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enhans

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play proactive operational roles. Traits of a strong board in- clude: ❚ ❚ Diversity of backgrounds, expertise, and experience ❚ ❚ Alignment and agreement on company strategy ❚ ❚ Clarity on roles and responsibilities ❚ ❚ Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively together as a team ❚ ❚ Decisiveness ❚ ❚ Appropriate board composition in order to attract the best and the brightest “We are ramping up our marketing efforts in the form of developing existing and new relationships, identifying and pursuing new key clients and business sectors, and expanding services and resources via strategic partnerships.” TZL: Is there a secret to effective ownership transition? MJ: It depends a lot on individual circumstances such as the goals and needs of the current owners. For instance, own- ers seeking a quick exit will likely want to pursue a buyer who offers them a decent amount of cash and the ability to conclude the transaction quickly. Owners who have the luxury of time and who care deeply about the business will try to find strategic buyers with similar values, respect the existing employees, and have unique skills/energy to grow the business. Such owners might also be willing to provide more flexible terms on the purchase of the business in order to further entice the right set of buyers. Owners and buy- ers must be able to communicate clearly and be patient as parties work through terms and conditions of the contract. TZL: How do you go about winning work? MJ: We have a reputation of competitive rates, professional engineering deliverables, and quality customer service. This has led to customer loyalty and repeat business. We’ve re- cently begun the process of developing strategic partner- ships with other companies to help expand our custom- er base, core capabilities, and new business opportunities. We also routinely solicit feedback from existing customers about quality and timeliness of deliverables and customer communication skills. Continuous improvement is critical towards maintaining a healthy, growing company. TZL: What is the greatest problem to overcome in the proposal process? MJ: There are a few: ❚ ❚ Complying with the specific requirements embedded in the RFP

❚ ❚ Figuring out what to offer and at what price ❚ ❚ Effectively articulating the unique value that the company brings to the table TZL: Once you’ve won a contract, what are the marching orders for your PMs? MJ: Assemble a team that can deliver according to customer specifications and standards in a timely manner. TZL: How does marketing contribute to success rate? Are you content with your marketing efforts or do you think you should increase/decrease marketing? MJ: Success rate is driven primarily by reputation and repu- tation is driven by consistently delivering on quality, sched- ule, and price. We are ramping up our marketing efforts in the form of developing existing and new relationships, iden- tifying and pursuing new key clients and business sectors, and expanding services and resources via strategic partner- ships. TZL: What has your firm done recently to upgrade its IT system? MJ: We continuously invest in leading-edge technology, from the field to the office, to improve productivity and in- crease accuracy for various engineering products and ser- vices. Technological excellence stems from investment in advanced systems and continuous training on how to use these tools effectively and efficiently. Clients benefit from more flexible, reliable, and cost competitive engineering, surveying, and mapping services. Recently, we developed a robust project database/portal for interactive use by the company and customers to help better track the status of projects and improve communi- cations with customers. The company has also standard- ized the use of Microsoft Office products across all person- al computing applications. We’ve procured significant com- puting resources needed to support our ever expanding use of stationary and UAV data scanners. Finally, we continue to upgrade to the latest CAD software packages including Microstation, AutoCAD, and AVEVA platforms. TZL: What is the best way to recruit and retain top talent in a tight labor market? MJ: We recognize that highly-skilled personnel are critical See CONFERENCE CALL, page 8 “We continuously invest in leading-edge technology, from the field to the office, to improve productivity and increase accuracy for various engineering products and services.”

uly 10, 2017, ISSUE 1207

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