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TRANSACT IONS JQ, ONE OF TEXAS’ TOP ENGINEERING FIRMS, ACQUIRES DALLAS-BASED STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FIRM JQ has acquired the Dallas, Texas-based structural engineering firm, Baldauf Herrin & Associates, Inc. , according to JQ’s CEO, Stephen H. Lucy. The acquisition will enable JQ to grow its service capabilities in the federal and corporate markets, while adding industry veterans to its senior leadership team. “I have known Tom Herrin and Steve Baldauf for more than 30 years,” says Lucy. “We were looking for experienced, technically competent professionals who could support and grow our business relationships and mentor our younger leadership team.” Baldauf and Herrin will join JQ as principals and will office out of

BHA clients are located primarily in Texas, but federal work can take the firm anywhere nationally. Over the years, some notable projects include: Harrison Hall Academic Building at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas; the Four Seasons Resort Villas and Pool in Irving, Texas; Hancock County Emergency Operations Center in Mississippi; the Volar Barracks renovation in Fort Hood, Texas; and numerous projects for a global telecommunications company. Previously, Herrin was engineer of record for Exxon World headquarters and EDS World headquarters, and Baldauf was supervising structural engineer on the Superconducting Super Collider.

JQ’s corporate headquarters in Dallas’ design district. According to Lucy, “Our cultures align, and we share common values and a vision of how to serve our clients. The acquisition presents great opportunities for JQ to continue the sustained growth of the firm.” Says Tom R. Herrin, P.E. of BHA, “We are excited to be joining the JQ team. The merger gives us confidence that our clients will benefit immensely from the combination of our resources and the bench strength of JQ’s professional, technical personnel to support their project needs.” BHA clients are concentrated in the federal and corporate markets – market sectors that JQ has targeted for continued growth.

CONFERENCE CALL, from page 7

nities unique to their talent and to their region. Through our growth planning process we are able to look collectively at the visions for growth in each of our offices and identi- fy gaps and make connections that help us all move in the same direction. Gaps are addressed through a combination of internal promotions, strategic hires, and acquisitions. “While we have a strong vision for where the firm is going, we empower leadership in each of our offices to collaboratively craft a vision for growth that embraces opportunities unique to their talent and to their region.”

TC: First, demonstrate a depth and breadth of creative op- portunities with measurable impact on the clients and com- munities we serve. Second, manage our practices through our values: practicing empathy, cultivating curiosity, em- bracing originality, doing the hard work of truly listening, and leaving a shared legacy. TZL: What’s the key benefit you give to your employees? Flex schedule, incentive compensation, 401(k), etc.? TC: Flexibility and variety. There isn’t one benefit that is go- ing to meet the needs of all 750 employees and their fami- lies, so we ask what matters to them and then work to in- corporate a program that matches their needs. For exam- ple: offering the choice between PPO and HSA options for healthcare has resonated with our employees. We’ve added a paid parental leave benefit this year which does not ben- efit everyone, but is a message to the organization that we value our employees and want to help them in that stage of their life. Retirement planning and financial planning ap- peal to a segment of our population, but the goodwill gen- erated from matching identified needs with programs posi- tively affects everyone. “Our most successful proposals help the client visualize the journey they will take with us.” TZL: How do you raise capital? TC: On an annual basis, HGA’s board of directors offers stock to associate vice presidents and vice presidents. TZL: What’s your preferred strategy for growth, M&A or organic? Give us a synopsis of how your firm effected growth in the recent past. TC: Organic growth, by far, is the most sustainable path for us. While we have a strong vision for where the firm is go- ing, we empower leadership in each of our offices to collab- oratively craft a vision for growth that embraces opportu-

TZL: What’s the greatest challenge presented by growth?

TC: Having each person at HGA feel intimately connected with their teams and communities while still being able to take advantage of the larger HGA experience. We want the best of both worlds – and this requires a lot of intention- al, open and honest communication among us all. High lev- el, effective communication across the firm is the greatest challenge. Organic growth and growth through strategic hires and ac- quisitions all require the right investments – in research, in- frastructure and labor – to be successful. TZL: What’s your prediction for 2017 and for the next five years? TC: We’ve experienced sustainable growth over the last 20 years. Through our growth planning process we have a com- prehensive perspective of how we might grow year-over- year for the next five years. Our intentional planning bal- ances how we drive business success with how we cultivate our practice and elevate the art and science of our work to have the most enduring impact on our clients and commu- nities.

THE ZWEIG LETTER March 27, 2017, ISSUE 1193

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