineering Excellence Award winners are selected among submissions from more than 60 member firms that are judged on a variety of criteria, including complexity, innovation, and value to society. Dewberry projects earned diamond and platinum awards. Diamond Award, Transportation Category – Wyandanch and Pinelawn Stations Track and System Installations for the New Second Track on the Main Line Ronkonkoma Branch Phase II Option No. 2 Dewberry served as the lead designer as part of the design-build team for MTA Long Island Rail Road Wyandanch and Pinelawn Stations. The MTA LIRR Wyandanch Station involved two 12-car-long platforms, with an automated snow and ice melt system, a pedestrian overpass with elevators, new stairs, canopies, and platform shelters. The firm designed a custom automated snow and ice melt system that heats the platform and prevents snow and ice from accumulating. The MTA LIRR Pinelawn Station included the design of two 192-foot platforms, passenger shelters, parking areas, and site improvements. Structural elements and building components were prefabricated

Platinum Award, Transportation Category – Arthur Sheridan Enhancement Project An AECOM/Dewberry joint venture led the effort for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) in developing the preliminary engineering and design report, while providing community outreach support, leading final design completion, and providing construction support services. The project also incorporated NYSDOT’s design of the arch bridge over the Bronx River into the contract. This was the first project in New York state to de-designate a federal interstate highway. The existing expressway was transformed into an urban arterial highway with a boulevard treatment. Many iterations of traffic modeling and analysis were required to develop the pedestrian crosswalk features and signal timing to achieve optimal vehicle throughput and safety for the pedestrians. 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.

and assembled either offsite or in staging areas adjacent to the tracks for faster, safer installation for both stations. The project is valued by the traveling public and an economic driver for the Wyandanch area and the Town of Babylon. It supports transit-oriented development, which promotes sustainability, urban mobility, and the reduction of traffic congestion. The Second Track Program, for which these stations are an integral part, has changed the experience of the commute for riders along the 18- mile stretch between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale by introducing the double track that provides more train service and flexibility for the reverse commute. Platinum Award, Studies, Research, and Consulting Engineering Services Category – Hunts Point Interstate Access Improvement Project An AECOM/Dewberry joint venture provided project scoping, preliminary engineering, and preparation of an environmental impact statement for the $1.7 billion project. The Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, located on the Hunts Point Peninsula, is the largest food distribution facility in the nation, but there is no direct highway connection into and out of the peninsula. The goal of the project was to improve mobility, operations, and safety within the corridor, while improving access to the peninsula.

JANE LAWLER SMITH, from page 11

❚ ❚ Review and compress. Finally, review all your notes to ensure that you have clearly stated conclusions, avoid ______ words, and write clearly. In the words of Winston Churchill, “It is slothful not to compress your thoughts.“ WELCOME THE CHANGE. As with so many things in 2020, this may be a new role for many people in your firm. However, if everyone is expected to step in as scribe on a rotating basis, an added bonus is you will be building a more efficient firm, day by day. And these skills will translate into whatever future work environments are to come. FromThe Basecamp Guide to Internal Communication: “Speaking only helps who’s in the room, writing helps everyone. This includes people who couldn’t make it, or future employees who join years from now.” Mark Zweig’s “The Importance of Communications” outlines some resources for training and coaching. Here are a few more resources that are as witty as they are right: ❚ ❚ “Writing = Math: Why Smart B2B Engineers Don’t Have To Be Bad B2B Writers” by Cliff Lewis ❚ ❚ Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris ❚ ❚ Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer JANE LAWLER SMITH, MBA, is the marketing manager at Derck & Edson, LLC. She can be reached at jsmith@derckandedson.com.

over the cubicle wall or saunter down the hall to ask for clarification. Therefore, the scribe or note-taker is a primary role. Allow for time to clarify points and confirm agreement. If possible, carve out 10-15 minutes, post-meeting, to finalize notes and distribute to all meeting attendees. ❚ ❚ Recap fast. As soon after your meeting as possible, flex your typing muscles and record all thoughts from the meeting. This is not the time for editing – just get the information recorded, as quickly as your fingers will allow. ❚ ❚ Put first things first. Next, review your notes and determine the most important conclusions or tasks. Create short statements to reflect each and move them to the beginning of your notes. Do not bury action items. “This may be a new role for many people in your firm. However, if everyone is expected to step in as scribe on a rotating basis, an added bonus is you will be building a more efficient firm, day by day. And these skills will translate into whatever future work environments are to come.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2020, ISSUE 1360

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