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BUSINESS NEWS ULTEIG ANNOUNCES THE CELEBRATION OF ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY Ulteig , a leading provider of design engineering, program management, and technical and field services, is proud to announce the celebration of its 75th anniversary. Founded by Melvin Ulteig in 1944, the company’s earliest efforts focused on bringing electricity to rural North Dakota. Through the decades, Ulteig has expanded its presence and adapted its expertise in industries that maintain the infrastructure vital to everyday life. Today the company serves a wide range of clients across the country who operate in the Lifeline Sectors of power, renewables, transportation, and water. “On the surface, turning on a light, driving through a busy intersection or pouring a glass of water all seem like simple tasks,” said Doug Jaeger, president and CEO of Ulteig. “Our

clients manage incredible complexity to keep these tasks simple and routine – we offer them a legacy of listening and solving to support their work in bringing these vital services to millions.” Among its fundamental values, Ulteig is dedicated to its clients’ success. “Our relationship with Ulteig spans half a century,” said Michael Lamb, senior vice president of transmission and president of transco for Xcel Energy. “They have been an invaluable partner in helping us meet the daily challenges of providing safe, clean, reliable energy services to our customers.” For 75 years, Ulteig has relied on the strength of its culture and the competence of its team. As a result, the company has had multiple years of record financial performance, recognition as a top workplace in many of the geographies it serves, and a collection of industry awards for excellence in engineering.

Ulteig is planning celebrations throughout the year for both clients and employee-owners to recognize its milestone anniversary. In addition, the company is positioning itself for a new era of success as it launches its next strategic plan, focused on serving more clients, and offering even greater value to its current clients, through innovation, geographic expansion, and technology-centric partnerships. Ulteig delivers comprehensive design engineering, program management, and technical and field services that strengthen infrastructure vital to everyday life. Ulteig connects people and resources to develop compelling, integrated solutions across multiple Lifeline Sectors, including power, renewables, transportation, and water. Ulteig’s footprint spans the country and leverages its expertise with a wide range of public and private clients.

JAMIE CLAIRE KISER, from page 3

the questions about compensation, work load, and work-life balance the absolute lowest of any other age group. This is too much data to ignore, and it’s important to underscore that this data is not from any one firm, nor is it a survey intended to gauge career satisfaction by age or for a specially selected group of angry millennials: These are survey responses from last year’s 142 Best Firms To Work For winners that Zweig Group simply spread based on age. “I have heard countless times that someone is ‘the right person, but not ready yet’ to take on a bigger role. This wait-and- see attitude ignores mounting examples of extremely successful young leaders across all types of organizations.” This is a “perception is reality” moment to consider how this generation feels at firms recognized for being an awesome place to work! The truth is, the individuals I referred to earlier may very well be “not ready yet” for the next role, but that’s not the point, nor is it an excuse for the data. While generalizations are normally inadvisable, the AEC industry needs to hear this one: We have got to figure out how to engage these young people at what should be an incredibly productive and exciting time in their professional development. If you can’t convince them to join you, stand by while they beat you. Taking this industry-wide weakness and learning how to differentiate your company by turning it into a competitive advantage is the opportunity that this data presents. What can your firm do to be among the Best Firms To Work For for 26- to 35-year-olds? JAMIE CLAIRE KISER is director of advisory services at Zweig Group. Contact her at jkiser@zweiggroup.com.

Work For data by age tier. The results are fascinating, but not at all unexpected. In response to the statement, “My firm has a competent leadership/management team,” the highest ratings came from the youngest, ages 18 to 25, and the oldest, 67 years and older. In contrast, those between the ages of 26 and 35 provided responses aligning with the perception that they feel held back or limited from achieving their potential. This group gave the lowest score of any age bracket in response to questions about the competence of leadership and management. Additional responses in our Best Firms To Work For survey where the 26 to 35 year old age group provided the lowest scores (meaning the least agreement with the statement) of any other age group further illustrate the point: ❚ ❚ My firm has a trustworthy leadership/management team. ❚ ❚ I feel positive relationships exist between employees and management at my firm. ❚ ❚ If I have an idea or suggestion for improving the firm, man- agement will listen, consider it, and respond. ❚ ❚ My firm uses fairness and consistency in its policies and deci- sions. ❚ ❚ I have fun and look forward to going to work. ❚ ❚ My supervisor supports my efforts to succeed at work. ❚ ❚ My firm strives to improve. ❚ ❚ My level of authority accurately reflects my level of responsi- bility. ❚ ❚ I have opportunities for career growth at my firm. ❚ ❚ Management takes an interest in my professional develop- ment. Additionally, this age range also rated every single one of

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THE ZWEIG LETTER April 15, 2019, ISSUE 1292

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