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TZL: What’s your policy on sharing the firm’s financials with your staff? Weekly, monthly, quarterly, annu- ally? And how far down into the org chart is financial information shared? HG: We share our firm’s financials with the entire company at our CEO update shortly after the quarter ends. “As you groom the up and comers, it’s important to see their vision and be sure you can embrace their direction enhancement looking to the future.” TZL: The design-build delivery mod- el appears to be trending upward. What are the keys to a successful design-build project? What are the risks? HG: It’s important that everyone rec- ognizes they are part of the same team. Everyone needs to be mindful of each other’s success and be willing to go the extra mile to ensure the max- imum success for every team mem- ber. When team members forget that, trouble ensues. TZL: The talent war in the A/E indus- try is here. What steps do you take to create the leadership pipeline need- ed to retain your top people and not lose them to other firms? HG: We try to ensure that our top peo- ple who are looking to grow into great- er leadership positions are provided the necessary training to be the lead- ers of tomorrow. In addition, we reg- ularly meet with them to make sure they’re being challenged, are growing, and feel that they are being heard. TZL: As you look for talent, what po- sition do you most need to fill in the coming year and why? HG: We will be bringing IT support in house, so that very necessary role will be first. And, as SidePlate’s market share grows throughout the next year, expect to see new regional engineers and project managers move up the list. TZL: While plenty of firms have an ownership transition plan in place, many do not. What’s your advice for firms that have not taken steps to

identify and empower the next gen- eration of owners? HG: Get on it! To do this right, it takes years to truly groom the next gen- eration of owners/leaders. You don’t want to find yourself having to go back like Steve Jobs after selling be- cause you didn’t do a good enough job infusing the necessary DNA into the next generation. Additionally, as you groom the up and comers, it’s impor- tant to see their vision and be sure you can embrace their direction enhance- ment looking to the future. 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? HG: To work with, sell to, and com- mand the respect from technical folks like structural engineers, you need to be an engineer. Complementing our technical expertise in the field, we have a fully staffed marketing depart- ment to make sure our messaging is clear, concise, and on target. TZL: Measuring the effectiveness of marketing is difficult to do us- ing hard metrics for ROI. How do you evaluate the success/failure of your firm’s marketing efforts when results could take months, or even years, to materialize? Do you track any metrics to guide your marketing plan? HG: We have a marketing department, but we view everyone in the company as a marketer. To that, we gauge our marketing successes on customer sat- isfaction. When customers are happy, Team SidePlate is doing its marketing right. “It takes years to truly groom the next generation of owners/leaders. You don’t want to find yourself having to go back ... after selling because you didn’t do a good enough job infusing the necessary DNA into the next generation.”

YEAR FOUNDED: 1995 HEADQUARTERS: Mission Viejo, CA GALLART: He’s been responsible for the lateral design of more than 200 high-profile structures including GSA, DoD, and FAA facilities, located in and out of high-seismic regions. He is not your typical business leader. His colleagues say, “He marches to the beat of a different piano.” NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 36 SPECIALTIES:

❚ ❚ Lateral design ❚ ❚ Seismic design ❚ ❚ Progressive collapse analysis ❚ ❚ Structural analysis ❚ ❚ Performance-based design ❚ ❚ Finite element analysis ❚ ❚ Physical testing and approvals ❚ ❚ OSHPD and AISC CPRP

COMPANY CULTURE: A “people first” culture is driven from both the top down and the ground up. Their parent company, MiTek, works closely with SidePlate to create a culture that honors, influences, inspires, and engages the entire team to do their very best. INDUSTRY THOUGHT LEADERS: Structural and software engineers continuously work on methods to improve the performance of moment frame buildings and the design/ detailing tools to support successful projects. They regularly share research with industry colleagues through technical papers and engineering journals.

See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8

ember 10, 2018, ISSUE 1263

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