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as well as working as a sub-consultant to a prime consultant, which is often impacted by their cashflow. TZL: How much time do you spend work- ing “in the business” rather than “on the business?” DY: At this stage of our growth, I find my- self working full-time “in the business” while I’m in the office, with a significant amount of attention working “on the busi- ness” when I’m away from the office. As a “hands-on” owner, I’m not proud that this is the case now. We do have a vision to trans- form the company toward “self-sufficiency,” where the company is not dependent upon any one person or one group of individuals, including myself. We understand that this approach is important to our sustainabili- ty and long-term health. We’re well on our way to meeting this goal. TZL: What role does your family play in your career? Are work and family sepa- rate, or is there overlap? DY: Family and friends have played a tre- mendous role in my career and in DY Con- sultants. The characteristics that have been instilled in myself and how our company operates has been described as personable and flexible with a hard work ethic. The per- spective I’ve gotten from my parents, my wife and kids, my friends, my employees, and my colleagues have all contributed to where I am today – technically and as a per- son. I also include employees in this group because they’re family to me too. TZL: Artificial intelligence and machine learning are potential disruptors across all industries. Is your firm exploring how to incorporate these technologies into providing improved services for clients? DY: As airport planners and designers, the industry is growing at a pace I’ve never ex- perienced. The techniques involved in solv- ing complex issues at airports necessitate the ability to automate and analyze infor- mation quicker than what was expected in the past. DY has made a concerted effort to- ward advancing technology with a commit- ment toward R&D. One example is our abil- ity to analyze massive amounts of data and using it to solve complex problems, such as maximizing efficiencies in the airspace, on the airfield, and at the terminals at the bus- iest airports in the world. TZL: What, if anything, are you doing to protect your firm from a potential eco- nomic slowdown in the future? DY: There is no doubt that this wave we’re
riding will come to an end. We’ve taken a diversified approach within the airport in- dustry. Our business plan and our market- ing approach consider opportunities from additional types of clientele and expanding our reach geographically while exploring additional services we may be able to pro- vide, to address upcoming industry needs. TZL: It is often said that people leave managers, not companies. What are you doing to ensure that your line leadership are great people managers? DY: I’m a big believer in developing young professionals into managers. Being young, driven, hardworking, and creative is what makes up the DY brand. One of the chal- lenges we have is to develop talented indi- viduals within our firm, who have proven to be technically smart and loyal individu- als, into great people managers. The compa- ny does provide leadership training to our management group with a focus on team building, inspiring and motivating staff to meet their personal and corporate goals. TZL: How are you balancing investment in the next generation – which is at an all-time high – with rewards for tenured staff? DY: This has always been a challenge, but seems heightened as investments in de- velopment have increased. We are a young company. The average age of our group is mid-30s. I’m a big supporter of providing everyone equal input when it comes to the growth of DY, and I have and will contin- ue to invest in our staff, regardless of age. The needs of the “next generation” or the millennials are different than those of the baby boomers and I totally understand that their needs and the types of rewards that resonate with them may be different from others. At DY, the quantity of investment is equal across the board, but the type of in- vestment and rewards may be different. TZL: What novel approaches are you bringing to recruitment, and how are your brand and differentiators perform- ing in the talent wars? DY: Our approach toward recruitment re- lies heavily on word of mouth. We’re for- tunate to have a great reputation and our marketing department does a great job in getting the message out to colleagues – do- mestically and globally. We advertise in traditional trade journals, on social me- dia, through our website and use talent re- search firms, but often talent comes to us through discussions with either colleagues in the industry or with DY’s existing staff. See EXCELLENT QUALITY, page 8
YEAR FOUNDED: 1991 HEADQUARTERS: New York, NY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 49 NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 4 SERVICES ❚ ❚ Planning: Facilities and operations, terminal planning and design, aviation demand forecasts, airside planning, data analytics and operation research, environmental planning and permitting ❚ ❚ Engineering: Construction safety; phasing plans and implementation; pavement design, evaluation and quality acceptance; visual aids and airfield lighting system; navigational aids; airfield horizontal geometry; airfield vertical geometry; drainage; grading and earthwork ❚ ❚ Environmental: Environmental assessments, environmental impact statements, CATEX, Environmental short forms, local organization coordination, public workshops/involvement ❚ ❚ Construction project structural, electrical, safety, environmental, geotechnical, surveyors ❚ ❚ Program management: management: Civil and site, mechanical,
Program planning, cost estimating and funding, project definition documents, bridging documents, scheduling, cost and scheduling management, delivery strategies, coordination and communication with all stakeholders, design management, and construction engineering oversight
SECTOR: Aviation
© Copyright 2019. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
ember 9, 2019, ISSUE 1311
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