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ON THE MOVE BURNS&MCDONNELLNAMESNEWTRANSPORTATION LEADER Mike DeBacker has been named general manager of the Transportation Global Practice at Burns & McDonnell . With nearly three decades of experience in transportation policy, planning and design, he will assume the role when current general manager Ben Biller retires in July. “In an era of driverless cars and aging infrastructures, the transportation industry is being completely reimagined,” says Ray Kowalik, chairman and CEO, Burns & McDonnell. “It’s more important than ever to have a leader who is visionary and can continue to drive us forward. Mike’s extensive knowledge of transportation policy and bold approach to future planning are critical for our industry.” DeBacker joined Burns & McDonnell in 2007 and has managed and participated in transportation studies and projects with the Federal Highway Administration, turnpike and tollway authorities, departments of transportation, city and county governments, and private industry. He has managed many large, complex bridge, highway and rail studies and projects around the country. DeBacker has led innovative transportation studies forecasting future transportation needs, including multistate corridor planning projects. He directed the first-ever planning and environmental linkages (PEL) study in the Kansas City region with the Mid-America Regional Council. The study provided alternatives for the aging Buck O’Neil (Broadway) Bridge over the Missouri River. The project identified significant opportunities in the downtown Kansas City freeway loop system and transportation network
of the central business district, and the direct impacts to land uses, development and urban revitalization. “Transportation is the lifeblood of commerce, innovation and everyday life for all of us,” DeBacker says. “It is a privilege to lead a team that is committed to partnering with our clients and policymakers across the country. As a trusted partner, our mission is to make our clients successful to reimagining, maintaining and building innovative transportation infrastructure that will support us for generations.” DeBacker is the co-champion of the Big 5 transportation initiative, an effort with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce to develop future transportation strategies for the region. He is also past chairman of the American Council of Engineering Companies for Missouri, leadership academy of the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association and serves in several roles with chambers of commerce and nonprofit organizations. DeBacker holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri- Columbia and a an MBA from the University of Kansas. He is a registered professional engineer in Missouri, Massachusetts, and Florida. Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of 7,000 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants, and entrepreneurs with offices across the country and throughout the world. The firm strives to create amazing success for its clients and amazing careers for its employee- owners.
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1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Chad Clinehens | Publisher cclinehens@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Managing Editor rmassey@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Senior Editor and Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com
MARK ZWEIG, from page 1
firm working with the clients they are best suited to serve is important, too. Marketing needs input! 3)Where does the firm have office locations? What is the design of those offices? Another important marketing decision is this one right here. In some markets, the lo- cation of the office is crucial to being able to serve certain specific clients. In other mar- kets, location doesn’t matter at all. And how that office looks can be important to your marketing as well. Some clients want to see a space that looks like one appropriate for a successful professional service provider. Others will be turned off by anything that isn’t bare bones. We need the input of marketing here! 4)What type of contractual arrangement does the firm use for particular types of work/specific clients, and what prices are set? Contractual arrangements and pric- ing can have huge impacts on whether or not you will win the job and how profitable it is or isn’t. Marketing is often cut out of these decisions and they are strictly left to the design and production end of the business but they shouldn’t be. 5)What are policies for work hours, travel reimbursement, and more? These policies can most certainly affect total job cost, not to mention can be big points of contention we don’t want with our clients. Marketing needs to be considered here and give input so client relationships don’t inadvertently suffer. There are many other areas of your company and decisions that need input from marketing to be handled properly. Are you missing out on this valuable knowledge in these or any other areas that it is needed? If so, amend your evil ways and make better use of your marketing talent! MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.
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© Copyright 2019. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
THE ZWEIG LETTER May 6, 2019, ISSUE 1295
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