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Bright future: Theodore Beltavski President of R.E. Warner & Associates (Cleveland, OH), a 68-year-old full service, multi- discipline consulting firm that’s in growth mode.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
B eltavski has more than 35 years of management and engineering experience, primarily for heavy industrial and power generation and transmission facilities. And even after nearly seven decades in business, he says R.E. Warner & Associates is in “growth mode.” “In general, people try to be optimistic when it comes to sales. Don’t let that happen,” Beltavski says. “Don’t hold extra manpower for a job you don’t have.” A CONVERSATION WITH TED BELTAVSKI. The Zweig Letter: How much time do you spend working “in the business” rather than “on the business?” Ted Beltavski: The COO and I both spend a lot of time handling project concerns more than we need to. In fact, this question prompted a discussion between us to examine the situation at hand. We’re shooting for an 80/20 mix now.
TZL: What role does your family play in your career? Are work and family separate, or is there overlap? TB: We have a good work/life balance. My wife and I have two kids in college and two in high school. This business can take over your time if you let it. I’m an early morning person, so I get in early and get out early. TZL: What, if anything, are you doing to protect your firm from a potential economic slowdown in the future? TB: It’s important to try not to be fragile. We work to spread out the business among clients – kind of like a mutual fund model. We got our start in the steel industry, but continue to examine new and emerging technologies (i.e., energy). TZL: It is often said that people leave managers, not companies. What are you doing to ensure that your line leadership are great people managers?
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