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ON THE MOVE WSP NAMES OSTERLE SUPERVISING ENGINEER FOR WATER AND ENVIRONMENT John Osterle has been named supervising engineer for water and environment in the Pittsburgh office of WSP USA , formerly WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, a leading engineering and professional services consultancy. In his new position, Osterle will focus on expanding the water engineering practice in Pennsylvania and across the United States. He will also provide technical support including inspection, permitting, design, analysis, and construction on a variety of water related and interdisciplinary projects. Osterle has worked as an engineering consultant for more than 32 years on a variety

of civil, hydraulic, geotechnical, and structural engineering projects. He is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of dam, levee, and flood protection engineering. Prior to joining WSP, he served as a vice president of an international engineering consulting firm. During his tenure, Osterle worked on some of the largest dam rehabilitation projects in the United States and overseas including Taum Sauk Dam, Saluda Dam, Bagnell Dam, and Wyaralong Dam. A registered professional engineer in 19 states, Osterle received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from Carnegie- Mellon University. He is the vice chair of the environment and sustainability committee for the United States Society on Dams and has authored several technical papers, developed

training workshops, and participated in panel discussions on topics in his areas of expertise. WSP USA, formerly WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, is the United States operating company of one of the world’s leading engineering and professional services firms – WSP. Dedicated to serving local communities, WSP USA is made up of engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors, and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water, and environment sectors. With more than 7,000 people in 100 offices across the United States, WSP USA partners with clients to help communities prosper.

CHAD CLINEHENS, from page 3

going pastor. As a result, they brought someone in who was a complete opposite. You must focus on someone who can fuse the past and the future together and can lead the change that is inevitable in transitions. Politics and interpersonal conflict are certain to derail any good leadership transition. Focus on keeping the people and business strong. ❚ ❚ Choose internal, if possible. Internal candidates are almost always more successful for a variety of reasons. First of all, they have the time invested for a five- to 10-year plan. Also, internal candidates are more accepted by the culture, as this has enhanced importance in the AEC industry. We don’t always have the right person internally for the job, but if we have a long-term and intentional plan, we can hire the right one and get them integrated. Leadership succession is important to all firms, but especially those with strong brands. There are many AEC firms that plug along, rising and falling with the markets. And then there are those firms that have aggressive and ambitious leaders that create extraordinary growth. While outsized success is exciting and does incredible things for the people and the community, it comes with a price. The hard work it takes to create that success must keep going. The organization must be able to evolve and adjust to the changing market and to new leadership. The staff relies on the continuance of company culture and the clients rely on the continuance and promise of the company’s brand. We have seen many firms that enjoy extraordinary success, only to have it diminished by a failed leadership transition, thus diminishing the brand. If your intention is to internally transition your firm, start early, focus on the person, and keep the brand in sharp focus. Don’t end up like my childhood church. CHAD CLINEHENS is Zweig Group’s president and CEO. Contact him at cclinehens@zweiggroup.com. “If your intention is to internally transition your firm, start early, focus on the person, and keep the brand in sharp focus. Don’t end up like my childhood church.”

the elders could not agree on how to fill his shoes. The rest is history, a history of decline. “We have seen many firms that enjoy extraordinary success, only to have it diminished by a failed leadership transition, thus diminishing the brand.” During that walk, the “brand” of that church changed dramatically. The reason this experience was so powerful to me is because I was also preparing for a similar transition in my company. I had just moved back to my hometown of Fayetteville to join Mark Zweig in re-building ZweigWhite, now Zweig Group, and to be his eventual successor. It was a dream job for me, but as I walked in the sanctuary and saw that three quarters of the seats were empty, the gravity of my own situation hit me. I realized that even though we’d helped hundreds of companies prepare for ownership and leadership transitions, we were not immune from failure, and even if we had a successful transition, that it would not be easy. Keeping the best of the heritage of the Zweig brand while preparing the company and the market for the next generation of the company became even more important. Here are some of the best pieces of advice I can offer to someone who might be facing a transition: ❚ ❚ Start early. Internal transitions need five to 10 years to ex- ecute. Start with a strategic plan that clearly spells out the company’s vision. Consider the changes that need to be made in various areas of the company to prepare for different lead- ership. Most firms that have powerful founders or leaders that created significant growth must consider that evolution in the company will happen with the transition. A lot of time may be required to prepare the people, systems, and pro- cesses. ❚ ❚ Focus on the business. You must focus on keeping the busi- ness strong and the momentum going. Going back to my childhood church, the elders over-focused on finding a leader that solved some of the perceived personality flaws of the out-

THE ZWEIG LETTER July 9, 2018, ISSUE 1255

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