TZL 1431 (web)

TZL 1431 (web)

Ma rch 7, 2022 , I s sue 1 43 1 W W W . Z W E I G G R O U P . C O M

T R E N D L I N E S

Candidate qualities

What characteristics are highly desirable to buyers in the AEC industry right now? Lay of the land

F I R M I N D E X Hawkins Brown ....................................................10 KS Engineers ............................................................ 8 Lea & Braze Engineering, Inc. ......................4 Morrison-Shipley Halff ...................................... 6 RACAIA Architecture ........................................10 Suffolk .........................................................................10 Urban Engineers .................................................10 Ware Malcomb ....................................................... 8 Wilson & Company, Inc. ....................................2 Woodard & Curran ................................................4 MO R E A R T I C L E S n JIM TOBY: Speed kills! Page 3 n Putting people first: Greg Shipley Page 6 n JENNIFERWATERS: The importance of employee dividends Page 9 n MARK ZWEIG: Get your kids interested in AEC early Page 11 In Zweig Group’s 2022 Recruitment & Retention Report of AEC Firms , firms rated the importance of five qualities that a candidate has during the hiring process on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being very important. Cultural fit was rated as the highest quality of the group at 4.7. The resume headers like past work experience (4.3) and education (4.2) were next, followed by salary expectations (3.9) and recommendations (3.8). Participate in a survey and save 50 percent on the final or pre- publication price of any Zweig Group research publication.

Y our expectations in terms of buyer interest should vary based on several factors having to do with your firm’s composition. Things such as employee count, verticals serviced, and geographic locations all play a huge role in how big the pool of interested buyers will be if you choose to go to market today. In this article, I’ll briefly discuss some of the firm characteristics that are attracting the largest pool of buyers at the moment, and consequently, are typically trading at the highest multiples. ■ ■ Public infrastructure. Everyone in our industry knows there’s an upcoming $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, and buyers are willing to pay generous multiples to add to their labor force and enhance their ability to capitalize on the anticipated influx of municipal and federal contracts. Specifically, the new spending includes $240 billion worth of funding toward transportation related infrastructure alone. Breakdowns below: † † Roads and bridges: $110 billion † † Railroads: $66 billion † † Public transit: $39 billion † † Airports: $25 billion If your firm services any of the verticals listed above, you’ve almost definitely received an inquiry from an interested suitor in the past several months. Any firms with capabilities related to the power grid ($65 billion), water infrastructure ($55 billion), and environmental health and safety ($21 billion), are also in high demand with increasing multiples, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works . ■ ■ Geographies. Florida, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania are the most active states in terms of M&A closings as of February 2022. Interestingly enough, all of these states are also receiving the largest amount of assistance from the infrastructure bill, according to a fact sheet from the White House: † † California: $45 billion † † Texas: $35 billion

Andy Chavez, CM&AA

See ANDY CHAVEZ, 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

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ON THE MOVE WILSON & COMPANY WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR OF BOARD, ILENE COLINA Wilson & Company, Inc., Engineers & Architects announces new addition to the Board of Directors, Ilene Colina, SHRM- SCP. Colina was elected to serve a three- year term as an external director. She has more than 35 years of experience in the consulting industry as a human resource professional and will provide great support during this crucial time of growth for Wilson & Company. “We are equally excited about the strategic benefit we receive from Ilene’s expertise, leadership qualities and experience as we are about her alignment with our culture and vision for the company,” said Jim

Brady, PE, Wilson & Company’s president and CEO. Colina’s role as part of the board comes during a significant time of planning and forecasting for growthwithin the company. Her vast experience in human resources aligns with the company’s goals to enhance employee engagement, support diversity and inclusion, and successfully take on the need to attract, develop, and encourage people. Wilson & Company is a comprehensive solution for multi-disciplinary engineering, architecture, surveying and mapping, planning, and construction management needs.

ANDY CHAVEZ, from page 1

† † New York: $27 billion † † Florida: $19 billion † † Pennsylvania: $18 billion

Of these states, we are seeing the highest multiples in Texas and Pennsylvania. This is likely because these states have metros that are growing rapidly and there’s an increasing demand for engineering services that is much greater than the labor force available to do the work. (High demand and low supply equates to an expensive product or service.) California and Florida, however, are flush with engineering firms, lead primarily by baby boomers who are looking to retire. These markets are experiencing more consolidation than growth, causing the multiples to stay more or less steady. ■ ■ Firm size. The market as a whole is relatively agnostic to firm size at the moment. Almost any firm located in one of the previously listed areas or servicing one of the previously listed verticals can easily find a buyer that’s willing to pay a strong multiple. However, the type of buyer that you’ll be dealing with will likely differ depending on the size of your firm. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll discuss firm size by way of adjusted EBITDA. If your firm has an EBITDA of less than $5 million, you’ll likely be dealing with a pool of buyers that consists of mainly strategic architecture and engineering operating companies that are looking to grow their labor force or expand into a promising vertical or metro. Once you get above $5 million adjusted EBITDA, you’ll start to attract financial buyers that may be able to fit you into their portfolio in one of several different ways. If your firm is above $10 million EBITDA, you may be a prime candidate to operate as a platform company. If you’re less than $10 million in EBITDA, it’s more likely that you’ll fit into the portfolio as a bolt- on acquisition that fits the strategic growth goals of the platform. Note that these values definitely vary based on the situation, but these are good “ballpark figures” to use for the sake of discussion and edification. Taking a deeper dive into those two acquisition types will likely require an entire article of its own. Soon to come. Andy Chavez, CM&AA is a senior analyst within Zweig Group’s advisory services group. Contact him at [email protected].

PO Box 1528 Fayetteville, AR 72702

Chad Clinehens | Publisher [email protected] Sara Parkman | Senior Editor & Designer [email protected] Shirley Che | Contributing Editor [email protected] Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent [email protected] Tel: 800-466-6275 Fax: 800-842-1560 Email: [email protected] 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.

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THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 7, 2022, ISSUE 1431

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O P I N I O N

Speed kills!

Taking the time to get it right the first time will lead to faster approvals, better plans, and overall project quality.

W e all know that driving too fast can kill, but speed can also kill your project. If you were to ask any quality architect or engineer how they are doing, you are likely to hear that they’re very busy! Yes, our economy is good and as such getting the right team on a project can be a challenge, especially if you are in a hurry to get things moving. However, it is more important than ever to not use timing solely as a determination of hiring the right team.

Jim Toby

I spoke about the importance of quality and the perils of going with the low-cost proposal in my last article, but it’s equally important to give a quality firm the time they need to do a project correctly. I am sure almost all of us can think back to a school paper we wrote at the last minute and thinking that if you had more time, it would have been much better and may have resulted in a better grade. The same holds true for engineers and surveyors. Rushing can lead to inadequate surveys or designs that are not well thought out and, even if approved for permit, could lead to construction issues. It is no surprise that the quality firms are the ones that might have greater lead times. Typically, firms that can jump on a project immediately are not the ones that will produce quality results. As professional civil engineers and land surveyors,

we know that quality can make or break a project. Unfortunately, too many people look at our profession as a commodity, and if a firm can finish a project cheaper and faster, that’s what many clients will go with. As with cost not making a project cheaper, faster does not actually mean the project will be done faster. A great example is a request we received for a topographic and boundary survey and subsequent civil engineering services for a luxury house on a large lot in a tough jurisdiction. Having a great deal of experience in this jurisdiction, we let the client know, based on our current workload, what the ultimate time frame would be to get the survey done correctly. Our estimate was not out of line with other quality surveyors in the area. They said our timeline was unacceptable and opted for a surveyor who could

See JIM TOBY, page 4

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ON THE MOVE BRIAN BZDAWKA NAMED PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT DIVISION FOR WOODARD & CURRAN Woodard & Curran has appointed Brian Bzdawka president of the firm’s Operations & Management Strategic Business Unit. Bzdawka takes over from Steve Niro, who led the SBU for 14 years, overseeing a period of significant growth. This leadership transition is part of a succession plan that was developed over several years. Bzdawka joined Woodard & Curran in 2008 as a business development leader, working with clients to deploy integrated services solutions for public and private water treatment systems and public works departments. During his tenure in that role, the firm grew substantially, and is now recognized as an industry-leading national O&M provider. “Brian’s efforts working with clients in both the public and private sectors have significantly contributed to our ability to leverage our combined engineering, operations, and funding resources to

serve our clients,” saidWoodard & Curran CEO Alyson Watson. “He understands both the technical and business needs of our clients and is especially adept at fostering a collaborative approach that creates vested partnerships.” “I’m honored and excited to be stepping into this new role,” said Bzdawka. “With the incredible team of managers and operators that Woodard & Curran has built, I’m confident that we are positioned for continued growth.” The firm’s O&M SBU focuses on full contract operations for municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment plants, water recycling and reuse facilities, public works departments, and private groundwater treatment systems across the country. Currently, Woodard & Curran manages more than 50 facilities and associated infrastructure across 19 states. “One of the biggest challenges in the O&M industry right now,” added Bzdawka, “is finding and retaining

qualified staff. This is another area where we are well-positioned thanks to the support we offer employees, from our award-winning safety programs to tuition reimbursement and help earning professional certifications. Solving staffing issues is one of the best ways for us to support our clients. Our operations team is recognized as best in class within the industry and we look forward to expanding our client and employee base in the coming years.” Throughout the transition, Bzdawka is focused on maintaining the high level of service the firm’s clients expect, expanding initiatives around digital technologies to support operations, and strengthening programs for employee recruiting and retention. Woodard & Curran is an integrated science, engineering, design-build, and operations company specializing in water and environmental projects. With 1,200 employees across 29 offices and more than 50 operations sites, Woodard & Curran serves clients nationwide.

However, as with a lot of projects, our involvement is better served if we are brought on early. Most projects require some sort of storm water management and the days of doing a quick grading plan are long gone. It is standard practice to require room on a project for bioretention and other stormwater quality measures. If we’re not brought on early and allowed to work with the design team up front to properly size and place the required measures, we typically have to ask the design team to go back to the drawing board and allow for the required measures to be designed into the layout. If this happens, the entire design team must reassess their designs to allow for the required measures. Bringing the entire team into the project at the beginning allows for complete collaboration and can help prevent costly and timely redesign. Our motto: Treat all projects as if this were your own project. Give it the care it deserves, do not rush, and get it done right! Getting it right the first time will lead to faster approvals, better plans, and overall project quality. Jim Toby is a principal and civil engineer with Lea & Braze Engineering, Inc. He can be reached at [email protected]. “It is no surprise that the quality firms are the ones that might have greater lead times. Typically, firms that can jump on a project immediately are not the ones that will produce quality results.”

JIM TOBY, from page 3

get out to the site within three days. (Big red flag!) They were lesser in quality than us and ended up missing a fair amount of detailed information required by the town. We then sent a proposal for the civil engineering as well, with the caveat that the surveyor acquire all the necessary missing information. We lost this as well when we were honest with them about the missing information and timing to do the engineering correctly. They wanted our services to be performed in an impossible timeline and did not want the survey updated. Disappointed, but realizing this was not a client we wanted to work with, we moved on to better clients and projects. As time went on, we kept an eye on the town’s planning commission meetings, as is typically required for a project like this. We noted that many of our newer projects, with similar scopes, were on the agenda much earlier than the one we lost out on. Finally the project we lost out on, due to timing, came up for the planning commission’s consideration. I knew the planner well and asked about the project. He said they had about six rounds of plan checks due to the missing information and said he wished we were on the project. The hiring of their design professionals based solely on their timelines (and cost!) ended up costing the client several months of headache! Imagine the interest costs of six to eight month of mortgage payments on a multi-million dollar lot and the frustration of months lost due to inadequate plans! Aside from speed, bringing the engineer onto the team early can also save time and money! We are routinely asked to join a team at the last minute to do a grading and drainage plan.

© Copyright 2022. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 7, 2022, ISSUE 1431

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P R O F I L E

Putting people first: Greg Shipley Vice president of Morrison-Shipley Halff (Richardson, TX), a consulting firmwith a passion for providing smarter solutions with a distinctly human touch.

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent

S hipley – former president of Morrison-Shipley Engineers and current vice president, Morrison-Shipley Halff – shares that his firm was officially acquired in November 2021 by Halff, one of the nation’s leading engineering/architecture consulting firms. Zweig Group represented Morrison-Shipley in the transaction. Morrison-Shipley will now do business as Morrison-Shipley Halff. “Being part of the Halff family is a big step forward for us,” he says. “Our firm prides itself on excellent culture, accelerating growth, and continuing to put our clients first. This acquisition allows Morrison-Shipley Halff to expand our professional services and to provide more resources and tools for our employees and clients to achieve their goals.” The acquisition adds 50 employees to the Halff family and expands the company to 27 offices located in five states: Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Florida.

A CONVERSATIONWITH GREG SHIPLEY. The Zweig Letter: What was the impetus for the acquisition and how has it gone? What are the top benefits to each? Greg Shipley: When Halff first contacted us, we were not looking to sell. We had discussed M&A as a growth strategy, but with Morrison-Shipley Engineers being the acquirer. As our discussions progressed, it became clear Halff and Morrison- Shipley Engineers shared many of the same core values – the first being putting our people first. We also viewed this as an opportunity to greatly expand service offerings to Morrison- Shipley Engineers’ existing clients. The acquisition has gone remarkably well. It has been great to watch Morrison-Shipley Engineers’ employees get plugged into Halff’s training and philanthropy opportunities and other pursuits. Everyone at Halff has been so kind and welcoming to

THE ZWEIG LETTER MA

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Morrison-Shipley Engineers’ team, and other than a name change and a few procedural differences, it really feels like nothing has changed. “When Halff first contacted us, we were not looking to sell. We had discussed M&A as a growth strategy, but with MSE being the acquirer. As our discussions progressed, it became clear Halff and MSE shared many of the same core values – the first being putting our people first.” TZL: How has your role changed, if at all? GS: My new role as Halff’s vice president has allowed me to move away from the administrative duties I had at Morrison- Shipley Engineers. This is allowing me a fresh opportunity to spend time working “in” Halff’s business instead of working “on” the business. TZL: Now that you’re part of the Halff team, what will you be doing differently? What will you be doing the same? GS: Given that I now have no administrative duties, the greatest difference is that I am now focused solely on growth and improvement initiatives. Halff and Morrison- Shipley Engineers put our people first, so one thing I will be doing the same is looking for opportunities that improve the lives of our employees by providing them with long-term career paths and advancement. TZL: Trust is essential. How do you earn the trust of your clients? GS: I believe trust in our industry is established by the following principles: 1. Do what you say you will do. 2. Charge what you say you will charge. 3. Deliver projects when you say you will. 4. Do not make excuses when you are at fault. TZL: What skills are required to run a successful practice? What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now? GS: Nothing replaces hard work – you must

be willing to do anything at any time. Running a successful practice is not an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, but instead a 24/7 commitment to your team. Certainly, there are the obvious skills needed such as earning the trust of your team, good decision-making, and creating paths to success, but to accomplish all of these, a strong work ethic must be at the core. TZL: What’s currently on your plate that you’re most excited to work on and why? GS: I have recently become a part of the leadership for Halff’s Land and Site Development practice, and I am very excited to be a part of one of our fastest-growing practice areas. We have such a great group of people in our LSD practice, and I’m eager to get out and share our capabilities with new clients. TZL: What type of leader do you consider yourself to be? GS: My leadership style is to let those I lead do their job without my interference. Instead, I want to be a resource. I have always believed in hiring people who can work without being managed as I see people do their best work when they are not constrained. Micro- managing is extremely demoralizing to employees and creates so much more failure than it does good. “My leadership style is to let those I lead do their job without my interference. Instead, I want to be a resource. I have always believed in hiring people who can work without being managed as I see people do their best work when they are not constrained.” TZL: What benefits does your firm offer that your people get most excited about? GS: Employees expect outstanding training opportunities and the desire to be heard. Halff offers so many resources to its employees from technical and leadership training to better communications skills through our Halff Chats program. Also, Halff’s management team is highly visible to all employees, and they routinely See PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST, page 8

HEADQUARTERS: Richardson, TX NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 1,200 YEAR FOUNDED: 1950 OFFICE LOCATIONS: 27 SERVICES: ■ ■ Architecture ■ ■ Construction services ■ ■ Energy ■ ■ Environmental ■ ■ GIS ■ ■ Intelligent transportation systems ■ ■ Land and site development ■ ■ MEP engineering ■ ■ Planning and landscape architecture

■ ■ Public works ■ ■ Right of way

■ ■ Software development ■ ■ Structural engineering ■ ■ Subsurface utility engineering/utility coordination ■ ■ Surveying ■ ■ Transportation ■ ■ Visualization ■ ■ Water resources ■ ■ Water/wastewater

© Copyright 2022. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

ARCH 7, 2022, ISSUE 1431

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BUSINESS NEWS WARE MALCOMB ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF KS ENGINEERS, P.C. OFFICES IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY Ware Malcomb, an award-winning international design firm has announced that construction is complete on KS Engineers, P.C.’s new office at 2 Riverfront Plaza in Newark, New Jersey. Ware Malcomb provided the interior architecture and design services for the project. The 30,000 square foot project was designed to provide a welcoming, hospitable environment for clients and consultants, unify KSE employees, and enable streamlined communication. A significant objective of the project was to help KSE bridge the gap between different levels of staff and help diverse departments work seamlessly together. The design also focused on appealing to a multigenerational workforce to help recruit and retain talent. The new space includes a board room and reception area at the entry, huddle rooms, phone booths, a café with a virtual golf and gaming area, a wellness/ meditation room, and a library/lounge. To allow for better cross-training of divisions, select departments were

positioned adjacent to one another. All interior offices have adjacent huddle rooms to enable collaboration. The open office areas are interspersed with plan tables with storage that could be used for heads down plan review sessions and impromptu collaboration. The fresh aesthetic includes graphics based on images of past projects, designed by KSE’s in-house graphics team, and a color palette that represents the blues in the KSE branding and other complementing colors throughout the space to deliver a very modern and inviting vibe. “We conducted visioning sessions with KSE’s executive team to learn exactly what they were looking for, in terms of enhancing their culture, operations, and work environment,” said Marlyn Zucosky, regional director for Ware Malcomb’s New Jersey offices. “The KSE team was especially open to new ideas, which made the process collaborative and engaging. This new space supports a culture that is interactive and unifying.” Project construction was led by general

contractor SJP Properties. KSE is a top- ranked professional engineering, survey, and construction management firm. 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. With office locations throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, Ware Malcomb specializes in the design of commercial office, corporate, industrial, science and technology, healthcare, retail, auto, public/institutional facilities and renovation projects. Ware Malcomb is recognized as an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company and a Hot Firm by Zweig Group. The firm is also ranked among the top 15 architecture/engineering firms in Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms and the top 25 interior design firms in Interior Design magazine’s Top 100 Giants.

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST, from page 7

engage them in one-on-one discussions. The most common question I hear is, “What can we do for you?” TZL: What excited you most about what the next five years has in store for the field of architecture and engineering? GS: I’m excited to watch the advancement of technologies in the areas of smart cities, artificial intelligence, BIM, virtual/augmented reality, and large-scale 3D printing. Halff is making significant investments in these fields, and I am eager to watch how these will better serve our clients moving forward. TZL: In one word or phrase, what do you describe as your number one job responsibility? GS: Inspire.

Greg Shipley (left) and Mark Edwards, Halff’s CEO (right), finalizing the recent acquisition deal between Morrison Shipley and Halff.

© Copyright 2022. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

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O P I N I O N

Employees of firms are in many ways stakeholders of an organization’s success, and they can reap the dividends in a variety of ways. The importance of employee dividends

F or much of Urban’s first half-century, our company culture grew organically by project driven teamwork. Our culture rewarded anyone who valued transparency, accountability, and consistency. Each employee has been empowered to take ownership in their ideas and collaborate with their colleagues, chipping in to work whatever hours were necessary to see projects finished and clients happy. There was an understanding that infrastructure was necessary to American success. Each employee’s contribution to a project was important.

Jennifer Waters

Over the last decade, it has become important to my firm – as well as many others in the AEC industry – to develop a more inclusive culture. A culture with a foundation in delivering consistently competent work, empowering employees to lead professionally, and giving flexibility to employees to integrate the demands of life. It is important that firms in our industry support employees regardless of personal circumstances or goals. A strong, diverse culture comes from empowered employees who value their work but can also pursue and support what is important at home. Just like Fortune 500 companies, AEC firm’s dividends are a key value to its shareholders. Employees of firms are in many ways stakeholders of an organization’s success as they can reap the dividends in a variety of

ways. These dividends are reinvested back into the company as employee benefits which are intended to enrich our culture. The focus of these benefits includes three main aspects: 1. Wellness. At Urban, we believe employee wellness is essential. Healthy employees are not just happier, but they are also more productive. Our firm not only promotes the importance of physical fitness, but also understands how crucial mental health is as well. This includes benefits that encourage healthy work-life balances. Wellness is achieved through a variety of ways, including flextime, competitive healthcare

See JENNIFER WATERS, page 10

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BUSINESS NEWS SUFFOLK SELECTED AS DESIGN BUILDER OFTHE CHILD DEVELOPMENT ACADEMIC FACILITY AT LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT’S PIERCE COLLEGE Suffolk, one of the most innovative and successful builders in the country, has been selected as the design builder of a one-story, 10,000 square-foot Child Development Academic Facility at Los Angeles Community College District’s Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California. Currently in the initial design phase, the $14 million project is anticipated to begin construction in 2022 with completion estimated for 2023. Designed by RACAIA Architecture & Interior Design and Hawkins Brown, the Pierce College Child Development Academic Facility will bring a new, modern facility to campus, utilized by the college’s child development and early childhood education program students and faculty. The project will create five instructional classroom and laboratory spaces, along with consolidated departmental offices, a meeting room, computer lab, and additional common areas, all adjacent to the operating Pierce College Child Development Center, providing students access to real-life teaching situations with children through observation or hands-on experience.

“The child development and early childhood education program at Pierce College is a critical one that not only supports the local community, but continues to build the next generation of childhood educators,” saidKen Summers, general manager of Suffolk Los Angeles. “The addition of this state-of-the-art Child Development Academic Facility brings new opportunities to students and faculty, and we’re proud to be part of a project that will continue to play an important role for future students.” As the design builder, Suffolk is working collaboratively with the Los Angeles Community College District to deliver the academic facilityfromproject conception to project completion. This project is notable as Suffolk continues to innovate within the education building sector, recently supporting Los Angeles Trade- Technical College with a 87,000 square- foot renovation and 13,000 square- foot addition, upgrading the building to achieve LEED-Silver certification. To date, Suffolk has completed 250 projects on higher education campuses and facilitated $3.75 billion in higher education projects. “As higher education institutions continue to evaluate and adapt to challenges presented by the pandemic, we’re now

starting to see an uptick in demand for construction projects across the West Region,” said Karri Novak, vice president at Suffolk Los Angeles. “At Suffolk, we are well-equipped to navigate the changing needs of the education system, helping build, renovate and upgrade facilities that will be here to support students and faculty for years to come.” Suffolk is a national enterprise that invests, innovates, andbuilds. Suffolk is an end-to-end business that provides value throughout the entire project lifecycle by leveraging its core construction management services with vertical service lines that include real estate capital investment, design, self-perform construction services, technology start- up investment and innovation research/ development. Suffolk is a national company with $4.5 billion in annual revenue, 2,400 employees and main offices in Boston (headquarters), New York, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Estero, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. Suffolk serves clients in every major industry sector, including healthcare, science and technology, education, gaming, transportation/aviation, and commercial.

3. Education. By promoting educational opportunities, my firm is not only a company of learners and innovators, but a developer of leaders. At Urban’s core, our training department provides every employee educational classes for free. Recognizing our own expertise within the industry, many of the Urban Training Institute’s courses are taught by in-house instructors. Beyond the institute, Urban offers generous tuition reimbursement programs to help accelerate one’s career. We also support numerous memberships to various organizations throughout the country so we can collaborate with our peers and help propel our industry forward. Jennifer Waters is an associate vice president and office manager for Urban Engineers’ Philadelphia and Montgomery County locations. Contact her at [email protected]. “It is important that firms support employees regardless of personal circumstances or goals. A strong, diverse culture comes from empowered employees who value their work but can also pursue and support what is important at home.”

JENNIFER WATERS, from page 9

benefits, free health seminars, on-site fitness centers, extracurricular sports, and even on-site massages. 2. Community. We have a saying at Urban Engineers: “We don’t just do well, we do good.” We believe that we have an obligation to actively maintain the health and well- being of the communities in which we do business, and we enjoy giving back to the places that give so much to us. Our employees strive to make our communities better places to live through their projects and volunteerism. We promote service to our communities and professions as a way to translate our values and standards into visible action, adding value and depth to the communities in which we live. Additionally, our firm provides internal vehicles to promote community within the organization, as many firms in the AEC industry have begun to offer. These include the Urban Young Member Forum, Urban Women’s Professional Network, and a new Diversity Committee. These groups develop leadership opportunities within the firm and will foster innovative best practices for the future of our business.

© Copyright 2022. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

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

Our industry is one of the best places for anyone to build a career, and we owe it to our children to expose them to the work we do early. Get your kids interested in AEC early

I have often said to anyone who will listen to me that I think the architecture and engineering “industry” is one of the best places for anyone to build a career. Firms in this business are often highly purpose-driven. Your companies are filled with intelligent, ethical, and creative people. And your people are “doing good” for our society, filling a very useful role. Your architecture and engineering firms help give all of us better places to live, work, learn, heal, and make things. You give us clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, efficient transportation systems of all kinds. Yours is important work!

Mark Zweig

At the same time, we are facing (and have been for some time) huge talent shortages. We desperately need more people with design, technical, and business skills in our industry. Most firm principals have children. We tend to be middle-aged by the time we start our own businesses or become principals of existing firms. A thought occurred to me recently that it’s possible we may be looking past one of the most fertile fields for new talent there is – our own kids. My mom (she is still living in her own home at 101) supported my interests in this stuff when I was just a little kid. When I was only 8 or 9 years old, she took

me to our local library and found books of house designs that I could check out. I created my own designs on graph paper and then built them to scale out of legos. I thought I wanted to be an architect until I developed early success in my childhood entrepreneurial endeavors and got seduced by that. So I got two degrees in business and came back to my childhood interests at 22, and have worked in this industry ever since. My oldest daughter, Christy, is now 34 and has been a part of this industry since she was a young woman. She grew up listening to talk about business at

See MARK ZWEIG, page 12

THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 7, 2022, ISSUE 1431

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BUSINESS NEWS SUFFOLK TO MANAGE CONSTRUCTION FOR NEW MERCY HOUSING PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT IN LOS ANGELES, 3552 WHITTIER BOULEVARD Suffolk, one of the most innovative and successful builders and real estate enterprises in the country, has been selected by Mercy Housing California, a leading national affordable housing nonprofit, to provide preconstruction and construction services for a new 70,000 square-foot, supportive housing project in East Los Angeles. The project, located at 3552 Whittier Boulevard within the Boyle Heights neighborhood, is currently in the preconstruction phase with construction anticipated to be completed by August 2023. “Affordable housing is in high demand and in short supply, not only in Los Angeles, but across the country,” said Ken Summers, General Manager of Suffolk Los Angeles. “Projects like Whittier Boulevard in partnership with Mercy Housing allow Suffolk to continue revitalizing the community and bring innovative, affordable housing options to Los Angeles neighborhoods, positively impacting and supporting the city’s most underserved individuals, families and veterans.” Designed by Abode Communities, the four-story building will consist of 63 permanent supportive housing studio

units for low-income households along with a manager’s unit. Residents will have access to common areas and amenities, including on-site property management offices, permanent supportive housing services, community room, community laundry room, and outdoor hardscaped and landscaped areas. “Nothing could be more pressing than providing permanent relief for Angelenos experiencing homelessness, and we’re proud to work with great partners like Suffolk to build quality, service-enriched affordable housing that enables residents to heal and stabilize their lives,” said Ed Holder, Vice President of Real Estate Development for Mercy Housing California. In collaboration with Mercy Housing California and with support from the city of Los Angeles through Proposition HHH – a $1.2 billion bond to more than triple L.A.’s annual production of supportive housing – Suffolk is working to ease the affordable housing shortage with multiple projects across the city. In addition to this development on Whittier Boulevard, Suffolk is working closelywith Mercy Housing on several other projects, including 6th Street Place in downtown Los Angeles, which will add 94 housing units to the area, as well as 600 7th Street in San Francisco, which will bring 200 residential units to the local community. Mercy Housing California currently

provides affordable, service-enriched housing to more than 19,000 families, seniors and people with special needs at 152 housing communities across the state. Across the country, Suffolk continues to ensure that affordable housing projects are constructed to support the ongoing and growing need within local communities. To date, Suffolk has led affordable housing projects totaling over $1 billion, constructing more than 11,000 residential unit builds. Suffolk’s expertise, dedication to diversity and inclusion, and innovative methods differentiate Suffolk from other builders in the affordable housing space. Suffolk is a national enterprise that invests, innovates, andbuilds. Suffolk is an end-to-end business that provides value throughout the entire project lifecycle by leveraging its core construction management services with vertical service lines that include real estate capital investment, design, self-perform construction services, technology start- up investment and innovation research/ development. Suffolk is a national company with $4.5 billion in annual revenue, 2,400 employees and main offices in Boston, New York, Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa, Estero, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego.

didn’t follow my footsteps into this industry, she did get into a profession that I, too, started my AEC career in. Our 10- and 15-year-old girls – Hazel and Olive, respectively – are both showing an interest in design. Between Minecraft and The Sims , they spend hours and hours designing houses and entire cities on their computers. They both also draw obsessively. And they have each gotten very fussy about their room decor. I would be surprised if either or both don’t eventually become architects, planners, or designers of some sort. While I knowwe all want our kids to be free to pursue their own interests and passions, we owe it to our children to expose them to the work we do early. Our firms need smart, motivated, and creative people. Take your children with you to the office. Buy them the computer programs that allow them to design and build. Show them the projects you have done. Talk about your work around the dinner table. Let’s start planting the seeds for the next crop of creative problem-solvers right here at home. You never knowwhat might sprout! Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at [email protected].

MARK ZWEIG, from page 11

the dinner table, and started working for my design/build/ development firm doing accounting and other stuff when she was an undergraduate college student. When we got back to the company that is today known as Zweig Group (it was taken over by its mezzanine lenders in 2010 from the private equity firm we sold it to in 2004), she became a writer and editor for our publications. Then she got her MBA and moved into marketing and marketing consulting for our clients. “Take your children with you to the office ... Talk about your work around the dinner table. Let’s start planting the seeds for the next crop of creative problem-solvers right here at home. You never knowwhat might sprout!” My second oldest daughter, Anna, is 31 now. She is a very successful recruiter and works for Korn-Ferry, arguably the most prominent and successful firm in that industry. While she

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THE ZWEIG LETTER MARCH 7, 2022, ISSUE 1431