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TRANSACTIONS CSI USA GROUP ACQUIRES DAVID E. WOOSTER AND ASSOCIATES CSI USA Group announced it has acquired David E. Wooster and Associates; a traffic engineering firm based in Pennsylvania. This acquisition is expected to be CSI’s first of many, and complements the group’s industry sector startup Redtree Engineering, based in Illinois. Charles Wooster will continue to be involved with the Company as an advisor to the Board, and the entirety of the staff has been retained and all project management continues, uninterrupted. Jerrod Crosby, who has been part of the company for 18 years and will continue to work as COO, said, “Partnering CSI’s experience, capabilities and resources will allow David E. Wooster and Associates to take the next step for services provided to our clients and a further step toward future growth.” CSI USA Group is a holding of AEC industry professional services companies, investing in architecture and engineering firms which provide services in the private and public sectors, covering residential, industrial and infrastructure markets.
These firms build on their technical excellence to apply CSI’s core values of Innovation, Excellence and Commitment to provide solutions to their customers, while improving the quality of living of communities with creative design, planning and engineering practices. CSI has participated in more than 2,000 client projects from more than 25 countries, and it has been working with clients in the U.S. for decades. Jacinto Duran, who is taking over as CEO, said, “We are very excited with David E. Wooster and Associates joining our group and the synergies created both ways, which will bolster growth and a broader base of services for our US customers. We have a great group of professionals and there’s excitement about this growth opportunity for everyone.” The acquisition of David E. Wooster and Associates brings CSI’s team to nearly 300 professionals, adding a strong reputation, expertise, and experience to CSI’s capabilities while expanding its footprint in the USA. David E. Wooster and Associates, headquartered in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, was founded in 1972 and has been at the forefront of the traffic engineering industry in the tri-state area ever since. The firm’s staff delivers cutting edge, innovative, and economical solutions to today’s complex traffic and roadway design issues. Zweig Group initiated the transaction and advised CSI. The deal team included Andrew Chavez, CM&AA, an advisor with Zweig Group’s M&A team, and Jamie Claire Kiser, managing principal at Zweig Group. Zweig Group, three times on the Inc. 500/5000 list, is the industry leader and premiere authority in AEC firm management and marketing, the go-to source for data and research, and the leading provider of customized learning and training. Zweig Group exists to help AEC firms succeed in a complicated and challenging marketplace through services that include: mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, valuation, executive search, board of director services, ownership transition, marketing and branding, and business development training. The firm has offices in Dallas and Fayetteville, Arkansas.
■ Read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People . It’s a classic for a reason. People like to talk about themselves; just keep asking questions, and you’ll win them over. ■ Tell on yourself. When something goes wrong, make sure you let everyone know it. That will continue to engender trust and help build relationships. You aren’t going to be able to effectively change anything if you don’t have the relationships. ■ Never stop trying to improve, even if your official change is 100 percent successful. In the past, I’ve had company leaders ask, “Why aren’t you asking me what’s going well?” My response was, “I want to know what we need to improve on to continue to move in the right direction.” ■ Give a shout out! Celebrate wins with the change team; allow individual employees to recognize other team members or outstanding work. Ultimately, it comes down to this: Communication and relationships are the greatest driving forces in success or failure during a change journey. It’s our responsibility to explain clearly and concisely the why and what around change. If we fail to articulate the better path forward, even the most dynamic strategy will fall short. John Shaw is chief human resources officer at Garver. Connect with him on LinkedIn .
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on board with the change. If they can’t get on board, they shouldn’t be on the team. ■ Focus on winning over people who are on the fence about your change; they are easier to influence. Leave major resistors off your radar at first because they will learn from others and then buy-in. ■ Constantly find ways to measure and show progress to all stakeholders. Know what’s working and what isn’t. “It’s our responsibility to explain clearly and concisely the why and what around change. If we fail to articulate the better path forward, even the most dynamic strategy will fall short.” ■ Keep a sales-focused mindset – listen, listen, listen. You can’t solve an issue if you don’t understand the problem. ■ Make sure you have a strong business case for the change. Be prepared to back it up. ■ Relationships during change are the key to success. Gain trust by showing people you are there to help make things more effective and efficient.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 20, 2023, ISSUE 1477
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