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ON THE MOVE SKILES GROUP NAMES KEYAN ZANDY CHIEFEXECUTIVEOFFICER Skiles Group, an award-winning, national general contracting and lean construction management firm based in Richardson, Texas, announced that Keyan Zandy has been named CEO, effectiveMay 1. Current CEO, Clay Harrison, will remain with Skiles Group as chairman, and Dwayne Hodges will remain as president. “Keyan is a dynamic leader who has reshaped Skiles Group, and our industry, by tirelessly and creatively advancing the firm’s tools, practices, and principles,” says Harrison. “His impact since joining Skiles Group in 2014, and as our COO since 2018, includes elevating the size and complexity of projects we build, as well as increasing our presence both locally and nationally. I’m excited that, as Skiles Group celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the companywill be in such capable hands going forward.” “SkilesGrouphas a longanddistinguished history, and Keyan has helped lead us to even greater heights over the past eight years,” adds Hodges. “We’ve grown our employee base by nearly 70 percent and, perhaps more importantly, we’ve transformed our culture and how we do business. Keyan’s leadership has enabled Skiles Group to become the progressive and dynamic firm it is today, and we are poised for continued growth as he assumes the role of CEO.” Zandy shares, “Clay and Dwayne have built a truly differentiated organization that works hard every day to deliver on our promise of Construction Simplified. I look forward to carrying on their legacy and, especially with the support of
the incredible team we have in place, continuing Skiles Group’s evolution and its growth with our clients, team, trade partners, and industry.” Arecognized construction industryexpert with almost 20 years of experience, Zandy joined Skiles Group in 2014. He has been a champion of disruptive, continuous process improvement in collaboration with employees, clients, and trade partners. With Skiles Group, he developed and nurtured a Lean culture and placed significant focus on pursuing operational excellence through focused, continuous improvement – paving the way for the company’s “There’s a better way to build” philosophy that drives everything it does. During his tenure, he guided the firm through the mapping and documentation of all company processes and crafted a comprehensive training program to ensure their consistent practice. His contributions further include extensive technology exploration and integration across the enterprise; revamping Skiles Group’s hiring and retention approaches; and developing new strategies around client acquisition and business development to both increase and diversify market share. As a result of the various improvements Zandy led, Skiles Group has received numerous industry recognitions and awards over the past few years, including multiple AGC National Build America awards, the ABC National Excellence in Construction Award, and the AGC National Innovation Award. In 2019, along with industry colleague Joe Donarumo, Zandy encapsulated lean construction principles in an easy-
to-read story about a construction superintendent who has been given responsibility for the biggest project of his life. Entitled The Lean Builder: A Builder’s Guide to Applying Lean Tools in the Field , the book delivers Lean concepts in a clear and understandable approach through practical scenarios faced by any construction project team. The book was honored with a Shingo PublicationAward byThe Shingo Institute, denoting its significant contribution and practical application to the body of knowledge regarding enterprise excellence. The Lean Builder is regularly used in construction management programs in many universities and has become a vibrant online community for superintendents and last planners on the job sites. Zandy holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. He is past Chairman and current core team member of the Lean Construction Institute’s Dallas/Fort Worth Community of Practice and is regularly asked to speak at events for AGC, LCI, TEXO, CMAA, AIC, and SMPS, among others. He serves as a regular contributor for D CEO Magazine, the Zweig Letter, and other top industry publications. Skiles Group offers general contracting, construction management, integrated project delivery, and design/build services throughout the United States from its home base in the Dallas- Fort Worth area. Specializing in the construction of complex, award-winning facilities, Skiles Group’s expansive project portfolio includes healthcare, higher education, commercial, recreational, and private schools.
YouTube videos? You can probably do more than you are doing nowwithout a whole lot of work. Do it. Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. “It is an employee-driven job market, and the AEC industry is facing unprecedented demand for what we do. Let’s be smart and not just use a broad brush to mandate what the work requirements/setup will be for everyone without considering their individual needs.”
MARK ZWEIG , from page 11
Lastly, fix your websites, folks. Your website is the first place anyone who wants to know more about your company is going to look – be that a potential client or employee – and has to have correct information. That means your CURRENT office address and phone number. It’s amazing how difficult it is to find those two very specific pieces of information on some AEC firms’ websites. And that is just the start. There could be a bunch of other problems from featuring people who are no longer there, to highlighting projects that were in the news for all of the issues they had. Both are unacceptable. Spend some time and get it right! Let’s communicate some personality. Let’s have some candid photos. And how about peppering some client testimonials throughout? A blog that changes? Links to podcasts and
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THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 21, 2022, ISSUE 1433
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