Jamie Claire Kiser's predictions for 2017...

Dec 12, 2016

1. 2017 is going to be a fantastic year for hair pieces, but pant suit sales will plummet. 2. We are already seeing firms in hot markets forget what the recession was like – people are confident (overconfident?) that the good times will keep on coming forever, and they’ll ride the market highs and lows if they don’t get a strategy. 3. I think we will see more young people in leadership positions traditionally reserved for folks with 20 years of tenure. Firms that are going to continue to grow and adapt are ones that aren’t threatened by young leadership. The rest of the economy is moving that way, and I am optimistic that the AEC world will follow suit. 4. Is this the year Apple’s algorithms will finally learn that “ducking” is rarely – if ever – the appropriate autocorrection?! 5. M&A activity will continue to rise and will skew toward the smaller firms – 15 to 50 employees rather than the mega mergers. 6. Baby #2 for Beyonce and Jay-Z. You heard it here first.

Jamie Claire Kiser is Zweig Group's director of mergers and acquisitions.

About Zweig Group

Zweig Group, three times on the Inc. 500/5000 list, is the industry leader and premiere authority in AEC firm management and marketing, the go-to source for data and research, and the leading provider of customized learning and training. Zweig Group exists to help AEC firms succeed in a complicated and challenging marketplace through services that include: Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic Planning, Valuation, Executive Search, Board of Director Services, Ownership Transition, Marketing & Branding, and Business Development Training. The firm has offices in Dallas and Fayetteville, Arkansas.