The Zweig Letter

We are a bunch of conformists. It’s a big problem in the AEC business. Everyone is sitting around waiting to do what the other guy is doing. And this is precisely the WRONG course of...

For multi-office firms, it’s important to monitor overhead allocations so one region doesn’t consume more than its fair share of resources. Here’s the issue: Department managers, regional managers, and office managers all question the general...

Zweig Group closes another M&A deal! FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (May 24, 2017) – Zweig Group, a full-service AE consulting firm based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has closed on its third M&A deal in the last two months....

Don’t expect your PMs to be great leaders just because they are competent professionals. They need training and practice to be effective. Like peanut butter and chocolate; peas and carrots; Bert and Ernie. Project management...

Zweig Group, a full-service AE consulting firm based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has closed on its third M&A deal in the last two months. The latest success – NV5 Global, Inc.’s acquisition of Orlando-based Lochrane Engineering,...

President of Choice One Engineering (#1 Best Firm Civil for 2016), a 37-person firm based in Sidney, Ohio. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “We have to be out there selling ourselves as much to our clients...

Handle the difficult conversations by knowing who you are, learning about other people, and knowing what’s needed to win. This time he went too far. Milo, your senior engineer, will not budge on his code...

I am becoming more and more aware – by the day – of what a problem social media addiction is for companies of all sizes and shapes. And it is a HUGE and growing problem...

The workplace is at its best when teams are as close as tribes, but the only way to get there is to retain your talent. Retention is a growing concern, fueled by lower unemployment rates...

Valuation formulas are subject to many influences, so it helps to periodically test them out to make sure they yield accurate results. Many firms in the A/E industry are attracted to using a “valuation formula”...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (May 18, 2017) – Zweig Group is proud to announce the release of the 2017 Best Firms To Work For Awards, a prestigious ranking honoring the creation of outstanding workplaces at architecture, landscape...

Marketing is the backbone of sales and business development, so be proactive and stop thinking of it as just an overhead function. I am passionate about marketing. Everyone who works with me knows it. I...

"Principals return to their firms primed for success and armed with leadership and team building strategies to share with other principals, managers and staff. " The Principals Academy is for anyone who is—or wants to...

Did you ever hire someone who didn’t work out? Someone who effectively “fired themselves” by either refusing to accept your coaching and input or recognize the signs that they were in trouble and change their...

Let's talk about project managers: The average hourly billing rate for a project manager was $144 last year. Project mangers who were working in the south central region, at fast-growth firms, or at firms of...

Sound like someone you know? "I wish I had received more business and financial training/education prior to becoming a principal." "My number one problem will be getting a proactive commitment from other principals at the...

Donald Trump has single handedly breathed life back into the “other social media app” – Twitter. The platform had gone stale. It loses money every year and had a declining user base. Cue the late-night...

We often talk about compatibility in the context of marriages. Oftentimes, when there’s incompatibility, one spouse tried to change the other. We all know how well that works out! It rarely does. If people aren’t...

Firms that prepare together find that the investment in time and resources equates to project wins and good relationships. Teaming with other AEC firms is a common strategy to win work that requires different types...

President of JLG Architects (#4 Best Firm Architecture for 2016), a 110-person, employee-owned North Dakota-based firm co-founded in 1989 by Laffen. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “We love organic growth but it’s dependent on developing internal...

The transition from boomers to millennials is going to happen anyway, so put in a good-faith effort and make it a positive experience. By 2020, 50 percent of the U.S. workforce will be millennials. In...

Your firm’s reputation can be made, or broken, on the internet. Maintain a clean online image if you want to attract and keep top talent. I’m constantly fielding questions from clients and potential clients about...

By Richard Massey Managing Editor It started with a Volkswagen, a traffic light, and a ticket in Beaverton, Oregon, back in spring 2013. Mundane enough. But enter Swedish-born Mats Jarlstrom, the Oregon State Board of...

If we want to make this world a better place to live, it’s up to us, and not elected officials, to make it happen. Leadership is the single characteristic of behavior that determines a person’s...