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P R O F I L E
Conference call: Gary Dahms President, CEO, and chairman of the board for T&M Associates (Hot Firm #73 for 2016), a 350-person engineering firm based in Middletown, New Jersey.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
G ary Dahms, PE, PP, CME, has beenwith the firm for more than 30 years. Since 2012, he’s served as president, CEO, and chairman of the board. Dur- ing this time, he’s spearheaded the firm’s evolution from a municipal engineering firm into a full-ser- vice, multi-disciplined consulting company with 19 offices in eight states. “The workforce consists of baby boomers, Gen- eration Xers, and millennials, and each group has different drivers, motivators, and are at different points in their careers,” Dahms says. “However, when their individual goals and career progression paths are aligned with corporate goals and there is engagement from the top down, we all succeed.” A CONVERSATION WITH GARY DAHMS. The Zweig Letter: The talent war in the A/E in- dustry is here. What steps do you take to create the leadership pipeline needed to retain your top people and not lose them to other firms?
Gary Dahms: We’ve developed clearly-defined, ca- reer progression paths to help us cultivate, retain, and attract exceptional employees in all areas. We work to provide guidance, consistency, and an envi- ronment that fosters career growth and opportuni- ty. Each path is unique and shaped by factors such as skill set, ability, interest, availability of appropri- ate opportunities, performance, and motivation. As a means to this end, we provide a variety of re- sources to help guide employees down their cho- sen path. We have continuous company-sponsored training on many levels and platforms including our own T&M University. We provide project man- agement training and tools and give them oppor- tunities to attend conferences and trade shows. We offer tuition assistance and have assembled a “Young Professionals” group. We’ve chartered a Toastmasters International club which focuses on improving our employees’ public speaking abilities while boosting confidence and building leadership skills.
Gary Dahms, President, CEO, & Chair- man, T&M Associates
THE ZWEIG LETTER M
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