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BUSINESS NEWS T.Y. LIN INTERNATIONAL WINS 2017 ACEC HONOR AWARD FOR SELLWOOD BRIDGE REPLACEMENT T.Y. Lin International , a full-service infrastructure consulting firm, announced that the Sellwood Bridge Replacement project in Portland, Oregon, received an Honor Award in the 2017 ACEC Engineering Excellence Awards competition. TYLI served as prime consultant, final design, on the fast-track project, working closely with the project owner, Multnomah County, design subconsultant CH2M, and construction manager/general contractor, Slayden/Sundt Joint Venture. The Sellwood Bridge across the Willamette River opened to traffic on February 29, 2016, replacing a deteriorating fixed span structure built in 1925. The 1,976-foot-long bridge, 1,275 feet of which is a steel deck arch, features three arch spans that support the

63- to 90-foot-wide deck of the main river spans. The new, seismically resilient bridge carries two vehicular lanes, two bike lanes/ emergency shoulders, and two shared-use sidewalks. TYLI also designed the bridge to accommodate future streetcar service. The bridge replacement project also included modernization of the Highway 43 interchange and stabilization of a hillside located west of and above the bridge and interchange. The locally preferred alternative for a steel deck arch, combined with a landslide condition for the west abutment of the bridge, created a unique engineering challenge. The TYLI team developed an advanced solution that combined geotechnical design with a foundation design for the stability needed to found the deck arch against the west hillside. “Few landmark bridge projects, if any, have

dealt with the threat of landslide movement by utilizing a true arch bridge design solution,” said David Goodyear, TYLI senior vice president and chief bridge engineer. “T.Y. Lin International is very pleased that the American Council of Engineering Companies has recognized the Sellwood Bridge as one of the year’s most outstanding engineering accomplishments.” Another significant aspect of the project was the active participation of local communities in every phase of the project. In addition to ensuring that public input was reflected in the final design of the signature bridge, TYLI also reduced the final Sellwood Bridge footprint significantly from early concepts, reducing project costs and minimizing environmental disturbances.

RANDY WILBURN, from page 9

5)Cool office perks. It’s important for firms to be creative with their perks so that they can keep their best employees engaged and focused. I visited with a firm recently that has several vendors come to their office to service the needs of their employees. Two ideas that come to mind are a dry clean- ing service where they pick up and drop off at the office, and a personal chef that provides creative and healthy meals once a week. There are many more ideas like these that you could easily implement. Some will cost you money while others are just conveniences that make life for your employees a little easier. “When you show your employees how much you care you will make it harder for them to up and leave without at least giving you notice and constructive feedback on why they made the decision to go.” 6)Hire and fire. Another way to keep the environment free of any defects, mental or otherwise, is to take your time to hire good people. I’m not suggesting that you take forever. I just think you should know when to pull the trigger on a good candidate and bring them on board. Good employees boost morale and do a lot to keep things moving in the right direc- tion. If you have a bad employee or two – those who are not redeemable – you need to be willing to “cut bait” and move on. The faster you do this the better off you will be. These are just a few of the ways you can boost retention levels at your firm. When you show your employees how much you care you will make it harder for them to up and leave without at least giving you notice and constructive feedback on why they made the decision to go. Which brings me to another point: Always do an exit interview with everyone who leaves. That information can prove to be invaluable. That’s all I have for now. When it comes to recruiting and retention I’m always here if you need help or advice. RANDY WILBURN is director of executive search at Zweig Group. Contact him at rwilburn@zweiggroup.com.

that’s what I think. I know it sounds a little harsh, but the reality is that as individuals and as firms, we need to strive to get better in every way. Firms that recognize this take the time to make sure their employees get the best training for professional development. It’s more than just CEUs. It’s making sure your people learn the latest nuances for their discipline and how to implement them to make the client and project experience better. Personal development is just as important. A study was done by the financial counseling in- dustry that said for every dollar a firm spent to make financial literacy programs available to their employees, they earned a three-dollar return on that investment in greater employee productivity. 3)Flexible work schedule. A lot of firms are starting to get cre- ative with their regular work schedules. For years we’ve seen some companies take half-day Fridays during the summer months and some have made it a year-round offering. A lot of firms are trying out a 9/80 workweek schedule – this is where employees work seven nine-hour days in a two-week period, one eight-hour day, and then receive one “free” day off every other week. The bottom line is that you are trying to be cre- ative for the benefit of your employees without sacrificing the needs of the clients you serve. “Employees are looking for strong benefits programs that include, but are not limited to, retirement programs with matching funds, short-term/long-term disability and life insurance, wellness programs, in addition to cell phones and other tech perks.” 4)Strong benefits. Nowadays, in addition to fulfilling work that makes a difference, employees are looking for strong benefits programs that include, but are not limited to, retire- ment programs with matching funds, short-term/long-term disability and life insurance, wellness programs, in addition to cell phones and other tech perks.

THE ZWEIG LETTER June 5, 2017, ISSUE 1203

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