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multiple perspectives; one that is diverse because the work- force is diverse. We want each director to have the ability to provide strategic direction based on his/her past history, so we like to have a board with a diversity in experience as well (i.e. a combination of financial, legal, and insurance experi- ence). And we really like outside directors; we had two peo- ple for years and are actively speaking with a third. People who have recently retired from our profession have tremen- dous value to add. “Outwork the competition. The easiest work is repeat work. Most successful firms know that if you take care of the client on the last job, you can leverage your existing client base with repeat work.” It’s also important that the loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the dominant influence. All of our board mem- bers are on equal footing and have equal airtime. There should be no “yes” people, but rather those who will chal- lenge the group. This isn’t a golfing event – they should leave the room mentally exhausted. TZL: Is there a secret to effective ownership transition? DW: Start really early. Firms in our industry tend to grow rapidly, not just in size, but in revenue generated. As a re- sult, we tend to outpace the S&P 100 growth pattern over our lifecycles. Internally, it takes a lot of time to prepare to transfer ownership to employees. You have to create value; you have to sell and not give that ownership opportunity in order to build its value. You have to develop a pride of own- ership, for the chance at ownership to be coveted, for the opportunity to share in the financial rewards of a company that continues to grow. TZL: How do you go about winning work? DW: Outwork the competition. The easiest work is repeat work. Most successful firms know that if you take care of the client on the last job, you can leverage your existing cli- ent base with repeat work. However, if you’re going after new clients or public-based procurement, start early and as- semble the team the client wants so they see the value in selecting you. WGI generates the most revenue on repeat business – they know us, we know them, there is a higher level of trust, and the whole process just runs smoother. TZL: What’s the greatest problem to overcome in the pro- posal process? DW: This is something we deal with constantly: Getting the technical leadership and division managers, to find the time, have the energy and appreciation for chasing the next win while they’re at their busiest on current projects. You

cannot wait for one project to end before chasing the next one. TZL: Once you’ve won a contract, what are the “marching orders” for your PMs? DW: ❚ ❚ Deliver a quality project ❚ ❚ Don’t ever sacrifice the quality control process. ❚ ❚ Make the client happy ❚ ❚ Beat delivery milestone dates even if by a single day. Many firms cannot deliver a quality set of plans a day early, so if you can, you’ll stand out over 99 percent of the competition and make money, too 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? DW: Branding and name recognition are huge in this busi- ness, so great marketing is anything you can do to create a positive public image for your firm and its individuals. The broadest reach and most inclusive way to build an en- gaged audience is through social media and your website – it puts you in front of the largest possible audience without any of the borders of more traditional media. You have to commit to making this a regular and ongoing effort. We also commit to more leveraged outreach to traditional media for press opportunities in business and trade publications, as there is still prestige there – it represents a higher qualified value than the more casual tone of social media. That said, it’s all part of an integrated strategy, and we’ve leveraged both with a lot of successful parallel and crossover efforts. We also encourage our associates to publish white papers and case studies, and encourage all staff – not just man- agement – to be active in their respective professional or- ganizations, attend regular meetings and seminars across the country to network with peers, and to join task forc- es and committees. That word-of-mouth “marketing” builds relationships that tend to foster teaming arrangements on See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8 “The broadest reach and most inclusive way to build an engaged audience is through social media and your website – it puts you in front of the largest possible audience without any of the borders of more traditional media. You have to commit to making this a regular and ongoing effort.”

rch 13, 2017, ISSUE 1191

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