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UPCOMING EVENT

THE 2018 ZWEIG GROUP HOT FIRM + A/E INDUSTRY AWARDS CONFERENCE The 2018 Zweig Group Hot Firm + A/E Industry Awards Conference, in Dallas September 20-21, is the AEC industry’s largest and most comprehensive business conference for leaders and aspiring leaders of AEC firms in the U.S. Come network, gain knowledge, and celebrate with the top firms in the industry. The conference agenda includes topics on technology, leadership challenges, business planning, marketing methods, recruiting and retention, and growth strategies. The success stories of Zweig Group award winners will be shared at the event, along with a variety of speakers from a range of industries, all guaranteed to challenge and inspire you to achieve even greater success. The Hot Firm Conference will culminate with a black-tie awards banquet and ceremony where awards will be presented to firms on the 2018 Hot Firm List, the 2018 Best Firms To Work For, 2018 Marketing Excellence

Awards, and the Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award winner. For more information, visit hotfirm.com or call 800.466.6275.

CONFERENCE CALL , from page 7

when results could take months, or even years, to mate- rialize? Do you track any metrics to guide your market- ing plan? TB: Every year our staff develops a business plan for their division. We try to evaluate it every six months, but always at year-end. We monitor and track each marketing effort and discuss major failures and winners. For long-term mar- keting endeavors, we rely on the actual progress being made and our realistic instincts of performance. TZL: While M&A is always an option, there’s something to be said about organic growth. What are your thoughts on why and how to grow a firm? TB: We have tried both techniques. Each has certain posi- tive/negative benefits. I prefer organic growth, simply be- cause it’s a slower process in terms of cash outlay. Howev- er, organic growth can be a painful and costly experience, which never flourishes. After a certain period, you must ac- cept it as a loss, learn from it and move forward. Acquisition is a quicker route to growth, but also higher risk factor in terms of purchase and transition. TZL: Do you use historical performance data or metrics to establish project billable hours and how does the type of contract play into determining the project budget? TB: While historical data and information may be reviewed, it’s not directly used in determining project budgets. Each of our projects is unique, as processes, reviews, and permit- ting change. “We monitor and track each marketing effort and discuss major failures and winners. For long-term marketing endeavors, we rely on the actual progress being made and our realistic instincts of performance.” TZL: What’s your prediction for 2018? TB: Based on a revised Federal Highway budget, we had an- ticipated significant growth, but as the funding lingers, so do the projects. We expect a continued focus on environ- mental sustainability projects, such as best management practices and storm water management, as they relate to the U.S. Clean Water Act.

TB: We try not to inundate them with excessive adminis- trative functions which sometimes can include meetings, invoicing, and personnel issues. Let the project managers do their job. We are there to make sure they have the right tools to do it. If a PM gets overloaded, we discuss options for workload sharing, available staff, etc. We also provide of- fice activities to keep moods at ease. Typically, these include lunchtime movies, basketball shoots, office cookouts, and internal office events. “Driverless technology seems to be rapidly advancing. Roadways will eventually need to accommodate these applications. In the next few years, there will be a mix of human drivers/driverless lanes and techniques being used for transportation design purposes.” TZL: What is the role of entrepreneurship in your firm? TB: We encourage it. If staff has a good idea or suggestion, we listen. As senior management, we are open to different ideas/changes. TZL: In the next couple of years, what A/E segments will heat up, and which ones will cool down? TB: Lately, we’ve been seeing more water resources-related projects, which involve best management practices, storm water management, and total maximum daily loads. These projects, related to the US Clean Water Act, focus on reha- bilitation and maintenance. Driverless technology also seems to be rapidly advancing. Roadways will eventually need to accommodate these ap- plications. In the next few years, there will be a mix of hu- man drivers/driverless lanes and techniques being used for transportation design purposes. Some of which will include: roadway materials and sensors, pavement markings and signage, communications, speed limits, lane width, etc. In addition, there is going to be a transition period for human drivers to adapt to and accommodate these new vehicles. TZL: Measuring the effectiveness of marketing is diffi- cult to do using hard metrics for ROI. How do you evalu- ate the success/failure of your firm’s marketing efforts

THE ZWEIG LETTER July 23, 2018, ISSUE 1257

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