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TZL: As you look for talent, what position do you most need to fill in the coming year and why? JL: We are constantly looking for discipline leaders, project managers, and engineers/ar- chitects of all experience levels in all of our offices. As a professional services consulting and design firm, the search for experienced staff is constant and never ending. Our poli- cy now includes heavier recruiting for entry- level engineers and architects. Once hired, they go through strong technical and non- technical training programs to get them up to speed quicker (two years rather than three to four years). This has provided us with good depth as we add one to two entry lev- el staff for each discipline and each office ev- ery year – whether workloads demand it or not. TZL: Zweig Group research shows there has been a shift in business development strategies. More and more, technical staff, not marketing staff, are responsible for BD. What’s the BD formula in your firm? JL: Our formula is simple. All staff are en- couraged to sell. We typically do not have dedicated business development profession- als. All staff (not just technical) are encour- aged to seek out opportunities and poten- tial new clients. In our firm, “power comes to those that bring in work.” Everyone can contribute. TZL: Diversifying the portfolio is never a bad thing. What are the most recent steps you’ve taken to broaden your revenue streams? JL: Gale offers five distinct and somewhat differing technical disciplines. Each disci- pline is fairly independent of the other; how- ever, they have similar public/private sector client bases. Cross-selling our technical dis- ciplines has recently become a greater pri- ority at Gale. Partnering with other firms for a “piece of the pie,” rather than holding out for the whole pie, is also increasing and strengthening our revenue stream. TZL: The list of responsibilities for proj- ect managers is seemingly endless. How do you keep your PMs from burning out? And if they crash, how do you get them back out on the road, so to speak? JL: Project manager workload is a con- stant concern. This position is the “work- horse” of any professional services corpo- ration. It’s been this way for as long as I’ve been in this business. Project managers are responsible for everything: getting clients, See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8

profit centers succeed, the firm succeeds. We are structured to share staff resources, and we share profits both corporately and indi- vidually. So far, it works for us. TZL: What’s your policy on sharing the firm’s financials with your staff? Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually? And how far down into the org chart is financial infor- mation shared? JL: Monthly and annual financials are shared with partners, discipline managers, and re- gional/office managers. Project financials are transparent and available daily to project managers, project engineers, and other staff, depending on roles. This allows staff resourc- es and scheduling to be cross reviewed and balanced throughout our six offices. TZL: The design-build delivery model ap- pears to be trending upward. What are the keys to a successful design-build project? What are the risks? JL: Gale has been involved with a number of design-build procurements, primarily for our federal agency clients. Our success can be attributed to a couple of key factors: knowing your partner (builder) and a strong risk management process. If the contract terms and conditions are not favorable, we walk. We will be responsible for our design li- ability, but not construction liability. Know- ing and trusting the “B” (builder/contractor) is a critical factor. We want the contractor to have the mindset to “do the right thing,” not just the less expensive way to save money or make money. Finally, having an experienced and savvy team leader (the “A” team) run- ning it for Gale is important. The “A” team understands the risks inherent with design- build procurement/delivery and proactively manages that risk. TZL: The talent war in the AEC industry is here. What steps do you take to create the leadership pipeline needed to retain your top people and not lose them to oth- er firms? JL: To retain, we communicate and provide career paths for growth and opportunity, which we constantly revisit. We are in the middle of re-aligning our strategic plan and goals to bring us through the next five years. This is coinciding with ongoing leadership transitions. The committee (comprised of about 25 percent of staff) is a cross-section of Gale, with all disciplines, operations, and offices represented. We encourage staff to be involved in all aspects of our business: hu- man resources, marketing, and technical or- ganizations. We realize we can’t keep every- one but we will provide support and oppor- tunity to help them decide to stay at Gale.

YEAR FOUNDED: 1964 HEADQUARTERS: Weymouth, MA OFFICES: 6 offices in 6 states: ❚ ❚ Massachusetts ❚ ❚ Florida ❚ ❚ Maryland ❚ ❚ Connecticut ❚ ❚ Virginia ❚ ❚ New Hampshire NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 115 SERVICES: ❚ ❚ Building enclosure design and consulting ❚ ❚ Building enclosure commissioning ❚ ❚ Athletic facilities planning and design ❚ ❚ Airport engineering and planning ❚ ❚ Civil engineering ❚ ❚ Structural engineering SUSTAINABILITY – WALK THE TALK: Since its inception, Gale’s Civil Engineering Group has emphasized sustainability and resource conservation in site development and transportation projects. It’s commitment to sustainability is also reflected in the construction of its corporate headquarters where they installed an “EcoSmart” roof and insulation that has a 40 year reuse warranty and meets green building codes. Its Sustainability Task Force works to improve the sustainability of its business culture through programmed communication, education and change.

mber 12, 2018, ISSUE 1272

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