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P R O F I L E
Key successors: Bob Howell CEO of SSOE Group (Hot Firm #44 for 2018), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management based in Toledo, Ohio.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
“A ll key positions within the company are required to have two key successors,” Howell says. A CONVERSATION WITH BOB HOWELL. The Zweig Letter: How are the tariffs impacting your business and that of your clients? Bob Howell: Currently, tariffs have been causing some un- certainty with a few of our clients, resulting in some proj- ects being placed on hold or awaiting the go-ahead to pro- ceed from the client. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility as CEO? BH: Leadership development and succession planning for firm sustainability. TZL: Engineers love being engineers, but what are you doing to instill a business culture in your firm? BH: We are doing several things to instill a business culture within the firm when it comes to our engineers. We conduct project manager training sessions on basic financials for a
fundamental understanding of how the firm makes money. As a corporation, it’s our responsibility to make it an easy task for our PMs to get their project financials so they’re able to run each project like a business. Business Intelligent tools and software give our PMs the ability to pull data such as earned value, actual versus budget, etc., quickly and eas- ily to understand the current situation of their projects. TZL: Do you tie compensation to performance for your top leaders? BH: Yes. We have a program where all senior associates and above have performance-based metrics. As an individual’s career progression level increases, a higher portion of their incentive compensation is tied to these performance-based metrics. Additionally, the company’s stock value is based on the financial success of the firm so, again, senior associates and above, can earn additional reward for performance via this opportunity. TZL: When did you have the most fun running your firm, and what were the hallmarks of that time in your profes- sional life?
THE ZWEIG LETTER Ma
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