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TRANSACT IONS LJA ACQUIRES PRECISION AERIAL COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, LLC LJA Engineering, Inc. (Hot Firm #6 for 2017) has acquired Precision Aerial Compliance Solutions, LLC, a Conroe-based aerial data collection and inspection service company. PACS utilizes unmanned aerial systems to provide a safe, cost-effective, and efficient way to gather actionable data for their clients. The acquisition of PACS reinforces LJA’s commitment to position the company as a provider of the highest level of professional services to their public and private clients. This broad range of integrated services is available, not only in their home state of Texas, but globally. Their specialties include LiDAR, orthomosaic photogrammetry, thermal imagery, and methane detection for construction, oil and gas, wind turbines, bridge and infrastructure, and solar fields. “Several factors make us extremely unique in this seemingly ever-growing field. We hire

only FAA certified pilots to fly our UAVs. We have been granted a Section 333 Exemption from the FAA to conduct commercial UAV flights in the USA. We are one of only nine companies to pass the National Unmanned Aircraft Systems Credentialing Program, a rigorous testing and vetting process sponsored by Texas A&M University, TEEX, Lone Star Center for Excellence, the FAA, and NASA. We were specifically recognized for setting a new standard in safety and professionalism during our audit. PACS will be deploying new cutting edge LIDAR systems in August that will set a new industry standard for accuracy and efficiency and it will be something very special. We are safe, professional, and fully insured for your sake and ours,” explained Scott McGowan, president. Precision Aerial has collaborated on a number of “industry firsts” providing successful proof of concept flights as well as successful contracts for industrial, commercial, and government entities. This experience has

given Precision Aerial a unique perspective on the advances and uses of UAS technology in a multitude of industries. From oil and gas assets, forestry and agriculture to construction and bridges, Precision Aerial has the expertise and technology to capture the quality data you need using the latest UAS technology and instrumentation. As problem solvers in their fields, Precision Aerial looks at challenges as an opportunity to innovate, and has the talent to get the job done. Founded in 1972, LJA is an employee- owned, full-service consulting engineering firm serving both public and private sectors. With 25 offices throughout Texas and Florida, the staff of LJA includes over 650 experienced civil, transportation, structural, midstream, rail, and coastal engineers, plus hydrologists, environmental specialists, land planners, landscape architects, construction managers, designers, GIS specialists, technicians, and surveyors.

MARC FLORIAN, from page 11

It’s not that I lack an appreciation for the burdens to which all staff, including corporate services personnel, are also subjected, or an understanding of A/R. It’s just that I’ve been around the block enough to know that effective project management is what drives a firm. (Let’s be frank, without effective project management, a firm would cease to exist.) I’ve also been a PM and can empathize with the seemingly endless list of responsibilities to which they are faced. That said, I find the practicality of what a PM can and cannot accomplish in a given day as sorely lacking in the context of most leadership discussions. Let’s stick with my A/R example for a moment. Do we as an industry really believe that PMs should be responsible for A/R and collections? Most of the PMs in the firms I know were appointed to their positions based on their technical acumen and demonstrated ability to deliver exceptional work products on time and on budget. (Few, if any, have ever gone through any formal collections training, and most lack the signature authority to negotiate terms or price concessions anyhow.) Given that realization, I think many in leadership need to step back for a moment and ask themselves if distractions such as these (whatever your example), truly are within the scope of a PM’s highest and best use. Or are we simply justifying our decisions to have PMs run point by rationalizing that because they know their clients and projects best, they are more capable than someone else? Perhaps. But, as the demands on our PMs’ time continue to increase, I believe we as an industry need to be looking at the practicality of what a PM can or cannot accomplish in a given day, and not stray from what is truly their highest and best use – ensuring service quality and delivery. MARC FLORIAN is vice president for Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc., a professional consulting, engineering, and scientific services organization on four continents. He can be reached at mflorian@ectinc.com.

my point is all of this takes time and is a distraction from what is otherwise the PM’s highest and best use. Understand, this is just one example of the increasing number of non-project-related distractions to which PMs are being subjected to on a daily basis. I’m sure those of you reading this can come up with many examples of your own. But, here’s the crux of my concern: what’s going on in terms of the PM’s real responsibilities – his day job of ensuring service quality and delivery – while he’s out chasing A/Rs or doing whatever else has been directed of him? I’m guessing the projects probably aren’t getting the attention they are due. Personally, I believe PMs should be left to manage projects and corporate services staff left to handle issues like the enforcement of contract terms and conditions, including collections. While some of you might have a different opinion, over the years, I have found this to work well – a differentiation of power that lends itself to effective negotiation and dispute resolution when things might go rough; a sort of god cop/bad cop scenario. I believe that our PMs should always be viewed as client advocates, and that we let accounting personnel handle account administration and support the PM function. “As the demands on our PMs’ time continue to increase, I believe we as an industry need to be looking at the practicality of what a PM can or cannot accomplish in a given day, and not stray from what is truly their highest and best use – ensuring service quality and delivery.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 9, 2017, ISSUE 1219

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