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office or specific discipline in the event of non-performance? SC: It’s a matter of listening first to our people. Then we provide the support need- ed for the appropriate corrective action – support is our number one core value as a company. We then provide them with the resources to turn their performance around, while continuing to monitor the situation. If it’s not working over a pre- scribed amount of time, then we make a change. TZL: How many years of experience – or large enough book of business – is enough to become a principal in your firm? Are you naming principals in their 20s or 30s? SC: There is no set number of years of ex- perience or age threshold needed to be- come a principal here. In the last few years, we’ve promoted people in their 20s and 30s to principals. It used to be that you had to be an employee for a minimum of three years to become a principal, but now we’re offering it to existing, less ten- ured staff if they’re making a big impact, and even bringing people in as principals. If people are producing well in other firms and want to join us, and we think they have the ownership mentality and the nec- essary acumen, then we want to have them work for us and work for us as a principal. If we’re going to win the war for the best talent out there, then we have to give that talent multiple reasons to join our firm. This process has been a cultural adjust- ment, and we’ve made sure to communi- cate the criteria for achieving principal status consistently. TZL: Internal transition is expensive. How do you “sell” this investment op- portunity to your next generation of principals? How do you prepare them for the next step? SC: I apprise the company of the long-term strategy on a quarterly basis so that every- one knows what we’re working toward and the progress we’re making. Our principals, to whom I’m “selling” this investment, are aware of that growth and their share value “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.”

is commensurate with that growth. With the support of everyone in the firm and under my leadership, shareholders have already seen a 600 percent return for their investment; our new strategic plan looks to double or triple this investment again. The ROI “sells” itself. “A positive, creative work environment is very important and is continually evolving based on what employees want to see.” TZL: When did you have the most fun running your firm, and what were the hallmarks of that time in your profes- sional life? SC: I would saymoving through our minor- ity recapitalization last fall was the most fun, generally because everything else I’d done in my professional life was evolution and this was revolution. We were setting Woolpert on a path to achieve a vision that the firm had never realized before. This is the firm tapping into its ultimate poten- tial. TZL: Describe the challenges you en- countered in building your management team over the lifetime of your leader- ship? Have you ever terminated or de- moted long-time leaders as the firm grew? How did you handle it? SC: We haven’t had many challenges in terms of building the right management team because we have followed a process that enables us to make strategic (not emotional) decisions when it comes to staffing. When choosing staff, too many companies pick the person that was suc- cessful in their old job, or is well connect- ed, or is a friend; this process has a much greater chance in resulting in the wrong person being picked. At Woolpert, staffing is one of the last decisions we make in our long-term planning. At Woolpert, we fol- low a process that I call VS3. This stands for vision, strategy, structure, and staff- ing. This process requires you to start with a vision (or long-term objectives you want to achieve) and then build a strategy to achieve the vision. Then you need to deter- mine the optimal (corporate) structure to achieve the strategy. Then, and only then, is it time to determine the correct people. To answer the second part of the question – yes, we’ve had long-term leaders who See A REVOLUTION, page 8

HEADQUARTERS: Dayton, OH YEAR FOUNDED: 1911 OFFICES: 27 NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 800

SCOTT CATTRAN: He has been the firm’s president and CEO since 2016. AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Architecture, engineering, and geospatial MARKETS: Aviation, education, energy/facilities, Google, government, IT management consulting, national security for parks and recreation/athletics, transportation, and water SERVICES: Aerial mapping, alternative delivery, application development, asset management, BIM, disaster relief, GIS, land licensing and permitting, LIDAR, landscape architecture, onsite support, national security, water quality monitoring, unmanned aircraft systems, strategic consulting, and surveying MISSION: To help our employees, clients, and world progress – to move forward through forward thinking. CULTURE: In addition to adhering to core values, the overall company culture is described as “supportive, focused, progressive, industry leading, high performance, and balanced.”

uary 11, 2019, ISSUE 1283

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