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By Chad Coldiron | Like a perfect double play, high-performing AEC firms rely on preparation, trust, and flawless handoffs long before pressure arrives.

Zweig Group consultants and leaders regularly speak, teach, and participate in major industry events across the AEC community.

By Gerry Devine | Industry lines are blurring as AEC firms evolve from service providers into strategic partners guiding investment, risk, and long-term value.

By Scott Butcher | Despite capacity challenges, AEC firms still rely on seller-doers because complex projects reward expertise at the first client interaction.

By Chad Clinehens | Becoming a principal isn’t a reward for past success – it’s the start of owning responsibility for future value.

By Michael Makris & Laura Terrebonne | When promotions become the goal, firms miss the real work of building leaders, influence, and long-term engagement.

The leading source of business management insights, research, and strategies tailored specifically for leaders of AEC firms.

By Scott Butcher | AEC firms use seller-doers, business developers, or both, and the best model depends on buyer preferences and firm capabilities.

By Steve McAdams | Firms that scale successfully evolve their leadership approach, formalize operations, and stay grounded in culture.

By Caitlin Austin | Investing in AI-driven learning is not just a step forward – it’s a leap toward building a smarter, more adaptive industry.

Zweig Group, the leading provider of management consulting, research, and education for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, has released its 2025 Marketing & Business Development Report – the industry’s most comprehensive resource on how...

Zweig Group deepens its AEC industry advisory capacity with promotion of Ying Liu and Ezequiel Tovar.

By Will Swearingen | Selling your firm requires early, intentional prep to maximize valuation, avoid risks, and ensure successful transition.

By Lindsay Young | Continuous investment ensures that when the market eventually slows down, your firm remains resilient and well-positioned.

By Mark Zweig | It’s time to take a serious look at this stuff in your strategic plan and instead of fluff, focus on coming up with some substantive actions.

By Chris Aageson | How to strike a balance between being involved in important community work and pursuing opportunities in new geographic areas.

This strategic move underscores a shared commitment to ensuring a sustainable workforce and improving the human experience in AEC.

By Sara Grayum | By collaborating closely, marketing and business development can craft stories that will steer your firm toward success.

By Mike Danko | Building trust is not only good business practice but essential for the long-term growth and success of your firm.

By Andrew Cushman | Publishing an article with a client strengthens relationships, enhances visibility, and fosters long-term collaboration while showcasing project success.

By Lindsay Young | AEC firms that invest in marketing and business development enjoy higher profitability, attract aligned clients, and foster top talent.

By Ashleigh Powell | Building sustainability into an AEC firm requires passion, patience, collaboration, and a focus on business value and long-term impact.

By Jordan Wilson & Dawson Fercho | The Republican reconciliation package consolidates energy, border, and tax policies, potentially reforming Section 174.

By Lindsay Young | AEC firms should prioritize a clear marketing and business development plan to avoid distractions and strategically pursue profitable, aligned clients and markets.

By Lynn Bruns | Strategic investment in leadership development is crucial for accelerating business goals, increasing profitability, and improving recruitment and retention.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Pierce Engineers, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI), a structural engineering firm based in the Midwest, working with clients across the nation.

By Bob McGee | When employees actively promote themselves, their projects, and their expertise, they enhance their professional credibility and elevate your company’s reputation.

This refinement of our service structure is designed to streamline our offerings, providing our clients with a more efficient path to enhanced business performance and optimization.

By Anastasia Welch | Transforming team dynamics and strategies for improved leadership skills, operations, and project implementation, leading to business success.

By Kristin Kautz | Can AI consulting and development be used for state and federal R&D tax credits?

By Kraig Kern | Shift your perspective to view your marketing team as a strategic asset that constructs the very pathways through which your business grows.

By Dawn Landry | By leaning into our self-awareness to understand diverse personalities, we can transform challenges into opportunities for growth and success.

By Alan Lloyd | With the right approach, our people can develop the skills and confidence needed to excel in business development, contributing to our collective success.

By Mark Zweig | Those of us in the AEC business need to do a better job educating the general populace about the benefits of smart development.

By Donnie Gladfelter | In the AEC industry today, the most innovative organizations will not be those with the greatest capacity to learn but those with the greatest capacity to unlearn.

By Rolf Armstrong | This exercise empowers employees and provides clear direction, allowing leadership to let go and focus on success during periods of growth.

The inaugural 2024 AEC Small Business & Entrepreneurship Forum, coming to Atlanta May 21, brings together entrepreneurial AEC industry leaders to discuss the unique issues of managing and growing a business in the AEC industry.

By Mallory Lindgren | Improve your ability to solve complex problems and better support your colleagues and clients.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of WithersRavenel (Cary, NC), a multidisciplinary consulting firm serving both the private and public sectors.

By Katherine Nanowski | Understanding and participating in government affairs can play a valuable role in a company’s business development process.

In this special episode of the TZL podcast, we feature an enlightening keynote speech by Harry Clark, delivered at the Zweig Group's 2023 Elevate AEC Conference. Known for his exceptional track record as a serial...

By Lindsay Young | Business development should be a collaborative effort in AEC firms, with all employees, even technical experts, playing a role in identifying opportunities.

By Steve Hammel | Business developers play a crucial role in maintaining client relationships, resolving issues, and ensuring long-term success – even after contracts are signed.

By Tyler Suomala | Understand why and how decisions are made so you can leverage the power of the human brain to increase your value and improve your clients’ experience.

By Liisa Andreassen | Board chair and CEO of Lochner, a firm that specializes in planning, environmental, design, construction engineering and inspection, and right-of-way services.

By Shannon Koop | A well-developed business plan gives insight into growth potential, possible disruption, and resource constraints.

By Javier Suarez | Participating in more tradeshows is not necessarily the best course of action, and you probably aren’t getting the best bang for your buck if this is your strategy.

Zweig Group, a global leader in products and services for the AEC) industry, is excited to announce promotions and the addition of key personnel to its team.

By Somshekhar Kundral | Developing effective problem-framing skills can help your people think outside the box, challenge assumptions, and find innovative solutions.

This interactive tool will allow AEC firms to compare performance to peers, empowering them to take steps to strengthen DEI&B efforts.

By Miles Gullingsrud | When leaders take the time to invest in the development ambition of staff, they can create a system that supports people’s personal and professional sustainability.

By Mark Zweig | Choosing the right partners for your business, and then keeping a good relationship with them, has always been an important subject.

By Lindsay Young | Investing in marketing helps you grow, recruit employees, and gets you the projects you want to work on.

By Gregory Teague | Engaging with your community enriches company culture, employee development, and offers an inside advantage to local projects.

By Liisa Andreassen | Principal and chief engineer at Hayduk Engineering, a multidisciplinary consulting engineering firm specializing in civil and wastewater engineering.

By Dan Houf | This harmful change in tax policy is going to impact the AEC industry, and may even put many small firms out of business.

By Mark Zweig | This could greatly impact your firm’s ability to grow and adapt to a changing environment.

Zweig Group is excited to announce the addition of Keith Sequeira in the role of Director of Data Analytics, and Ying Liu in the role of Strategy Advisor, to the team.  Keith is a collaborative...

By Justin Smith | Committing to this will make your firm safer, more resistant to adversity, and change cashflow and profit for the better.

By Amber Milot | Creating a recruiting culture and focusing on retention are business savvy strategies to help your organization continue to thrive in today’s job market.

Bernhard Capital has launched a dedicated AEC platform with an investment in Zweig Group client Grace Hebert Curtis Architecture. GHC will continue to be led by CEO Jerry Hebert and its current management team, which will retain...

By Mark Zweig | Most firms in this business still struggle to get their people to do their timesheets and turn them in – but there could be a simpler way.

Zweig Group's executive search team has successfully placed Brian Myller with its client ADEC Innovations as president of its global Professional Services businesses.

By Mercedez Thompson | It’s worthwhile to continue conversations around what marketing is and is not and why it’s critical to your bottom line.

By Will Swearingen | When considering a transition, it’s important that you stay flexible and don’t wait until the end to plan your exit.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of GAI Consultants, an employee-owned planning, engineering, and environmental consulting firm that provides local expertise to worldwide clients.

By Lindsay Young | Best practices for AEC firms will continue to evolve, but firms that take steps to innovate will be the ones that succeed.

By Mark Zweig | There are so many positive aspects of this industry, and it’s important that we keep reminding ourselves and our people why this is such a great business.

By Russell Moorehead | Tips to help you get more comfortable with meeting people, building relationships, and winning work.

By Kraig Kern | Too much of a good thing can lead to a crisis for you and your staff and dissatisfaction for your clients.

By Callum Roxborough | Five ways to develop company culture and how taking these steps can improve your firm’s work environment and your business.

BY RLG | Director of business development with RLG Consulting Engineers (Dallas, TX), a firm that specializes in civil, structural, survey, and forensic engineering.

By Christina Zweig Niehues | It’s important for firms in all stages of growth to invest in marketing and continue to plan for the future.

By Christina Zweig Niehues | Firms need to devote resources toward business development and ensuring a steady stream of work for the future.

By Mark Hirschi | Mentoring remains the most effective mode of knowledge transfer from older professionals to younger generations.

By Tom Godin | Like Wheel of Fortune’s most strategic letters, there are aspects of AEC firm operations that nearly always merit attention.

By Stephanie Warino | These 10 ideas can increase engagement and create a truly effective doer-seller culture.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Lynn Engineering, a windstorm, structural, and civil engineering firm specializing in residential, commercial, and infrastructure development projects on the Texas Gulf Coast.

C&S Companies (Syracuse, NY) has acquired Rick Swisher Architect, Inc, (Winter Park, FL) a provider of architectural design services to the largest business entities in Central Florida. Link to Details VHB, (Watertown, MA) a multi-disciplined...

By Peter Atherton | Most leaders haven’t taken the time to reflect on their reasons to grow and, once understood, articulate them to others.

Develop a muscle memory around follow through and follow up to get ahead in the business development game.

By Liisa Andreassen | They are the founder and principal of McKinney York Architects (Austin, TX), a certified HUB and WBE that creates beautiful, responsible architecture in a culture of collaboration.

By Eduardo Smith | Strategic thinking enables us to enlarge the value and impact of our work, connecting it much more than a technical solution.

By Anne Melia & Nicolle Scheller | This addition allows technical staff to focus on their core functions and allows for a marketing process that is more collaborative, streamlined, and consistent.

By Adam Zach | Whether it’s by reading a book or going to a seminar, taking an active interest in your personal development could be the best thing for your career.

Janki DePalma, director of business development with Kirksey Architects, discusses listening, empathy, relationships, self-control, and what makes a great business developer.

By Lindsay Young | This is our opportunity to get creative and bring in new ideas for our firms to get work.

By Mark Zweig | It’s great to be needed, but it’s not really where you want to be. The position you should really seek to attain is to be wanted.

By Liisa Andreassen | COO of CEC Corporation (Oklahoma City, OK), a multidiscipline firm with a focus on eliminating aging infrastructure and driving community growth through innovative design.

By Leo MacLeod | Delegation is a sign of a mature leader. It allows you to focus on how you can contribute at the highest level given your experience and wisdom.

CEO and president of SEH (St. Paul, MN), a firm that’s simplifying the world’s complex challenges by designing better places, engineering clean water, and renewing infrastructure.

By Mark Zweig | Know your purpose, intent, and philosophy of business, but be willing to change if it becomes prudent to do so.

When you underestimate the proposal and fail to invest in its development, you risk losing money and wasting business development resources.

By John Bray | Bringing work to your firm right now could be the difference between coming out of the pandemic stronger on the other side or getting left behind.

We need to remain flexible for the foreseeable future as we continue to determine what is resonating with our clients.

Current world events are changing the way we value everything. This pandemic highlights the need for collaborative and equitable decision-making between leadership and staff.

Grow your firm and bolster future success by training and mentoring technical staff to participate in your firm’s sales and marketing efforts.

By Mark Zweig | “Sometimes I think it is good to reflect back on all the lessons I have learned over the years. Here are a few that stand out to me.”

There are countless ways to develop business without being a business developer, and you are most likely doing some of these things already.

The ways our businesses and facilities function in relation to employees and customers are bound to adjust due to COVID-19.

Zweig Group has updated the Impacts of COVID-19 on the AEC Industry Survey for the second half of 2020, adding new questions about PPP funding, outlook and budget forecasting, and more. After the initial success...

By Mark Zweig | Many owners fail to understand how much value they can create in their companies if they make the right decisions.

President and CEO of RJN Group (Wheaton, IL), a firm that is passionate about the environment, committed to community, and devoted to the welfare of its employees.

For many leaders, business development resides outside their core competencies and comfort zone, to their firm’s detriment.

By Eduardo Smith | It’s more important than ever to stay close to our clients, to understand their changing needs, and to help them achieve their business goals.

By Mark Zweig | What your firm becomes should be the result of a plan, of deliberate efforts. You can and should “design” your design firm.

Laura joined Hickok Cole 2017 to drive business development efforts firm-wide. Laura takes a task-oriented approach to managing Hickok Cole’s existing relationships and forging new ones. She enjoys directing and learning about the creative and...

Uncertainty in the marketplace will be with us as we move forward, but you can be successful if you adjust your game plan and expectations.

By Mark Zweig | With new cases of COVID-19 on the rise, now is not the time for complacency. Instead, it is a time for self-reflection and new action.

When firms encourage a hybrid role between business development and sales, the result is often improved collaboration throughout the firm.

By Mark Zweig | Now is a good time to take stock of the many positive aspects of our industry to help keep yourself and your employees motivated and directed in the midst of uncertainty.

By Chad Clinehens | Now could be the perfect time to give yourself and the workings of your firm some much needed attention.

For firm leadership, marketing may not always be top of mind. For your marketing staff, it is. Make sure they have a seat at the table.

In times like these, it is more important than ever to monitor your costs and develop an action plan to ensure your firm can weather the storm. There are so many fixed costs associated with...

As many are adjusting to a work-from-home environment, Zweig Group is very excited to offer new online learning options for AEC Professionals. Our highly acclaimed seminars are now available online, so you can learn from...

President and CEO of BSI Engineering (Cincinnati, OH), a consulting and process design engineering firm that’s building on the past to design the future.

“To maximize your chances for success, remember you are in the consulting business. Keep these points in mind as you guide the growth and development of your business.”

Through solid communication, planning, and leadership support from both organizations, a smooth transition is under way.

“If you have lofty ambitions for the growth of your firm, but aren’t exactly sure of what you need to do to accomplish it, here is my best advice.”

By Phil Keil | Use careful thought and consideration when defining your firm’s value, moral, and ethical framework.

“I used to be addicted to social media … So I stopped. Today, I still use social media, though only for business purposes.”

President and CEO of ARM Group (Hershey, PA), a science and engineering consulting firm where the entrepreneurial spirit thrives.

By Chad Clinehens | Use these tips to achieve long-term results in a short-term world.

Zweig Group’s 2019 Project Management Report of AEC Firms presents an in-depth look at the responses of over one-hundred project managers and firm leaders in the industry. What are they doing to optimize project delivery...

CEO of Caldwell Associates, a firm that’s not afraid to fail, and that’s strong enough to pick up and keep going.

There’s plenty of things, from the simple to the complex, that project managers can do to engage the important people in their database.

Growth and relationship management software turn marketing into the catalyst for growth: The four best practices for winning marketing teams.

President and principal-in-charge at Taylor Design, an architecture and interior design firm headquartered in Irvine, California.

“What causes AEC firms to fail? I have been a student of this business for 39 years now. Here’s what I have seen.”

The R&D tax credit is the most widely applicable and powerful tax incentive, but it’s not the only one AEC firms should take advantage of.

Use these five strategies to maximize client relationships without leaving your desk.

Getting a better handle on your data helps you identify what your firm is truly good at, and where the highest profits are.

You must constantly rethink your marketing strategy, using traditional and trending methods, if you want to be effective.

If you figure out the big question, it’ll invigorate your culture, differentiate your company, and inform everything you do in your business.

Do you want to survive the next year, the next recession, and the ongoing reset of the workplace, the marketplace, and the recruiting space?

President of PDC Engineers (Best Firm Multidiscipline #45 for 2018), a 100-person firm headquartered in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The best way to do it is one bite at a time. The same can be said of your marketing plan.

President and CEO of RLG Consulting Engineers (Best Firm Structural #13 for 2018), a Dallas-based firm in business for 65 years.

The most successful business developers spend time with their clients, so show up and give them your full attention.

If your firm uses a doer-seller business development model, empowering your team is necessary for their success and your bottom line.

In business development, many missteps can be traced back to a lack of understanding and acceptance of who we are.

President of PES Structural Engineers (Best Firm #10 Structural for 2018), a 57-person firm based in Atlanta. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “Leadership development,” Planer says, referring to his No. 1 responsibility. “We work hard to...

AEC firms struggle with it, but if a firm is to thrive in the good times and the bad, a quantifiable plan of attack is essential. Marketing, business development, and sales aren’t usually the top...

President, Choice One Engineering Corp. (Best Firm Civil #2 for 2018), a 45-person firm based in Dayton, Ohio. By Richard Massey Managing Editor “Work-life balance is a phrase thrown around a lot, but we believe...

Zweig Group, a full-service AEC management consulting firm, represented selling firm Keith & Schnars in its acquisition by Maryland-based KCI Technologies Inc. With the deal, KCI, a multi-discipline engineering firm with offices throughout the United...

“After devoting my entire career – since getting out of grad school at the ripe old age of 22 – to the AEC industry, I have had plenty of time to reflect on where we’ve...

Pre-project analysis is critical if you want strong business development through profitable projects and happy clients. And yes, it’s a process. The Gateway Engineers, Inc. is a full-service civil engineering firm with a diverse group...

President of Pond & Company, Inc. (Best Firm Multi-discipline #19 for 2018), a 550-person firm based in Atlanta with 25 offices in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Spain. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “One of the...

President of LandDesign (Best Firm Multi-discipline #30 for 2017), a 165-person landscape architecture, civil engineering, and planning firm based in Charlotte, NC. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “From the day LandDesign was founded, it was intended...

The process must be deliberate and multifaceted, but don’t forget the human touch. Be yourself and enjoy finding clients that reflect your values. Recently, I had a conversation with a very busy, newly promoted division...

Approximately 10,000 baby boomers will retire every day over the next decade. By 2030, millennials will comprise three-quarters of the U.S. workforce. A common blood sport at leadership team meetings these days begins with, “WHAT...

Firms are super busy, but that doesn’t mean all is well. How are profit margins, recruiting, and employee training holding up? The AEC industry is busier right now than it has been in a long...

Picking the ideal business partner or partners is an inexact science, but a critical one nevertheless. The subject of how people find business partners in the AEC industry is one that is rarely discussed. Usually,...

President and CEO of Larson Design Group (Best Firm #5 Geotechnical and Best Firm # 29 Multi-discipline for 2017), a 300-person firm based in Williamsport, PA. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “One person alone can’t make...

Zweig Group opens office in Dallas DALLAS – Doubling down on its commitment to client service and opportunity for its staff, full-service AEC consulting firm Zweig Group has opened an office in downtown Dallas. Set...

If your firm makes a sincere effort to learn, teach, develop, innovate, and improve, old and new hires alike will notice. As president of a 400-person design firm, one of my favorite activities is one-on-one...

Co-founder, president, and CEO of WSB (Hot Firm #34 for 2018), a 475-person full-service consulting and design firm based in Minneapolis. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “The best PMs create their own brand, supporters, and clients,”...

Tax consultancy looks at people, not just price and product, to develop new business while serving existing clients. Editor’s note: Corporate Tax Advisors, Inc. is a sponsor of the 2018 Hot Firm + A/E Industry...

CEO of Ware Malcomb (Hot Firm # 21 for 2017), a 440-person international design firm based in Irvine, California. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “Succession planning has been an important part of our culture for more...

With the promise of passion, collaboration, and positive impacts on local communities, Blueline, based in Kirkland, WA., recently announced its merger with The LA Studio, a firm based south of Seattle in Tukwila. The merger...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (June 25) – Zweig Group recently deepened its bench with the addition of Bill Fox, who brings a wealth of expertise in small-business administration, financial management, and strategic planning to the firm’s full-service...

Founder and CEO of GATE (Hot Firm #35 for 2017), a 300-plus person oil and gas engineering consulting company based in Houston. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “When clients/friends see what we post and comment to...

Successful business planning isn’t about having a crystal ball. It’s about a culture that discusses goals, actions, and results on an open and regular basis. The end of one year and the beginning of a...

UPCOMING EVENTS A seminar designed to improve the effectiveness of Project Managers Excellence in Project Management covers the critical areas every project manager in the AEC Industry should know, and is presented in tutorial and...

One of the problems pretty much everyone in the A/E business has is finding enough people who can not only do their technical or design work but also can do the “business” aspects of our...

Des Moines, Iowa (December 11, 2017) – The Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Des Moines Business Record awarded Shive-Hattery as the Best Workplace for Young Professionals. With over half of its employees under the...

The ‘next big thing’ in marketing and business development is not a piece of software, but the people behind it. I recently provided a day-long marketing and business development consultation for a very well-known niche...

Your next generation of business builders has arrived. Have you shown them the way forward with a comprehensive set of goals and expectations? What are the career paths in your firm? The next generation wants...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (July 21, 2017) – Zweig Group just released the 2017 Principals, Partners and Owners of Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Environmental Consulting Firms Survey. For nearly 30 years, Zweig Group has surveyed the industry’s...

President of WestLAND Group, Inc. (Best Firm #41 Multi-discipline and Hot Firm #45 for 2017), a full-service civil engineering and land surveying firm based in Ontario, California. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “It’s important to identify...

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...

The talent war is here. Building a bigger pipeline of leaders and doing it much earlier in their careers is critical if you want to win. We sometimes have too much tradition and are slow...

Succession planning is tough, but if you put a plan in place and are careful to re-evaluate as circumstances change, you can succeed. Every privately-held/family-owned business can bank on a change in ownership and a...

Move forward in 2017 with Zweig Group seminars across a range of essentials – business development, project management, marketing, and more. For a short while during my undergraduate years, I majored in management. After a...

In our brand new podcast format, we interview Mark Zweig, CEO of Zweig Group about an article he recently wrote in The Zweig Letter about improving your business development skills in the AEC space "Becoming...

Zweig Group just released the 2016 Principals, Partners and Owners of Architectural, Engineering, Planning and Environmental Consulting Firms Survey. Over the past 30 years, this publication has picked the brains of some of the industry’s...

Your ability to sell work is probably the most crucial skill you can have IF you really want to maximize your opportunities in the AEC world we all live in. Here are a few pointers...

Being a great architect or engineer is not enough. To truly flourish, you have to have an intimate knowledge of what makes your clients tick. Your knowledge of architecture, design, engineering, and building codes, your...

Creating a hybrid seller-doer team comprised of business development people and technical experts is a good way to win new work. As few as 25 years ago, our industry relied almost exclusively on relationships as...

In the AEC marketing world, proposals are usually treated as business as usual, but I believe we need to make them personal. I will be celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary on June 1, 2016, (I...

By Mark Zweig | If you’re hiring people without these traits you’re doing a disservice to your firm.

Make your firm more valuable by making yourself irrelevant and surrounding yourself with leaders. Firms that command high market premiums are ones in which the owners are, in many ways, always seeking to become less...

FAYETTEVILLE, AR (December 22, 2015) – Zweig Group congratulates Westwood Professional Services on their acquisition of Pogue Engineering and Development Company of McKinney Texas. Zweig Group has provided ongoing consulting services to Westwood Professional Services...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ar. October 30, 2015– On November 15, Zweig Group releases the latest Project Management Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning, and Environmental Consulting Firms, which contains an expanded look at project management trends. “In every...

Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd. (Vancouver, BC) – a 500-person international engineering, geoscience, and environmental consulting firm – is taking home second place in the Internal Marketing category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for...

Marketing is the area of your business intended for giving to others. I was on-site with a client recently and we were discussing a business development strategy for their new planning group. One of the...

An ode to the A/E profession, from Mark Zweig. Being in the construction and development business through Mark Zweig, Inc., and getting exposure to many other businesses and industries as a professor teaching entrepreneurship at...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 18, 2014) – Zweig Group is excited to announce that Randy Wilburn is re-joining the firm to help grow the executive search division. Wilburn, who first worked for Zweig Group in the...

Mark Zweig lists some things he has learned about the A/E/P and environmental business over three decades. The end of August marked 34 full years working in the A/E/P and environmental consulting business. I have...

They sell themselves into the job but do little else, Mark Zweig writes. We have a big problem in the A/E/P industry. As good as most of our people are, after 34 years of working...

Technical professionals are affected by failure too. Mark Zweig offers four examples. Many people think engineers and architects don’t really care about whether or not the company they work for is profitable. “They just want...

This article first appeared in The Zweig Letter (ISSN 1068-1310) Issue # 999 Originally published 3/18/2013 The pillars of a successful company can be distilled into two words. A client recently asked me to make...

This article first appeared in The Zweig Letter (ISSN 1068-1310) Issue # 996 Originally published 2/25/2013 Mark Zweig offers six suggestions on how to pick the right people and nurture them. But act with care....

This article first appeared in The Zweig Letter (ISSN 1068-1310) Issue # 990 Originally published 1/14/2013 (Doing the same thing but expecting a different result.) I just got asked why I came back to ZweigWhite...

This article first appeared in The Zweig Letter (ISSN 1068-1310) Issue # 985` Originally published 12/3/2012 Mark Zweig enumerates a series of actions and credos that will help you maximize your potential. Think whatever you...

This time of the year is marked by a frenzy of activity, both professionally and personally. The thoughts we had in September and October of looking to a new year with renewed enthusiasm and at...

Press Release: July 5, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (July 5, 2011) –A large number of A/E/P and environmental firms have made the decision to leave “survival mode,” but how to increase sales and grow is a...

Press Release: March 15, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (March 15, 2011) — Seasoned marketing professional Debbie Frederiksen has joined ZweigWhite as Director of Marketing Consulting Services, boosting the firm’s stable of expanding consulting services to architecture,...

Debbie Frederiksen | Marketing Consultant | ZweigWhite Consulting Debbie Frederiksen’s career spans 17 years in the architecture / engineering / planning industry. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, she worked for a 10-person firm...

Press Release: December 22, 2010 New Management How-To Book Helps Every Business Manager. Management From A to Zweig, Revised Edition, is the one book to own if you are serious about your firm’s success. Want...

One of the primary challenges following a merger or acquisition in the architecture and engineering industry is the integration of financial systems. It’s an extremely complex process, says Bernard Freiheit, director of financial development and...

Selling is what everyone in the A/E or environmental business WANTS to do right now. I mean really— who doesn’t need more work? That said, selling is something that most firms don’t talk about much...

There are no easy businesses in this economy. And if you think there are— still— watch out. You’ll probably learn soon that I am right about this one. Everyone— no matter what they do— has...

I was in a board meeting recently with a quality, old-line engineering/architecture/consulting firm where one of the primary topics was business development. We spent several hours talking about it and how they are changing their...

For my kickoff presentation at our eighth annual The Zweig Letter Hot Firm Conference and Awards Celebration in Boston last month, I decided to talk about the differences in entrepreneurial A/E/P firms from those that...

For years, we told principals of architecture, engineering, and planning firms that they should have a mission defining what their firms were all about. The question of “why are you in business?” is fundamental, we...

Just about everyone in the A/E or environmental business thinks that they have strategies. I don’t think many really do because most people don’t even know what strategies are. “Strategies” are philosophies— your core philosophies...

I recently accepted a more permanent position at The Walton College of Business, part of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. My role is teaching entrepreneurship classes to undergraduates, as well as promoting our entrepreneurship...

The folks at Deltek Systems, Inc. (Herndon, VA) have always claimed their market for software and consulting services was “project-driven businesses.” The truth is, the first time I heard that, I was skeptical. I wasn’t...

We are now in our 17th year of working with A/E/P and environmental firms of all types and sizes around the world. And, over that time, we have seen literally thousands of different companies’ business...

I was talking with a client of ours the other day— a very successful founder and CEO of a mid-sized engineering, planning, and surveying firm. I asked him the typical pleasantries such as, “How are...

Schweitzer, Rosenblatt, Tunick, and McBlarsky had just ended one heck of a run. The 250-person E/A firm had grown from 40 people to 250 over the past five years. And while it was undeniably exciting,...

Is all business planning necessarily strategic planning? That was the topic of a lively discussion among some of our most successful management consulting folks a few weeks back— whether or not to lump all business...

I would say that most readers of The Zweig Letter work in firms that export themselves beyond their immediate local area. Although not everyone gets on a plane every week, some travel is required to...

I CAN ADMIT IT. I haven’t always been entirely charitable to business development people in A/E/P and environmental firms. I’ve met too many of them who were too good on the golf course, too quick...

“Leadership development” for our industry too often translates into another boring all-day seminar on liability reduction, or a weekend retreat with a soft-spoken consultant who walks us through “team building” exercises. We say we want...

Now is the time of year that many A/E/P and environmental firms are taking a look at what’s to come and what needs to be done in the year ahead. Budgets are being set, goals...

Ask anyone who has risen to the top of a consulting engineering, A/E, or environmental consulting firm where are the greatest weaknesses in their staff, and they will almost always say it’s in their “soft”...

After countless management consulting assignments involving turnarounds and strategic business planning for A/E and environmental consulting firms, it has only recently become clear to me why so many companies in this business don’t believe in...