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ownership transition plan in place, many do not. What’s your advice for firms that have not taken steps to identify and empower the next gen- eration of owners? DF: The value of your company is based on how well positioned it is to deliver sustainable performance and value creation in the years ahead. Suc- cession planning needs to start years before transition planning. TZL: Zweig Group research shows there has been a shift in business development strategies. More and more, technical staff, not marketing staff, are responsible for BD. What’s the BD formula in your firm? DF: We understand that to maintain sustainable growth we need a com- bination of direct “go to market” BD professionals and strong seller-doers across the business. Different oppor- tunities require different approaches. Sometimes the last person the cus- tomer wants to talk to is a sales per- son. On the other hand, technical staff are often not comfortable selling. We need both to be successful. “PMs are your day-to-day face to the customer and they are in the critical path from project inception to close-out.” TZL: The list of responsibilities for project managers is seemingly end- less. How do you keep your PMs from burning out? And if they crash, how do you get them back out on the road, so to speak? DF: You have to know your PMs and understand what motivates them and also what their capacity is. There isn’t a single recipe for managing burnout. But regardless of the individual, they need to feel recognized and rewarded for their achievements and they need the support of their reporting chain and corporate. Eliminate unnecessary reports and layers. TZL: What is the role of entrepre- neurship in your firm? DF: We’re more focused on execution and innovation than entrepreneur-

information is best shared monthly or quarterly. I’ve been in small, mid- sized, and large public companies and what I’ve found consistent in each is that most staff members are interest- ed in financials that are presented in the context of what it means for them (i.e., job security, growth opportuni- ties, investments, and bonuses). “Success depends on an effective organizational design (including having the right people in the right roles), and clarity in purpose, goals and incentives.” TZL: The talent war in the A/E indus- try is here. What steps do you take to create the leadership pipeline need- ed to retain your top people and not lose them to other firms? DF: We do our best to maintain a work environment that is enjoyable, stim- ulating, secure, and fulfilling. I know that sounds “pie in the sky” but if these things are missing, we risk los- ing our best people and future leaders. We also need to ensure that high-po- tential employees are identified early, set on a development (growth) path, and then given the opportunity to take on bigger roles and greater chal- lenges. They can’t be stuck in a role that has no upward mobility or they’ll be gone. Finally, if we want to keep the best and brightest then they need to be working for, and with, others who are the same. “A” players want to work with other “A” players so objective and effective performance and talent man- agement is critical. TZL: As you look for talent, what po- sition do you most need to fill in the coming year and why? DF: Qualified and capable project managers. PMs are your day-to-day face to the customer and they are in the critical path from project incep- tion to close-out. Project execution, safety, customer satisfaction, financial performance, etc. are all greatly influ- enced by the PM. As we grow, we need more of these folks and they aren’t easy to find. TZL: While plenty of firms have an

YEAR FOUNDED: 1988 HEADQUARTERS: Rockville, MD OFFICES: 60 offices in 22 states NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 700 THEIR PASSION: Transforming insight into action. THEIR SERVICES: Serving both public agencies and private sector clients, Apex provides turnkey environmental services for: ❚ ❚ Water ❚ ❚ Land ❚ ❚ Facilities ❚ ❚ Air ❚ ❚ Transaction and litigation support ❚ ❚ Information management THEIR COMPANY CULTURE: ❚ ❚ A stimulating work environment ❚ ❚ Innovative technologies ❚ ❚ Learning from industry thought leaders ❚ ❚ A collaborative culture ❚ ❚ A healthy work/life balance PUTTING SAFETY FIRST: Apex’s WorkSafe training begins on day one and continues with extensive learning designed to ensure continuous improvement. They proactively share hazard recognition, risk assessments, and controls; report near misses; and convey lessons learned. WorkSafe enables their teams to quickly identify unsafe conditions and behaviors so they can quickly intervene to correct as needed.

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ay 21, 2018, ISSUE 1249

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