6
P R O F I L E
Tectonic has been providing construction inspection and testing services for the past 5 years on the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York. The first bridge structure was completed last year and the second structure is scheduled for completion this year.
Conference call: Don Benvie President and CEO of Tectonic Engineering & Surveying Consultants P.C. (Hot Firm #89 for 2018), a 500-person multifaceted engineering firm based in Mountainville, NY.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
“Y ears ago we tried the sales force approach,” Benvie says, referring to business develop- ment. “It didn’t work. Engineers want to deal with engineers. We operate on a seller/doer model and then have business development staff who support those efforts.” A CONVERSATION WITH DON BENVIE. The Zweig Letter: There are A/E leaders who say profit centers create corrosive internal competi- tion for firm resources. What’s your opinion on profit centers? Don Benvie: We operate with profit centers. We find value in them in that they allow you to pin- point where your strengths and weaknesses are and where resources need to be allocated. Tracking performance is important because you can make improvements as needed. TZL: What’s your policy on sharing the firm’s financials with your staff? Weekly, monthly,
quarterly, annually? And how far down into the org chart is financial information shared? DB: We publish financials monthly and distribute information to cost center managers, sharehold- ers, and executive administration. In turn, they can share that information as they see fit. And, if anyone wants to see information at any time, of course, we will share. We run pretty much on an open-book policy. TZL: The design-build delivery model appears to be trending upward. What are the keys to a suc- cessful design-build project? What are the risks? DB: Success lies in the relationships you build with the contracting firms. It’s also key to have a clear grasp of the scope of the work. The risks happen when there is lack of experience with these types of projects. You need to have a good handle on things like what level of staffing will be needed on the con- struction side and accurate accounting of cost.
Don Benvie, President & CEO, Tectonic Engineering & Surveying Consultants P.C.
THE ZWEIG LETTER Septe
Made with FlippingBook Annual report