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A revolution: Scott Cattran Chairman, CEO and President of Woolpert (Hot Firm #18 for 2018), an 800-person national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm based in Dayton, OH.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
“I would say moving through our minority recapitaliza- tion last fall was the most fun, generally because ev- erything else I’d done in my professional life was evolution and this was revolution,” Cattran says, referring to the joy of running Woolpert. A CONVERSATION WITH SCOTT CATTRAN. The Zweig Letter: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? Scott Cattran: We’re not so much trying to encourage peo- ple to stick around as much as we are dedicated to building a work environment that people want to be a part of. I think it starts with a lofty vision and showing progress toward that vision. For example, the fact that we are No. 18 on the Hot Firm list shows that we are scaling to become the firm of our vision, and I think people are excited to be a part of that. Shareholders are extremely happy with what they’ve seen as far as ROI, and by what’s on the horizon. I think our Great Place to Work initiative is pretty criti- cal as well, because it shows our staff that it’s not all about
numbers. A positive, creative work environment is very important and is continually evolving based on what em- ployees want to see. We have a lot more parties these days; people are having fun. By providing better benefits and an enhanced environment, and by doing well in the industry, these all add up to a fun, prosperous, and enduring place to work. In addition to training and commitment to investing in innovation, we also offer individual development plans for anyone and everyone in the firm who wants to grow and develop. TZL: Do you tie compensation to performance for your top leaders? SC: Yes, and that process has changed over time. We used to distribute profits through shareholders in the short-term, and now we have our top leaders investing in the firm long- term. This has made the process more incentivized because it’s not just about bonuses, but about equity in the compa- ny. TZL: What actions do you take to address a geographic
THE ZWEIG LETTER Febru
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