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employees. I believe it takes a minimum of 10 to 15 years for an individual to gain the skill set necessary to thrive in that role. We don’t tie ownership to the position nor do we have a specific set of criteria that must be met. Individuals promoted to principal earn their position by having leadership ability and/or a significant book of work. Our youngest principals were promoted to that level in their late 30s. “Individuals promoted to principal earn their position by having leadership ability and/ or a significant book of work. Our youngest principals were promoted to that level in their late 30s.” TZL: Internal transition is expensive. How do you “sell” this investment oppor- tunity to your next generation of princi- pals? How do you prepare them for the next step? DA: We share ownership quite broadly within our firm. Roughly 50 percent of our employees are owners. This allows the ben- efits of ownership to come to people rela- tively early in their careers. By the time an individual is ready to become a principal, they already have significant ownership. We also share project and firm financial information with our employees to train them to think about the business. It also helps that our founder, Ronald Reaveley, chose to sell his interest in the firm at book value which significantly reduces the cost of the investment. TZL: When did you have the most fun running your firm, and what were the hallmarks of that time in your profes- sional life? DA: I must say this last year has been the most fun I’ve had since becoming presi- dent of Reaveley Engineers. In 2017, we began a huge brand evolution project to be the most client-driven structural engineer- ing firm in the region. This brand evolution is much more than a new logo and web- site. We are keeping the great things about who we were and infusing our culture with a new client-driven focus. Communicat- ing the new brand to our staff is a big deal. We have a “Brand Rally” every Monday morning to promote client-driven behav- iors in a fun and energizing way. We also hired a trainer to conduct a year-long train- ing for all of our employees on emotional

intelligence, which completed in February. The essence of who we are has evolved – real cultural change has occurred. Cultur- al change is hard, but when it happens, it’s extremely rewarding. TZL: Describe the challenges you encoun- tered in building your management team over the lifetime of your leadership? Have you ever terminated or demoted long-time leaders as the firm grew? How did you handle it? DA: I am fortunate to be surrounded by great people who are dedicated and loyal to the firm. I have never terminated or de- moted long-time leaders as the firm grew, although we have had a few leave through retirement. The challenge I face most of- ten is getting my leadership team to dedi- cate enough time to building the business – working on the important/not urgent things needed to prepare us for the next level. I’ve moved people to new roles and delegated important initiatives to younger leaders with ambition to make things hap- pen. We all wear many hats so it’s a major challenge to make time to do it all. TZL: How do you promote young and new leaders as the firm grows? DA: We strive to provide challenging op- portunities to our employees and the cream rises to the top. As individuals gain experi- ence, they’re provided with more challeng- ing and important opportunities. Eventu- ally, it’s clear who has leadership potential and those people are given important ini- tiatives to lead, management responsibil- ities, and client-facing roles. We also pro- vide management training through offsite seminars to our emerging leaders and work hard to ensure our promotions are merit based. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job respon- sibility as CEO? DA: Lead. TZL: What happens to the firm if you leave tomorrow? DA: I think Reaveley Engineers would be in good shape if I left tomorrow. TZL: With technology reducing the time it takes to complete design work, how do you get the AEC industry to start pricing on value instead of hours? DA: Commoditization is a real problem in our industry, but it is based on a false See CHALLENGING OPPORTUNITIES, page 8

YEAR FOUNDED: 1972 HEADQUARTERS: Salt Lake City, UT NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 49 NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 1 SERVICES: ❚ ❚ Structural engineering ❚ ❚ Seismic design and retrofit ❚ ❚ BIM project coordination ❚ ❚ Concrete and façade restoration ❚ ❚ Sustainable design SECTORS: ❚ ❚ Arts and culture ❚ ❚ Community ❚ ❚ Corporate ❚ ❚ K-12 and higher education ❚ ❚ Government ❚ ❚ Healthcare ❚ ❚ Historic renovation ❚ ❚ Hotel and hospitality ❚ ❚ Housing ❚ ❚ Libraries ❚ ❚ Parking structures ❚ ❚ Religious ❚ ❚ Research and high-tech ❚ ❚ Retail and mixed-use ❚ ❚ Sports and recreation DORIAN ADAMS: Adams was introduced to Reaveley Engineers in his college structures lab and has been with the firm his entire career. With an impressive list of medical and research facilities, he has acted as team lead for several major projects for Intermountain HealthCare, Utah National Guard, Hill Air Force Base, and institutes of higher learning. TAGLINE: “We are the strength behind your vision.”

uly 8, 2019, ISSUE 1303

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