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The TLC Board of Directors: Front row: Jim Ferris, COO; Michael Sheerin, CEO; Bill Daly, CFO; Middle row: Mark Gelfo, Rania Sadrack, Bob Danner, Lawrin Ellis; Back row: Matt Wiechart, Brian Lomel, Gary Krueger, Mark Costello and Moncef Hadiji
CONFERENCE CALL, from page 7
that staff sees lead every day; they see the opportunity to become the future of our firm. TZL: Benefits are evolving. Are you offering any new ones due to the changing demographic? MS: In recent years, we’ve expanded our FMLA protections to provide 12-weeks paid maternity/parental leave. We’ve also added pet insurance, legal access at reduced rates, and zero cost healthcare options. With our new office locations in expensive urban markets like Atlanta and Philadelphia, and to further enhance our sustainable footprint, we ad- justed our parking policy to better encourage and support using public transit options, in addition to reducing the sig- nificant out of pockets for parking when applicable. “TLC is one of only two organizations in Florida and only 85 organizations in the world to earn the JUST distinction, and it affirms that we’re diverse, offer solid benefits, are equitable, and that we value our employees.” TZL: Tell us about the last time you named a new princi- pal from outside the firm. MS: TLC acquired Allen + Conrad in 2015 and the owners of that firm immediately were welcomed as shareholders. Other than through acquisition, TLC hasn’t typically had a new hire join the firm as a principal, but it could occur when making strategic hires or other circumstances. TZL: How have the tax cuts impacted your firm’s valua- tion? Do you plan on doing another valuation due to the tax cuts? MS: Our stock price has steadily increased in recent years based on successful years of continued growth. Our price is valued annually based on our governing documents. The tax cuts and other extraordinary events caused a more signifi- cant jump in our recent price adjustment.
TZL: Diversity and inclusion is lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue? MS: In 2016, TLC pursued its JUST label. JUST is a volun- tary disclosure and transparency platform created by the International Living Future Institute to measure social jus- tice and equity in the workplace. JUST requires that orga- nizations seeking the label disclose a range of firm and em- ployee-related metrics. The exercise was enlightening and compelled our leadership to take a deeper dive into how we support a culture of inclusiveness and equity. Our Board im- plemented some modest adjustments to policies and TLC earned our JUST label. In 2018, as we renewed our JUST la- bel, we were much more confident in what we could accom- plish and where we could challenge ourselves to excel in the program. TLC is one of only two organizations in Florida and only 85 organizations in the world to earn the JUST distinction, and it affirms that we’re diverse, offer solid benefits, are eq- uitable, and that we value our employees. This helps us at- tract talent, as well as provide enhanced value to project teams that are pursuing WELL and Living Building certifica- tion. TLC also has a grassroots-led Women’s Initiative – this group does outreach to schools, provides training across the firm through videos, presentations and shares ideas and in- formation with other companies in the AEC space that are engaged in similar activities. TZL: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? MS: TLC has a solid track record in retaining employees. We know that staff stay for different reasons and we try to en- sure that every TLC employee feels encouraged to excel, gets feedback from a supportive supervisor, develops through a career track, and does great work on exciting and challeng- ing projects. We are flexible to employees moving amongst places where TLC has offices (and where we don’t), and re- ward beyond market based on their performance as an in- dividual and within a team. We have an ownership group
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THE ZWEIG LETTER June 17, 2019, ISSUE 1301
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