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On the Day of Caring, ADC built an outdoor garden for the students at Beech Hill Elementary in Summerville, SC.
FAMILY MAN, from page 7
and of course the client gets more than they pay for. TZL: How many years of experience – or large enough book of business – is enough to become a principal in your firm? Are you naming principals in their 20s or 30s? MD: We do not have a set age, or years of experience metric that we use. We simply try to recognize the value of the individual and the contribution that person makes to the company. The original partners are now in their 50s and partnerships have been offered to senior project managers in their 40s and 30s. TZL: What happens to the firm if you leave tomorrow? MD: If I were to leave, the specific department that I manage would be just fine. Two of the newer partners are in my same department and they are excellent engineers, managers, and leaders. I’m confident they would do great in my absence. TZL: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? MD: We’ve been blessed with a staff that has remained loyal for many years. I don’t think there is any one feature or quality that has caused this retention. I believe a combination of family atmosphere, good compensation and benefits, challenging work, and respect for the employee have contributed to the longevity.
tricky, to say the least. What’s the key to ensuring a smooth passing of the baton? What’s the biggest pitfall to avoid? MD: Our transition plan is intended to be very attractive to future owners, so our process is carefully documented and thorough. As engineers, attention to detail is in our blood and so far, that has been a key element of process success. Another key element is simply the level of talent and commitment of those who have been offered ownership. So far, we have not experienced a big pitfall, but from experience, I would say that if someone sees an ownership transition happening in the next year, he/she is already behind the ball. The process is complex and takes at least 18 to 24 months. TZL: What unique or innovative pricing strategies have you developed, or are you developing, to combat the commoditization of engineering services? MD: Commoditization is a problem all engineers face. We don’t have any pricing strategies; we simply offer fair fees for the scope of work defined and encourage discussion if our fee is higher than expected. There are always comparisons to other firms and other projects and we sometimes lose work due to not offering the lowest fee. Our firm enjoys an excellent technical reputation which tends to associate us with more complicated projects that rely on our technical abilities versus just using the lowest priced engineer. We believe we offer the best overall value,
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THE ZWEIG LETTER August 5, 2019, ISSUE 1307
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