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T R E N D L I N E S W W W . T H E Z W E I G L E T T E R . C O M O c t o b e r 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 , I s s u e 1 2 2 1

Completing work late

Seven leadership hints to help your employees feel better

According to Zweig Group’s 2017 Project Management Survey , fast- growth firms are completing more work on time or early, compared to other growth categories. The median percent of time fast-growth firms are late on a project was 5 percent. Slow-growth , stable-growth , and declining-growth firms were late on 10 to 20 percent of their projects last year. This is a clear indication that when firms run over time and over budget, growth is difficult to achieve.

W hen you run an A/E or environmental firm, you want your people to feel good. Besides the fact that they won’t do their best work if they don’t feel good, seeing your employees happy is one of the most personally gratifying rewards a business owner can get out of ownership. It just makes you feel good, like it’s all worthwhile. So how can an individual leader make a difference in terms of how people feel? Here are my thoughts: 1)Talk to everyone. Don’t be one of those lead- ers who never greets or speaks to employees who are not in their immediate work group or those at a lower level. Say, “Hi, how are you?” and “Bye, have a great night.” Ask about their weekend or family. Talk to them about what they are doing in the company. Just talk to them, period. 2)Move around the company. There really is something to the term coined by Tom Peters years ago – MBWA (management by walking around). Get out and walk around the office. Clearly, little factions develop in certain de- partments or floors or dead-end halls. But do what you can to see other people in those ar- eas by getting up out of your seat and walking around. It helps everyone feel better. 3)Share company performance informa- tion. Open book management works. When you share the financials or at least KPIs (key performance indicators) with everyone in the firm it relieves stress about the unknown and builds trust with management. So do it! 4)Have social time with everyone in the firm.

“There are many things that you, as a leader, can do to make people feel better about you and the place they work. Are you doing what you can?”

Mark Zweig

OPEN FOR PARTICIPATION zweiggroup.com/survey-participation/

F I R M I N D E X Arup......................................................12 Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co.........8 Fluor Corporation....................................4 Gensler...................................................4 KCCT....................................................10 Metro Consulting Associates, LLC. .......12 OZ Architecture.......................................2 PM Environmental, Inc.. ..........................6 Westwood Professional Services...........12

MORE COLUMNS xz FROM THE CHAIRMAN: The condo conundrum Page 3 xz GENERAL COUNSEL: Final decisions Page 5 xz GUEST SPEAKER: Rest your weary fingers Page 9 xz GUEST SPEAKER: Power pointless Page 11

See MARK ZWEIG, page 2

Conference call: Mike Kulka

Page 6

T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R A / E / P & E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U L T I N G F I R M S

BUSINESS NEWS OZ ARCHITECTURE RE-DESIGN OF EBEN EZER SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY IN BRUSH, COLORADO PROGRESSES TO PHASES TWO, THREE AND FOUR OZ Architecture has launched its design plan for phases two through four of the Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center, located in Brush, Colorado, the next phases of the 10-step master plan for redesigning the 100-year-old care center. Phase two involves designing the new short- term rehab and long-term skilled care facility, with the addition of two wings of 14 beds each. There will also be a small amenity node with a living room, a dining room, a country serving kitchen, and a physical therapy gym. Phase three includes more community- based improvements, with the addition of a commercial kitchen, receiving areas, and staff areas for behind the scenes maintenance and management. Additionally, phase four will add 28 skilled memory care units (14 on either side of the building), each with access to a shared living space. Here, residents with a higher level of acuity will have the opportunity to enjoy a courtyard wandering garden and spa, with a more robust nursing component. The designs have also eliminated dead-end corridors, and increased security elements throughout. Last year, Eben Ezer selected OZ Architecture to complete the design of its two-story building. Spanning 54,000 square feet, the goal of the improvements is to increase the overall capacity and elevate the design of the existing campus. The new assisted living and memory care building’s mission is to provide care to the surrounding rural community. What’s more, the nonprofit Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center is the largest employer in the town of Brush.

Take your advice from Mark Zweig to-go.

“This project has been particularly rewarding since it represents progress in senior living residential design regarding high levels of care and personal dignity,” says Jami Mohlenkamp, principal at OZ Architecture and head of the firm’s senior living practice. “As a nonprofit, community-oriented facility, these renovations are set to make a big impact on the small town of Brush, Colorado.” The new design involves rejuvenating and modernizing Eben Ezer’s assisted living services while maintaining the context of the existing campus and buildings, which notably includes a beautiful historic church in the heart of the campus. A traditional red brick exterior will coordinate with the existing property, and alternating exposure lap siding will ensure the new building blends with and reinforces the rustic farmhouse atmosphere. Construction is slated to be completed in phases: phase two is slated to be completed in Q1 2019; phase three in Q1 2020; and phase four in Q1 2021. With offices in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs, OZ Architecture has been creating innovative, collaborative, and timeless architecture around the world since 1964. The firm has completed projects in nearly every continent, and is known for designing globally-recognized, award-winning buildings that offer the best solutions for clients and make a lasting contribution to the communities they’re in. OZ has a team of more than 150 diverse and passionate architecture and design professionals whose work spans a wide range of practice areas. From resort and hospitality to urban living and higher education, OZ designs it all and has a reputation for creating elegant, timeless solutions.

thezweigletter.com/category/podcast/

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Managing Editor rmassey@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor and Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com

MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

Everyone likes a party. That means a free lunch, a brief celebration to honor a promo- tion or won project, or simple get together on Friday afternoon with drinks. Don’t make the mistake, however, of assuming everyone wants to do this stuff on what they con- sider “their time” (evenings and weekends) as many firms do. We spend enough time at the office together and some people have families they see too little of. 5)Brag on your employees. When you talk about them to other people, talk them up! When you get praise, direct it away from you and onto them. Tell them directly that you appreciate them, too. Everyone likes to feel like they are valued. 6)Listen to their complaints. If it is a small thing – like a bathroom floor that is always wet – or HVAC problems in their space – or a certain drink they would like in the refrig- erator – fix the problem/grant the request. It just shows people you care. 7)Get rid of the negative influencers. I’m talking about the specific people who are always skeptical, always negative on the company, always running down the firm or its management. Sometimes this negativity – masked in humor – can help these people gain a following. Reform them or move them on. They are a cancer to your morale! There are many things that you, as a leader, can do to make people feel better about you and the place they work. Are you doing what you can? If not, why not? MARK ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com.

Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560

Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Facebook: facebook.com/thezweigletter Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.) $250 for one-year print subscription; free electronic subscription at thezweigletter.com/subscribe Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399- 1900, ext. 139, or email TheZweigLetter@ TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2017, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

O P I N I O N

H ave you or any of your friends owned a condominium? If so, you have probably heard frequent complaints about the homeowners’ association, their fumbles with managing the building, or, even worse, a lawsuit they have filed about construction defects and the difficulties they’ve had addressing the claim. The condo conundrum Does the specter or a 9 1/2-year lawsuit deter you from the HOA market? Try adding a 20-year maintenance clause to protect your firm.

Ed Friedrichs

lawsuit was filed against us after a subsequent 9 1/2 years. Everyone – contractors, subs, suppliers, and, of course, us – were sued nearly 20 years after construction. We all threw money into a kitty to make it go away, despite the fact that most of the problems were due to faulty maintenance by the HOA. With a little investigation, we found a “While I was working as an architect, I strongly resisted accepting commissions to do condominium buildings, largely based on the number of lawsuits filed against architectural firms.”

While I was working as an architect, I strongly resisted accepting commissions to do condominium buildings, largely based on the number of lawsuits filed against architectural firms. Typically, 9 1/2 years after the certificate of occupancy was issued, and six months before the statute of limitations had run out, the architect, contractors, and others involved were sued by HOAs. In some areas, this pattern was rampant. For example, in San Diego County alone, 100 percent of condominium HOAs had filed such suits. I’ve pondered this HOA conundrum for years, especially after having had to pay the price once or twice. We had one project that particularly annoyed us, since it was initially built as an apartment building and converted to condominiums nine years later. Sure enough, a

See ED FRIEDRICHS, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

BUSINESS NEWS FLUOR’S PHOSPHATE MEGAPROJECT IN SAUDI ARABIA BEGINS PRODUCTION Fluor Corporation announced that the Ma’aden Wa’ad Al- Shamal Phosphate Company’s Umm Wu’al Phosphate Project in Saudi Arabia has started production of ammonia, merchant- grade acid, and fertilizer. Fluor is providing overall program management services for this $8 billion megaproject, in addition to engineering, procurement, and operations and readiness services for various scopes. “As part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, this world-class project will have a long-lasting impact on the region, as it diversifies the country’s economy and creates local job opportunities for citizens,” said Tony Morgan, president of Fluor’sMining andMetals business. “After less than four years from the start of

the execution phase, we are proud to have partnered with Ma’aden to bring this facility to production. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Ma’aden in developing their next phase of mining projects in Saudi Arabia through our recently signed memorandum of understanding.” Production has begun on diammonium phosphate fertilizer, merchant-grade acid and ammonia. Phosphate serves as a key element in fertilizer for agricultural crops. As one of the largest integrated phosphate fertilizer plants in the world, the facility will help meet global food supply needs by delivering 3 million metric tons per annum of diammonium phosphate and nitrogen, phosphorous and potash fertilizers.

With a peak site workforce of 28,000 from more than 50 nationalities, Fluor implemented its world-class safety programs, including its Life CriticalSM program, to support the project. As a result of these programs, the project has achieved more than 46 million consecutive work hours without a lost-time incident. MWSPC is a joint venture between the Saudi Arabian Mining Company, the Mosaic Company, and Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation. Fluor Corporation is a global engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, and maintenance company that designs, builds, and maintains capital-efficient facilities for its clients on six continents.

ED FRIEDRICHS, from page 3

again. One of the biggest problems we would face in the market, I believed, would be individuals who had owned a condominium or who knew someone who had dealt with an HOA lawsuit. We wanted to alleviate that concern by doing what I had proposed years before and, adding to that approach, engaging each contractor for each building with a 20-year maintenance contract. This way, the onus would fall on the contractor to inspect and repair any problems that arise, rather than the HOA having to do a “cash call” whenever a repair is necessary. As developers and architects, we must address the issues with multiple uses in each building; my development partners understood the HOA concerns. They also felt the marketing advantages and the actual experience of living in the West 2 nd District meant taking this approach to risk mitigation was worthwhile. After all, what does a typical HOA board know about the exterior skin, the elevators and mechanical systems, the appropriate reserves to hold for maintenance and repairs and when to spend them? The next time our insurance carrier was in the office, I was asked to present my idea. Their response? “Why doesn’t everyone do it this way?” How times have changed. They were open to and supportive of the idea. We’re now in the process of precisely defining what’s in the master HOA, which will cover many buildings, leveraging our purchasing power, versus the typical HOA which covers individual buildings. The master HOA, much like the typical individual building HOA, will cover cleaning and interior maintenance, replacing light bulbs and carpet, patching and painting walls when required, and, of course, rules and regulations that govern the behavior of the owners, their visitors, and their pets. We’re also in the process of documenting these ideas so we can finalize our covenants, conditions, and restrictions. I’ll keep you posted on our progress, and, along the way, we’ll report on our track record and the results to our homeowners. ED FRIEDRICHS, FAIA, FIIDA, is a consultant with Zweig Group and the former CEO and president of Gensler. Contact him at efriedrichs@ zweiggroup.com.

number of law firms were assigning summer interns to run around with cameras and dictation machines, documenting new condominiums under construction in order to build an archive for possible litigation 9 years later. This was back in an era when “exclusionary” zoning was being rewritten to be “inclusionary,” meaning cities and lenders that felt it was too risky to underwrite a mixed- use building were finally modifying their approaches to encourage and fund mixed-use projects. As a consequence, there was added pressure from many of our clients to take advantage of this new trend in urban development, mixing retail with housing and office uses. “Have you or any of your friends owned a condominium? If so, you have probably heard frequent complaints about the homeowners’ association, their fumbles with managing the building, or, even worse, a lawsuit they have filed about construction defects and the difficulties they’ve had addressing the claim.” With some of the risks mitigated, I studied the condominium lawsuit issue and discovered that most of the problems had to do with leakage through the exterior skin – particularly at balconies, where the exterior finish was interrupted and not properly maintained – and with elevators and mechanical systems. At the time, I proposed wrapping all of these elements under a master homeowners’ association to maintain and service each of these elements for the entire building, including units that were rentals. Sounded great at the time, but I couldn’t get anyone to bite, especially the insurance companies. They’d never done anything like this before, and no one wanted to be a pioneer. As a principal in West 2 nd District, a massive mixed-use project in Reno, Nevada, I chose to pick up the banner

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

O P I N I O N

Final decisions Can project owners be the judge of disputes? Of course they can, especially if the contract clause allows for judicial review.

W e’ve heard children ask parents to explain their decisions, only to get this response: “Because I’m the mom, that’s why!” Mom is the boss and her decision is final on the matter. Children walk away scratching their heads, learning an important lesson in life, sometimes called the “Golden Rule,” as in “He who has the gold makes the rules.” The more brazen child spouts back, “I’m gonna ask Dad!” in an effort to appeal to a higher authority.

William Quatman GENERAL COUNSEL

such as the project architect or engineer, to decide disputes between the owner and contractor, or to “What if the appointed decision- maker has a financial interest in the project, such as the project owner? Can such a person truly be considered ‘neutral?’”

Not far from this scenario is the growing trend for project owners, primarily public owners, to include clauses in their contracts which give them the authority to make final decisions under their own contract! The obvious question is whether a party with a financial interest in the contract can truly be a neutral party and make binding decisions on the other party’s claims. Generally, the courts will not enforce such clauses without a requirement of some level of judicial review or appeal. For decades, we have seen alternative dispute resolution clauses that appoint a neutral person,

See WILLIAM QUATMAN, page 8

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

Mike

P R O F I L E

Conference call: Mike Kulka CEO and principal of PM Environmental, Inc. (Hot Firm #99 for 2016), a 145-person environmental and engineering services firm based in Lansing, Michigan.

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent “R ecruiting due diligence is just as important as landing the next big client,” Kulka says. A CONVERSATION WITH MIKE KULKA. “Entrepreneurship is a part of our culture and we try our best to maintain it by recognizing employees who really ‘own it’ and challenging them to take a more active role in the company.” The Zweig Letter: What is the role of entrepre- neurship in your firm?

Mike Kulka: We try to encourage our team members to take ownership of their work and its results. Entrepreneurship is a part of our culture and we try our best to maintain it by recogniz- ing employees who really “own it” and challeng- ing them to take a more active role in the company. PM teammembers have recommended new service lines and products based on their experience and predictions. TZL: The talent war in the A/E industry is here. What steps do you take to create the leadership pipeline needed to retain your top people and not lose them to other firms? MK: We have invested a tremendous amount in our LEAD (Learn Enhance Advance Develop) pro- gram with the goal of providing mentoring and a clear career path for our team – from entry level team members to senior managers. We also focus

Mike Kulka, CEO and Principal, PM Environmental, Inc.

THE ZWEIG LETTER Octo

e Kulka

Zweig Group is social and posting every day! C O N N E C T W I T H U S

facebook.com/ ZweigGroup

twitter.com/ ZweigGroup

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on our recruiting efforts and take the time to make sure a person is a good fit for the team and vice versa. Recruiting due diligence is just as important as landing the next big cli- ent. “We try to avoid failures through strategic planning, but they can be inevitable. For the worst case scenarios, we have developed quick action plans. However, in the event that there is a real or perceived breakdown in a process, we jump into solution mode, stop for a moment and understand the problem, and then find where the weak point was.” TZL: In the event of failure, how does your firm react? MK: We try to avoid failures through strategic planning, but they can be inevitable. For the worst case scenarios, we have developed quick action plans. However, in the event that there is a real or perceived breakdown in a process, we jump into solution mode, stop for a moment and understand the problem, and then find where the weak point was. In some cases, we may need to retool the process; that’s fine. We certainly don’t dwell on failure. We learn from it and move on. TZL: Monthly happy hours and dog friendly offices. What do CEOs need to know about today’s workforce? MK: There is more to having a successful team than just fi- nancial compensation. Positive business culture, career de- velopment opportunities, social events like BBQs, and flex- ible schedules are critical to getting the most out of your professionals. TZL: The A/E market is great right now. What are you do- ing to cushion your firm in the event of a downturn? MK: We are monitoring deal flow daily, diversifying our cli- ent base further, and focusing on sectors that are not as re- liant on the economic cycles. We have a good number of steady, long-term federal, state, and municipal contracts that help in the event of a downturn. TZL: How do you deal with underperforming employees? What are your steps for removal after they have prov- en to be ineffective, or even counterproductive, to your firm? MK: Without going into great detail, we a have a method to identify underperformance and work hard to build the right “get well” plan to put the employee back on track. We also offer mobility within the company to give an employee op- portunities in different departments or areas that may be

more attractive to them, and where they can better serve our mission. TZL: Firms that have principals and firm owners who lower their compensation and invest back into the firm perform better, grow quicker, and have higher valua- tions. How do you balance owner compensation with in- vestment in the firm?

MK: We have a hybrid model and it works quite well.

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? MK: Marketing is critical to our success and we have a strong focus on brand awareness. Our marketing and busi- ness development teams allow us to maintain long-lasting and ever-present relationships with our clients. Marketing also helps educate and inform our prospects with relevant content in different formats to reach them. We are satisfied with our investment in marketing and plan on maintaining our current efforts. TZL: If there was one program, course, or degree pro- gram that you could take or recommend before becoming a principal or owner, what would it be? MK: Industry-specific principals’ academies are a great way to learn things they just didn’t teach us in our technical course work. “We a have a method to identify underperformance and work hard to build the right ‘get well’ plan to put the employee back on track. We also offer mobility within the company to give an employee opportunities in different departments or areas that may be more attractive to them, and where they can better serve our mission.”

TZL: What’s the greatest challenge presented by growth?

MK: Finding talent. There’s also the challenge of growing quickly, as PM Environmental has, and creating processes and formalizing tasks that were second nature to a smaller team. TZL: What’s your prediction for 2017 and for the next five years? MK: I envision continued moderate growth with plans for a subtle dip.

ober 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

8 be the “initial decision maker.” But what if the appointed decision-maker has a financial interest in the project, such as the project owner? Can such a person truly be considered “neutral?” As stated by one Texas court, “To allow a party to act as its own judge necessarily taints the process and is repugnant to a proper sense of justice.” The Court explained that, “Generally, parties may designate arbitrators of their choice … [but] an agreement in which a party is designated as an arbitrator is illusory and becomes not a contract to arbitrate, but an engagement to capitulate.” WILLIAM QUATMAN, from page 5 “For decades, we have seen alternative dispute resolution clauses that appoint a neutral person, such as the project architect or engineer, to decide disputes between the owner and contractor, or to be the ‘initial decision maker.’” The initial decision maker is generally deemed neutral even though he or she may be paid by the owner, such as an architect or engineer. However, an undisclosed financial interest in the project may be grounds to challenge that neutrality. For example, in a 1991 Kansas case, the contract required the architect to make decisions on the contractor’s performance, such as on payment and completion. The architect found the project to be substantially completed, but the owner disagreed and filed for arbitration. The owner claimed fraud when it learned that the architect was also the vice president and a 50 percent owner of the contractor and had wrongly certified the project because it was to his financial benefit to do so. The arbitration award against the owner was upheld, nonetheless. Several courts have upheld these owner- makes-the-final-decision clauses but only if there is a requirement for judicial review of the owner’s decision. In a 1997 Colorado case involving a dispute over construction of the terminal building at Denver International Airport, the contract provided for a city official – the manager of public works – to determine the merits of the contractor’s claims. The court upheld that clause, stating, “this will not render a dispute resolution clause invalid so long as the ADR clause provides for judicial review of the official’s determination.” The court relied, in part, on an earlier 1994 Colorado case also involving DIA which held, “the fact that an official of the government is designated as the one charged with addressing the merits of the contractor’s claim does not, for that reason, invalidate the contract.” There are many New York cases on this topic due to a clause used in New York City’s standard contract which allows the superintendent of the construction project to decide disputes, subject to judicial review. The leading case is from 1993 involving the New York City Transit Authority, which held that the challenged provision did not violate New York public policy because it provided for “judicial review.” The contractor argued that the clause was unenforceable.

The court sympathized, explaining that “when powerful municipalities put their public works jobs out for bid and require competition, low cost and performance in accordance with published specifications, they enjoy a virtual monopolistic kind of power. But that does not make those contracts adhesion agreements. The courts should not, except for compelling reasons, wrest away from contracting parties a superior marketplace bargaining hand and try to equalize relatively arm’s length commercial dealings. The judicial review check provided for in this ADR provision should be sufficient to regulate and remedy intolerable abuses and one-sided economic oppression.” More recent New York cases have continued to uphold the clause where the city official’s decisions were subject to limited judicial review on whether the decision was “arbitrary, capricious, or so grossly erroneous to evidence bad faith.” In a 2016 New York case, a contractor argued that submitting the dispute to an employee of the project owner “would be futile due to bias.” The court said such fear of bias was unpersuasive, citing back to the 1993 case which upheld these clauses “even in cases where the contract expressly designated a single arbitrator who was employed by one of the parties or intimately connected with him.” In a 1999 Florida case, the construction contract provided that disputes would be submitted to the Board of County Commissioners “and those persons to whom it delegates authority to decide disputes,” and that such decisions would be “final and conclusive unless determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be fraudulent, capricious, arbitrary, so grossly erroneous as to necessarily imply bad faith, or not supported by substantial evidence.” A contractor challenged the clause but the court upheld the provision, stating that the contractor signed the construction contract knowing it contained this dispute resolution procedure, and “it must comply with the terms thereof.” “Be duly-warned when signing design or construction contracts that give the owner, or a public official, or other third party employed by them, the right to make final and binding decisions on claims.” So, be duly-warned when signing design or construction contracts that give the owner, or a public official, or other third party employed by them, the right to make final and binding decisions on claims. It may seem like the cards are stacked against you (and they may be), but if there is an appeals process for decisions that are “fraudulent, capricious, arbitrary, so grossly erroneous as to necessarily imply bad faith,” the clause is likely to be upheld as valid. No running to dad for an appeal. WILLIAM QUATMAN is general counsel and senior vice president at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. He can be reached at bquatman@ burnsmcd.com.

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

O P I N I O N

Rest your weary fingers Voice activation is coming to customer relationship management, and if you adopt it, you’ll save time and succeed.

W e spend a lot of time talking to our gadgets these days. Whether we’re seeking directions from Siri or weather updates from Alexa, speech is quickly becoming a preferred means of communicating with technology. A future once at our fingertips now rests at the tips of our tongues.

H. John Oechsle GUEST SPEAKER

They help users interact with data in more targeted ways, meaning they can bypass irrelevant information and skip directly to the data they’re seeking. A time-crunched salesman can simply say, “Alexa, open Act! and retrieve John Smith’s email” rather than opening a CRM program on a computer and manually retrieving the information. “Voice activated technology doesn’t just afford us fun tools for our private lives – this technology is playing an increasingly pivotal role in the professional world, too.”

Voice activated technology doesn’t just afford us fun tools for our private lives – this technology is playing an increasingly pivotal role in the professional world, too. And that extends to the small and midsized business space. Voice activation is now helping small and midsized businesses use customer relationship management software with more speed and efficiency. This burgeoning feature is becoming a game changer in a world where the tech-savviest players win. Here’s how your business can, and should, use voice activation for CRM to its advantage. ALEXA, HELP SAVE ME TIME. Voice-activated CRMs have become significant time-saving tools for profes- sionals across the board.

See H. JOHN OECHSLE, page 10

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

IN MEMORIAM IN MEMORY OF TOM TWOHEY Thomas Twohey, AIA, architect and founding principal of KCCT , passed away on July 31 after a brief illness. A graduate of the University of California Berkley where he studied architecture, Twohey went on to a successful career in the offices of Rex Allen, Hugh Stubbins, and Harry Weese. As KCCT principal for business operations he helped the firm grow from a Washington, D.C., startup of seven to a staff of 70. With more than 55

years of professional experience, Twohey managed major domestic historic building renovations including the National Building Museum Modernization and the New Facades for the Ariel Rios Building on Pennsylvania Avenue. Twohey was also a founding director of KCCT International, a sister company specializing in large international planning projects and urban mass transit systems.

The company’s urban transportation projects include work in London, Seoul, Pusan, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Bangkok, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Baghdad. After his retirement in 2013, Twohey continued his travels and took great pride in showing the world to his grandchildren. KCCT is a multi-disciplinary design firm focused on planning, architecture, and interior design in urban environments.

H. JOHN OECHSLE, from page 9

to 15 months, this technology is expected to become much more sophisticated within the next year-and-a-half. It’s mind blowing to think about how sophisticated CRM- related artificial intelligence will become. In July, an Israeli startup called Gong received $20 million in funding to develop a tool that uses “natural language processing and machine learning to help train and suggest information to salespeople and customer service representatives.” How incredible is that? Mainstreaming of such technology will allow small and midsized businesses to take advantage of the processing power that industry behemoths such as Amazon and IBM are investing into. If you can believe it, the speech recognition market is expected to reach nearly $10 billion by 2022. It all translates into tremendous value for small and midsized businesses. Taking advantage of technological advances as they become available allows smaller organizations to adapt faster within their CRM plans, benefit from huge productivity gains, and experiment with less risk. Soon, CRM users will be able to interact with email, set up activities, and even receive recommendations on the next best customer interaction to initiate. They’ll accomplish all this by simply verbalizing a sentence or two. Keyboards aren’t going anywhere – yet. But CRM voice activation is coming fast, and finding ways to have your small business take advantage of this new technology to drive better, more meaningful customer interactions can have a real impact on your bottom line and organizational growth. So, drink a nice cup of tea with honey because you may need those pipes at the office tomorrow! H. JOHN OECHSLE serves as president and CEO of Swiftpage. Oechsle has a track record of building highly profitable and sustainable revenue growth for emerging companies and established global leaders. Contact him at joechsle@swiftpage.com. “CRM voice activation is coming fast, and finding ways to have your small business take advantage of this new technology to drive better, more meaningful customer interactions can have a real impact on your bottom line and organizational growth.”

Speech-to-text software can be a real time-saver for data entry, too. Rather than the costly and monotonous task of manually inputting data, users can rely on software to submit information via speech. This saves hours. The average worker types 50-70 words per minute. Meanwhile, speech recognition programs can accommodate 120-140 words per minute with near-perfect accuracy. And if you’re serious about saving time, forget texting. A Stanford study found speech recognition to be three times faster than typing on a phone. “Speech-to-text software can be a real time-saver for data entry, too. Rather than the costly and monotonous task of manually inputting data, users can rely on software to submit information via speech. This saves hours.” ALEXA, HELP ME ADAPT. As I mentioned, many people are al- ready using voice activation in their day-to-day lives. Ac- cording to a recent study, nearly 40 percent of smartphone owners use voice recognition software. Naturally, small and midsized business owners and employees will want to use voice activation in their professional lives, too. And smaller organizations are often better positioned to test and integrate new technologies on the fly than enterprise-level companies that come with much longer approval, research, and implementation processes. Early stage voice-activated CRMs will consist of a basic integration with well-established virtual assistants such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod. Users can ease into this advancing technology by mastering the basic skills and continuing to learn as voice activation becomes more sophisticated. As businesses begin relying more heavily on voice activation, they’ll find there’s no longer a need to bring up a full-blown CRM. Instead, they’ll rely on spoken words to complete a task. ALEXA, WHAT’S NEXT? The greatest advantages of voice-acti- vated CRM technology are still to come. Though base level interaction tools will continue to pop up over the next 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

O P I N I O N

Power pointless You might think about ditching the fancy slideshow in favor of something much more engaging and authentic – the story of your firm and its people!

W e’ve all been there; the highly anticipated meeting with an exciting new client. You’re armed with an exhaustively prepared presentation, complete with myriad PowerPoint slides that are guaranteed to impress everyone in the room. The presentation starts, and the nightmare begins.

Aaron Tippie GUEST SPEAKER

The audience is different than you prepared for. Your slides aren’t geared to their interests or needs. Why’s it so hot in this room? You’re losing their attention and the energy is draining from the room. People are checking emails. Crap! Despite the sinking feeling in your gut, you feel chained to the slides. The only option is to speed through them as quickly as possible, ultimately devaluing and discrediting all the information along the way. That was awful! The effort spent to perfectly craft each bullet point, crop pictures, and position graphics is now just a steaming pile you want to forget. Can I get an early flight home? Whether you’ve lived this scenario, witnessed a colleague struggle through it, or been audience to an epic crash and burn, the lesson to be learned is the same: People enjoy and respond to conversations and stories, not lectures. When

it comes to interactions with clients, the most value we can get from that engagement, especially early in the relationship, is to collect information from the client. It’s nearly impossible to collect information if the mission of that first meeting is to get through an hour of your company’s “commercial.” For information gathering to occur there needs to be a conversation; a two-way exchange of information. That’s when you get to be a great “People enjoy and respond to conversations and stories, not lectures.”

See AARON TIPPIE, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

ON THE MOVE METRO CONSULTING ASSOCIATES, LLC NAMES DANIEL K. BUCAN AS REGIONAL MANAGER Metro Consulting Associates, LLC (Hot Firm #44 for 2017), a full-service consulting firm, has announced the addition of Daniel Bucan as regional manager, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to lead its expansion into the Northeast region. The announcement was made by Jeff Evans, CEO of MCA. “Dan will play a pivotal role expanding MCA’s geographical footprint into the Northeast and showcasing our diverse capabilities. With nearly three decades of right of way leadership experience, his depth of knowledge will positively impact our growing client base,” Evans said. In his new position, Bucan will lead MCA’s growth initiates in the region acting as a liaison to clients, mentoring and training staff and developing new business opportunities. Most recently, Bucan served as general manager (East) at Percheron Professional Services. Bucan’s supervisory capabilities include: project management, budgets, site selection, property management, eminent domain, subcontractor oversight on energy, litigation support, and more. Bucan is SR/ WA certified and holds both a master’s degree in business administration from Robert Morris College and a bachelor’s degree in administration from ORU/Robert Morris College. Founded in 2009, Metro Consulting Associates, LLC provides a wide variety of consulting services including land surveying, civil engineering, ecological, land acquisition, GIS, and municipal. Headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, and

with regional offices in Michigan, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, MCA was recently listed on the national Zweig Group Top 100 Hot Firm List for the second year. ARUP PRINCIPAL JON HURT JOINS ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS USA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Arup , the global design and consulting firm for the built environment, announced that JonHurt, principal and leader of Arup’s Tunnel Practice in the Americas region, has been named to the board of directors for Engineers Without Borders USA. Arup is a corporate supporter of Engineers Without Borders USA and Hurt previously served on the organization’s Corporate Leadership Council as Arup’s representative. Hurt joined Arup in 1998 as a tunneling engineer and since then has worked on many of the firm’s largest projects around the globe, including the Billy Bishop Airport Pedestrian Tunnel in Toronto, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Thames and London Tunnels in the United Kingdom, the Trans Hudson Express and Second Avenue Subway in New York, and the Lake Mead Intake No. 3 project. In addition to his expertise in tunnel project management, design, and construction, Hurt is also the coordinator of the Americas region philanthropic program, managing resources for a wide variety of programs. Hurt noted, “From students to seasoned professionals, engineers are fantastic resource, and this is a fantastic opportunity for us to make a lasting, positive impact on developing communities. Engineers Without Borders USA is a unique organization that’s crossing the boundaries between the AEC industries and humanitarian organizations and NGOs. I’m

honored to join the board of such a progressive organization.” “Jon’senthusiasmandexperiencewill beahuge asset to EWB-USA as he steps into this new board role,” saidCathy Leslie, executivedirector of Engineers Without Borders USA. “We look forward to the insight and global perspective Jon will bring to drive our organization forward.” Arup provides planning, engineering, design, and consulting services for the most prominent projects and sites in the built environment. Since its founding in 1946, the firm has consistently delivered technical excellence, innovation, and value to its clients, while maintaining its core mission of shaping a better world. Arup opened its first U.S. office more than 30 years ago and now employs 1,400 people in the Americas. The firm’s employee-ownership structure promotes ongoing investment in joint research to yield better outcomes that benefit its clients and partners. Engineers Without Borders USA is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to build a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. Engineers Without Borders USA members work with local communities and NGOs in 46 countries around the world on projects such as water, renewable energy, sanitation, and more. Engineers Without Borders USA has grown froma handful of members in 2002 tomore than 16,800 members today and has 698 projects worldwide.

but knowing that you might not get to them all. And that’s OK, because again the goal is to gather information, not ensure that you say all the stuff you worked hard to prepare. Stepping away from PowerPoint may feel like stepping out from behind a podium – it’s risky. But it’s worth it. Take the opportunity to make your story great, be authentic, and begin building better client relationships! AARON TIPPIE is vice president, Power Generation Division, at Westwood Professional Services. He can be reached at aaron.tippie@ westwoodps.com. “Stepping away from PowerPoint may feel like stepping out from behind a podium – it’s risky. But it’s worth it. Take the opportunity to make your story great, be authentic, and begin building better client relationships!”

AARON TIPPIE, from page 11

story teller! Share the company’s relevant history in a way that illustrates growth and innovation and expertise, leading to the relationship and project at hand. Talk about the members of your team, their hard-won technical victories, their innovative ideas, and their passion for their work. It’s an opportunity to be authentic and personable while building credibility and trust – all without advancing a single slide! The book Beautiful Evidence by Edward Tufte contains a chapter detailing the significant weakness of PowerPoint for communicating technical information. It’s an insightful read. I agree with the premise and assert that today’s over reliance on PowerPoint slides, specifically those riddled with text, is a significant weakness in communicating authentically and fostering trust, which are cornerstones of building a relationship. Breaking the PowerPoint habit and relying on one’s own knowledge and ability to relate to others requires a different approach. It means having your stories on deck and ready to take the plate when needed,

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221

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THE ZWEIG LETTER October 23, 2017, ISSUE 1221 CHARLESTON, SC October 5-26

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