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ON THE MOVE HFA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP HFA believes in the importance of promoting talent from within. That commitment was recently highlighted after the announcement of three new vice presidents joining the HFA executive leadership team, effective October 14, 2020. Bo Ebbrecht, Greg Schluterman, and James Owens have officially joined the ranks of HFA senior leadership to continue growing and leading the company to continued success in the future. By adding more talented professionals to the executive leadership team, HFA believes the benefits will be quickly realized by both employees and current and future clients. “The whole point of adding more executives is so that we, as a company, can better support our clients and our people. Our top priority will always be that we are working well together and exceeding our client’s expectations,” said Dave Wilgus, president, and CEO of HFA. Wilgus continues, “What we’re pushing for in the future is going from just being project
managers into being leaders of people. So, we need to help people evolve and develop, rather than solely focusing on getting tasks done. All three of these vice presidents [Bo, Greg, and James] exemplify that sort of culture and direction.” Bo Ebbrecht, AIA, NCARB, started his career at HFA 15 years ago, hired on to lead the Walmart Special Projects team. Since that time, he’s worked with large and small retail clients, learning vital project management skills. With a passion for mentorship, Ebbrecht hopes to use his position as vice president to pass along important lessons learned throughout his time in the industry. Greg Schluterman is a registered Professional Mechanical Engineer in 36 states and is responsible for overseeing the mechanical, electrical, commissioning, and refrigeration teams at HFA. Schluterman has been with the HFA engineering department since its inception in 2004. James Owens AIA, NCARB, brings more than
19 years of architectural experience to his role at HFA, Owens has what it takes to lead a team well. Owens believes that being able to provide success for clients will also bring about success for HFA. Founded in 1990, HFA is a full-service, multi- disciplined architecture and engineering firm licensed in all 50 states. The firm has office locations in Bentonville, Arkansas; Boston, Massachusetts; Fort Worth, Texas; and Mexico City, Mexico. Focused on designing for the customer experience, HFA works coast to coast with retail, real estate development, office, industrial, fueling, restaurant, and education clients. The firm’s design and engineering experience includes office design, national retail store design, shopping and mixed use center development, national and local specialty restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, educational facilities, multifamily residential developments, industrial facilities, lifestyle centers, assisted living facilities, and medical clinics.
MARK ZWEIG, from page 9
critical of the next generations coming up from behind them and get a new appreciation for what these younger people have to offer. I really draw on this energy and it gives me a new personal sense of possibility – something that is very important to maintain if you are an owner in any kind of business enterprise, but especially an A/E firm. 6)It’s a recruiters’ dream. I have most of my students for both of the classes I teach. That gives you two semesters to see how studious they are, how disciplined and reliable they are, how well they can present, and perhaps most importantly, how well they can work in a group setting. What a great opportunity that is for you to identify strong entry-level talent for your business! 7)You will learn from your students. Hearing all of their stories, seeing their projects, reading their papers, and forming relationships that outlast the college experience with your students is a great opportunity for you to learn from them. Some of my students stay in touch with me for years after graduation. One of my former students started a business that one of my sons-in-law works for. Another former student who owns his own business lives right next door to me. We regularly talk shop about what he is going through. There are many others who keep me learning. 8)You are giving back. As you get older, giving back gets more important to you. I was the beneficiary of a great public university education that cost me a lot less than it cost the State of Illinois to provide it to me. Being able to give back so others have the same (or better) opportunities than you yourself had is very rewarding psychically. So what are you waiting for? Is it time to contact the deans of your local architecture, engineering, science, or business schools to see how you may be able to teach a class or two? I can assure you that even if the monetary compensation seems low, the other benefits of doing so will make it all well worth your time! MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.
have to keep up. That means you need to constantly study what is happening in your field so you can bring the latest information to your students and are prepared to talk about it when asked to do so. 3)It makes you organize your thinking. Getting ready to lecture for two and a half hours really makes you think about how you will communicate the stuff you feel is important for your students to know. The logical sequencing of topics so the knowledge you are trying to impart makes the most sense will force you to organize your thinking, and that will make you better at everything else you do. “Is it time to contact the deans of your local architecture, engineering, science, or business schools to see how you may be able to teach a class or two? I can assure you that even if the monetary compensation seems low, the other benefits of doing so will make it all well worth your time!” 4)It makes you a better presenter. One thing I have certainly learned is you can’t be boring if you want to maintain the attention and interest of your students. I always try to introduce drama or humor into my talks to keep my students engaged. I also think very carefully about who I will introduce to them as guest speakers and try to only bring in people who not only have a lot to offer but whom can also maintain the attention of their audiences. 5)It is energizing. There is something about spending time with younger, positive, motivated people who have the bulk of their lives ahead of them that gives you an energy boost. Maybe if more older people taught they would be less
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THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2020, ISSUE 1364
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