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IN MEMORIAM HUITT-ZOLLARS ANNOUNCES PASSING OF CO- FOUNDER ROBERT “BOB” ZOLLARS, PE, RPLS Co-founder and chairman of Dallas-based engineering and architecture firm, Robert “Bob” Zollars, P.E., RPLS, passed away in Dallas. He was 72 years old. Zollars was a tremendous leader in the firm and throughout the engineering community, and he will be dearly missed. Zollars along with partner Larry Huitt founded Huitt-Zollars, Inc. in Dallas in 1975. They grew the firm from two employees in Dallas to a nationally ranked firm of with more than 550 employees, and 20 offices across the United States. Zollars was actively involved in the day- to-day management of the firm. Zollars’ career spanned nearly five decades, most recently serving as chairman and CEO. He was also principal-in-charge and project manager for a number of the firm’s major, award- winning civil engineering projects. Zollars was personally responsible for leading engineering design and/or construction management for many significant projects that helped shape and cultivate not only the landscape of Dallas and cities across Texas and the United States, but also the engineering industry as a whole. Significant projects of Zollars’ included the Fort Bliss Expansion Program in Fort Bliss, Texas, one of the largest U.S. public works programs in the last 15 years; Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s light rail starter system; East Airfield and Apron Expansion Projects for Terminal 2E and 3E at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; the McKinney Avenue Trolley systems in Dallas, Texas; and Stonebridge Ranch Planned Community in McKinney, Texas, the standard for master planned communities today. Zollars was passionate about helping young professionals develop their talents, flourish, and grow while embracing new challenges in engineering. Within the firm, he developed the Huitt-Zollars Leadership Class, a program aimed at mentoring young professionals. This passion for supporting young professionals was also seen in his fervent commitment to and support of education. Zollars encouraged the development of talent among young students by supporting STEM education programs at local schools. As an alumnus of SMU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Zollars proudly served on the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering Executive Board, where
he advocated for continued sustainable growth of the Lyle School, especially in the areas of endowments and research. He personally established scholarship endowments at SMU and at other universities across the country. Motivated by his love of engineering, Zollars was very active in many professional and technical societies. He was a member of and held various leadership positions for the American Council of Engineering Companies; American Society of Civil Engineers; Design Professionals Coalition; Society of American Military Engineers; Texas Society of Professional Engineers; Texas Engineering Foundation, and the City of Dallas Urban Design Advisory Committee. He also served on the Parkland Hospital Technical Advisory Committee, where he provided engineering oversight of the design and construction of the new Parkland Hospital complex in Dallas. Zollars’ involvement, leadership, and accomplishments to the engineering profession earned him numerous accolades. He was named Engineer of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Dallas Branch; Distinguished Speaker by Society of American Military Engineers, Arkansas Post; Southern Methodist University’s Distinguished Alumni; Distinguished Engineer by the Texas Engineering Foundation; and a Fellow of the Texas Engineering Foundation. Zollars’ philosophy of giving back also extended far beyond the engineering profession, and he supported and contributed to a number of organizations. He served as a Board Member of the Greater Dallas American Diabetes Association and Co-Chair of the “Stars of Texas,” an event to raise money for diabetes research. Throughout his life, he excelled in sports. Zollars kept that passion alive in his later years by supporting and attending SMU Mustangs and Dallas Mavericks basketball games. As an accomplished owner of thoroughbred race horses, he enjoyed watching several of his horses qualify and run in the Kentucky Derby and other major races across the country. He was born on June 21, 1946, in Repton, Alabama, to Marguerite and Leland Zollars. He graduated from Wray High School in Wray, Colorado, and received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from SMU in Dallas.
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handy. It may help you sell a project. It may help you do a project. It may improve your ability to successfully promote from within. It may improve your ability to help your people self-actualize and, as a result, stay with your firm longer than they would otherwise. So how does your firm stack up? Are you doing what you should to know what your people can do and what they are interested in? If not, maybe it’s time to do so! MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER May 20, 2019, ISSUE 1297
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