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him out rather effortlessly, because we prepared early – 10 years early. One pitfall to avoid is having the retiring partner own too much of the firm, because then a buy-out can be difficult. The earlier you start, the more affordable the buy-out becomes which broadens the field of candidates for partnership. Ideally, advance planning creates opportunity for multiple partners to be brought in which has the added advantage of broadening your network, creating more work, and introducing diversity into the leadership. Another pitfall is relying on one personality to attract clients. Our founder was very charismatic, and clients were loyal to him. Those of us who took over needed to work hard preparing and modeling partnership, so that by the time he retired, clients knew us and there was no loss of client base. TZL: Your company’s mission is to inspire clients to create productive playgrounds. Can you give me a recent example of where this happened? What was the project and the outcome? JB: We just completed a full office and laboratory space for Halda Therapeutics. The biotech industry is really emerging in New Haven. We’ve been nurturing it for nearly 30 years, and now it’s blossoming. Highly innovative, collaborative companies are demanding true lab space outfitted to meet their production, safety, and health needs. One of our specialties is making laboratories innovative environments that are not just rows of benches and hoods. To flourish, labs need offices, meeting rooms, and breakrooms. We use glass walls, doors, and dividers, because there’s a relationship between work being done inside the labs and in other parts of the workplace. Labs used to be in basements. Now they are on elevated floors with views. We make them so much more collaborative and comfortable than they were years ago, that research teams are happy and highly productive around the clock. We use branding, color, biophilia, natural light and materials, and encourage our clients to incorporate art for its life-affirming qualities. Even technical environments can be full of personality and vibrancy without being distracting; that’s the experience we bring. TZL: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? JB: We’re coming up on our 39th year, and I think organizationally we are stronger now than ever. We’re creating a culture that stands for something. We pursue projects we excel at and that we want to work on. Our decisions are not based on the bottom-line. Of course, we need to stay healthy in that regard, but real sustainability comes from bringing meaning and relevance to everything you do. We are currently reevaluating our mission and vision as an entire firm to make sure moving forward it reflects who we want to be and howwe want to change the world. Everyone is part of that process – that’s a given. While we are at it, we’re having fun. We have staff that’s been here for more than 30 years, and new people who look forward to being here long into the future. Conversely, if someone pursues another opportunity, that’s excellent too. Everyone needs to find their own path.
STAND FOR SOMETHING, from page 7
advancement opportunities. Located in central Connecticut, we knowwe need to increase our outreach to attract a broad range of talent. Over the next year, we plan to identify and connect with more schools that attract historically- marginalized students. We’ve also been longtime supporters of the New Haven ACE Mentorship program, a non-profit which guides students into pursuing careers in the AEC industry. Currently, we have two staff members serving as mentors in the program and one staff member on the board. Our firm has also contributed to the growth of Connecticut’s new chapter of NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects), which was co-founded by one of our associate architects, and where two of our staff members sit on the executive board. TZL: What type of leader do you consider yourself to be? JB: The underpinning of our mission has always been, “We are better together.” This means we work collaboratively using primarily a flat organizational structure. In this way, no one person carries all the weight, and each individual is constantly learning, sharing, and teaching. To make it work, every person must be treated with respect and their individual skills and ambitions nurtured. My role is to create a culture where this process is encouraged and flourishes, while also inspiring and guiding as needed. If we hire good and dedicated people, create a collaborative environment, then allow each person to do what they do best – the result is powerful. Micromanaging is the death of an organization, whereas empowering people to learn, grow, and lead paves the way for innovation, creativity, and strength. “Micromanaging is the death of an organization, whereas empowering people to learn, grow, and lead paves the way for innovation, creativity, and strength.” TZL: What benefits does your firm offer that your people get most excited about? JB: Culture. Creativity. Collaboration. Work-life balance. The encouragement to discover themselves, their strengths, and their interests. We have staff members who lead public art projects, have co-founded regional AEC diversity efforts and who stay immersed in sustainability issues while initiating in- house composting efforts. We encourage each individual to figure out how they want to make the world a better place, and give them whatever freedom we can to incorporate those passions into their work. This is on top of equitable pay, fully- funded healthcare and job stability because without those things, the rest doesn’t amount to much. TZL: Ownership transition can be tricky, to say the least. What’s the key to ensuring a smooth passing of the baton? What’s the biggest pitfall to avoid? JB: In our firm, transition has been a natural process. We’ve only had one prior leader – our founding partner who was able to retire at a decent age. The current partners were able to buy
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THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 27, 2021, ISSUE 1421
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