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BUSINESS NEWS DEWBERRY’S GSP INTERCHANGE 163 IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT EARNS MULTIPLE ENGINEERING AWARDS Dewberry , a privately held professional services firm, has announced that the Garden State Parkway Interchange 163 improvements received a National Recognition Award at the 2019 ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards competition. The project also earned the ASCE New Jersey Section 2019 Project of the Year <$100 million award. The $67 million GSP interchange 163 improvements were completed in 2018, and helped to reduce vehicular traffic queues from occurring in the high-speed left lanes by the relocation of existing left-side exits to more conventional right-side exits. These improvements helped to alleviate operational and safety issues along both the ramps, as well as both the northbound and southbound GSP mainline roadways. Dewberry’s services included environmental studies; bridge assessments; signage design; maintenance and
It’s clear the industry has not been immune to the political climate. In 1999, 54 percent of respondents reported Republican, 22 per- cent Democrat, and 21 percent independent. In 2019, 37 percent identified with being Republican, 21 percent Democrat, and 42 percent none/independent. In 1999, 41 percent were between the ages of 40 and 49, with an additional 44 percent old- er than 50. The industry is aging with many of the same principals sticking it out in their role 20 years later! In 2019, just 16 percent of principals were between the ages of 40 and 49, and 80 percent are over the age of 50. In 1999, 96 percent of principals were Cauca- sian and just 5 percent were female. Despite what is happening in the larger world, the AEC industry, particularly in the principal role, has not diversified much. In 2019, 90 percent of principals were Caucasian. Slightly more women have made it into the role, now 17 percent of principals are female, but still drastically less than the overall workforce, which is approaching a 50/50 gender split. Still, principals today by and large don’t feel the industry has a problem with a lack of di- versity. Although 75 percent of women prin- cipals feel this is an issue, just 58 percent of men feel the same. As recruiting remains the top challenge cited among principals, a focus on diversity and creating a more inclusive workplace is going to become a necessity. CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES is Zweig Group’s director of of research and e-commerce. She can be reached at czweig@zweiggroup.com. protection of traffic; highway, structural, geotechnical, and utility engineering; permitting; and stormwater management. “We’re honored that the GSP Interchange 163 improvements received awards both nationally and locally. These improvements were important for creating a safer highway for the residents of Bergen County and the heavily traveled Route 17,” says Dewberry Senior Vice President Ali Vaezi, P.E. The ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards recognize engineering achievements that demonstrate a high degree of skill and ingenuity among firms. ASCE’s awards are presented for outstanding civil engineering projects that were recently constructed in New Jersey. Established in 1956, Dewberry is a leading, market- facing firmwith a proven history of providing professional services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients.
2019 PRINCIPALS, PART- NERS & OWNERS SURVEY Zweig Group’s 2019 Prin- cipals, Partners & Owners Survey of AEC Firms is a comprehensive study of owners and top manag- ers of U.S. AEC firms. This eye-opening report covers ownership, stock apprecia- tion, buy/sell agreements, non-compete agreements, voting rights, roles, respon- sibilities, perks, compensa- tion, and more. The 2019 Principals, Part- ners & Owners Survey has data on the following: ❚ ❚ Principal compensation, benefits, and perks ❚ ❚ Common issues and challenges related to running an AEC firm ❚ ❚ Qualifications, job re- quirements, and demo- graphics of principals, partners, and owners in the industry ments, non-competes, and stock buyback pro- visions ❚ ❚ How principals manage time and break down the work day ❚ ❚ Employment agree- For the 2019 edition, prin- cipals from across the U.S. in the AEC industry re- sponded to a questionnaire on the topics above. Their responses were then tabu- lated and analyzed. For more information about this survey, visit bit.ly/ PPO1306
CHRISTINA ZWEIG NIEHUES, from page 3
all of the firm’s debts. In 2019 this was 57 percent. Big changes come to light when we look at salaries. Principals in the AEC industry have seen large increases in salary, well beyond simple inflation. In 1999, median annual base salary was $100,000 and median total compensation was $140,000. In 2019, me- dian annual base salary was $165,000 and median total compensation was $241,875! Billing rates have also increased – going from $125 per hour to $205 per hour. Although principals have higher salaries and bonuses/distributions, workplace perks have declined. In 1999, 52 percent of principals had a company car. In 2019, that was just 37 percent. In 1999, 24 percent of principals had a company provided country, health, or social club membership; 20 years later, that number has been cut in half to just 13 percent. Technology has also changed the way princi- pals work. In 1999, 5 percent still didn’t have a computer in their workspace (in 1991 this was the majority, 55 percent). Although com- puters were present in workspaces, only 86 percent of principals had a unique email ad- dress, 92 percent had internet access at work, and only 77 percent had internet access at home. In 1999, just like 2019, principals worked a median of 50 hours per week. Two decades ago, 31 percent of principals reported fre- quently working on weekends/holidays. Pos- sibly due to the widespread availability of internet and technology, in 2019, 40 percent report frequently working on weekends/holi- days.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER July 29, 2019, ISSUE 1306
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