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they can affect the numbers, and why the numbers are important. We also educate around our professional management mod- el to the point where these are part of the daily conversation. With that culture in mind, we are intentionally hiring people who have an interest in being involved in the business side of the business. “With more diversity comes more creativity and progressive thought, so we do believe it is in the industry’s best interest to get a more diverse, qualified employee pool.” TZL: If the worker shortage continues, do you see wages increasing to encour- age more talent to enter the AEC space, or will technology be used to counter the reduced work force? MH: I think as in all industries, wages will have to increase to keep up with demand, but I also believe technology will be utilized to improve efficiencies. I see the rate of change in technological advances outpac- ing the rate of change in wages. TZL: The seller-doer model is very suc- cessful, but with growth you need to adapt to new models. What is your pro- gram? MH: Rather than a new model, I think of it more as a modified version of the same model. We talk frequently within the com- pany that our most important business development comes from the people do- ing the work, not the people with a specif- ic business development role. If it wasn’t for the surveyors, designers, and front of- fice staff excelling at what they do and hav- ing a client relationship focus, those cli- ents wouldn’t keep coming back, and we all know how much easier it is to keep a client than to develop a new client. Additionally, if we are performing what our business de- velopment people are sharing to our pro- spective clients, eventually our ability to walk the walk will be apparent, and word of that will spread. So, are our doers the sell- ers? In many ways I would say yes, they are selling the experience that turns clients into repeat clients, and repeat clients into long-term relationships. TZL: Diversity and inclusion is lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue? MH: This is an interesting question, partic-
ularly in today’s social climate. We believe strongly in hiring the best candidates re- gardless of their backgrounds, as we believe that is our responsibility to our clients and the industry. The dangerous thing about quotas is that this model runs the risk of cheapening the product in an effort to achieve a metric. For the same reason, we don’t chase a revenue number every year. We want the relationship to be more im- portant than just getting another project to achieve a goal. With more diversity comes more creativity and progressive thought, so we do believe it is in the industry’s best in- terest to get a more diverse, qualified em- ployee pool. That being said, we are doing much more public outreach than we have in the past, attempting to educate young- er and younger people about what engi- neering and surveying are, what types of careers there are in those fields, and why they make a difference, all in the hopes of appealing to a broader range of individuals and get them interested in engineering and surveying sooner in life, before they form harmful stereotypes of the profession. “Some important aspects of continually evolving that culture is listening to our employees and doing everything we can to provide them a place to work that satisfies their needs across all aspects of life.” TZL: A firm’s longevity is valuable. What are you doing to encourage your staff to stick around? MH: It’s hard to list one or even a couple of things to answer this question. The answer is our culture, but to break it down more than that is difficult. I would say some im- portant aspects of continually evolving that culture is listening to our employees and doing everything we can to provide them a place to work that satisfies their needs across all aspects of life. Work-life balance is a phrase thrown around a lot, but we be- lieve more in work-life satisfaction. Re- gardless of anyone’s best intentions, we all bring work home and home to work, so do we really have balance? What is happening in one area of our life affects other parts of our life, so we focus on making Choice One an enjoyable place to live. We provide op- portunities for our employees to grow and take on more responsibilities at work, and
YEAR FOUNDED: 1994 HEADQUARTERS: Sidney, Ohio, and offices in Loveland, Ohio and Portland, Indiana. NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 45 CLIENTS: Public sector: ❚ ❚ Municipalities ❚ ❚ Townships ❚ ❚ Park districts ❚ ❚ DOTs Private sector: ❚ ❚ Residential, commercial, and industrial developers ❚ ❚ Architects ❚ ❚ Contractors SERVICES: Public sector: ❚ ❚ Transportation ❚ ❚ Underground utilities ❚ ❚ Traffic ❚ ❚ Bridges Private sector: ❚ ❚ Site plans ❚ ❚ Land development ❚ ❚ Storm water management ❚ ❚ Surveying MISSION STATEMENT: Make lives better with an enjoyable experience.
See GOOD CHOICE, page 8
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uary 21, 2019, ISSUE 1280
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