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BUSINESS NEWS REDSEAHOUSINGSERVICESANDAECOMSIGNMOU TO BRING FAST-TRACK MODULAR AFFORDABLE HOUSING SOLUTIONS TO SAUDI ARABIA Red Sea Housing Services and AECOM signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in delivering innovative, modular affordable housing solutions on fast track basis for the Saudi Arabian market. While Red Sea Housing Services will manufacture and deliver the modular building units from its factory, AECOM will undertake the responsibility for designing, engineering, planning, and project managing these housing projects. Red Sea Housing Services’ CEO, William Ali Mills stated that, “The collaboration between RSHS and AECOM will provide an ideal platform to deliver quality homes in the Kingdom in a fast and efficient manner using our state-of-the-art technology, at affordable prices.” This engagement brings together Red Sea Housing’s modular construction expertise – an

innovative building technique that dramatically reduces construction time and delivers buildings at the highest levels of quality, with AECOM’s expertise in sustainable and energy efficient construction solutions. Jointly the companies look to tackle the rising affordable housing crisis. Currently, the companies have signed a 12-month MOU with the main objective of exploring housing opportunities presented by the Ministry of Housing in Saudi Arabia. “We are delighted to have signed this MOU with Red Sea Housing Services”, said Hamed Zaghw, chief executive, AECOM Middle East, “By combining our knowledge of the local market, solutions for affordable housing, and our design and program management expertise, we will explore opportunities that support the priorities of the Ministry of Housing.” Red Sea Housing Services a global leader that provides high quality modular living and working environments for industrial and

residential communities. With significant experience in providing industrial housing products and services in remote and urban locations across the world in more than 65 countries for over four decades, RSHS has cemented exceptional reputation for designing, planning, producing, managing, leasing, and operating corporate housing solutions. RSHS sets up the infrastructure and facilities required for global companies to construct high quality, reliable, durable and tailored modular buildings, and housing units, including hotels, offices, accommodation units, utility services, telecommunications networks, catering and recreation facilities, from its manufacturing facilities in Saudi, UAE, Ghana, PNG, and Malaysia. A Fortune 500 company, AECOM is the world’s leading design firm. It provides professional technical services in the fields of engineering, consulting, planning, architecture, construction management, project management, asset management, and environmental services.

to some firms, but most prefer individuals who want to grow, lead, and manage. 5)What are your strengths and weaknesses? How someone responds to an introspective question can tell you a lot about how they will work with others. You want someone who rec- ognizes what they can and cannot do. You do not want some- one who is so grandiose in their self-evaluation that they will only focus on themselves. 6)What is your definition of teamwork? Almost everything we do involves a diverse team environment. Your clients and consultants are also diverse teams. If you can’t explain your experience in working with a team, then how can you succeed in the team sport of the AEC industry? 7)What is your definition of work ethic? This can be a hot topic as each generation thinks the next generation does not have a proper work ethic. In an interview years ago, the head coach of the women’s basketball team at Texas Tech University was asked how he was able to sustain the success of his team. He explained that he recruited almost exclusively off the farms and ranches in the Midwest. To those players, sports was recreation and they had also experienced hard work firsthand. In fact, his top player at the time had grown up on a dairy farm, and, although basketball practice started at 6:30 a.m., she told the coach that this was the latest she had been able to sleep in her life. Ask that person the mean- ing of work ethic, and they can probably give you a very clear answer. BOTTOM-LINE. Everything starts with your core values. If you strictly talk about the visible signs of your culture – the fun you have, the events you sponsor, the time off, or the health benefits – then you haven’t defined your basic culture or core values. And if you do not get the staff in place that lives and breathes those core values, your firm is doomed to failure. STEPHEN LUCY is CEO of JQ with offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Lubbock, Texas. Contact him at slucy@jqeng.com.

STEPHEN LUCY, from page 9

successes and failures in our past hires, we have found that answers to the following seven questions help guide us in our hiring decisions. TOP SEVEN QUESTIONS FOR NEW HIRES: 1)What has been the most important outside experience of your college life? Although we all are looking for the stel- lar student with the 4.0 GPA, the value of the non-academic experience in determining future success of someone within your firm cannot be overlooked. Often the answer to this question helps us understand how socially adept that young graduate may be and how impactful they can be to those around them. “If you strictly talk about the visible signs of your culture – the fun you have, the events you sponsor, the time off, or the health benefits – then you haven’t defined your basic culture or core values.” 2)What are your life goals – not just your career goals? Work-life balance is essential to good health and happiness. Seeking a balance also produces focused, productive team members who have plans, not just for their career but also for their community and family going forward. 3)Which people at our firm would you like to talk to in or- der to better understand our work environment? Giving candidates the opportunity to talk to their peers and those in leadership helps those candidates better understand how they will fit in. There are multiple generations within your work- force so understanding those differences is essential. 4)What kind of leadership experiences and skills do you have? An absence of interest in leading might be comfortable

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 2, 2017, ISSUE 1218

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