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the curtain look at the industry’s latest trends, designs, and best practices by being involved in the international cGMP manufacturing community. “You earn trust by being an expert, being knowledgeable about what you do, and being honest even if that means the client doesn’t need us for a particular piece of a project.” TZL: Your website says that Genesis’ core values “lay the groundwork for a strong family-oriented work environment.” How do you achieve this and what are some examples? Towarnicki: One of the hardest things for a professional to do is balance their work and their home lives. We’ve always understood this and we’re working to make it easier for our employees. We’ve offered an even more flexible work schedule, outside the traditional 9-5 environment, while still meeting the needs of our clients. We don’t always get it right, but we want to help our employees find a balance that works for them. TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? Towarnicki: Our business is built on trust and relationships, particularly through the repeat business from core clients. You earn that trust by being an expert, being knowledgeable about what you do, and being honest even if that means the client doesn’t need us for a particular piece of a project. When a client trusts you, they know they can count on you to tell them the truth, whether it’s good or bad news. As a result, trust becomes a responsibility. You must work even harder to stay on that level. TZL: What skills are required to run a successful practice? What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now? Goldschmidt: Empathy, that’s probably the most important skill. We try to empathize with our clients’ challenges to help them be successful. It’s not just a client/service provider relationship, rather we’re colleagues and peers. By looking at the relationship that way, it makes us more invested in the outcome. We’re not just providing a service; we’re an extension of our clients and we help them achieve their goals. As a mechanical engineer, there’s not much more I can hope to do than to
contribute to people’s lives, and I get to do that here by helping our clients serve patients. TZL: Diversity and inclusion are lacking. What steps are you taking to address the issue? Goldschmidt: The world is changing. When I started in business, I was taught that companies should not become involved in politics, social issues, or the like. In the world we live in today, to be silent is to abdicate our responsibility not only as an organization, but as a group of people. With the events of last summer, and on into this year, we at Genesis are reimagining what the role of a company is and how we can best reflect the concerns, needs, and passions of our community. TZL: Is change management a topic regularly addressed by the leadership at your firm? If so, elaborate. Towarnicki: For Genesis, change management is a daily conversation because of how quickly we have grown. We are not who we were in 2012 at 72 people, we’re not who we were in 2016 at 150 people. When you add new people quickly to the mix and change the volume of work you do, there’s a lot happening at once. Given our growth combined with remote working and how busy our industry (pharma) is, our leadership is handling this well. Despite the fact that we haven’t been in this exact position before, we’re used to hitting curveballs and looking at how we can do things differently to ensure the quality of the services we deliver, while preserving the joy in the work we do. “Architects, engineers, and constructors have plenty of opportunities in a variety of industries, but to use our skills in the service of mankind, helping other people and improving their lives – it just doesn’t get any better than that.” TZL: What benefits does your firm offer that your people get most excited about? Goldschmidt: I think the thing people get most excited about is having interesting and meaningful work. Architects, engineers, and See EMPATHY, page 8
HEADQUARTERS: Blue Bell, PA
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 308
YEAR FOUNDED: 1996
OFFICE LOCATIONS:
❚ ❚ Blue Bell, PA
❚ ❚ Philadelphia, PA
❚ ❚ San Francisco, CA
❚ ❚ San Diego, CA
❚ ❚ Medford, MA
SERVICES:
❚ ❚ Architecture
❚ ❚ Engineering
❚ ❚ Process engineering
❚ ❚ Construction/EPCM
❚ ❚ Commissioning,
qualification, and validation
AWARDS:
❚ ❚ No. 54 on Zweig Group’s
Hot Firm List
❚ ❚ No. 5 in Pharmaceutical
Design by ENR in 2020
© Copyright 2021. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
UST 30, 2021, ISSUE 1406
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