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worked with him through mentor relation- ships. In the end, what he loved to do (busi- ness development) was not what he was great at and what he was great at (techni- cal work) was not what he wanted to do. We struggled with the decision, as he had been with us for 20 years and we fervently believe our people deserve every chance to succeed, but we knew we handled it well and made the right decision. TZL: How many years of experience – or large enough book of business – is enough to become a principal in your firm? Are you naming principals in their 20s or 30s? JC: When we were smaller, principals need- ed a deep understanding of all our career paths: firm management, business devel- opment, project management, and strong technical expertise. Comprehensive skills in all these areas took decades to develop. Over time, to remain relevant with expectations of new generations we have revised our principal role. The role continues to evolve, and, in 2019, I envision a higher hurdle rela- tive to technical capabilities in a specific ca- reer path than in recent years. However, by creating an opportunity in a single career path, it should be attainable at a younger age going forward. 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? JC: As with many companies our size, we are having this discussion today as our larg- est shareholders retire. Fortunately, we’ve experienced similar large transitions before, so we have some “lessons learned.” Most importantly, we provide leadership oppor- tunities and actively recruit staff who want to work as a team to “own their future.” To encourage that spirit, we communicate the benefits of ownership, and we empha- size the culture and our core values, one of which includes remaining a privately-held, employee-owned company. TZL: How do you promote young and new leaders as the firm grows? JC: Creating four separate career paths (technical, BD, PM, and management) gives us the opportunity to play to an individu- al’s strengths, rather than assuming every- one has the interest (or ability) to excel at all parts of the business. Additionally, this creates opportunities for people to play a leadership role in the company that fits with those interests and abilities. You can be- come a discipline leader, for instance, after you have mastered your technical discipline,

but before you have the decades of experi- ence required to manage firm operations. This provides several avenues for upward or lateral movement while employees pursue new skills. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsi- bility as CEO? JC: Gain alignment through two-way com- munication. My brother was COO at a Fortune 500 com- pany and said the primary difference be- tween his role and the CEO role was the amount of time spent with stakeholders. I thought I would have an easier time of it (and told him as much), because we were a small, closely held company. Wow, was I wrong! Listening, clarifying, and creating and reinforcing a vision comprises my most time-consuming responsibility. generations we have revised our principal role. The role continues to evolve, and, in 2019, I envision a higher hurdle relative to technical capabilities in a specific career path than in recent years.” 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? JC: I encourage anyone who can answer this to write a book! We use both internal and external techniques. Externally, getting closer to our key clients’ “business” deci- sion-makers and understanding their needs allows us to propose projects differently than we would when reacting to RFPs from the “project” decision-makers. Internally, we communicate continually about value, pricing, and the benefits of bidding projects in lump sum. Not new techniques, but we need to teach them to every new generation of project manager – you are more valuable than you understand! TZL: If the worker shortage continues, do you see wages increasing to encourage more talent to enter the AEC space, or will technology be used to counter the reduced workforce? See LOYALTY AND INTEGRITY, page 8 “To remain relevant with expectations of new

YEAR FOUNDED: 1966 HEADQUARTERS: Pittsfield, ME OFFICE LOCATIONS: 11 NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 140 COMPANY CULTURE: This employee-owned, multi- discipline firm of engineers, scientists, and regulatory professionals enjoy working collaboratively with each other and with their strategic partners to develop sound solutions. Professional development is a major focus as reflected in “Kleinschmidt University,” which provides a variety of blended learning resources of both internal and external programming. CLIMATE CHANGE EXPERTISE AND SERVICES: Kleinschmidt can help clients assess risks and potential vulnerabilities in their project in the context of climate change, including identifying and evaluating alternatives and designing sustainable solutions to maintain the efficiency and longevity of their project. They have experience to develop adaptive plans and strategies to minimize risk in response to new challenges. Their multi- disciplinary staff is educated and experienced in: ❚ ❚ Ecology ❚ ❚ Terrestrial and aquatic (freshwater and marine) biology ❚ ❚ Earth and atmospheric science ❚ ❚ Hydraulics and hydrology ❚ ❚ State, federal, and municipal permitting/licensing ❚ ❚ Civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering ❚ ❚ Spatial and GIS analysis

pril 1, 2019, ISSUE 1290

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