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Paul
P R O F I L E
Conference call: Paul Gabriel President of Environmental Partners Group, Inc. (Hot Firm #22 for 2017), a 55-person firm based in Quincy, Massachusetts.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent “T heir problems need to be your problems,” says Gabriel, referring to the client-firm re- lationship. A CONVERSATION WITH PAUL GABRIEL. The Zweig Letter: What’s your philosophy on fee/ billing and accounts receivable? How do you col- lect fees from a difficult client? Paul Gabriel: We communicate as clearly as we can and include a brief work summary for what was completed during that billing period. Inade- quate or no explanation of services being invoiced only slows down the cycle on the client’s end. We typically invoice monthly and include a summary of unpaid invoices from previous months. On our end, we expect our project managers to monitor cli- ent processing and invoice payment and to follow up on any unpaid invoices after 60 days.
TZL: What’s the recipe for creating an effective board? PG: This year we will begin the process of imple- menting a board of directors to be drawn mostly from our current management team. I expect it to be five members, one of which will be an outside member. I want the board to focus on what are tru- ly apex strategic issues for the firm, such as own- ership/leadership transition, strategic direction, fi- nance, and risk management. “We believe our marketing efforts have contributed significantly to our growth and success, and they will continue to be a high priority.”
Paul Gabriel, President, Environmen- tal Partners Group, Inc.
TZL: Is there a secret to effective ownership transition?
THE ZWEIG LETTER Ju
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