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are your brand and differentiators performing in the talent wars? PG: We had more than 40 interns this year. More than 70 percent of them became full-time employees. We’re also growing our co-op program, which means we have students in our organization year round. This pushes our diversity, inclusion, and technology advancement efforts. We know that people like to be a part of something successful, so we focus on achieving awards that recognize us as a top firm, best place to work, and leader in marketing excellence. Our strategic plan guides how we approach our business, recruiting, and brand. The requirements of the awards we pursue help us to set goals and measure success. Top talent is in high demand, so we’re more likely to attract their attention as a leading industry firm that offers unique opportunities. We also use feedback from employee surveys to find new ways to enhance our workplace. We differentiate by zeroing in on our long-term strategies and using a wide variety of communication channels to reach the people who fit on our team. All of these efforts, as well as the programs we have for career development help us to attract new talent and companies for acquisition. TZL: Does your firm work closely with any higher education institutions to gain access to the latest technology, experience, and innovation and/or recruiting to find qualified resources? PG: We provide scholarships to many institutions that support our professions. We’re also actively working with 15-20 colleges and technical schools around the country to attract interns and future staff. We focus on those schools that are in the communities we serve and those that support our profession. Our activities with these schools extend to career fairs, internships, co-op opportunities, classroom presentations, project support, club sponsorship, club participation, alumni support, and instructors. A number of our employees are part-time instructors at partner institutions. TZL: When you identify a part of your business that is not pulling its weight in terms of profitability or alignment with the firm’s mission, what steps do you take, and what’s the timeline, to address the issue while minimizing impacts to the rest of the company? See SUPPORT, page 8
operations and we’re starting to use machine learning to do drone-based inspections of facilities. We’re also collaborating with software experts to use AI/machine learning to analyze thousands of images to determine faults and failures on specific projects. TZL: What, if anything, are you doing to protect your firm from a potential economic slowdown in the future? PG: Like most firms, we learned a lot from the past recession. Focusing on diversification helps stabilize our business when the markets fluctuate. We concentrate on balancing our revenue streams across our markets, services, and geographic locations. We hold quarterly, all-day business update sessions with our leadership team to stay on top of changing markets and our business activities as a whole. Every year, we update our three-year strategic plan to account for economic changes as well. “Westwood has become diverse by welcoming and supporting talent from different backgrounds. The success of these employees has driven our PMs to demand more diverse talent.” TZL: Are you using the R&D tax credit? If so, how is it working for your firm? If not, why not? PG: We’ve received R&D tax credits annually since 2014 and it’s working extremely well. These credits lower our effective tax rate, which frees up cash to run the business. They’re complicated to calculate, but simple in concept. It’s also inspired new innovations on projects and within our industries. 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? PG: Westwood invests in training and leadership development with a focus on core values and culture. Culture is a priority for us and a top focus in our strategic plan. We have a mentoring program and offer leadership training (in- and out-of-house). TZL: What novel approaches are you bringing to recruitment, and how
HEADQUARTERS: Minneapolis, MN
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 650
YEAR FOUNDED: 1972
NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 12
MARKETS:
❚ ❚ Land: Public infrastructure and private development ❚ ❚ Power markets: Wind energy, solar energy, energy storage, and power delivery
SERVICES:
❚ ❚ Land: Civil engineering, land surveying, water resources, water/wastewater, transportation, planning and landscape architecture, environmental, and construction management
❚ ❚ Power: Land surveying,
civil engineering, electrical engineering, geotechnical and structural engineering, water resources, field services, environmental, aerial mapping, and LiDAR
© Copyright 2020. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
arch 2, 2020, ISSUE 1334
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