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is empty, this [head] doesn’t matter.” Having the support of your loved ones plays a very important role in one’s career. Fortunately, my wife enjoys our time together at work events and Zweig Group’s conferences, especially if it’s at a warmer location. TZL: What, if anything, are you doing to protect your firm from a potential economic slowdown in the future? SS: As the president of American Council of Engineering Companies/Minnesota, on behalf of all our member firms, we are closely monitoring the economic indicators through a series of surveys and communications with ACEC/National, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis Federal Reserve, and others. We follow Zweig Group and other outlets to keep our eyes wide open for recession proof strategies. We work diligently for enhanced value proposition as a trusted advocate to our clients and those long- lasting client relations help us weather the storm during thick and thin. As an entrepreneurial engineering firm, we’re always looking to expand our services to new markets and to new locations – wherever our clients take us. We’re always on the lookout for acquisition targets to diversify our market and geographic reach. TZL: Are you using the R&D tax credit? If so, how is it working for your firm? If not, why not? SS: We have been using the R&D tax credit for several years now. Thanks to our innovation, we were fortunate to benefit from the tax credit and reinvest the proceeds into new R&D. TZL: It is often said that people leave managers, not companies. What are you doing to ensure that your line leadership are great people managers? SS: First and foremost, it’s important to have an authentic culture that promotes openness, transparency, and trust. Second, identifying core values that help bring alignment with vision and your road map must be clearly defined and embraced by all. Once we have those building blocks in place, having the right people in the right seat to lead, mentor, and manage makes all the difference. Typically, professional services’ managers are excellent at analytical problem solving and delivering great results, but do they have the emotional intelligence to patiently listen and empathize with their staff’s spoken and unspoken aspirations? With the help of personality profile tests such

as Kolby and others, Sambatek provides opportunities to our managers and staff to obtain unique individualized professional training to top off their personality and help them transform from great managers to great leaders. TZL: What novel approaches are you bringing to recruitment, and how are your brand and differentiators performing in the talent wars? SS: With changing times, it’s important to stay relevant and fresh with your brand. Brand isn’t limited to logo. It’s important to embrace the changing times and evolve your culture from conventional brick and mortar design to one that promotes flex hours, flex spacing, and remote access – giving our employees the greatest freedom to do great work in an enjoyable, fun environment. Why put a square peg in a round hole? We provide the freedom to our employees to pursue the area of their greatest interest. We’re fortunate to have several services and markets, which allows our college graduates and interns to try different areas before picking the area of their greatest passion. This combination of freedom of choice and Sambatek’s exceptional mentorship program motivates interns to choose Sambatek year after year. It allows us to then move the graduate engineers eventually to higher positions the company wants to fill. This strong foundation allows us to fare quite well in the talent war. September 12, 2019 marked my 25th year at Sambatek. Several of our employees are celebrating five, 10, 25, and even 40-year tenure at our firm. We have proven processes for recruiting and retaining talent. TZL: Is change management a topic regularly addressed by the leadership at your firm? If so, elaborate. SS: Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. An organization must realize that its task is to lead change. If it doesn’t, it will fail. Therefore, as Peter Drucker famously said on change management, “the best way to predict your future is to create it by being a change leader.” What works well when you are a 50-person firm will not work when you’re a firm of 100 unless you lead the change and adapt to new structure and processes, and surround yourself with people who embrace change as the norm. So, yes, at Sambatek change is not a watershed event that happens on a blue See CHANGE LEADER, page 8

HEADQUARTERS: Minneapolis, MN NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 105 YEAR FOUNDED: 1966 NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 3 SERVICES: ❚ ❚ Civil engineering ❚ ❚ Surveying ❚ ❚ Planning ❚ ❚ Environmental MARKETS: ❚ ❚ Land development ❚ ❚ Renewable energy ❚ ❚ Transportation ❚ ❚ Municipal MISSION: Collaborate, design, build, and succeed PROUD OF: Sambatek is known for being creative, responsive, and always up for the challenge. Its multi-disciplinary approach means it can support projects of any size, from basic concepts through final construction. IN THE COMMUNITY: Each year, the SPARK Committee, made up of company employees, asks team members to help identify which causes are near and dear to their hearts and do their best to support clients and communities through one of three ways: volunteering, monetary giving, or through educating young people about subjects such as engineering and renewable energy to help them plan their future.

uary 24, 2020, ISSUE 1333

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