TZL 1532 (web)

ON THE MOVE HELIX ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING ANNOUNCES CEO RETIREMENT AND SUCCESSION PLAN HELIX Environmental Planning, a leading California-based environmental consulting firm headquartered in San Diego County, announced the retirement and succession plans of Chief Executive Officer Michael Schwerin after serving 23 years at HELIX and 34 years in the industry. The HELIX executive team has worked closely together since 2022 on the transition plan, when Schwerin initially announced his retirement plans to the firm. Having first joined the company in 2001, Schwerin became CEO in 2008. From the Great Recession- era low of one office and roughly 75 employees around that time, HELIX has since grown under Schwerin’s leadership to approximately 280 employees; seven offices throughout California; more than $40 million in annual revenues; and a full range of environmental disciplines including California Environmental Quality Act/ National Environmental Policy Act compliance, biology, habitat restoration, regulatory permitting, air quality, greenhouse gas/climate change, noise, cultural resources, architectural history, and landscape architecture. “Michael’s drive for success has been coupled with genuine care for the firm’s employees and an approachable, humorous manner,” said Kristin Olszak, Chief Financial Officer. “He will be greatly

missed, and through his leadership has mentored a wonderful team of leaders here at HELIX. Schwerin commented, “I am honored to have led HELIX as its CEO and am extremely proud of our employee- owners and their unwavering commitment to integrity; high-quality client service; employee well-being; and environmental stewardship. Given the strength of our staff and long history of our leadership working together, HELIX is well-positioned to continue to thrive and succeed for many years to come.” Schwerin will continue his role as CEO until June 30, 2024, after which, he will remain employed as an advisor to the firm to assist in the transition until his retirement on December 31, 2024. Schwerin will also continue to serve as HELIX’s Board Chair until the end of the year. On July 1, 2024, current HELIX board member, Vice President, and Biology Division Manager Shelby Howard will be promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Simultaneously, Justin Fischbeck, current HELIX board member and Construction Group President, will be promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Together with current Chief Financial Officer and board member Kristin Olszak, they will continue to direct HELIX with the support of a robust leadership team. Howard commented, “I am incredibly excited to serve as HELIX’s next CEO, and

I thank Mike for his strategic leadership, friendship, and guidance over the years. I look forward to working closely with Justin, Kristin, and our new leadership team to build on HELIX’s successes, lead our talented team of professionals, and guide HELIX’s continued growth into the future.” With nearly 25 years of experience, Howard has provided strategic direction and oversight for HELIX, working closely with the CEO, CFO, and other corporate leaders. He has helped to lead strategic planning efforts and develop business strategies for long-term growth and success of the firm, collaborating with service and sector leads. As the Biology Division Manager, he has led HELIX’s biology division overseeing business development and operations for a large team of biologists who are responsible for environmental compliance monitoring, sensitive species surveys, vegetation mapping, wetland delineations, impact analyses and development of mitigation measures, and habitat restoration planning and implementation. Commenting on the appointments, Schwerin said, “Having worked closely with Shelby for nearly two decades, I am confident he will be an outstanding CEO. Together, with Kristin and Justin, he shares a passion, commitment, and dedication to our staff and clients, coupled with exceptional leadership and innovative approaches. There is an exciting future ahead for HELIX.”

■ “Why shouldn’t we use our regular business attorney to hammer out the details of our firm purchase or sale?” Because your regular business attorney probably doesn’t have a lot of experience in buying and selling AEC firms, and that is what you really need because these transactions are fraught with peril. Not only do you need an attorney who is specialized in M&A, ideally you need someone who has done deals specifically in our industry. ■ “How do we get our key people to stick around after we sell our business?” One of the best methods companies use is retention bonuses. The key people have to stick around so long (tied to the expiration of the warrants and representations) to get their money. Yes, most of the time, these are not paid by the buyers and instead have to be paid out of the owners’ proceeds. But it may be money well-spent and keep the buyer from clawing back at you down the road to get some of their money back. Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com .

MARK ZWEIG, from page 5

aspect to look for when acquiring another firm?” Many of those who have done a lot of deals will tell you that cultural compatibility is overrated. The late Jerry Allen who was CEO of Carter & Burgess when they were out buying companies said more than once that his definition of “cultural compatibility” was a very short payback period. His philosophy on buying companies was to buy troubled ones that needed help, “because they were cheap and their employees were glad to see you.” That said, a well- written agreement and shared expectations of what is to come are most important for deals to ultimately work out. ■ “As a buyer, how can we avoid inadvertently taking on hidden liabilities that the seller has?” You structure the deal as an asset purchase versus a stock purchase, and you clearly spell out in your agreement what assets and what liabilities you are assuming as the buyer. Any that are not on the list remain with the seller.

THE ZWEIG LETTER APRIL 8, 2024, ISSUE 1532

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