Randy Wilburn [20:52] Yeah, it is. I looked at the arc of your career, and you have just basically risen through the ranks. Most recently, you were President and COO of Hill International before you ascended into the CEO role. Did you imagine being at this position at this point in your career with Hill?
Raouf Ghali [21:16] No, you need to understand that the company was a family business. It started as a family business and the founding family was always at the helm. I was close to them. We grew the company from a small, local US company of probably 250 people strong when I first joined them to what it is today. A lot of the growth and organic growth came out of the International and then we did a lot of acquisitions in the US. So while I was President and COO, the founding family was still in the company. They have since exited. We divested some parts of the company because we had gotten into some debts. We divested the Claims Group, which was really the founding portion of our firm. Paid down our debts, reorganized the company, and went through a fearless Profit Improvement Plan, which is downsizing our overhead and general administrative expenses. And then I was appointed by the Board as the CEO and took over in October 2018.
Randy Wilburn [22:41] That's a tremendous story and you guys have grown? How many people are you currently staff-wise around the world?
Raouf Ghali [22:49] We're 3,000 plus strong right now. Before we divested, we had peaked around four and a half thousand and we intend to get there and exceed that number very soon.
Randy Wilburn [23:00] Yeah, I would imagine with all the work that's coming down the pipeline. Raouf, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the elephant in the room and I find myself talking about this everywhere I go. For the design industry, the pandemic has created some unique opportunities and unique obstacles, right, and so I would be curious to know, how you and Hill have come out of the pandemic in the global space and where are you guys standing right now in terms of how excited you are about the future and some of the challenges that may lay ahead. So, I'd love to get your perspective on the pandemic and how has it impacted Hill?
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