2024 Awards Brochure & FAQ

exceptional firms deserve to be noticed Zweig Group Awards

your f irm deserve s to be noticed.

There is no better reward than recognition for a job well done. Celebrate your firm – and people – and gain some serious bragging rights. Zweig Group offers six award programs focused on architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firm achievement. Each award has a different focus; successful start-ups, rising stars in the industry, marketing excellence, overall firm success, best workplace practices, and outstanding leadership.

HOT FIRM AWARD

BEST FIRMS TO WORK FOR

MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARD

JERRY ALLEN COURAGE IN LEAD- ERSHIP AWARD

RISING STAR AWARD

TOP NEW VENTURE

WIN BIG WITH THE TRIFECTA

Be among the best of the best and join an elite group of award-winning firms. The Trifecta Award celebrates high-performance firm’s winning an award in three areas of firm operations: growth, creating a great place to work, and excellence

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rising stars awards deadline to nominate - March 2 2

The Rising Stars Award recognizes emerging profession - als whose exceptional technical capability, leadership ability, effective teaching or research, or public service has benefited the design professions, their employers, project owners, & society.

• Nominees must be 35 years of age or younger as of Dec. 31, 202 3 , and working in the United States for a private-sector company (or self-employed), public agency (i.e., federal, state, county, or city), military, a non-profit organization, or educational or research institution. • Self-nominations are acceptable. • Nominees should have a record of demonstrated exceptional ability and professional accomplish-ments related to the AEC Industry in one or more of the following capacities: management; leadership; teaching; research; and/or public service. • Any private-sector company, public-sector agency, military unit, non-profit organization, or educational or research institution may submit a maximum of four nominations per firm. To recognize a Rising Star, please complete a short registration on the Zweig Group website; nominators will then receive an invitation to complete the nomi- nation questionnaire. The Rising Stars Award is judged solely on the information submitted in the question- naire, it is imperative to be complete and succinct. See past honorees here.

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best firm to work for deadline to submit - May 3

Firms will be categorized by firm size and discipline, and ranked based on a combination score com- prised of 20% corporate survey and 80% employee surveys. This Best Firm to Work For application process doubles up as employee survey for participating firms. Your firm’s entry fee entitles you to survey data of your firm’s Employee Survey, and additional benchmark data which shows the aggregated results of all the employees from all the participating firms. Zweig Group’s industry experts are available to offer further analysis and data-driven insights into your employee feedback. To make the survey results even more meaningful, firms have the option to upgrade the registration to include up to 10 additional customized questions in the Employee Survey. A Zweig Group repre- sentative is available to assist in development of these questions. The responses to these custom questions will not count towards rankings in the awards program. The Best Firms to Work For award recognizes top AEC firms based on workplace practices, employee benefits, retention rates, & much more.

An interactive platform to access employee feedback data and industry benchmarks, Zweig Insights allows firm leaders to visualize and understand employee sentiments, benchmark policies, procedures, and benefits program in a way they’ve never been able to before. Learn more and access your account today.

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best firm to work for

To get started, firm representative should complete a quick registration on the Zweig Group website. Upon completion, registrant will receive a preview of the corporate survey with the link to submit responses when ready; firm leader/ representative should expect to spend 1-2 hours to com- plete the corporate survey. The link to participate in the employee survey will be emailed to the registrant upon registration, and it is the firm leader/registrant’s responsibility to distribute the employee survey link to all staff for timely participation. To be eligible, firms must have a minimum of 10 full-time employees, of which at least 5 are design or engineering professionals. For firms with 50 EMPLOYEES OR FEWER, a minimum of 60% of the firm’s staff must complete the Employee Survey. For firms with 51-199 EMPLOYEES, a min- imum of 50%, and for firms with 200 EMPLOYEES OR MORE, a minimum of 40%, of the firm’s staff must complete the employee survey. Zweig Group will send updates on partici- pation levels leading up to survey deadline upon request. Zweig Group will not, under any circumstances, disclose the names of firms that apply but do not make the list of winners. Data submitted by firms will be used in defining the overall survey sample set. All information submitted is completely anonymous and confidential. If you have any questions about customizing the employee survey, or if you’d like to request a sample survey, please contact awards@zweiggroup.com

See all the past winners here.

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marketing excellence deadline to submit - June 7

The Marketing Excellence Awards recognize outstanding and effective marketing in our industry.

Award entries will be judged by a team of senior AEC marketing professionals and evaluated based on overall creativity, messaging, campaign results, and design level.

Upon completing a quick registration, applicants will receive a preview of the submission survey and a link to the Review portal to begin the submission process. A firm representatives can expect to provide demographic information about the firm, a description of the campaign(s), overall firm marketing practices and budgets, and upload supporting materials.

Winning projects will be highlighted by fellow outstanding industry marketers at the ElevateAEC Conference this September. If you’d like to request a preview or have any questions about the submission process, please contact awards@zweiggroup.com

See past winners here.

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marketing excellence: categories

ADVERTISING - an individual print or digital advertisement or ad campaign.

BROCHURE - A print or digital publication describing your firm’s general capabilities.

INTERNAL MARKETING - Campaign designed for an employee audience to increase communication and collaboration within a firm or division. Examples in- clude: company intranets, recognition program, awards program, or communications associated with mergers, acquisitions, or new business-line initiatives. HOLIDAY - A print or digital piece produced for one- time use to promote brand awareness of your firm during a holiday (holiday card, e-card, party invitation, client-appreciation gift, etc.) CORPORATE ID - BRAND REFRESH - A consistent graphic image applied to your firm’s print and/or digital collateral materials for the purposes of rebranding your firm.

CORPORATE ID - NEW IDENTITY - A consistent graphic image applied to your firm’s print and/or digital collateral materials for the launch of a new corporate identity. INTEGRATED MARKETING/BRAND AWARENESS - Both printed and digital methods of distribution such as emails, direct mail, display ads, banner ads on a third-party website, or other components that take place over an extended period of time to promote brand awareness of your firm. NEWSLETTER - EXTERNAL - A newsletter conceived and created by your firm, with content developed internally, intended for external distribution. The intended audience is clients and/or potential clients, teaming partners, peers, local business press, and other interested parties. PROJECT PURSUIT - Item(s) that were used in support of winning a single project. Materials can include anything that was used to win a project including: qualifications packages, proposals, presentations, interview tools, leave-behinds, or other pieces that contributed to the total effort. SOCIAL MEDIA - Any marketing effort that utilizes online social media tools to provide a platform for thought leadership, collaboration, and user interaction. Maybe one platform or a combination of platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn as well as blog posts or podcasts). VIDEO - A video that either promotes your firm or has been created by your firm for a specific project pursuit; a video created for external communications; or one created for internal communications.

NEWSLETTER - INTERNAL - An internal, employ- ee-focused publication produced via print or digital media.

RECRUITMENT/RETENTION - A program designed to recruit potential or retain current employees through print and/or electronic communications, including but not limited to ads, brochures, form letters, pamphlets, postcards, announcements, and email promotions. SPECIAL EVENT MARKETING - A marketing piece produced for a one-time event (i.e., charity event, an anniversary celebration, open house, community event, rebranding celebration, etc.). Entry should include visual proof (i.e., pictures) and all marketing materials used to promote the event.

WEBSITE - A public website that either promotes your firm or has been launched by your firm for a specific project.

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hot firm award deadline to submit - May 1 7

The Hot Firm List recognizes the 100 fastest-growing AEC firms in North America.

PAST WINNERS

202 3 Top Five UES (Universal Engineering Sciences) ECS Salas O'Brien Ardurra Group, Inc. Anser Advisory

Placement on the list is based entirely on revenue growth over the previous three-year period. Demographic data will also be gathered so Zweig Group can analyze correla- tions and produce noteworthy and valuable statistics to share with you. Entry Criteria:

2022 Top Five Universal Engineering Sciences Anser Advisory, LLC IPS-Integrated Project Services, LLC

Firms must derive major- ity of their revenues from

the practice of architecture, engineering, planning, environ- mental consulting or allied disciplines. Interior design, land- scape architecture, and design/build firms which provide design services are also eligible • Public entities such as departments of transportation or municipal public works offices are not eligible

Ardurra Group Salas O’Brien

2021 Top Five Universal Engineering Sciences Anser Advisory, LLC Salas O’Brien Westwood Professional Services LJA Engineering

• Firms must have made at least $1MM in revenue in 2019

• Firms must have been founded on or before December 31st, 2017, were in business for the entirety of this 3-year period, and were still in business as of January 1, 2023 Upon completion of a quick registration on the Zweig Group web- site, applicants will receive an invitation to complete the award questionnaire. Firms should expect to provide simple, straight-for- ward financial information, and verification document(s). If you’d like to request an example of the questionnaire, please contact awards@zweiggroup.com

See all the past winners here

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trifecta award deadline to submit - June 7

202 3 WINNERS

BKF Engineers Colliers Engineering & Design EAPC Architects Engineers Garver ISG J2 Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. LJA Engineering Inc Miyamoto International OWN, Inc. P2S Inc. Patel, Greene and Associates Tamarack Grove Engineering TETER, Inc. Westwood Professional Services

WIN BIG WITH THE TRIFECTA Be among the best of the best, and join an elite group of award-winning firms. The Trifecta Award celebrates high-per- formance firms winning an award in a single year in three ar- eas of firm operations: growth, creating a great place to work, and excellence in marketing. This convenient bundle is a one-stop-shop to apply for the Hot Firm List, the Best Firms To Work For Awards, and the Marketing Excellence Award.

See all the past winners here

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jerry allen courage in leadership deadline to nominate - August 2

The Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award is given each year to an AEC professional who has made tremendous impact on the company through courageous leadership.

WHO WAS JERRY ALLEN?

Born in Texas in 1940, and the first of his family to graduate college, Jerry Allen seemed destined to make an imprint on the AEC Industry, one that would exceed his lifetime. After serving as City Engineer for the City of Fort Worth, Texas Public Works Department, Jerry joined Carter & Burgess, Inc., a 40-person engineering, surveying, and landscape architecture firm, on April 28, 1969. There he stayed and worked the next 33 years, where he became the company — and the company became him. Known not only for being the CEO of Carter & Burgess, but also as an innovative and inspirational leader, under Jerry’s direction, Carter & Burgess grew from some 200 employees and $17 million in revenue in 1988, to 2,300 employees and $381 million in revenue by 2002 when he passed away. Jerry, who was an incredible athlete and in fantastic physical condition most all of his life, was struck down by cancer at age 62. Jerry Allen was a friend and mentor to Mark Zweig, Founder & CEO of Zweig Group. In his honor, a portion of the proceeds from the awards program will be donated to The American Cancer Society.

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THE AWARD | The award winner is a tremedous leader that has overcome obstacles to advance their firm(s) to a new level of success and accomplishment. Nominees can be in any role and come from architecture, engineering, planning and environmental firms of all sizes and types.

RECENT HONOREES

2023 Brian Bowers, Bowers + Kubota Consulting

2022 Kenneth Seibert, CMTA

2021 Nathelyne A. Kennedy, WSB

2020 Calvin T. Ladner LJA Engineering

2018 David Goodson, PE RLG Consulting Engineers

2019 Paul Greenhagen Westwood Professional Services

List of past honorees can be found here.

Upon completion of a simple registration on the Zweig Group website, nominators will receive an invitation to com- plete a nomination questionnaire. To request a sample of the nomation form, or any other inquiries, please contact awards@zweiggroup.com

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top new venture deadline to submit - June 28

The Top New Venture Award honors the up-and-coming start- ups in the AEC industry. Firms are ranked based on revenue growth, as well as entrepreneur- ial spirit, which include story of founding, firm structure, ownership characteristics, etc. Entry Criteria: • 50% of 202 3 fiscal year revenue must be derived from the AEC industry • Public entities such as departments of transportation or munici- pal public works offices are not eligible • Competing firms must be founded AFTER January 1st, 201 9 ; and have at least $1,000,000 in revenue for 202 3 Upon completion of a registration on the Zweig Group website, appli- cants will receive an invitation to complete the short award question- naire.

PAST WINNERS

2023

Method Engineering Group

2022

The HFW Companies

2021

Enovate

2020

JAX Engineering, Inc.

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We’re connecting global leaders, solving industry issues, presenting next practices, and celebrating the most successful firms in the industry.

The annual ElevateAEC Conference and Awards Gala brings together leaders from top-performing firms across the architecture, engineering, planning, environmental and construction industries to network, learn, and celebrate. It is the largest gathering of award-winning AEC firms, making it the industry’s most comprehensive business conference for leaders and aspiring leaders of AEC firms in the US.

Find out more at https://zweiggroup.com/pages/conferences.

Celebrate your team!

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202 4 submission and nomination deadlines at-a-glance

Rising Stars Award Best Firms to Work For Award Hot Firm Award Marketing Excellence Award Trifecta Award Top New Venture Award Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award

MARCH 2 2 MAY 3 MAY 1 7 JUNE 7 JUNE 7 JUNE 28 AUGUST 2

CLOSING NOTE

Zweig Group’s Awards are at the center of the five tenants of our mis- sion, Elevate the Industry, that tenant is “Celebrate.” There is so much good that this industry brings to the built environment and to the lives of the people who work in it. We want to celebrate the firms, people, and accomplishments of the A/E/C Industry. Through our seven awards programs, we celebrate great workplaces, tremendous revenue growth, outstanding marketing, rising stars, cou- rageous leadership, outstanding client experience, and up-and-coming firms. These awards give the winning firms and people the recognition that they deserve in an industry that is often overlooked by society. The winners of our awards truly do help to elevate the industry as a whole. Celebrate your success, celebrate your accomplishments, celebrate your employees and help Zweig Group Elevate the Industry.

Celebrate your success, celebrate your accomplishments, celebrate your employees .” Kyle Ahern Employee Experience and Data Strategist

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