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TRANSACTIONS EYP JOINS PAGE TO
CREATE
innovative designs and expertise to each project we pursue regardless of scope or location, and we’ll be able to invest in research and thought leadership to co- create with our clients.” With a diverse, international portfolio – encompassing the academic; aviation; civic, community and culture; corporate and commercial; government; healthcare; housing and hospitality; industrial; life sciences; and science and technology sectors – the integrated firm of designers, architects and engineers will deliver high-performance designs that help clients measure, reduce, and offset carbon emissions. In addition, the firm will continue to promote equity and wellness with teams versed in practices like universal design, Design
for Freedom, Well, Fitwel, and other strategies contributing to diversity and inclusion. “Page and EYP both create designs that enhance people’s lives and communities,” stated Kef Mason, who served as interim CEO at EYP. “Combining our expertise is a winning formula for our clients and our employees. It offers us the ability to provide growth, mentorship, and training for our employees that translates to cutting-edge design in our projects. This agreement supports the natural growth trajectories and strategic vision for both firms by unifying our efforts to benefit our clients and staff.” The combined firm will have more than 1,300 employees across the U.S., Latin America, and the Middle East.
A DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, AND ENGINEERING Page and EYP announced they have successfully closed a transaction that integrates the two design firms. Guided by similar values and culture, they will expand their services and geographic reach, working seamlessly across offices and disciplines. Together, they will combine exceptional design rooted in architectural, engineering and consulting capabilities to make lives better. POWERHOUSE IN “Bringing together our two firms allows us to work on increasingly complex projects that benefit from our expertise across disciplines and market sectors,” stated Thomas McCarthy, Page CEO. “Together, we’re bringing the most compelling,
on a major project site, which had similar issues to what the client was facing. They didn’t bring a dull, bullet-intensive PowerPoint, and they didn’t rehash the exact same information that was in their original submittal. They simply told a relevant hero story and how it applied specifically to the client’s needs. They won the job unanimously. I never forgot that anecdote, and when the opportunity presents itself, I try to help my teams apply that way of thinking. In one example, we utilized the technique when describing the design of a new stormwater channel. When writing about the project, instead of the original title, “Newland Bypass Channel,” the marketing team retitled it “Moving a Mountain to Save a Small Town.” The project was needed because areas along a nearby stream flooded regularly and damaged local businesses. The engineering solution involved blasting away a portion of a mountain to create an overflow relief channel required during significant rain events. Additionally, we added value by transforming the repaired stream into a riverwalk trail and park, at no extra cost, thereby benefitting local businesses with pedestrian traffic. Ultimately, the way we told the tale was as important as the project itself. The icing on the cake was later being awarded an Engineering Excellence Award by ACEC. As a longtime marketing professional, I get it. It’s easier for technical folks to write what they know in technical terms, but that’s where trusting your creative team comes in. Wouldn’t you rather read about an uplifting hero story instead of the negativity we read each day? The next time you have a proposal or presentation kickoff, stop micromanaging every aspect of the response and trust and empower your marketing team to do what they do best – to be creative. Kraig Kern, CPSM is vice president and director of marketing at WK Dickson. Contact him at kckern@wkdickson.com.
KRAIG KERN, from page 3
I’ll bet you nine out of 10 random samples start with some variation of “We are pleased to submit…” And don’t get me started on the understanding and approach sections. Most of them read like procedural manuals coupled with little to no high-quality photos or graphics. Good stories have clear starting points, middles, and conclusions. There is a buildup of momentum to the moment of resolution. Stories should be memorable, satisfying, and entertaining, even with tedious subjects. The goal is to make the reader the “hero” and guide them through the topic. “In the AEC business, we can control the narrative. We can share stories that make us feel good. Everyone loves a great hero or underdog story, right? So why don’t we write those instead of the typical, dull technical descriptions?” A good marketing team can do that, but without a change in mindset from the technical experts – the engineers, architects, or construction managers – the effort is doomed to fail from the start. The other day I was thinking about a mentor and friend of mine, David Stone. He once shared an anecdote about a story he told during a shortlist presentation. His team started the presentation by saying something like, “Let me tell you the story of Steve and the Underground River.” As he recounted it, the audience was captivated from the very start because it sounded like the beginning of a unique story. He spoke with such passion that he became the focus, not the PowerPoint screen behind him. In the end, the story was really about how the company handled significant water infiltration
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THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 24, 2022, ISSUE 1462
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