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quires time management balance. I think I spend about 85 to 90 percent of my time “in the business” although only 20 percent of that is within the engineering design or technical support area. The remainder of time is on internal business operations, responding to client requests, and gener- ating proposals. I now enjoy the business side more than the technical side. May- be 10 to 15 percent of my time is on busi- ness development and client relations, but this is changing. Upper management now has more authority and I want them to be- gin running our company on their own. Through this initiative my “on the business time” will increase. TZL: What, if anything, are you doing to protect your firm from a potential eco- nomic slowdown in the future? AR: Through more than 50 years of build- ing relationships, a high majority of our business is from referrals. Our main engi- neering focus is on the repair, restoration, and maintenance of existing buildings. A very low percentage is dedicated to archi- tect or developer work that can be greatly impacted by an economic shutdown. This strategy has helped us in the past. During the ’08 and ’09 recession our workload was steady for seven employees. It will be chal- lenging now that we have 13 employees. TZL: It is often said that people leave managers, not companies. What are you doing to ensure that your leadership are great people managers? AR: We’ve been very fortunate with our dedicated staff and our employee turnover rate is very low. This is no accident. Our hiring model is to select a graduate student and train them into our culture and engi- neering model. This has proved successful. Our principals and senior management team have been with us for 25, 13, 12, and 10 years. While there are always hurdles, we promote a creative, fun atmosphere that allows for a work/family balance, flex- ibility, and, ultimately, employee stability. TZL: How are you balancing investment in the next generation – which is at an all-time high – with rewards for tenured staff? AR: This has always been a challenge, but seems heightened as investments in de- velopment have increased. I have tried very hard to understand the needs and de- sires of the next generation. This has tak- en some time and lengthy discussions. As a result, we’ve taken initiatives to pro- mote improved remote access, flexible work time, and allow staff to adjust their

schedules to achieve a better work-family balance. We have also improved our mater- nity/paternity leave benefits and promote educational and professional growth semi- nars. Through all this, they understand the project deadlines and have responded very well to these policy changes. TZL: Is change management a topic regu- larly addressed by the leadership at your firm? If so, elaborate. AR: During the first 45 years, company growth was under the leadership of our founder, Joseph Callaghan. He brought stability and professionalism to our firm and clients, but was a classic first genera- tional owner – holding things tight to his chest. Rarely were there any discussions about ownership transitions. Since I be- came president in 2015, I saw such poten- tial and wanted to push his philosophy to another level. I‘ve worked with a business strategist to coach and encourage me to improve our firm and grow the business. This experience has provided me with ex- posure to many experts in the business end of our industry. I have taken this expe- rience to our leadership team and openly discussed my transition intentions. We historically have been a flat organi- zation, but needed to change to promote growth and better management. Our team has now created a more organized, cor- porate structure. We’re committed to ad- dressing and updating our management structure. TZL: How often do you valuate your firm and what key metrics do you use in the process? Do you valuate using in-house staff or is it outsourced? AR: We valuate our firm on an annual ba- sis and it’s done internally. When we move ahead with stock options and transition, we will obtain a more independent compa- ny valuation. TZL: What financial metrics do you mon- itor to gauge the health of your firm? AR: We monitor many financial metrics internally as indicated to predict areas of needed improvement as follows: 1) Utilization rate – Our business model relies on a specialized niche with special- ized skills. We need to ensure all of our re- sources are being deployed to productivity and any indirect time needs to be directed toward increasing value or productivity for our future. 2) Net labor multiplier – We strive for a high See TRANSPARENT INTENTIONS, page 8

YEAR FOUNDED: 1967 HEADQUARTERS: Philadelphia, PA NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 13 NO. OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 2 SERVICES: ❚ ❚ Façade assessment/repair ❚ ❚ Building envelopes ❚ ❚ Historic structures ❚ ❚ Parking garage restoration ❚ ❚ Forensic engineering ❚ ❚ New structures ❚ ❚ Additions and alterations ❚ ❚ Structural assessment ❚ ❚ Unique structural solutions AWARDS AND ACCOLADES: ❚ ❚ 2018 Zweig Group Best Firm To Work For, Structural ❚ ❚ 2017 ICRI Award of Merit in the Water Structures category for Carnegie Lake Dam for Princeton University ❚ ❚ 2017 Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia Grand Jury Award for Renovation of Park Towne Place Museum District Residences ❚ ❚ 2017 Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia Grand Jury Award for Renovation of Mansion Building at the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur ❚ ❚ 2017 DVASE Excellence in Engineering Award for Carnegie Lake Dam for Princeton University

uly 15, 2019, ISSUE 1304

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