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RG: Our formula matches with Zweig Group research. We believe every team member has a responsibility for busi- ness development. We really don’t have a traditional marketing team; we have a business development group which fo- cuses on long-term growth strategies and supporting our engineers’ business development efforts. “We believe every team member has a responsibility for business development. We really don’t have a traditional marketing team.” TZL: Diversifying the portfolio is nev- er a bad thing. What are the most re- cent steps you’ve taken to broaden your revenue streams? RG: Our diversification efforts include adding new services, attaining new cli- ents, and opening new office locations. TZL: The list of responsibilities for project managers is seemingly end- less. How do you keep your PMs from burning out? And if they crash, how do you get them back out on the road, so to speak? RG: There are a lot of expectations for PMs these days as their duties now ex- tend beyond the technical realm into business. You can almost make a case for anything to be included in a PM’s job description, from pursuing work to collecting payments and everything in between. Avoiding burnout is all about providing support resources, training, and mentoring. To support our PMs, we assign a principal-in-charge and a depu- ty PM to each project. These people are kept in the loop on each project’s pro- gression and serve as dual backups. It’s the responsibility of principals and de- partment managers to monitor PMs closely so that we’re hopefully able to avoid any impending burnout situa- tions. That said, there’s no silver bullet for putting a crashed PM back on the road. You have to spend time under- standing the cause and learning about how we can better support them going forward. Sometimes burnout may be the result of a personal situation and the fix may be as easy as reassigning them to a different job duty that works better with their personal situation. See CONFERENCE CALL, page 7

that are already established in these new disciplines. 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 gener- ation of owners? RG: I once heard from a veteran in the field that you only have three options for ownership transition: 1) Transition ownership internally 2) Sell the firm to an outsider 3) Close shop if you didn’t plan for either of the first two options Unless you’re comfortable with the third option, it’s crucial to have a strate- gic/ownership transition plan in place, even for firms that are young or small. The plan will help your team under- stand where the firm is going and what opportunities are available to them. TZL: Monthly happy hours and dog friendly offices. What do today’s CEOs need to know about today’s work- force? RG: Workforce motivations evolve with each generation. While it took 20 to 30 years for a generational change in the late 1900s, you now see a genera- tional shift in what feels like every five years. The most important thing that a CEO can do is to keep an open mind be- cause with up to five generations work- ing alongside each other, flexibility is key. I like to take a big picture approach to employee satisfaction and leave the particulars of how to keep people happy and drive performance to team manag- ers (with HR support). Managers are in the trenches with their team and have a better pulse on what motivates their team members. TZL: Zweig Group research shows there has been a shift in business de- velopment strategies. More and more, technical staff, not marketing staff, are responsible for BD. What’s the BD formula in your firm? “To develop staff into the leaders of tomorrow, it’s essential that we provide training and mentorship from the leaders of today.”

YEAR FOUNDED: 2001 HEADQUARTERS: Houston, TX NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 60 FIRM PROFILE:

Civil, traffic, and transportation engineering, public works and municipal services, and program and construction management. CERTIFICATIONS: ❚ ❚ Certified as a Minority/ Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (M/DBE) ❚ ❚ Small Business Enterprise (SBE) ❚ ❚ Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) PROJECTS: Gunda Corporation worked on the Master Plan development for George Bush Intercontinental (IAH). Gunda was involved in assessment of the existing conditions at IAH which included designated roadway lanes, decision points, and curbside allocations. This effort was converted into the production of a comprehensive set of drawings and plans which formed the base for subsequent plans and analyses. CORE VALUES: ❚ ❚ We aim to be proud of every decision we make. ❚ ❚ We are committed to providing an inspirational and flexible work environment. ❚ ❚ We pursue continuous improvement.

pril 30, 2018, ISSUE 1246

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