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BUSINESS NEWS LJA ENGINEERING EXPANDS PRESENCE IN NORTH TEXAS LJA Engineering, Inc. is growing in North Texas and will expand three existing offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington and add an office in McKinney. A total team of 100 seasoned professionals including engineers, designers, and surveyors will increase LJA’s total North Texas presence to support land development, surveying, construction engineering inspection, environmental, rail, and transportation initiatives. LJA has called North Texas home since 2015, with growth responding directly to client requests, a robust economy, and a significant source of local and vested talent. As a leader in land development engineering and consultation throughout Texas, LJA’s momentum in the region, with new and expanded full-service offices, will continue to connect the firm’s depth of resources to the right clients at the right time. James Ross, P.E., LJA senior vice president said, “Expanding the North Texas Land Development Engineering Division is a
tremendous addition to LJA’s ability to provide land, water, and infrastructure design excellence with broad-based resources and personalized attention from more than 400 personnel dedicated exclusively to land development throughout Texas.” Jim Wiegert, P.E., LJA senior vice president said, “LJA embraces an entrepreneurial spirit that inspires the growth of our business, clients, and employees. I’m excited to be part of the largest land development practice in Texas.” LJA Land Development has long been recognized for providing innovative, yet functional, designs with aesthetic appeal that enable their developer/builder clients to successfully market their products to the public. LJA is also known for delivering engineering services on a timely basis, often well ahead of schedule, and for achieving cost-effective solutions that meet financial goals. With a proprietary, analytical Discovery process and a thorough knowledge of the rules of special districts, LJA works with clients
to find and develop property in an efficient and profitable manner. More than four decades of experience enable LJA to successfully accomplish aggressive deadlines and assist developers in maximizing return on investment. Kyle Salzman, P.E., LJA vice president said, “LJA has one of the strongest land development presences in North Texas. We are client and employee focused, and every day we design, build, and strengthen our communities.” Founded in 1972, LJA Engineering is an employee-owned, full-service consulting engineering firm serving both public and private sectors. With 28 offices throughout Texas and Florida, the staff of LJA includes over 850 experienced civil, transportation, structural, midstream, rail, and coastal engineers, plus hydrologists, drone/aerial pilots, environmental specialists, land planners, landscape architects, construction managers, designers, GIS specialists, technicians, and surveyors.
KARA CLOWER, from page 3
the firm will want to focus on with retention strategies. There are many research articles addressing ways to retain employees. The more difficult question is how to manage turnover while minimizing surprises and reducing unexpected costs. While you expect some turnover, you want it on the firm’s terms, meaning you want to be in control of it. Some firms require some positions to leave after a period of time. This practice was formed after being “plagued” by irregular and unpredictable turnover in these positions. As explained in “A Market-Driven Approach to Retaining Talent” by Peter Cappelli, “[T]he firms now know who will leave and when, and can design key projects to coincide with analysts’ tenures.” Another strategy is to create a culture that encourages entry-level employees to leave the firm to gain additional experience. Let employees know they are welcome back after gaining experience elsewhere. Demonstrate this by rehiring former employees who left on good terms. You can also begin conversations with employees to discuss a plan and timeline for their career. Most entry-level employees are thinking about their next move to gain experience and will share it with you if open communication and trust are established. It is common in today’s world for the younger generation to travel and explore before settling down. When there is trust and support, these employees will give plenty of notice, allowing the firm ample preparation time. Turnover is inevitable and is in fact good at times. How a firm plans for turnover and retention will impact culture and correlate with the firm’s financial performance. KARA CLOWER is the Business Manager at LACO Associates. She can be reached at clowerk@lacoassociates.com. She welcomes connection invitations on LinkedIn.
regions, clients, and services, evaluate your current staff. Identify employees and positions critical to fulfilling the strategic plan. If these employees left the firm, the strategic plan would require modification. Write their names down under a “0 percent turnover” (or 100 percent retention) heading. Next, identify employees who model the firm’s core values who have strong performance. These are the employees you would clone if you could. Write their names down under the “0 percent turnover” heading. “Creating a strategic employee turnover and retention plan, which identifies the employees and the positions you want to (must) keep and those you do not, can reduce unexpected turnover and unnecessary recruitment costs, positively impacting the bottom line.” Now that you have identified the individuals you want to retain, review the positions you expect a higher turnover in. These positions are easier to fill and less likely to hurt the bottom line when open. These positions may be easier to train as well. While reviewing the remaining employees, identify employees who are typically considered “toxic.” These are employees who are expensive to manage and who are typically involved with complaints. Write names of the “toxic” employees and those in the higher turnover positions under a heading labeled “strategic turnover.” Now begin to plan strategies around retention and turnover. The “0 percent turnover” employees are the ones
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THE ZWEIG LETTER April 29, 2019, ISSUE 1294
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