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grove

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RH: Hargrove is privately held with no outside board mem- bers. The key to effective leadership is diversification. We must use different people with different perspectives from a wide range of our offices who, together, understand the strategic goals of our company as a whole. They must also have business savvy, not only in our industry, but of the overall global economy. They must be men and women of high character, integrity, and with strong leadership capa- bilities. “The key to effective leadership is diversification. We must use different people with different perspectives from a wide range of our offices who, together, understand the strategic goals of our company as a whole.” TZL: Is there a secret to effective ownership transition? RH: Consistent leadership and empowerment is the secret. We empower teammates at all levels in the organization and establish clear, consistent leadership that provides vi- sion for the direction the company is heading. As our team- mates buy into that vision, it focuses everyone on the same goals and creates an ownership culture at all levels of the or- ganization. That culture becomes a part of every teammate making the ownership transitions easier because everyone has the same vision. The company was founded in 1995 as Hargrove and Associ- ates, Inc. and we have opened ownership to more than 80 associates. When bringing on new associates, it’s important to identify individuals who truly embrace our company cul- ture and share the entrepreneurial spirit that has driven our company to be what it is today and what it will continue to be in the future. TZL: How do you go about winning work? RH: I believe that winning is a byproduct. As I’ve men- tioned, Hargrove’s first focus is the relationship with our clients and desire to understand their specific needs on each project. Our highest goal is to be their partner and make them successful. We’ve found that when you focus on the relationship, and of course, excellent project execution, the rest naturally follows. TZL: What’s the greatest problem to overcome in the pro- posal process? RH: Don’t overthink it! Keep it simple and focus on the cli- ent, the relationship, and listen to their needs. TZL: Once you’ve won a contract, what are the “marching orders” for your PMs?

RH: I tell them, laughingly, “Don’t screw it up.” We have a robust project management system and have rigorous pro- cedures in place to ensure the highest level of quality in our project execution and delivery. In all seriousness, I tell them, “Let’s show them what ‘good’ looks like!” TZL: How does marketing contribute to your success rate? Are you content with your marketing efforts, or do you think you should increase/decrease marketing? RH: Over the last 10 years, Hargrove has seen substantial growth. Our leadership is proactive in building relation- ships on a seller-doer model and, though we run lean, we emphasize the importance of meeting the client’s needs on every level. Our marketing and business development teams are top-notch and operate on the basis that relation- ships are our priority. Hargrove’s marketing strategies re- flect this, and our reputation wins work. TZL: What has your firm done recently to upgrade its IT system? RH: We have migrated to Office 365 to take advantage of cloud services such as hosted SharePoint, OneDrive, and hosted email. That allows us to share data across multiple locations and collaborate more effectively. We are also in- creasing bandwidth at all office locations to benefit from cost savings in higher bandwidth rates, and we are upgrad- ing network technology to use SD WAN, which will allow us to better manage the flow of information between offices. We continue to deploy the latest versions of engineering ap- plications that give us the latest features making design ef- forts more efficient. TZL: What’s the best way to recruit and retain top talent in a tight labor market? RH: I often say that winners like to play alongside winners. We recruit and retain top talent because of the strong rela- tionships built and maintained within our team. It all starts with relationships, and if we fail to build our relationships internally, we are unable to provide the quality of the rela- tionship we desire with our clients. This allows us to recruit using the “one team” belief and culture. We also know, in or- der to grow, talent must always be challenged. “We recruit and retain top talent because of the strong relationships built and maintained within our team. It all starts with relationships, and if we fail to build our relationships internally, we are unable to provide the quality of the relationship we desire with our clients.”

See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8

ay 29, 2017, ISSUE 1202

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