Some Words to Live (and Work) By

Press Release: October 04, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (October 4, 2011) – Tired of jumbled, jargon-laden “mission statements” that are filled with platitudes and megawords? A firm’s motto should embody what it is about and encapsulate its mission and capabilities. In the A/E/P and environmental industry, where many creative types work together under the same roof, this is especially important. An article in the Oct. 3 issue of The Zweig Letter details a few firms embracing clarity and focus in their mission statements. Phase Zero Design, an architectural, planning and consulting services firm in Simsbury, Conn., uses the motto, “We begin before the beginning.” The motto builds off the company’s name and represents their approach to every project… starting at phase zero. At only five words, this motto holds great meaning for employees and management. The phrase is easy to say, easy to remember, and it appears all over the company’s promotional and informational materials. “Our tag line may sound a little existential, but it’s not,” said James Kimball Jr., principal. “Since we are experts in the markets we serve, we know the trends, the questions and the answers and we possess the experience to help our clients achieve their goals quickly and efficiently without compromising quality.” GATE LLC, a gas technical consulting firm in Houston, Texas, has a management approach that is refreshingly candid. “Instead of a statement written and copied or memorized by everyone, we say, ‘just do what it takes to get it done’,” said Marla Perez, finance and compliance manager. The firm also has an illustration of machinery with the caption, “Make sure all this sh*t works right the first time!!” Sometimes a tag line isn’t something contemplated and carefully constructed by management. At A2L Technologies, Inc. in Tampa, Fla., one of the company’s client’s comments so profoundly represented what they stood for that they adopted it as a tag line. The motto: “At A2L we are problem solvers, not just another problem finder.” “When one of our people is working on a project that may have some problem areas for the client, it is not unusual for several of us to have a project brainstorming session to discuss potential solutions. We throw everything out on the table and then eliminate the suggestions that won’t work for whatever reason,” said Larry Schmaltz, president and CEO of the environmental consulting, engineering and remediation company. Press Contact: Christina Zweig christinaz@zweigwhite.com www.zweigwhite.com