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Opportunity to succeed: Chris Schultz President of Raba Kistner, Inc., a firm that is committed to empowering employees to continually improve and deliver services right the first time, on time, every time.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
A t Raba Kistner (San Antonio, Texas), Schultz provides strategic leadership and is responsible for the overall operations and resources of the company. During his 32 years with the company, he’s been responsible for scope development, contracting, financial management, and implementation of Raba Kistner’s geotechnical engineering projects across many industries. “Provide an environment for everybody to have the opportunity to succeed,” Schultz says. A CONVERSATIONWITH CHRIS SCHULTZ. The Zweig Letter: Since assuming the role of president in 2021, what do you consider to be one of your most significant accomplishments and why? Chris Schultz: Maintaining the company culture through massive changes and a pandemic – or at least I hope I have. Through any leadership transition, it’s critical for employees to remain top of mind. This was magnified during the pandemic. There was much planning and preparation that went into
ensuring my assumption of the role would be seamless, both internally for our team and externally for clients. Through a year of several key leadership changes, pandemics, and immense company growth, which included two acquisitions, I have and will continue to prioritize our employees and company culture. TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? CS: It all starts with integrity, which is one of our core values. It starts by admitting when you make mistakes, being accountable, and doing the right thing, even when it’s unpopular. You have to do what you say you’re going to do. I always liked the Lou Holtz quote, “When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done.” For more than 50 years now, much of what Raba Kistner does is associated with compliance with laws, plans, specifications, and regulations. But earning the trust of our clients is the second part of the process. It begins with earning the trust of your employees and their trust of each other. Once you have that internally, it naturally makes its way to clients.
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECE
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