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BUSINESS NEWS TOP ATLANTA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRM TEAMS UP TO CREATE MASTER PLAN FOR NEW CHILDREN’S HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA HOSPITAL Studies show that children in hospitals use up to 22 percent less pain medication when they have access to nature and views of the outdoors. This research served as the foundation and inspiration for landscape architecture and planning firm HGOR, which worked closely with HKS, Inc. , to masterfully plan and design a new campus for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at the northeastern corner of North Druid Hills Road and I-85. Set to deliver in 2025, the new campus will

span more than 70-acres in Brookhaven, Georgia. This new state-of-the-art facility uses Georgia’s natural palette to assist the needs of Children’s patients, families, and staff, and will include gathering spaces, planted areas, water features, miles of walking paths and a variety of gardens providing spaces to recharge, socialize, eat, and relax. In addition to the interactive elements, HGOR conceptualized a functioning landscape, which helps to filter storm water, improve the surrounding landscape and increase biodiversity throughout the campus. “After understanding the effects of the

natural environment on the healing process, our goal was to place the hospital in a landscape, not on a landscape, to create a holistic, healing environment which preserves more than 20-acres of the site as a park- like campus,” said HGOR principal Bob Hughes. “Atlanta is known as a ‘City in a Forest,’ and we are thrilled to extend that environment onto what will become a landmark pediatric healthcare campus.” HGOR is a company that is focused on designing great places for people, places which provide a stewardship ethic for future generations.

the difficult personnel decision was a huge lesson learned and one I hope to never repeat. TZL: While M&A is always an option, there’s something to be said about organic growth. What are your thoughts on why and how to grow a firm? DF: There is nothing that drives value creation for an or- ganization more than organic growth. Internal growth strengthens the core business, creates new opportunities for employees, facilitates investment in new services and solutions, and organic growth comes without the culture fit challenges and turbulence of acquisitions. Organic growth is also difficult. It pushes people out of their comfort zones and it’s new territory for those who have never been asked to do it. That is why when you engage in organic growth ini- tiatives you need to do two basic things. First, keep it sim- ple, focus on two or three growth areas at the most. Apply your focus and energy to that and do it the best you can. If one fails, so be it – add another. Don’t start with four or five or you’ll probably fail at all of them. My focus is to simplify the journey of organic growth. TZL: Do you use historical performance data or metrics to establish project billable hours and how does the type of contract play into determining the project budget? DF: If your historical data is good, it’s one of the best sourc- es of business intelligence you can find. That data allows you to create metrics and forecasts that are proven and time tested. Then you will continuously test and refine those metrics over time. Contract type translates into contract risks. I think the rest speaks for itself as fixed-price or lump sumwork is going to be budgeted differently than a rate and hourly based contract. TZL: What’s your prediction for 2018? DF: There is a saying that there are two types of predictions – lucky and wrong. So I’ll pass. “We’re more focused on execution and innovation than entrepreneurship. New ideas and opportunities to pursue are welcome, as long as we don’t get out over our skis.”

CONFERENCE CALL, from page 7

ship. New ideas and opportunities to pursue are welcome, as long as we don’t get out over our skis. True entrepreneur- ship doesn’t always come with acceptable time horizons and manageable risks. The spirit that comes with entrepreneur- ship is great but I’d rather see us think more in terms of in- novation. TZL: In the next couple of years, what A/E segments will heat up, and which ones will cool down? DF: The general consensus of leaders and investors in this space is that the rise of infrastructure will create new chan- nels of growth and expansion. We also have continued de- mand for water services and the rebound in energy (oil and gas) is showing no signs of weakness. “We do our best to maintain a work environment that is enjoyable, stimulating, secure and fulfilling. I know that sounds ‘pie in the sky’ but if these things are missing, we risk losing our best people and future leaders.” TZL: The last few years have been good for the A/E indus- try. Is there a downturn in the forecast, and if so, when and to what severity? DF: I’m not big on predictions. I’ll leave that to the analysts and bankers. Our job is to be well positioned regardless of economic cycles and be ready to pivot if, where, and when necessary. TZL: They say failure is a great teacher. What’s the big- gest lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way? DF: I failed to make a change in my management team back about 10 years ago (with a different company) despite my gut telling me that a change was necessary. I didn’t do it because I allowed empathy for the person to keep me from making what was a necessary (and, in hindsight, an obvi- ous) business decision. This individual continued to fall short and it eventually led to the departure of some key tal- ent and the loss of two large customers. My failure to make

THE ZWEIG LETTER May 21, 2018, ISSUE 1249

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