TZL 1357 (web)

ON THE MOVE DEWBERRY’S DAVE MAHONEY APPOINTED TO CIRT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dewberry , a privately held professional services firm, has announced that Dave Mahoney, P.E., has been appointed to the Construction Industry Round Table’s board of directors. In his role as a board member, Mahoney is responsible for working alongside other industry professionals as a force for positive change in the design and construction industry while helping members improve the management performance of their individual companies. CIRT seeks to influence public policy to free the creativity and resources of the industry to competitively provide efficient and valuable services, improve the industry’s image and relationships with public and private clients, provide a forum for networking and education of members, and champion industry improvements. Mahoney, an executive vice president based in Dewberry’s Fairfax, Virginia, office, oversees the firm’s transportation department. With more than 35 years of experience, he is a recognized expert in design-build practices for large-scale transportation projects. He has worked on a variety of high-traffic roadways and interchanges, including the Dulles Metrorail Corridor in Northern Virginia and the Intercounty Connector in suburban Maryland. “I am thrilled to be appointed to this role on the

board of directors,” says Mahoney. “CIRT plays a critical role in the design and construction industry by supporting its members and representing the industry on public policy issues.” Mahoney earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from South Dakota State University. In addition to his involvement with CIRT, Mahoney is a member of the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, American Public Works Association, Dulles Area Transportation Association, and the Design Build Institute of America. Dewberry is a leading, market-facing firm with a proven history of providing professional services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients. Recognized for combining unsurpassed commitment to client service with deep subject matter expertise, Dewberry is dedicated to solving clients’ most complex challenges and transforming their communities. Established in 1956, Dewberry is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with more than 50 locations and more than 2,000 professionals nationwide. LUKE SULLIVAN JOINS NEEL-SCHAFFER AS SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER IN TENNESSEE Neel- Schaffer, Inc. , is pleased to announce that Luke Sullivan, PE, ENV SP, has joined the firm and will serve as a transportation senior project manager based in the firm’s Murfreesboro, Tennesee office.

Sullivan has 12 years of experience in transportation engineering, transportation planning, and site development. He has worked with a wide variety of clients, including state departments of transportation, municipal governments, transit agencies and private industry. Projects he has worked on include planning studies, road safety audits, interchange access requests for highways and intersections, intelligent transportation systems, greenways, schools, hospitals, and commercial and residential developments. In addition to being a Registered Professional Engineer in Tennessee, Sullivan is accredited by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure. “We are excited to have Luke join the Neel- Schaffer team,” said Richard Sullivan, PE, Assoc. DBIA, vice president for Neel-Schaffer’s Tennessee operations. “Neel-Schaffer has long been a leader in Transportation Engineering and Luke’s experience and expertise strengthens our ability to provide professional services to existing and future clients.” Luke Sullivan holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee. Neel-Schaffer is a multi-disciplined engineering and planning firm with offices throughout the South. Founded in 1983, the firm is ranked 230th on Engineering News-Record ’s list of the nation’s Top 500 Design Firms for 2020.

Do all of these things mean we can avoid a recession in this business? Perhaps. Or if we do have one, it will be down the road. No doubt that hospitality, higher ed, airports and aviation, retail/office, and some other markets will have to be impacted negatively by this thing. The question is whether or not the firms affected can quickly move to reposition themselves to work in hotter markets quickly enough. Only time will tell! MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. “No doubt that hospitality, higher ed, airports and aviation, retail/office, and some other markets will have to be impacted negatively by this thing. The question is whether or not the firms affected can quickly move to reposition themselves to work in hotter markets quickly enough.”

MARK ZWEIG, from page 11

to make necessary changes to our cost structure much more slowly. To a certain extent I think companies panicked. Things weren’t as bad as they expected so they got out in front of this problem by shedding all unnecessary costs quickly. 5)PPP money and disaster relief funds. This money was very helpful to many firms that got it. It has kept some companies that did have reduced workloads afloat and even profitable (on a cash basis) for the last five months, and it was a huge godsend to our industry. There are some companies I am aware of that got PPP funds and haven’t even touched them yet. 6)Employees can work more during any given day. No commute. Less unproductive meetings that linger on. Think about all the time people wasted prior to COVID-19 that they aren’t wasting now. There was a lot of it. Everyone has more time now, plus, the remote technologies and working from home expands the potential work day dramatically. Many studies have shown that people are now working harder (i.e., more) than ever. 7)More aggressive marketing. If you follow the largest firms in this business as we do, you will have seen a dramatic uptick in their marketing efforts. Improved websites. White papers. Podcasts. Surveys. Much more social media activities than they were doing prior to COVID-19. E-marketing. New videos. All of these things are much more common now than they were five months ago. It makes me proud to see!

THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 17, 2020, ISSUE 1357

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