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ON THE MOVE ORE STATES GROUP NAMES CHRIS JENSEN AS VICE PRESIDENT Core States Group – an integrated, industry-leading AEC firm that partners with some of the world’s most recognized brands – has named Chris Jensen as vice president. This announcement comes on the heels of Core States Group’s recent acquisition of Barghausen Consulting Engineers, LLC., where Jensen has served as vice president and principal engineer. Jensen has also joined Core States Group’s senior leadership team. “Chris has proven himself to be an exceptional leader with the Barghausen team for many years. I’m excited to have his voice, perspective, and leadership talent as part of our Senior Leadership Team at Core States Group as we build
the company’s future together,” said D. David Dugan, president and CEO at Core States Group. “Providing a level of service that is noticeably different than the competition has always been a focus for our team,” said Jensen. “This will continue to set our company apart as we combine our strengths, develop our team members, nurture a solid reputation, and generate value through every endeavor.” In August, Core States Group and Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc. formed an AEC powerhouse to drive innovation and improve everyday life for countless people. As Core States Group and Barghausen combine their strengths and resources under the Core
States Group brand, they are aligned in building a long-term strategy of developing market expertise, providing a collection of integrated services, and bringing a programmatic approach to their nationwide portfolio of projects. In his new leadership role, Jensen will continue to play a vital role in various commercial, residential, and mixed- use projects within Barghausen. Jensen specializes in multi-site, multi-state projects and leads a large team of skilled engineers who excel in producing results for extensive, fast-paced commercial development programs. He enjoys the relationship-building aspect of his role and seeks to create long-lasting partnerships with his clients.
get it have the right mindset and to ‘convert’ those who don’t. That means you have to keep sharing the vision of what the promised land looks like and how you will get everyone there. You need role models inside the organization for everyone else. And you need lots of education on business, why growth is necessary, how to sell, marketing, billing and collection, recruiting, project management, people management, and how to manage the firm.” (From “ Getting Your People to See the Big Picture ” by Mark Zweig.) By and large, these are your marketing people! From where I stand, we are the unsung heroes of the AEC industry which immediately led me to think of the coxswain. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, the event that most captured my attention was rowing. They call each team “the eight” – but there are actually nine. The coxswain is the non- Taking a look at the role of this ninth, officially unnumbered, teammate, I learned the coxswain keeps the rowers in sync. They are responsible for steering around obstacles and responding to the movement of the other boats around them. They coordinate the movements of all the other team members as well and are charged with motivating them to optimum performance. In addition, when out of the boat, the coxswain often takes the lead in regard to coaching and rowing styles, equipment, and technology. All this responsibility is on the shoulders of the only person in the boat who doesn’t row. Does this sound like someone in your organization? Marketers synchronize. Marketers troubleshoot. Marketers keep track of the competition. Marketers coordinate. Marketers motivate. rowing member of an eight-person rowing team. Never heard of a coxswain? I’m not surprised.
Just as your licensed technical professionals must adapt to advances and changes in their fields, marketers stay abreast of their own collection of best practices, trends, and creative approaches. Marketers handle all the details, before and after events, so the rest of the team can focus their time only on the event itself. Going further, the best marketers are also experts on AEC projects: project processes, project schedules, and the details of the actual projects in-pursuit, in-process, and completed by the firm. Principals and project managers know their own projects – those they have worked on and have responsibility for. Multiply that project load by the number of principals and project managers you have – current and past. That is the realm of your marketers. Now let’s talk about your project imagery and final photos, your client references, all of your outreach activities, and your firm culture with its stories and lore. Your marketers get it. And they have ways and means of communicating the big picture both externally and internally. This includes acting as an important conduit between technical staff and clients, supplying important translation services to best communicate from the realm of technical expertise to the world of the client. Sometimes this work is behind the scenes – when crafting proposals or collateral. In other cases, it is forward-facing, at conferences, trade shows, and sponsored events. If this is the point when you are tempted to proudly tell me that at your firm, your AIA, PE, PLA, and AICP staff handle all of these activities completely, I’ll direct you back to those eight- person teams. Picture them in the water, with their boats. One team with a coxswain and one without. Who do you think has the better chance of winning the race? Jane Lawler Smith, MBA, is the marketing manager at Derck & Edson, LLC. She can be reached at jsmith@derckandedson. com.
THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 27, 2025, ISSUE 1570
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