11
F R O M T H E F O U N D E R
Thoughts I am having…
Being retired from the day-to-day business for nearly three years gives you more time to think.
A fter nearly three years of being retired from the day-to-day business of Zweig Group, I have more time to think. Let me say that has been glorious!
can refer to “consulting,” which IS a big part of the architecture and engineering business, and covers everything from lighting consultants to aerodynamic consultants to energy consultants to roofing consultants and more. At least that is how I choose to see it at this point. My former business partners at Zweig Group want to stick with one moniker for this vast “industry” we are a part of, I’m sure in large part due to how people find information these days online, and because of the fact that our industry and all of the providers to it seem to have adopted this moniker. Plus, there is the issue of vertical integration and the growth of design/build to consider. So henceforth, I will comply and join the throngs calling it the AEC business. ❚ ❚ There are many AEC firms that are successful
Here are a few things I have been thinking about lately: ❚ ❚ I will finally relent and refer to this industry as the AEC business, even though it is hard for me to do so. I was digging in my heels on this one because I think most people think the “C” in “AEC” stands for “construction.” As someone who has owned a construction contracting business as well as had ownership in multiple architecture and engineering firms, I see the two as wholly different animals. My own experience in construction over the last 16 plus years is that it has completely different people, different ethics, and vastly different economics from a professional services firm, and it’s easy to understand why so many of us coming from the architecture and engineering side struggle to compete successfully when we dip our foot into at-risk construction. That said, the “C” in “AEC”
Mark Zweig
See MARK ZWEIG, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER JUNE 14, 2021, ISSUE 1396
Made with FlippingBook Annual report