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Conference call: Dickerson Wright Chairman and CEO of NV5 (Hot Firm #1 for 2018), a 2,000-person global engineering firm headquartered in Hollywood, Florida.
By RICHARD MASSEY Editor
“I must convey to every employee that we are in this together,” Wright says. “We are all share- holders and partners. I must be approachable. I find my No. 1 responsibility is to convey a message of inclusion to every employee of NV5.” For the second year in a row, NV5 sits atop Zweig Group’s Hot Firm list of the 100 fastest growing AEC firms in the nation. Powered by a 2,000-per- son workforce, a well-oiled system of mergers and acquisitions, and a global presence, NV5 is a com- pany over which the sun never sets. Amid a banner year – the firm reported Q1 total revenues of $95.5 million – NV5 is active from Massachusetts to Macau, and is involved with proj- ects in the multi-millions to the multi-billions. A publicly-traded company, NV5 (NASDAQ: NVEE) competes with the industry’s titans – AECOM, Ja- cobs, and Hill International, to name a few – and is more than holding its own. Dickerson Wright, the firm’s chairman and CEO since 2009, has been in the business for four de- cades, giving him a profound understanding of both his company and the industry at large. The Zweig Letter reached out to Wright with questions about various topics. Here is his response. A CONVERSATION WITH DICKERSON WRIGHT. The Zweig Letter: NV5 was featured on the NAS- DAQ Tower Marquee at Times Square on June 12. How did this come about, and tell us about the feedback your firm received from clients,
potential clients, and across your marketing and social media channels? DickersonWright: There is a very interesting story behind our name appearing on the NASDAQ Tow- er Marquee. Actually the catalyst was the Zweig Group Hot Firm award. NASDAQ contacted our in- ternal public relations person, Jenna Carrick, and said they would like to display this on their mar- quee. Publicity is always positive and we have been contacted and asked to do many interviews as a re- sult. TZL: Hot Firm No. 1 for the second year in a row. Tell us about the strategy that has fueled the firm’s sustained growth over the last few years. DW: We have a very simple strategy. We are an or- ganization of key engineering consultants to our clients. Our best people must be the face to the cli- ent. When you are perceived to add value, you grow along with your clients. TZL: There are currently more than 100 job open- ings posted on the NV5 website. In a tight labor market, all firms are having trouble hiring the people they need. What are the key challenges in recruitment and retention for NV5, not just do- mestically, but globally? DW: We look at the openings as something posi- tive. It is very basic: If you want to attract people, your organization must be attractive. We want partners, not just key employees. We therefore
Dickerson Wright, Chair- man & CEO, NV5
See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER Aug
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