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Conference call: Scott Murphy President and CEO of Morrison-Maierle (Best Firm #27 Multi-discipline for 2017), a 280-person firm based in Helena, Montana.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
“I t’s vital to our success,” Murphy says, referring to en- trepreneurship in the firm. “For some employees, their role is outward focused with efforts to grow the business in existing/new markets. For others, it might mean creat- ing greater efficiencies in how we deliver services, internal- ly and externally. For everyone, it means looking to create more valuable and memorable client experiences every day.” A CONVERSATION WITH SCOTT MURPHY. The Zweig Letter: While M&A is always an option, there’s something to be said about organic growth. What are your thoughts on why and how to grow a firm? Scott Murphy: We embrace both, provided it’s grounded in creating new opportunities for our employee-owners to cul- tivate their careers and work with clients that value our ser- vices on challenging projects that make our communities a better place to live. Much of our 16 percent net revenue growth in 2016 was due to acquisition activities that result- ed in three new offices in a territory we formerly served at
a distance. Our 22 percent net revenue growth in the last 17 months has been fueled by organic growth, including services expansion in the new geographic regions gained through acquisition. We anticipate using similar combined strategies in the future. TZL: The list of responsibilities for project managers is seemingly endless. 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? SM: While burn-out risk has not been pervasive in our firm recently, we see the potential for it in some particularly busy market groups. An effective response must be tailored to the individual circumstances. The acute situations may simply require a strong plan and recognition that the “end is in sight.” The more troubling situations are the chronic ones in a hot market with limited staff, or those that are self-in- duced. In the former situation, it takes the entire team to pitch in and support their colleague(s). In the latter, it takes
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