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KH: We look for at least 10 years of ex- perience to be a principal. In fact, we just named several associates in their 30s. All were internal and had been with us for four to 10 years. We consider some of the following: interpersonal skills, abili- ty to embrace and promote change, com- mitment to the company, and technical skills combined with leadership capabili- ties. “My career has never been static. I enjoy what I do and bring that enthusiasm to the table on a regular basis. I love seeing the energy around new ideas TZL: When did you have the most fun running your firm, and what were the hallmarks of that time in your profes- sional life? KH: My career has never been static. I enjoy what I do and bring that enthusi- asm to the table on a regular basis. I love seeing the energy around new ideas and implementation of new technologies and methodologies. I would describe myself as a people person and am elat- ed to see colleagues develop into mature leaders – whether in the technical dis- ciplines or in management. Most of my career has been fun. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility as CEO? KH: Caretaker. TZL: What happens to the firm if you leave tomorrow? KH: Deliberate succession planning has always been a priority for me. While many of us like to think we are immor- tal, the reality that something could happen to us exists. We have been dili- gent in identifying colleagues for key po- sitions in the case, for whatever reason, a vacancy happens, they would be able to assume new/additional responsibilities. TZL: With technology reducing the time it takes to complete design work, how do you get the AEC industry to start pricing on value instead of hours? and implementation of new technologies and methodologies.”

KH: Unfortunately, a lot of work in the AEC industry has been commoditized. We have to continue to partner with our clients and educate them on the exper- tise and level of service. We have also been promoting a different delivery method – integrated project delivery. TZL: Engineers love being engineers, but what are you doing to instill a busi- ness culture in your firm? KH: We share key metrics with the ex- ecutives, managers, and business devel- opment people. We review our sales tar- gets, margins, and overhead on a regular schedule. I personally spend time in this area (as an accountant by background, it’s in my blood). In addition, we are for- malizing a financial education program for the associates. TZL: The seller-doer model is very suc- cessful, but with growth you need to adapt to new models. What is your program? KH: We have a hybrid model – seller/ doer and dedicated BD people. For ex- ample, with government contracts, it’s much more a pure BD model. With ex- isting clients that have consistent work, we focus on the seller/doer model. The seller/doer can be adapted to the mar- ket. For procurement, we use BD, but for tech-making decisions, we use seller/ doer. TZL: Benefits are evolving. Are you of- fering any new ones due to the chang- ing demographic? KH: Our benefits are robust. We’ve add- ed certain elective benefits such as ac- cident insurance and other healthcare add-ons. We work to keep the cost shar- ing below market and encourage healthy activities. For example, we participated in a weight loss challenge called, “Win by Losing” and had 25 percent participa- tion. Collectively, 680 pounds were lost over a 10-week period. See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8 “Deliberate succession planning has always been a priority for me. While many of us like to think we are immortal, the reality that something could happen to us exists.”

YEAR FOUNDED: 1982 HEADQUARTERS: Dearborn, MI

OFFICES: 12 offices: Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Indiana, Brazil, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman KI HAMMER: An accountant by background, Hammer began her career in the audit division of a major public accounting firm where she eventually advanced to the senior management level. After seven years, she joined Ghafari as CFO in 1986, and has served as the president and CEO since 2000. NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 550 MARKETS: ❚ ❚ Aviation ❚ ❚ Commercial ❚ ❚ Education ❚ ❚ Government and institutional ❚ ❚ Health and wellness ❚ ❚ Industrial and manufacturing ❚ ❚ Workplace SERVICES:

❚ ❚ Architecture ❚ ❚ Construction ❚ ❚ Engineering ❚ ❚ ICT and security ❚ ❚ Innovation ❚ ❚ Interior design ❚ ❚ Process engineering

❚ ❚ Project management consulting CORE CULTURE: For nearly 40 years, Ghafari has harnessed new technology to create meaningful spaces. Their team members continue to learn, test, and advance new approaches that push their field forward. They deepen their culture of innovation through constant training in the latest tools. This empowers all employees to imagine and implement exciting solutions to the interesting project problems faced each day.

ember 5, 2018, ISSUE 1271

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