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ON THE MOVE KEVIN LEVESQUE JOINS DEWBERRY’S INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER PRACTICE Dewberry , a privately held professional services and construction firm, has announced that Kevin Levesque, PE, has been hired as a senior project manager in the firm’s Raleigh, North Carolina, office. Levesque joins the firm with nearly 20 years of experience in the design and installation of industrial wastewater treatment systems, including closed-loop wastewater treatment and recycling systems. As a member of Dewberry’s industrial wastewater treatment practice, Levesque will be responsible for supporting the growth of
the firm’s wastewater treatment group, with a focus on design-build delivery. “As we continue to grow our industrial wastewater treatment team in an effort to better support our manufacturing clients, I’m thrilled to welcome Kevin to our team,” says Dewberry Associate Vice President Katie Jones, PE. “Kevin’s background in design- build and industrial projects is a great addition to our group.” Levesque earned a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of Hartford (2007) and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Connecticut (2002).
Dewberry is a leading, market-facing firm with a proven history of providing professional and construction 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.
MARK ZWEIG, from page 11
messy, dirty, and dated environments that are boring and undifferentiated. No wonder no one wants to work there. 9) Be flexible about your policies for when and where your people have to work. This is a must today. The pandemic proved it can work. You can’t afford to lose anyone who is good because of your rigidity and inflexibility. Let people live where they want to live and work how they want to work if you want to be able to hire and retain top talent! 10) Train your managers in how to manage people. As my friend, Matt Lewis, general manager of Lewis Automotive Group, likes to say, “Don’t forget the word ‘management’ includes the word ‘manage!’” If people with technical or design backgrounds get thrust into management jobs with absolutely no training, is it surprising that they screw up? No, it isn’t! You have got to give your managers the training they need to deal with people effectively. More people quit because of bad managers than anything else. “If you want to succeed in recruiting and retaining the best possible talent, you cannot do things like you have always done them.” 11)Drive demand beyond your ability to supply it. That means keep pouring gas on the marketing and promotion fire so you can pick and choose the clients and projects you take on. When you are in this mode, your employees will appreciate the quality of work they get to do and that is super important to keeping them engaged and working there. Not to mention all of that marketing and promotional activity will increase awareness of your company and get more people trying to work there. 12) Spend time with your best people. Whomever is most important to you – spend time with them. Show your interest and care and you will be more likely to keep them there in your employ. It just makes sense. So there you have it. Twelve things you can actually change in your business that will help you win the talent war. Are you doing these things? Or are you just hand-wringing about the talent shortage but essentially changing nothing that will help you hire and retain the best and brightest? MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com .
full-time upon graduation tend to stay much longer than those who haven’t. 4) Get everyone involved in your business planning process. People want to participate. Everyone in any given company should be asked for their opinions, at a minimum, on the issues the firm is facing and how they think these should be addressed. People want their opinions to be heard and considered! The business planning process is where you do that. 5) Have a strong sense of purpose. This alone can help you overcome any obstacle to hiring. IF you really have a strong sense of purpose – and not some BS statement full of platitudes that mean little to nothing – you will be able to hire outstanding people. The best example of this I know of is Miyamoto International, Inc., whose stated goal is to “make the world a better, safer place.” When their CEO personally goes to most every natural disaster site in the world to help out in any way he can, it sets an example for everyone else there and says, “this is real.” 6) Use open-book management. People want to know how the company they work for is doing. It also builds trust with management. Working anywhere where you don’t have a deep understanding of the financial situation would be foolhardy in my opinion. And I don’t think I’m alone. Open- book companies perform better and they train a whole new cadre of managers through their regular sharing of key financial indicators. 7) Cut everyone in on the profits. If the company performs, everyone who works there should benefit, period. I’m not talking about a once a year discretionary bonus program, either. It has to be paid out more frequently than that, and everyone should know what has to happen for them to get whatever it is they are getting. If someone doesn’t deserve to get their share of the pie they shouldn’t be working there. Yet so few firms truly use open-book management. It’s sad. 8) Have a fun work environment. I recently visited the headquarters of Priority Bicycles in New York City. Besides a great location at 171 Hudson, their space is alive with happy people working in a light-filled space surrounded by cool stuff and technology. Is it any wonder they are growing like crazy and have amazing customer service when everyone works in such a stimulating and fun environment? It pervades everything they do. Too many design and engineering firms are still working in uninspired,
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THE ZWEIG LETTER MAY 31, 2021, ISSUE 1394
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