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T R E N D L I N E S

Open positions

As leaders, we must be the ones in “the room” recognizing and advocating for the rising stars we work with. The roomwhere it happened

F I R M I N D E X Balfour Beatty.......................................................10 Choice One Engineering..................................4 Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers.... 8 Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc.....................2 Stellar...........................................................................10 Tangram Interiors................................................. 6 Ware Malcomb........................................................4 Westwood Professional Services, Inc... 8 MO R E A R T I C L E S n MATT HOYING: Take hires from new to committed Page 3 n Risks of remote work: Joe Lozowski Page 6 n LINDSAY YOUNG: Recruiting talent in this market Page 9 n MARK ZWEIG: Think like a client of your firm Page 11 In Zweig Group’s recently released 2022 Recruitment & Retention Report of AEC Firms , firms shared how many open positions they currently had. For better comparison across firms of all sizes, the number of open positions was analyzed relative to the number of full-time employees in the firm. The median for open positions as a percentage of FTE in the report was 6 percent. Analyzing this metric by year of participation in the survey, a decrease is seen from 2019 to the pandemic era of 2020 and 2021, followed by an increase back to pre- pandemic standards in 2022. Participate in a survey and save 50 percent on the final or pre- publication price of any Zweig Group research publication.

“B y 2025, millennials will make up 75 percent of the workforce.” Whether accurate or not (the number was recently challenged but remained widely accepted to be fact), we have all read or heard this statement at some point in the last few years. This number has driven plenty of workplace articles, each drawing a different prediction or sentiment about what this could mean for their respective target audience. And today, it’s my turn. As someone born in the early ‘80s, and blessed (or cursed, especially in terms of career advancement) with a very youthful appearance and “vibe,” I personally cannot wait for my generation to rise to power and take over the world, figuratively and literally. I have worked most of my association and marketing career supporting and betting on young professionals and emerging leaders. I have made it my personal mission to advocate for this group whenever I have the opportunity. I have shoved and pushed my way to the room (sometimes I am fortunate enough to have an actual seat at the table) just so I could be the person in that room or at that table to throw an emerging professional’s name in the hat – be it a speaking opportunity, a nomination for an award, a publishing opportunity, their name on a project, or a promotion; I strive to be these bright young stars’ advocate. This is not a writeup about me; I am merely establishing credibility for why you are reading what I have to say. I have worked closely alongside plenty of brilliant millennials in AEC and beyond, who are resourceful, socially conscious, efficient, adventurous, and incredibly adaptable, but not always heard or seen. They are today. At Zweig Group, we embrace the idea of Rising Stars. In our Dallas office, I am the oldest staff member by over a decade, and I am not even 40 yet. I am in awe of our office’s work ethic, pace, efficiency of collaboration, dedication, and intelligence. If they were eligible for Zweig Group’s Rising Stars Award, I would have entered each of their names. The Rising Stars Award recognizes younger professionals whose exceptional technical capability, leadership ability, effective teaching or research, or public service has benefited the design professions, their employers, project owners, and society. Does that sound like someone at your firm? All the nominees for the Rising Stars Award have someone in “the

Shirley Che

See SHIRLEY CHE, page 2

T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R T H E A E C I N D U S T R Y

TRANSACTIONS RIMKUS CONSULTING GROUP, INC. ACQUIRES LOSS MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc., a worldwide provider of forensic engineering and technical consulting services, today announced the acquisition of Loss Management Solutions, a consulting firm with expertise in property restoration, remediation oversite, and building reconstruction consulting. With the acquisition, Rimkus is creating a new Building Consulting practice area, further broadening client services with offerings such as remediation oversite, property damage restoration, pre- and post-loss assessments, and more. “As we shift to growing other areas of our business, we’re excited by the complementary expertise LMS offers our company. With three decades of combined experience, LMS has a strong reputation for providing innovative solutions and saving clients both money and time. We have no doubt that with this newly acquired practice area, our clients will see an elevated experience when partnering with us,” said Curtis Brown, Chairman and Executive Director, Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. “We are pleased to diversify our business with the services that LMS has to offer.

Their client approach provides a positive impact on the process and outcome of projects, something that the Rimkus team highly values. Combined, wewill be a team of unmatched experts and experience,” said Robert Kocher, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. “We’re excited for the opportunity to join a global leader such as Rimkus. We got to this point by remaining focused on building deep relationships and providing services that help reduce cost and time. This is a perfect partnership, and we look forward to continuing to grow our services and team,” said Wes Carlton, Managing Principal, Loss Management Solutions. Carlton will lead the new practice area as Vice President, Building Consulting. Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. is a worldwideproviderof forensicengineering and technical consulting services to corporations, insurance companies, law firms, and government agencies. Loss Management Solutions, Inc. is a national consulting firm that provides comprehensive approaches toward streamlining the mitigation process for the commercial property insurance claims community.

Interested in learning more

about the projects and ideas driving the AEC industry forward? Learn more with Civil+Structural Engineer Media.

SHIRLEY CHE, from page 1

room” advocating for them. As much as we must credit these young professionals for their hard work, the cold hard truth is unless their firm, a manager, or a mentor, cares to encourage and recognize it, hard work and brilliance often get buried. As leaders, we need to give credit where it’s due. Giving credit and recognition might actually be the easy part (and could even encourage your young professionals to stick around), but having created opportunities and carved out space for these Rising Stars to shine is even more admirable. Being nominated for this award says a lot about these young professionals, but we must not neglect what this also says about their firms. Be it 75 percent or 40 percent, this generation is a (work) force to be reckoned with, and so much more capable than we can probably even imagine. I look forward to growing older and wiser with my fellow emerging professionals; and making every room and every table we occupy the room to be in and the table to be at. I predict we will see some of the winners of this award in these rooms and at these tables. Shirley Che is director of marketing and media at Zweig Group. Contact her at sche@ zweiggroup.com.

PO Box 1528 Fayetteville, AR 72702

Chad Clinehens | Publisher cclinehens@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Senior Editor & Designer sparkman@zweiggroup.com Shirley Che | Contributing Editor sche@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent landreassen@zweiggroup.com Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560 Email: info@zweiggroup.com Online: zweiggroup.com/blogs/news Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Facebook: facebook.com/Zweig- Group-1030428053722402 Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/year). Free electronic subscription at zweiggroup.com © Copyright 2022, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

RISING STARS IN THE AEC INDUSTRY AWARD The Rising Stars in the AEC Industry Award recognizes younger professionals whose exceptional technical capability, leadership ability, effective teaching or research, or public service has benefited the design professions, their employers, project owners, and society. Nominees must be 40 years of age or younger as of Dec. 31, 2021, and working in the United States. Click here to learn more!

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

O P I N I O N

Getting new employees in the door is just the start – onboarding and training compel them to stay. Take hires from new to committed

R ecruiting new employees is a process approached with considerable time and effort at most AEC firms. Hiring a new employee is certainly worth the resources and energy, as determining the capabilities of your new employee and understanding how they will enhance your company and its culture is crucial. However, what happens once those employees start? Sure, they get a tour, they meet their colleagues, and they’re set on the right path for success. Or are they?

Matt Hoying

The challenges of finding employees right now are well documented, so when we finally find one, it is understandable that we feel the hard part is over and we don’t put as much focus on making them stick. Yet can we expect new employees to know all of the intricacies of company culture and expectations in a day, a week, or even a year? Onboarding and training are the work that needs to be done with thought and intention to create an environment of success for both the new employee and the company. The following are a fewways to invest in an environment for success and examples of how our firm implements these strategies: ■ ■ Understand the systems. Making sure a new employee gets the big picture of the business

is important to long-term success. The roles we are hiring everyone for are primarily to improve the company and our ability to serve our clients – their specific expertise is secondary. If they understand that they will be working on stormwater and how that bit of the company works, that’s great. Yet helping them understand the administration behind the stormwater department, the survey crew that provides data, and the accounting that pays the bills not only helps the employee get the bigger picture but will hopefully help them see where they fit into it and how they impact it. At our company, we take new employees (in a

See MATT HOYING, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

ON THE MOVE WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES PROMOTION OF AMANDA SANABRIA TO STUDIO MANAGER, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING IN VAUGHAN, ONTARIO OFFICE Ware Malcomb, an award-winning international design firm, announced Amanda Sanabria has been promoted to Studio Manager, Advanced Manufacturing in the firm’s Vaughan, Ontario office. Sanabria has more than 20 years of architectural experience, including significant experience leading industrial, retail, multifamily and data center projects from programming and design through completion. She has helped

build the Advanced Manufacturing team in the Canada market, designed several multistory facilities, and been instrumental in delivering large-scale facilities for e-commerce and distribution clients. She joined Ware Malcomb in 2019 as a Project Architect. “Amanda is a trusted leader and she has significantly helped grow our Advanced Manufacturing group,” said Frank Di Roma, Principal for Ware Malcomb. “We appreciate her strong ability to connect with clients, consultants, and her fellow teammembers, and we congratulate her on this well-deserved promotion.”

Sanabria holds both a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in architecture from McGill University, as well as architectural licenses from the Ontario Association of Architects and the Order of Architects of Quebec. She is LEED BD +C and PMP certified. Established in 1972, Ware Malcomb is a contemporary and expanding full service design firm providing professional architecture, planning, interior design, civil engineering, branding and building measurement services to corporate, commercial/residential developer and public/institutional clients throughout the world.

formal training right off the bat (and not just “when we get time” or “when we get to it”), new employees learn the right way to do things with confidence. At our company, we have formal, self-made, video-driven training for all new engineers and designers on howwe use CAD. Every new employee, from a co-op to a senior designer, gets the same basics so they understand how to keep things consistent, store and name files, etc. When everyone is doing the same thing from the start, it’s much easier to work within each other’s projects seamlessly, fill in if someone is unexpectedly out, and jump in to help when someone is on a time crunch. ■ ■ Check in often … and down the road. Checking in with a new employee early and often is obviously important. But make sure you continue to check in later – in one year and beyond. As stated in the opening, understanding a company’s breadth of work and culture in a year is difficult and overwhelming, and that’s in the best of circumstances. These check-ins are also great opportunities to gain insight to how your team is doing as the onboarders/ trainers – what does the new employee think worked well? What part of the onboarding process needs more work to be better? At our company, we schedule regular, informal check- ins with new employees once a week and more formal check-ins every 30 days through the first half-year of employment. After that, employees continue to meet with a mentor monthly to continue the acclimatization process. In the end, having a great onboarding and training program isn’t just about the new employee understanding their new environment. It’s about helping them feel like the valuable part of the company they are from the get-go, as well as helping existing employees feel the same way about the new employee. The investment in time and resources up front will pay dividends by creating an environment of consistency, productivity, and relationships that will help the new hire, your existing team, and the bottom line. Matt Hoying is president at Choice One Engineering. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

MATT HOYING, from page 3

group) for an entire day to learn about our open-book management and send them to a two-day professional management course, and a course on conscious leadership, regardless of their experience or role in the company. Every employee is important and can impact the culture and the bottom line – letting them know and learn this fact is good for everyone. ■ ■ Meet the people. Consider having new employees meet with existing employees for a few minutes to get to know them (or a reasonably large sector of the company if numbers or locations make this impossible). Spending time with every employee one-on-one for 20-30 minutes might seem like a pretty hefty time investment for the new hire. But consider the outcomes: The new employee discovers common interests with the people they will be spending more than half their waking hours with. Suddenly it’s easier to ask questions, get input, and approach people in the office because they feel more familiar. And the converse is true, too. Existing employees will be more likely to include the new employee now that they know some history, preferences, and commonalities. Connections are made faster and easier, and the new employee will feel more comfortable and be productive because of the time spent early in their tenure. At our company, we provide new employees with a “Green Book” that includes a page for each of our existing 64 employees. The new employee has a conversation with each existing employee to learn about each other’s history, family, role at the company, interests, and how they will interact. That equates to about 25-30 hours of time – time we feel is well-spent in creating lasting relationships. ■ ■ Deliberate training. Lots of businesses have formal training programs. Consider the manufacturers or multi- continent distributors who have a certain way of doing everything. Sometimes, in the AEC industry, however, we throw new employees into the mix with little formal training. The new employee has to rely on past experience or the experience of the person sitting next door. With

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P R O F I L E

Photo credit: Haley Hill

Risks of remote work: Joe Lozowski CEO of Tangram Interiors (Santa Fe Springs, CO), encourages leaders to be intentional about striking the right balance between remote and physical workspaces.

By TANGRAM INTERIORS

L ozowski leads a company that believes in creating great employee experiences by thinking about people, technology, and place as a single holistic ecosystem. His firm, Tangram Interiors, creates amazing workspaces that empower people to work, learn, and heal. “My own company is flexible, and we allowed people to work remotely, even before the pandemic,” Lozowski says. “What I’m advocating for is intentionality and serious consideration from leadership on striking a balance so that the best benefits of a physical environment can still be experienced.” A CONVERSATIONWITH JOE LOZOWSKI. Tangram Interiors: “Hybrid work” is a hot buzz phrase in corporate conversations right now. What is missing from the conversation? Joe Lozowski: When people talk about the hybrid work environment, they’re talking about working in the office part- time and working remotely part-time. During the COVID-19 lockdown, most of us experienced a work-from-home

arrangement on a very intense level, with obvious pros and cons. During my own time from home, I thought deeply about the long-term business implications of a workforce that is entirely or partially remote. The fact is, when it comes to running a successful business, there are significant hindrances if you don’t work together in person. The current conversation among leaders is missing acknowledgment of those essential in-person elements, as well as discussion about the long-term, strategic implications of going remote. TI: What is your biggest concern about a remote work environment? JL: From a leadership perspective, I’m concerned about the inability to create meaningful networks. Personal networks within a company are a significant way for more experienced people to pass along knowledge to less experienced people. Steady knowledge transfer allows a company to maintain and grow its position in the marketplace. In addition, in-person

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBR

networks allow for career pathing and succession planning. Without them, a company can begin to lose its foothold. I know one young person who recently graduated from college. She’s been in a job for nine months and has never met anyone in person – not even for the job interview. On top of that, she’s never seen anyone’s face, because their company culture is to not turn on cameras during Zoom meetings. To me, that’s a leadership issue. Howwill she learn from other people and create mutually-beneficial relationships or participate in the company culture? In that company, she will likely struggle to do those things, and I struggle with that style as a permanent way of working. Leaders take care of the “we” in an organization and they must be present. The current and future challenge is how to be present for people, if those very people are absent. “The current conversation among leaders is missing acknowledgment of those essential in-person elements, as well as discussion about the long-term, strategic implications of going remote.” TI: Beyond networking, what does an in-person environment offer that can’t be replicated? JL: There are plenty of nuances that come with in-person work. We all know that sitting in a room with someone to have a conversation is different than being on a Zoom call. “Reading the room” and understanding body language are key skills for leaders. Meeting attendees recoil, they smile, they sit forward, or they roll their eyes. It matters, and you can learn a lot. In addition, there’s a certain cordiality, politeness, and professionalism when you are in person – the decorum of human interaction. We’re moving away from that, and the warmness is missing. We attend remote meetings and may not even turn a camera on, bother to get dressed or brush our hair. Without hallways, breakrooms, and a favorite lunch spot, we also lose all the “in-between” conversations. Impromptu interactions help you know one another on a personal level, and they can help move work forward in ways you never expected. Some of the most important and impactful conversations start with, “Oh, I’ve been meaning to talk to you!” TI: Which departments are tasked with figuring out the new workplace model? And where should this responsibility be housed? JL: At the moment, the responsibility has largely been passed to corporate real estate and HR departments. We’ve had a massive change in the way people work, but the topic isn’t making it into C-suite strategy conversations. We need to treat the hybrid workplace decision as a strategic priority, right up there with acquisition, pricing, or R&D strategies. Beyond asking if we have the right desks or HVAC for people upon return to work, the bigger questions regarding hybrid work are: ■ ■ Are we going to be hybrid and what does that mean in practical application?

■ ■ What is the strategy for creating networks in our organization? ■ ■ What is the strategy for knowledge transfer to onboard new people and foster leaders? ■ ■ What is the strategy for having a strong culture in our hybrid workplace? ■ ■ Which job functions can be successful in a long-term remote situation? ■ ■ What steps will we take to make hybrid work beneficial for everyone and the company itself? ■ ■ Howwill hybrid work contribute to the long-term success of our organization? TI: What practical steps can a company take to develop a balanced and thoughtful hybrid environment? JL: This very question could be something to ask leadership in order to get the ball rolling. In addition: ■ ■ Make “hybrid work” a C-suite agenda (and/or advisory board) item for the next year, until all questions are answered and clear plans have been implemented. ■ ■ Hold in-person sessions that pair leaders of departments who rarely meet to discuss hybrid work, identify its challenges, and brainstorm solutions. Ask them to report out to the group. ■ ■ Foster human interaction and back it with budget. Create a schedule of in-person versus remote work days and meetings for all employees. Build bi-annual events for all employees, and meet-ups for lunches, happy hours, etc. ■ ■ Advocate for all innovation and brainstorming sessions to happen in-person. ■ ■ Keep safety a clear priority. Explain safety rules clearly and outline benefits/support for those who get sick or have sick family members. “In-person networks allow for career pathing and succession planning. Without them, a company can begin to lose its foothold.” TI: What do you predict the fallout will be for companies that swing too far into remote work? JL: I think too much remote work will eventually result in greater turnover for an organization, which is always costly. Some of the reasons people turn a job into a career is that they feel valued both professionally and culturally, and as if they have a trusted network. If it’s just about the paycheck and talking to people on a screen, you’re less likely to remain with an organization. Another fallout may be that great ideas never get off the ground, due to lack of collaboration. We’ve just witnessed a

See JOE LOZOWSKI, page 8

RUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

TRANSACTIONS WESTWOOD ACQUIRES TEXAS-BASED PACHECO KOCH Westwood Professional Services, Inc., a national multi-discipline, engineering firm, announced today that it has acquired Texas-based Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers, LLC. Pacheco Koch is a full-service engineering, surveying, and planning/landscape architecture firm widely recognized and preferred for high-quality work in both public infrastructure and private development throughout Texas. The Pacheco Koch acquisition is central to Westwood’s long-term strategy to expand into new regions and grow its existing markets and services. It brings Westwood approximately 250 new team members and five additional offices, located in Dallas, Fort Worth, Celina, Austin, and Houston, to Westwood’s existing Texas locations in Plano and San Antonio. “The professional expertise and reputation that comes with the Pacheco Koch brand is a great boost to Westwood’s land initiatives. Pacheco Koch and Westwood complement each other. Our cultures and values are a great fit,” says Westwood’s COO, Bryan P. Powell, PE. “This acquisition mutually expands the unique professional services we offer in and outside of Texas, and the end result is a team of top professionals unmatched in the region.” By purchasing Pacheco Koch, Westwood

expects to enhance its service capabilities to clients across Texas, Powell says, “The public infrastructure and private development talent we gain will help us to better serve our clients, and our new team and clients from Pacheco Koch gain new services such as environmental, renewables, and drone technologies, to name a few.” Pacheco Koch was founded in 1990 and has since provided engineering, surveying, and landscape architecture solutions for public infrastructure and private development projects. Pacheco Koch has received several awards for being a Best Place toWork, and Founder, Mark A. Pacheco, PE, RPLS, takes pride in the team he and his Founding partner, James A. Koch, Jr., PE, RPLS have built. Pacheco says, “Our team has developed a long-standing reputation of providing high-quality service with an emphasis on client care and satisfaction, which is a direct reflection of our team. We put our people first and know that we all benefit by supporting them and their success. The high-quality work we’ve done across the state of Texas for the past 30 plus years is proof of that.” Pacheco sees joining the Westwood team as a unique opportunity to continue their success “by being able to provide a wider range of services to our clients while, at the same time, offering more avenues for growth for our team.”

Westwood’s Vice President, Randall P. Pogue, PE oversees strategy and operations for the firm’s Land Division South Region. Having started his career with Pacheco Koch, Pogue has great respect for both Mark Pacheco and Jim Koch and the business they built. When the acquisition opportunity presented itself, Pogue felt it was too great to pass up. He says, “Integration is a challenging undertaking, but it’s worth the opportunities for growth waiting on the other side. The expertise combined by both companies will create synergies to advance our teams, while continuing to provide high-quality services for our clients. This is an exciting time for all of us.” Pogue’s company, Pogue Engineering, was acquired byWestwood in 2015. Pacheco Koch will operate as, Pacheco Koch, a Westwood company, for 12-24 months and continue to serve clients from their current locations. Westwood is a leading and award winning, full-service, multi-discipline professional civil engineering firm specializing in public infrastructure, private development, wind, solar, and power delivery projects. Westwood was established in 1972 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Through a focus on its people, culture, and clients, Westwood has quickly expanded to serve clients across the nation from multiple U.S. offices.

so that the best benefits of a physical environment can still be experienced. I think that remote work may be fine for someone who’s been at a company several years and already has an established network. In addition, some positions are uniquely suited to remote work – coding for example. But even those coders need leadership, which happens best through in-person interaction. TI: Could there be an entirely remote scenario – yet to be developed – that adapts and thrives? JL: It could happen, but leaders still have to solve for knowledge transfer, relationship-building, trust, innovation, and succession planning. If a company thrives 100 percent remotely, take a look at the careful leadership and thoughtful planning they’ll do to make it happen. They are not simply saying “look at how much money we’re saving on real estate.” The innovators who figure out how to make hybrid work succeed in the long-term will have a strategy led by the C-suite and real solutions to the challenges.

JOE LOZOWSKI, from page 7

generation of innovators who collaborated – in person – to bring their now global companies to fruition. Mark Zuckerberg moved to Silicon Valley and worked in a house with other coders to get Facebook off the ground. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak collaborated in a garage, and Elon Musk slept on the assembly plant floor in solidarity with his workers. I don’t think these scenarios can be replicated in an all-digital world. “Impromptu interactions help you know one another on a personal level, and they can help move work forward in ways you never expected.” TI: Do you feel always being in-person is the answer? JL: No; that’s equally untenable. In fact, my own company is flexible, and we allowed people to work remotely, even before the pandemic. What I’m advocating for is intentionality and serious consideration from leadership on striking a balance

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

O P I N I O N

Recruiting talent in this market

Recruiting and marketing play a role in growing your firm, and it’s more important now than ever to make sure they are working together.

R ecruiting and marketing go hand-in-hand. In this competitive landscape for talent, managers are working with both recruiting departments and marketing departments to bring in talent and fill positions with their firms. It’s hard. Really hard. Many of you have heard about the “great resignation,” and I think it’s only going to get worse as we go through 2022. Recruiters and marketers have to get smarter.

Lindsay Young

I’ll give you the golden ticket to finding good talent. Actually, I’ll give you a couple. First, call all your past employees whose performance you were happy with and had an amicable separation from. It doesn’t matter if they are in your geographic market or not. Call them. If they aren’t looking, they may know someone who is. Or maybe they are going to move back to the city where you’re located. Nonetheless, find out if they are happy where they are and if they would be interested in coming back. It’s as simple as sending them an email or calling them on the telephone. Another way to recruit employees is to encourage your current employees to recruit their friends or alumni. Many firms have an incentive for current

employees who recruit others to come work for the firm. Remind your employees of the incentive and the importance of having a strong team. Having more people results in less burnout. Win-win! Have a local college or university with an architecture, engineering, or construction program? Contact the local dean and build a relationship with them. Students will often reach out to past deans/ professors about jobs and if your firm is top of mind (aka if you have a relationship with the school) the dean/professor will tell them to reach out to your firm. This takes a little more time to develop these relationships with deans/professors, but nothing worth doing happens overnight.

See LINDSAY YOUNG, page 10

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

BUSINESS NEWS THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY (MOSH) SELECTS BALFOUR BEATTY AND STELLAR AS JOINT VENTURE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER FOR MOSH GENESIS PROJECT The Museum of Science & History announced the selection of Balfour Beatty and Stellar as a joint venture to lead construction management for the MOSH Genesis project. Balfour Beatty and Stellar will oversee all vertical construction for the $85 million project, which will bring a new Museum to the Shipyards East area on the Northbank of Downtown Jacksonville. Plans for the new Museum comprise 130,000 square feet for exhibitions, programs and events along with a new-and-improved space for the planetarium. Balfour Beatty has successfully delivered several museum projects, including the Perot Museum of Nature & Science and the Perot FamilyTurtle Creek Legacy Hall Museum in Dallas, Texas; the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia; and the North Carolina Museum ofArtexpansion inRaleigh,NorthCarolina. Additionally, the firm has experience leading complex new construction projects in Northeast Florida, such as the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center; the terminal expansion project at Jacksonville International Airport; and Jacksonville University’s new basketball performance center. Stellar, a Jacksonville-headquartered design-build company, has more than 35 years of experience in design, engineering, construction and mechanical services. The firm brings local and national recreational facilities experience to the joint venture; past

projects include the Hale Koa Ilima Pool Renovation, Shades of Green at Disney World Renovation, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and bestbet Jacksonville gaming center. “Our Board of Trustees and Genesis Oversight Committee were extremely impressed by Balfour Beatty and Stellar’s depth of experience in Northeast Florida. After reviewingproposals fromnumerous teams through our competitive process, we were particularly interested in the complementary nature of Balfour Beatty’s national experience and Stellar’s local roots,” said Bruce Fafard, President and CEO of MOSH. “Their combined approach demonstrated a holistic understanding of our visitor experience plan, both within our building and across the broader Sports and Entertainment District.” The DIA’s board provided unanimous approval for MOSH to proceed with the land disposition process for a four-acre parcel at the Shipyards East during its January 19 meeting. The Museum’s new building will be constructed on a 2.5- acre section of that property. Estimating and budgeting began in February 2022, with construction commencing in 2023 following all necessary site approvals through the DIA and City Council. “Jacksonville is a dynamic city, and MOSH is an established leader within its cultural community,” said Dave Campbell, Balfour Beatty project executive. “We are honored to have the opportunity to partner with MOSH on this iconic development and have the unique opportunity to shape the future of downtown.” “MOSH is a community pillar that

has inspired scores of designers, engineers and innovators within our region,” said Richard Lovelace, senior vice president, Commercial at Stellar. “Through our participation in this joint venture with Balfour Beatty, we hope to create a building where the next generation of creative thinkers can find inspiration to become pioneers and leaders.” MOSH has operated in its current location on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville since 1969. The Museum’s operations have outgrown the 77,000-square-foot facility; building a new Museum will significantly expand the organization’s capacity to serve more students and visitors. Early projections estimate that by building a new facility at the Jacksonville Shipyards, MOSH will be able to serve 58,000 students (a 50% increase over pre-pandemic numbers) and 469,000 visitors (a 168% increase) each year. Balfour Beatty is an industry-leading provider of general contracting, at-risk construction management and design- build services for public and private sector clients across the United States. Performing heavy civil and vertical construction, the company is part of Balfour Beatty plc, a leading international infrastructure group that provides innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. Balfour Beatty is ranked among the top domestic building contractors in the United States by Engineering News- Record.

recruitment process. Make it seamless. Make it a no brainer to come work for your firm. Lindsay Young is president and founder of nu marketing. She can be reached at lindsay@numarketingllc.com. “Many of you have heard about the ‘great resignation,’ and I think it’s only going to get worse as we go through 2022. Recruiters and marketers have to get smarter.”

LINDSAY YOUNG, from page 9

Make it easy to apply to your firm through your website. That can be filling out an application or attaching a resume. Make sure you tell your story about working at your firm. Have employees give testimonials and stories about working for your firm. Put pictures of your employees completing community service or celebrating at a company function. All these things will bring your company to life and make applicants excited to work for your firm. Recruiting and marketing play a role in growing your firm, so make sure they are working together. There is also some business development and sales going on during the

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

F R OM T H E F O U N D E R

Think like a client of your firm

I f you really want to improve the quality of the work your firm puts out as well as improve the “client experience,” you need to learn to think like your clients. No matter how you do it, getting inside your clients’ brains is crucial to your long-term success.

Sure, there are some tried and true methods for doing this. One way is to go hire someone from a client organization. We have all probably done that at some point and it is a good way to get insight into what your clients really want from their architects, engineers, and allied professionals. For example, it’s common for firms that serve DOT clients to hire people out of the DOT, or firms that do K-12 projects to hire former school superintendents. Another way to get inside the clients’ heads is to bring in outside board members who come from client organizations. I have served on a number of boards of directors in privately-held AEC firms where one or more of my fellow BOD members came from a large client of the firm. Those included retired people from Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, former secretaries of transportation, and many other large buyers of their services. I can’t tell you how helpful that intelligence and linkage was to the AEC firms whose BODs they

were on. In some cases they helped secure work. In other cases, they helped set the priorities for the project and acted as intermediaries when problems developed. But there are also some other ways to learn more about what clients actually want and need. Becoming a developer and contractor myself after a long career on the architecture and engineering side of the business certainly opened my eyes. I found myself much more concerned about fees from my providers than I ever thought I would be. “Soft costs” become much more important when construction costs are as hard to control as they are. One of the most innovative ways to get inside your clients’ heads (along with a good way to spread that knowledge throughout your firm) was pioneered by the late Steve Schein at the former Sumner Schein

Mark Zweig

See MARK ZWEIG, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

NEW FROM ZWEIG GROUP ZWEIG GROUP’S 2022 RECRUITMENT & RETENTION REPORT RELEASED Leading advisory and publishing firm for the AEC industry, Zweig Group, has released new research and insights on the topic of the AEC industry’s top challenge – recruitment and retention – in the 2022 Recruitment and Retention Report of AEC Firms .

than 30 days to hire a candidate, and the majority of firms (91 percent) admit they’ve made at least one “bad hire” in the past three years. Zweig Group’s 2022 Recruitment and Retention Report was comprisedwith data gathered from a number of company- administered, industry-wide surveys, including the online Recruitment and Retention Survey (113 respondents from January 2021 to February 2022), 2021 data from 134 individual firms in Zweig Group’s Best Firms to Work For Awards Program, employee sentiment data from hundreds of AEC firms and more than 15,000 individual responses, and insights from Zweig Group’s 2021 Policies, Procedures & Benefits Report of AEC Firms is also included to highlight topics such as compensation, leave policies, staffing policies, and much more. Zweig Group, three times on the Inc 500/5000 list, is the leading research, publishing, and consulting resource for the built environment. The firm provides strategy, mergers and acquisitions, business valuation,

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development, market research, financial management, project management, recruiting and executive search services nationwide. Zweig Group also provides a comprehensive suite of products including industry reports and surveys, executive training, and business conferences covering virtually every aspect of AEC firm management. Headquartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas and Dallas, Texas. The firm’s mission, elevate the industry, has five tenets: promote, diversify, educate, change, and celebrate. Zweig Group’s vision is to facilitate action in pursuit of elevating individuals, firms, and thus the industry. More than a mission, this is a movement to advance the AEC profession, creating a world that celebrates the built environment and recognizes its impact on individuals, communities, and commerce. For more information, visit zweiggroup. com or call 800.466.6275.

This report contains key findings about the resources used and investments AEC firms are making to address their recruitment and retention strategies. While there was a slight slowdown in growth over the past two years, AEC industry firms have retained employees at a much-improved rate. Firms continue to have the same number of open positions relative to firm size as they had prior to the pandemic. Despite the fact that recruiting/hiring is such an important element of a firm’s success, 34 percent of survey respondents admit their hiring needs are beyond the scope of their in-house HR/ recruitment staff. More than 80 percent of firms say it takes, on average, more

I like to see these studies done on a continuous basis over an extended period of time, with the unedited results being fed back to everyone in the firm. The important thing is this: No matter how you do it, getting inside your clients’ brains is crucial to your long-term success. To the extent you are successful in doing this will ultimately determine what kind of work you can win and howwell you can actually do it. Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. “If you really want to improve the quality of the work your firm puts out as well as improve the ‘client experience,’ you need to learn to think like your clients.”

MARK ZWEIG, from page 11

Architects & Engineers in Boston (they became part of Carter & Burgess about 25 years ago, and Carter & Burgess later became part of Jacobs Group). Sumner Schein was a more than 100-person company focused on retail clients and shopping malls. They did a lot of tenant improvement work for mall clients, so they decided to open a retail candy store in a mall they designed and go through the tenant buildout process. But perhaps even more importantly, they operated the store for a number of years afterward, using a wide variety of their employees to take turns working there. Can you imagine how valuable it would be for them to be able to tell a client who needed their services that they, too, owned and operated a retail business in a shopping mall? Client surveys are yet another way to get inside the heads of clients and potential clients. The problem with most of these is that they are one-shot deals, and not enough people inside the AEC firms conducting the studies see the unfiltered results.

EXCELLENCE IN CLIENT EXPERIENCE AWARD Zweig Group and Client Savvy have partnered to bring you an award that recognizes firms that solicit real client feedback from their client base and consistently excel at meeting expectations and delivering elevated experiences. Client experience is the strongest way to differentiate a professional services firm. CX top performers are three times as likely to be in the top quartile of revenue growth and profitability while consistently outperforming their peers in employee retention. Both potential clients and potential employees are looking for firms that are proven to be better. The Client Experience Award gives you a validated, trusted endorsement to attract and retain clients and employees. Click here to learn more!

THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 28, 2022, ISSUE 1430

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