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BUSINESS NEWS BOWMAN AWARDED CITY OF BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA SIDEWALK AND DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN PROJECT THROUGH MCMAHON SUBSIDIARY Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. announced it has been awarded a project for 1.71 miles of sidewalk implementation and drainage infrastructure on the south side of West Terry Street in the City of Bonita Springs through its McMahon subsidiary. Bowman acquired McMahon Associates in May 2022 which now does business as McMahon, a Bowman Company. McMahon will be responsible for the design and permitting of sidewalks, crosswalks, ADA curb ramps and drainage management that will tie to stormwater management on the north side of West Terry Street. The south side of West Terry Street currently does not have pedestrian accommodations. Given
the limited available space in the mostly residential location, McMahon will focus on developing designs that will lessen the impact to residents as much as possible, while still providing safe and effective facilities. McMahon has been working consistently with the City of Bonita Springs since 2008 with projects that include citywide annual data collection, master bike/ pedestrian plans (which will be updated in 2023), transportation site evaluations for the Imperial Parkway, Shangri-la Road, Old US 41, Bonita Beach Road and Logan Blvd. McMahon has also performed site development reviews for complete streets, site access, land development, right-of-way and property acquisitions. “We are proud to give a safe place to walk and bicycle to the users of these
new facilities on West Terry Street,” said William Grieve, PE, McMahon project manager. “By replacing the current swale with new stormwater management, it will allow for better drainage away from properties and into the existing system on the north side of West Terry Street.” Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Bowman is an engineering services firm delivering infrastructure solutions to customers who own, develop, and maintain the built environment. With over 1,700 employees and more than 65 offices throughout the United States, Bowman provides a variety of planning, engineering, construction management, commissioning, environmental consulting, geomatics, survey, land procurement and other technical services to customers operating in a diverse set of regulated end markets.
something that our current employees value and it makes our team feel heard and supported – it’s a great asset to our culture. But that ceases to be an asset if new employees or offices don’t know about it. If new team members assume feedback isn’t wanted or appreciated, they’ll feel unsupported and our firm misses out on a chance to improve. 5. Don’t be afraid to think big. The decision to become a 100 percent employee-owned firm was a big one, but it is also one of the biggest assets to our culture. Not only does it offer a financial incentive regarding the employee stock ownership plan, but it informs our culture and philosophy. We’re all employee-owners, so we all have an impact on the direction and success of the firm, and as such we prioritize things like benefits, professional development, and wellness. Your firm doesn’t necessarily need to be an ESOP to make a big change, but there could be opportunities you’re missing because they seem too big. 6. Embrace change and feedback. Your firm won’t always have the same leaders, staff, or culture. What worked one year might not work the next. That’s why it’s so important to listen to your employees on what they value. BL sends out a survey to our employees every year, where we collect feedback and find out what people appreciate and where we need to improve. That feedback helps inform our strategy and goals for next year, both in terms of our business and in terms of our culture. Without that direct feedback, your firm won’t know what issues need attention, and if you are resistant to change, your firm won’t be able to properly address those cultural issues, even if you know what they are. Julia DeFrances is a senior marketing coordinator at BL Companies, Inc. She can be reached at jdefrances@ blcompanies.com.
JULIA DEFRANCES , from page 3
reward for employees who step up and get engaged. Our fun events are also centered around mixing up our teams, so participants build new relationships with people they don’t know and deepen relationships with people they do. Participants get a prize and can make some new work friends. The firm gets a strengthened, more connected workforce. Win-win. 3. Keep engagement activities accessible, quick, and voluntary. Things like team-building activities are great for building strong relationships, but you’ll push people away if you don’t approach them thoughtfully. For example, if your team is slammed with deadlines a four- hour mandatory team-building retreat will only build resentment, not engagement (yes, even if it’s really fun). Likewise, if you’re trying to engage across offices, you need to find something that works in a virtual environment, not just in-person. 4. Have consistent cultural messaging. At BL, being an employee-owned firm is very important to us and we say as much. Our culture and values are clear, consistent, and followed-through. This is especially important when onboarding new staff. For example, at BL we value and protect people who provide feedback. If there’s an issue with a team member or with a firm policy or process, we want our team to feel comfortable sharing that. It’s that works for everyone? And how do you maintain a great culture once you’ve built one?” “How do you take so many disparate groups and create an engaging culture
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THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 5, 2022, ISSUE 1467
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