TZL 1337

CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES, from page 1

Zweig Group’s AEC Industry Outlook & Response to COVID-19 Survey is still open for participation. This is a very short questionnaire that should take no more than 10-15 minutes. Participants will receive a free report of this survey’s findings as well as a $100 discount on any Zweig Group research publication. The best advice of all? “‘Crisis does not make leaders, it reveals leaders.’ Those firms with open eyes and a plan can address the challenges and perhaps come out strong,” said Davis. CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES is director of marketing and media at Zweig Group. Contact her at czweig@zweiggroup.com. the firm didn’t start out this way, they have found many benefits to having everyone work from home. “As a nationwide consulting firm, this allows us to be in many markets, and the flexibility is incredible for employees,” said Stephen E. Manelis, principal, Blackstone Consulting LLC. Manelis also cites investments in technology for virtual meetings, presentations, and the ability to share documents, as important steps in allowing for this type of workplace to flourish, as was an intentional hiring strategy of individuals who are “self-starters” and appreciate teamwork. Another benefit of this strategy: “It’s very good for retention – we have very little turnover here,” said Manelis. The Zweig Group survey found that the average amount of workforce at an AEC firm that could work remotely was only 55 percent. Obstacles to remote work included a workforce that routinely works on-site at project locations (for example, land surveying, construction sites), and a lack of computers/equipment that could be used away from the office. Just over half of all firms responded that so far challenges presented by the virus have not led to project cancellations, with 55 percent stating that no projects had been cancelled and no cancellations or delays were currently anticipated. Only 3 percent of firms had cancelled or delayed a project, but 12 percent were experiencing client-related delays, and the other 32 percent were still considering. Manelis said that his firm has a couple of delays on projects from clients and expects a few bumps in the road as investors move to the sidelines with this uncertainty. “We’re hearing from clients that there’s some hesitancy, but it’s temporary,” Manelis said. As far as planning for an economic downturn, Blackstone’s remote workplace has a few other advantages: “Looking at our own fixed costs, knowing that we don’t have leases really helps us, but still, a lot of revenue is derived from traveling and we have to be very careful right now and do not want to contribute to the spread of this virus.” In the survey, when asked about COVID-19’s impact on the firmwide budget, firms were evenly split, with half reporting they did not anticipate any budget changes and just under 50 percent still considering changes. Sixty percent of respondents felt their revenue would be impacted in 2020 by an average decrease of 12 percent, and nearly 70 percent of firms stated they felt the virus would affect their overall business development activities in the next 12 months. Despite fears surrounding the logistical challenges presented by firms’ individual and government mandated responses to try to stop the spread of the virus, most firms are feeling OK about the economy at present, with 45 percent stating economic conditions in their market are “the same” as one year ago, and 34 percent of firms stating economic conditions are “somewhat better.” On the other end, 13 percent reported that conditions are “somewhat worse.” Small percentages reported they felt the current economy was much worse or much better. Looking forward, the bulk of respondents, 47 percent, stated they felt that the economy would be in “somewhat worse shape” in another 12 months.

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1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 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 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. Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560

THE ZWEIG LETTER March 23, 2020, ISSUE 1337

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