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P R O F I L E
Highway TH 371, running thru Nisswa, Jenkins and Pequot Lakes in Minnesota, won the ACEC of MN Engineering Excellence Award, as well as the ENR Midwest Project Showcase.
Conference call: Bret Weiss, part 1 Co-founder, president and CEO of WSB (Hot Firm #34 for 2018), a 475-person, full- service consulting and design firm based in Minneapolis.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent
“E arly on, I paid too much attention to those who did things in the traditional way and not what I believed,” Weiss says. “I made some mistakes and trusted those who didn’t know what was best for WSB. I am much more focused on making de- cisions on what is best for WSB without worrying about how others view my decisions.” A CONVERSATION WITH BRET WEISS. The Zweig Letter: What is the role of entrepre- neurship in your firm? Bret Weiss: WSB is 22 years old, so we are still full- on entrepreneurial! We are continually reinforcing this mindset and hope that it remains part of our foundation. Our founders are still very active, so this philosophy will not leave anytime soon. Our industry is changing quickly, and we believe our ability to spot opportunities and execute will be
helpful to our ongoing success. Thinking like a busi- ness and not a consulting firm is core to our cul- ture. “Our industry is changing quickly, and we believe our ability to spot opportunities and execute will be helpful to our ongoing success.” TZL: In the next couple of years, what A/E seg- ments will heat up, and which ones will cool down? BW: This is difficult to predict. I continue to hold out hope that President Trump will implement an expanded transportation bill. There are so many infrastructure needs that our industry should be
Bret Weiss, Co-founder, President & CEO, WSB
THE ZWEIG LETTER Aug
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