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to be trending upward. What are the keys to a successful design-build project? What are the risks? EL: The key is to position your firm with the right/winning team. You need to evaluate who the most suc- cessful contractor would be to team with and align yourself with them be- forehand. This requires a good estab- lished relationship with a wide variety of contractor/teams and pursing proj- ects where the selection is based on qualifications more so than the lowest price. The risk is the upfront design costs and invested resources that are lost if not awarded the project. Additionally, the design team is on the critical path and can impact the schedules which would result in damages to the con- tractor, creating additional liabilities. We have also found many contractors treat design consultants no different than their framing subcontractor, so we carefully examine contracts prior to joining a design-build team. “We strive to get employees fairly and well compensated, sharing in the profitability with an emphasis of trying to meet their professional development goals.” TZL: The talent war in the A/E indus- try is here. What steps do you take to create the leadership pipeline need- ed to retain your top people and not lose them to other firms? EL: We strive to get employees fairly and well compensated, sharing in the profitability with an emphasis of try- ing to meet their professional devel- opment goals. We also offer additional benefits (company cars, phone allow- ances, remote access, etc.) for upper management. We strongly prefer to promote internally in order to main- tain our culture and to advance those in the company’s desired career path. TZL: As you look for talent, what po- sition do you most need to fill in the coming year and why? EL: Senior project managers, entry design engineers (five years’ experi- ence), and survey party crew chiefs to

accommodate our growth. We also hire to create redundancy in all key po- sitions critical to our firm. “We strongly prefer to promote internally in order to maintain our culture and to advance those in the company’s desired career path.” TZL: While plenty of firms have an ownership transition plan in place, many do not. What’s your advice for firms that have not taken steps to identify and empower the next gen- eration of owners? EL: You need to determine an owner- ship transition timeline first to judge how long you have to invest in new tal- ent. Begin to identify internally if you have potential owners you can men- tor and enable them to be financially capable to invest in the transition. In our opinion, it takes eight to 10 years to fully transition leadership and own- ership. If you don’t have any options, you may have to consider an acquisi- tion route. TZL: Zweig Group research shows there has been a shift in business development strategies. More and more, technical staff, not marketing staff, are responsible for BD. What’s the BD formula in your firm? EL: We don’t have exclusive busi- ness development personnel. All of our business development efforts use personnel that have technical back- grounds. This typically occurs at the project manager level and above. It is a part of the many hats that they wear. TZL: Diversifying the portfolio is never a bad thing. What are the most recent steps you’ve taken to broaden your revenue streams? EL: We have added new services such as construction engineering and in- spection and subsurface utility engi- neering. We also recently expanded our transportation division with the addition of a Birmingham, Alabama, office. As we have grown, we have also been successful winning larger, longer- term projects that provide a healthier backlog. See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8

YEAR FOUNDED: 1997 (The springboard for the firm was the invitation from Chick-fil-A to be an in-house consultant for the chain’s national expansion program.) HEADQUARTERS: Atlanta, GA OFFICES: 3 offices in 2 states (Georgia and Alabama) NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 90 THEIR SERVICES: ❚ ❚ Planning and land development ❚ ❚ Water resources ❚ ❚ Government ❚ ❚ NPDES compliance ❚ ❚ Aviation infrastructure ❚ ❚ Construction engineering and inspection ❚ ❚ Traffic and transportation ❚ ❚ Land surveying/GIS

❚ ❚ Bridge design ❚ ❚ Sustainability

THEIR MISSION: To provide exceptional professional services for clients in a mutually rewarding manner through a creative work environment that fosters innovative, value-based technical solutions. COMMITTED TO STEM: Long Engineering, Inc. recently participated in a half-day program known as “Introduce A Girl To Engineering.” The program is for girls who are in upper elementary and middle school who have an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

ne 11, 2018, ISSUE 1252

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