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In the trenches: Margaret Robertson President and CEO of Falcon Engineering, a woman-owned engineering firm in Cary, North Carolina.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
R obertson is a registered licensed engineering geologist by trade and has more than 30 years of experience in the materials testing and geotechnical engineering industry. She oversees the entire operation of Falcon from its AASHTO accredited laboratory, to its engineering services and marketing and business development initiatives. “We strongly adhere to an open-door policy – from executive leadership down to our project managers,” Robertson says. “We feel a listening ear without harsh pushback is the key to a trusting relationship and
TZL: How far into the future are you able to reliably predict your workload and cash flow? MR: It’s a strong market now and that’s allowed us to look even further into the future with high reliability. Currently, with 90 percent reliability, we can predict our workload and cash flow out for the next eight to 10 months. Beyond that, with 60 percent reliability, we can predict workload 15 to 18 months away, and, with 30 percent reliability, predict 24 months away. In the past, during tougher markets and economic downturns, it’s been difficult to reliably predict our workload and cash flow just four to six months out. TZL: How much time do you spend working “in the business” rather than “on the business?” MR: When I hear the phrase working “in” the business rather than “on” the business, one word comes to mind: Synonymous. There is no divvying up the percentage of time spent working “in or on” the business. Running a successful small business requires looking “in” the business before working “on” the business. Seeing inside the business involves an understanding of your service lines and technical expertise. It also requires a
understanding the needs of our staff.” A CONVERSATION WITH MARGARET ROBERTSON.
The Zweig Letter: What are three or four key business performance indicators that you watch most carefully? Do you share that information with your staff? Margaret Robertson: Backlog, gross margin, and AR status. These key performance indicators are shared with senior leadership, project managers, and department managers on a weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly basis.
THE ZWEIG LETTER Nove
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