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By Will Swearingen | Environmental M&A is where sustainability and strategy meet, driving growth across the AEC industry.

By Kyle Ahern | The 2025 Mid-Year Compensation Update highlights key salary shifts and industry trends shaping AEC firm strategy.

By Brandon Pinkerton | People-first leadership demands balance and recognition that caring for individuals shouldn’t come at the cost of organizational purpose.

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

By Michelie Little | Saying yes to new opportunities led one engineer from design to construction – and to a more fulfilling career path.

This comprehensive resource provides detailed insight into the financial practices, challenges, and performance metrics of firms across the AEC industry, offering financial leaders an invaluable tool for assessing operations and planning for the future.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of Cedarville Engineering Group (Pottstown, PA), a civil and environmental design-build firm that delivers value through innovation.

Zweig Group, the leading provider of management consulting, research, and education for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, is proud to announce the 2025 Hot Firm List, honoring the 100 fastest-growing AEC firms in the...

By Ezequiel Tovar | You won’t live forever – but with intentional ownership transition, your firm could be immortal.

Zweig Group and Stambaugh Ness are delighted to announce plans for a joint conference focused exclusively on M&A in the AEC industry this fall. The M&A Next Symposium will be held in San Antonio, Texas,...

By Tiara Marcus | True leaders tune out the noise and let their expertise, talent, and technical understanding speak for itself.

By Kyle Ahern | The latest data reveals rising firm values, stable key metrics, and the impact of market forces on AEC valuations.

By Greg Sepeda | Success comes from creating a space where people feel comfortable asking questions, helping each other out, and wearing different hats when needed.

The 2025 calendar highlights essential deadlines for award submissions, research survey participation, and must-attend learning and networking events.

By Guy Geier | These conversations challenge conventional thinking, inspire innovation, and foster collaboration.

By Mark Zweig | Embracing curiosity, open-mindedness, and positive thinking leads to personal growth, stronger connections, and greater success in life and business.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Neumann Monson Architects (Iowa City, IA), a firm that creates exceptional spaces for living, working, learning, and playing.

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

By Chad Coldiron, Casey Shea & Stefanie Richter | High-performing firms that embrace technology solutions are seeing transformative results across their operations.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Southern Steel Engineers (Lexington, SC), a firm that provides state of the art engineering and analysis for structural steel projects.

By Leisbel Lam | Harnessing the power of a growth mindset and the S-curve of learning to transform human capital in the AEC industry.

By Liisa Andreassen | CEO of AE2S (Grand Forks, ND), a civil/environmental engineering consulting firm specializing in drinking water, wastewater, and water resources.

By Fred Smith | AI-driven conversational interfaces offer leaders instant, data-driven insights, streamlining decision-making for enhanced efficiency and profitability.

Randall Stevens is a long-time veteran in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, boasting over three decades of experience. He studied architecture but found his calling in software development, founding ArcVision in 1991 and...

By Stuart McLendon | This process improves team coherence and speed in addition to enhancing revenue per man-hour.

By Sara Parkman | The 2024 Rising Stars shed light on how the next generation of AEC professionals is driving innovation and strengthening firm culture in a rapidly changing environment.

By Kyle Ahern | Firms that adopt these competitive strategies will be better positioned to achieve sustained success.

By Earl Mott | Thoughts from both sides of this mutually beneficial relationship over the course of a career.

By Mailena Urso | Zweig Group experts will present on mergers and acquisitions, AI, compensation, and recruiting and retention at key AEC industry conferences this fall.

Zweig Group is proud to announce the release of its 2024 Recruitment & Retention Report of AEC Firms, which covers all areas of recruitment and retention from the search process, integrating a new candidate into a firm, HR...

By Mailena Urso | Business awards are an excellent way to gain recognition and highlight areas of excellence.

By Ezequiel Tovar | These are vital instruments for AEC companies to ensure smooth transitions and business continuity.

By Greg Sepeda | Seizing opportunities fosters a mindset of continuous improvement, enabling us to refine our skills and expand our horizons.

By Stuart McLendon | The professional labor gap is an opportunity to rethink, reshape, and revitalize how we work.

By Shelby Smith | Although change can begin with one person, monumental, industry-altering change must be a cohesive, collaborative team effort.

By Morgan Stinson | Failure at some level is inevitable – but how we respond to and manage that failure is what can set us apart.

By Will Swearingen | The latest data reveals increased billing rates, improved chargeability, and refined collections processes in AEC.

By Will Swearingen | Explore the latest data on compensation, perks, and key challenges shaping the industry’s ownership landscape.

This comprehensive report offers insights into fees, billing rates, chargeability/utilization rates, project contracts, and billing practices.

By Kristin Kautz | AI assistants empower personalized and effective support that will save time and money, and enhance creativity and quality.

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.

Zweig Group, the leading provider of consulting services, research, and education for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, is excited to announce it is partnering this year with School of PE on its annual Best Firms To...

By Safa Kamangar | By applying these principles, a manager can become a source of inspiration, guidance, and stability for their team members.

By Stjepan Mikulić | This approach ensures the foundation of change is built on a solid understanding of human behavior, enabling more sustainable firm-wide implementation.

By Kristin Kautz | In the rapidly evolving universe of AI, firms willing to “go big” will be at the forefront of transformation – with all of the risk and reward that implies.

By David Keith | Legacy programs reinforce a firm’s commitment to nurturing talent, fostering innovation, and preserving a dynamic, forward-thinking design culture.

Kyle Cheerangie, a department manager in South Florida, discusses the importance of gaining technical skills early in one's career, the value of mentorship, the power of continuous learning, and the challenges facing the industry, including recruitment...

By Tyler Suomala | Losing out on a bid could present you with an opportunity to turn a “not this time” into fuel for your pipeline and processes.

By Kristin Kautz | AI needs effective onboarding and subsequent guidance, patience, and education in order for it to become a productive and valued “employee.”

Zweig Group announces its 2024 ElevateHER® cohort – a special group focused on developing and disseminating pragmatic solutions to the AEC industry’s recruitment and retention crisis.

By Keith Sequeira | Those who, adapt, organize and pioneer new workflows will excel in this new era of possibilities.

By Sara Parkman | The success of any firm relies heavily on finding the right candidates, but this process can be complex and costly.

By Liisa Andreassen | Senior principal and president of 19six Architects (San Luis Obispo, CA), one of the oldest and most established architectural firms in California.

Zweig Group announces its client GMB has officially acquired Up&Up Agency.

By Keyan Zandy | Generation Z can teach older generations valuable lessons about how they think and view their work.

By Shirley Che | A spotlight on progress and valuable resources for workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Davis & Floyd, a firm with more than six decades of experience solving complex engineering, planning, and landscape architecture challenges.

Zweig Group announces the release of the highly-anticipated 2023 Information Technology Report of AEC Firms. Representing a comprehensive comparison between 2019 and 2023, this report offers a striking snapshot of the industry's technological evolution from pre-pandemic...

By Sara Parkman | Competitive employee benefits play a critical role in addressing recruiting and retention challenges in AEC.

By Mitch Fortner | As demand for our industry’s services continues to increase, the firms that listen to their employees and evolve to meet their needs will continue to grow.

By Shirley Che | ElevateHER® is identifying sustainable workforce solutions to address our industry’s recruiting and retention challenges.

By Chad Clinehens | This year’s ElevateAEC Conference is an opportunity for you to drive personal and professional growth.

By Ying Liu | Organizations must proactively develop strategies to identify and retain top talent.

By Laura Frein | Learn to appreciate each year, be proud of what you’ve accomplished so far, and be open to journey ahead.

By Will Swearingen | How does your firm’s financial performance stack up against the rest of the AEC industry?

By Todd Perry | Be wary of spreading yourself and your services too thin; your team’s productivity and your firm's profits could begin to suffer.

By Clay Worley | Don’t be paralyzed by the many workplace changes we’re experiencing; instead embrace new expectations to the benefit of your company and employees.

By Reid Poling | As much as school can and does teach you, there are some lessons that can only be  learned “on the job.”

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of CHA Consulting (Albany, NY), an innovative, full-service engineering consulting and construction management firm.

By Adrian De la Garza | In 2022, mergers and acquisitions continued to flourish as a growth strategy throughout the AEC industry.

By John Shaw | Communication and relationships are the greatest driving forces in success or failure during a change journey.

By Josh Nord | As we continue improving work-life balance, we need to keep asking how we can foster those growth opportunities that come through listening and proximity. 

By Lindsay Young | Becoming a great leader is a rewarding experience, but it takes time, training, and a lot of trial and error.

By Lauren Rhodes Martin | As natural disasters continue to increase in frequency and severity, so will the potential exposure to the design community.

By Keyan Zandy | The best way to foster a lean culture is by engaging with people, celebrating what they do well, and empowering them to be a part of the change you seek.

By Ezequiel Tovar | These continuing education opportunities offers valuable insight into what makes successful AEC firms stand out from the rest.

By Liisa Andreassen | Managing partner of SCHRADERGROUP (Philadelphia, PA), a full-service firm that creates enhanced environments for the people who use them.

By David Harvey | When well-trained staff are equipped with the skills needed to do their jobs well, everyone will reap the benefits.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Grace Hebert Curtis Architects, an architecture and interior design firm that is still experiencing substantial growth in size and reputation after more than 50 years.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of Cushing Terrell, a multidisciplinary firm that empowers creative designers to discover imaginative, responsible first-of-their-kind environments.

By Luke Carothers | It’s fitting that we seek out this highly engineered desert oasis as a place of celebration.

By Liisa Andreassen | President at Baisch Engineering (Kaukauna, WI), a consulting engineering firm that provides full-service integration engineering to industrial clients worldwide.

By Justin Smith | Explore uncharted territory for the opportunity to access a more resilient future.

By Mike Nunley | We have a responsibility to take the lessons we learned from older generations and refine them to prepare a new generation for success.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of GRAEF (Milwaukee, WI), an international multi-discipline engineering, planning, and design firm that was founded in 1961.

By Sara Parkman | This year’s cohort has picked up where previous groups left off – taking on creative ideas to solve both historic and emerging challenges.

By Joseph Lauk | Firms often have the same “ingredients” for creating great places to work. Your success really boils down to how you choose and blend these elements together.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of DRMP, Inc. (Orlando, FL), an employee-owned, multi-discipline firm that creates innovative design solutions for infrastructure development.

By Nea May Poole | Universities do their students a disservice if they leave their programs without a fundamental understanding of what the career they have chosen entails.

By Liisa Andreassen | Principal at VMDO, an architectural planning and design firm that creates community-centered environments that connect people and place through design.

By Heidi Blau | The hybrid model seems to be here to stay, but firms will need to strengthen their design, social, and professional development activities to keep their practices engaging. 

By Rick Cloutier & Kart Vaith | By formalizing a few key integration strategies, you could effectively leverage the synergy of each new acquisition leading to sales, operations, and delivery benefits.

By Andy Chavez | Who are these private equity extraterrestrials, what do they want, and how long will they be here?

By Henry Liang | Mr. Miyagi was right: Balance is key. So, make sure both sides of your work-life scale are balanced.

By Liisa Andreassen | CEO and chairman of the board at MG2 (Seattle, WA), a global architecture, design, construction, and branding studio.

By Kyle Ahern | One of Zweig Group’s landmark awards has evolved into a powerful tool that couples celebration with data-driven change.

By Matt Hoying | Getting new employees in the door is just the start – onboarding and training compel them to stay.

By Mark Zweig | If your business requires so much attention from you that you don’t have the overall quality of life you want, it’s time to do something different.

By Michael Britt | It’s important to examine how your company can maintain culture and continue strategic growth in a new work environment.

By Stephen Schwind | Employee retention is a two way street, requiring trust between both the company and the employee.

By Lucas Hayden | Unanet’s inaugural AEC benchmarking study reveals the data-management practices that separate the best firms from the rest.

By Chad Clinehens | Optimism among AEC firms is high as we look ahead to 2022 and beyond.

By Joseph Losaria | To succeed in building a new business line, you need to set your ego aside, believe in yourself, and trust your team with your vision.

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Universal Engineering Sciences (Orlando, FL), a firm that has provided essential engineering services throughout the United States for nearly six decades.

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 Liisa Andreassen | CEO and president of MKN (Arroyo Grande, CA), a firm specializing in water, wastewater, and water reuse engineering for public agencies.

By Susan Miller | Developing an internship program will build your firm’s talent pipeline and develop future leaders.

By Mike Nunley | The pandemic highlighted the importance of workday social interaction, protecting key technical staff from burnout, and using technology to engage with clients.

Chad Clinehens, president and CEO of Zweig Group, discusses the upcoming 2021 Virtual and In-Person ElevateAEC Conferences. There's something for everyone.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of Haley Ward (Bangor, ME), a 100 percent employee-owned technical consulting firm, offering a range of engineering, environmental, and surveying services.

By Tim Schroeder | By focusing on teams, you could deepen employee engagement, enhance communication, and improved your firm’s agility.

By Phil Keil | Think of strategy as a revolutionary process requiring continual iteration and agility.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of PRIME AE Group (Baltimore, MD), a firm that creates vibrant communities by connecting people and conserving culture and the environment.

By WSB | In 1959, Kennedy became the first Black woman to receive an engineering degree from a school in Texas. Here, she reflects on her more than 55 years of experience since then.

Mentors open pathways for others, and outreach is key to achieving firms’ diversity and inclusion goals.

By Lindsay Young | Making mistakes is an essential part of running a successful firm, so stop waiting around and start taking action.

By Dave Martin | To be an effective leader, you have to be authentic, acknowledge what you don’t know, and be willing to make mistakes.

By Alexandra Pollock | With the vaccine rolling out and workers trickling back into offices, we need to determine what innovations we will carry forward and how we will continue to evolve.

By Laura Rescorla | We must work intentionally to remove barriers and provide opportunities in our industry for people of all backgrounds.

By Chad Coldiron | Over the last 12 months, firms have been forced to rapidly adjust how they approach many workplace strategies – including recruitment strategies.

Zweig Group’s annual conference, Elevate AEC and the ElevateHER symposium, has gone virtual for the second year in a row, and will kick off on September 13, 2021 with new offerings, registration options, and expanded...

By Sara Parkman | President of Shive-Hattery (Cedar Rapids, IA), a multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering firm that recognizes the power of design in transforming the human experience.

By Mark Zweig | How can we each achieve the lofty and satisfying position of knowing we have made a difference through our work in this business?

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Lawrence Group (St. Louis, MO), an integrated design, development, and construction firm using the power of people with great ideas to bring clients’ dreams to life.

By Patrick Schultz | Achieve resilient, sustainable operations while navigating an unprecedented global pandemic and addressing complex disruptions.

By Stephen Lucy | In the past year, we’ve learned a great deal about how we can do better and have begun to seize opportunities created by 2020.

By Wendy Culver | ERGs to get your people involved to make changes from the heart of your organization, rather than being imposed from the top down.

President and CEO of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. (Northbrook, IL), a global firm that’s committed to helping clients solve, repair, and avoid problems in the built world.

Through collaboration, mentoring, and continued professional development, we can continue to grow and support each other, no matter what the pandemic throws at us.

Firms are discovering new ways of operating that will allow them to be more effective and efficient throughout the rest of the pandemic and after.

Tony Hans, a vice president with CMTA Consulting Engineers, talks about building science leadership, why culture is so important, and about the work that CMTA is doing around the country to create and design energy-efficient...

Chad Surprenant, chief strategy officer and board chairman of ISG, shares his journey from being one of the company's primary shareholders to creating an ESOP and enlarging the ownership of ISG to everyone at the...

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.

Partner at LERA Consulting Structural Engineers (New York, NY), a firm that has created innovative, yet constructible and economical structural designs since 1923.

Marcia Alvarado from TRC Worldwide Engineering discusses how she got into engineering, how her modeling career organically grew, and why diversity, equity, and inclusion are so important to her.

By Chad Clinehens | This is an opportunity to immerse your team in the best thought leadership and best practices in the AEC industry.

Zweig Group’s annual conference, Elevate AEC, has gone virtual and will kick off on September 30, 2020 with new offerings, registration options, and expanded networking and learning opportunities. The mission of Elevate AEC, to elevate...

Chad Clinehens, Zweig Group CEO, talks about planning the Elevate AEC Virtual Experience – one of the most engaging industry award celebrations and continuing education programs in the AEC industry.

Leaders of employee-friendly firms talk about recruiting, culture, and the importance of employee feedback.

Ownership transition can be an eight to 10 year process, so start early, educate yourself, define your goals, and keep an open dialogue with your employees.

Zweig Group has announced the winners of the 2020 Best Firms To Work For Awards, honoring the best architecture, engineering, planning, environmental and construction firms (AEC) firms to work for in North America. “With recruitment...

Engineers of the future will solve problems and meet challenges in a different way and through technology that will continue to be dynamic.

Staff training fuels a culture of continuous education, enabling your firm to stay competitive, relevant, and profitable for the long run.

It’s important to revisit your purpose and values statements from time to time to make sure they still hold true for your firm.

By Jamie Claire Kiser | Discarding an entire year’s worth of results may be an even greater barrier to future success than our current circumstances.

President and CEO of the North American operations of Mott MacDonald (Iselin, NJ), a $2 billion global management, engineering, and development firm.

“Getting on the phone and staying on the phone for a few days every week for the next couple months will be good for you.”

Exceptional brand leadership is a must for a firm to be exceptional in today’s challenging business environment.

CEO of A&E Architects (Billings, MT), a firm that believes all disciplines can live together within any given project.

Learning to learn, praising the process, and reflecting on your progress all point your mind toward the common goal of persistent development.

There's never been a more important time for awards - Deadlines extended During this time of uncertainty, providing employees and clients with a sense of stability and that business continues is critical. Celebration of achievement...

Asking questions is a critical skill if you want to understand and anticipate your clients’ needs.

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

Leaders of employee-owned firms must focus on people, transparency, and vision to achieve long-term success.

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...

“If you approach feedback from the standpoint that you are trying to help your people – even if it is negative – most will appreciate you.”

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

By Kyle Ahern | Data collected from Best Firms To Work For and Hot Firms continues to provide valuable insight into the AEC industry.

“We invite you to celebrate the industry while learning from its best-performing firms and leaders.”

Your peoples’ top priority is development. If you want to keep them, you need to identify the ideal learning and development strategy for you and your firm.

In 20 years as an in-house graphic designer, the lessons learned are simple: Serve the customer, protect the brand, meet the deadlines, and communicate with the client.

President of Ampirical (Best Firm Multi-discipline #21 for 2018), a 200-person firm on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

By Kyle Ahern | Employees at AEC firms say they need ample opportunities to learn and train. My advice is to give them what they’re asking for.

“It’s a debate that’s been ongoing for years in our industry, thanks in no small part to the popularity of Good to Great, an academic study of huge, publicly-traded corporations and other organizations.”

A good attitude and honest effort are central to California engineer’s mission to build a meaningful career.

“If we know recruiting and retention are the biggest challenges and our employees are telling us that training and development are the solution, isn’t the investment in a training program at your firm worth it?”...

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...

By Kyle Ahern | Do you want to lead a firm where people come and stay, and where employees are always striving for improvement?

We’re all busy with our personal and professional lives, but that doesn’t mean we should stop educating ourselves. I have spent a good portion of the last eight months crisscrossing the country training professionals in...

It’s not always flattering, but hearing from those you work for and with, and acting on it, is key to improving your products and services. We’ve all become accustomed to, and maybe a little weary...

COO of Aguirre & Fields, LP (Best Firm Multi-discipline #27 for 2018), a 120-person engineering firm based in Houston. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “If you haven’t started planning for ownership transition, you’re behind and you...

By Edward Friedrichs | Of all the things I can think of to recommend to fellow professionals, the top one is this: Never stop learning.

Statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials are essential, but for long-term success, you need to educate yourself outside, and after, the curriculum.

Designing for the future will require intense research, following tech trends, and thinking beyond conventional boundaries. When we moved into the 21st century just a short 18 years ago, surveyors were using the same techniques...

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,”...

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 “Early on, I paid too much attention to those who...

Here is your ZLearning Video: How YOU can become a better Financial Manager: Managing Cash Flow and Proactive Financial Management Click HERE to download your outline for this course. Please save the email that you...

Here is your ZLearning Video: How YOU can become a better Financial Manager - Accounting 101 Click HERE to download your outline for this course. Please save the email that you receive from ZLearning as...

Here is your FREE ZLearning Video: How YOU can become a better Financial Manager: Accounting from A to Z Click HERE to download your outline for this course. Please save the email that you receive...

Each week, The Zweig Letter features commentary from top-flight leaders of AEC firms. Here is a compilation of how they handle, and move beyond, failure. By The Zweig Letter Staff John Hiltz, president of OHM...

By Phil Keil | The development of high moral and ethical standards is the most important thing you can do as a leader, and it will transform your team for the good.

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...

A lot of firms say they have a great culture, but for that to be true, a firm must be intentional about implementing its core set of values. At Mead & Hunt, we say we...

Here is your ZLearning Video: How YOU can be more successful through creating better presentations Click HERE to download your outline for this course. Please save the email that you receive from ZLearning as this...

Here is your ZLearning Video: Writing better Texts, Emails, and Letters Click HERE to download your outline for this course. Please save the email that you receive from ZLearning as this will give you lifetime...

Things have gotten better in the last 10 years – probably due to the popularity of texting and emailing – but architects and engineers still have a big problem with bad writing. An old friend...

Here is your ZLearning Video: 10 Things that will actually make YOU a Better Seller Click HERE to download your outline for this course. Please save the email that you receive from ZLearning as this...

Baton Rouge firm gains footprint in New Orleans with acquisition, cites growth and innovation. A big deal in the Big Easy recently closed with Baton Rouge-based GraceHebert Architects acquiring New Orleans-based HMS Architects. Zweig Group,...

What we're up to Zweig Group has launched a customized and niche Online Continuing Education portal for technical and design professionals, accessible at www.ZweigGroup.com/Zlearning. Zlearning offers a variety of one-hour training options to help the...

Here is your ZLearning Video: 15 Things YOU can do to be a more effective PM Please save the email that you receive from ZLearning as this will give you lifetime access to the video...

Comprehensive Environmental, Inc. (Best Firm #1 Geotechnical, #3 Environmental, and #13 Civil for 2017), a Miami Lakes, FL, based 80-person engineering and contracting firm. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “I’ve never termed any event in my...

Continuing education is big business nowadays. With the advent of the smartphone and an extremely connected world, there aren't many places we can't go to learn something new – even in your PJs! At Zweig...

CEO of The Thrasher Group (Hot Firm #77 for 2016), a 350-person architecture, engineering, and survey consulting firm based in Bridgeport, West Virginia. “By definition, a good project manager is someone who delivers. Period,” says...

At all times, there can and must be all four seasons within a person and a company – tilling, planting, toil, and harvest – to create growth. The start of a new year always brings...

A Note from Melissa Swann Events Manager My first year at Zweig Group reaffirmed my faith in the power of face-to-face communications. I developed an appreciation for the profound contributions that architects, engineers and environmental...

President and CEO of VHB (Best Firm Civil #23 and Hot Firm #46 for 2017), a 1,400-person firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “Bottom line, when it’s the right move, and when...

President and CEO of VHB, (Best Firm Civil #23 and Hot Firm #46 for 2017), a 1,400-person firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “Listening, of course, is incredibly important,” Carragher says. A...

Voice activation is coming to customer relationship management, and if you adopt it, you’ll save time and succeed. We spend a lot of time talking to our gadgets these days. Whether we’re seeking directions from...

CEO and principal of PM Environmental, Inc. (Hot Firm #99 for 2016), a 145-person environmental and engineering services firm based in Lansing, Michigan. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “Recruiting due diligence is just as important as...

CEO and chairman of Mead & Hunt (#82 Hot Firm for 2017), a 592-person national firm offering services in planning, design, architecture, and engineering. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “There is something to be said for...

Bringing good people on board is one thing, retaining them is another. Make a concerted effort to keep your personnel engaged. I recently facilitated a roundtable discussion. Never mind that the table wasn’t round. It...

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...

Hot Firms show tremendous growth, and Best Firms clearly preparing for the future. By Richard Massey Managing Editor The top 25 Hot Firms this year showed the industry what it means to grow. On average,...

Hot Firms show tremendous growth, and Best Firms clearly preparing for the future. By Richard Massey Managing Editor The top 25 Hot Firms this year showed the industry what it means to grow. On average,...

Leaders of employee-friendly firms talk about how being a Best Firm affects marketing, recruiting, and team building. The Zweig Letter: How has being a Best Firm To Work For helped you recruit and retain top...

One of the best things we can do as leaders is create more leaders, but to be effective, the effort must be deliberate. It’s a rare organization that succeeds without a solid succession plan identifying...

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...

If you rely solely on what you thought you once knew to be true, you run the risk of being an obsolete relic of yesteryear. Not too long ago, when my son was a senior...

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...

Hill International cut its teeth on international public-private partnerships in Spain, and is now using that experience to excel in Turkey. By Richard Massey Managing Editor As the massive healthcare buildout in Turkey continues, Hill...

The winning percentage in the A/E industry is not that good, so it’s vital that you learn how to take a punch and get back up to fight again! You’ve probably heard the quotes about...

Many of us in the marketing clan ended up in it by accident, but in an industry that once considered us a no-no, we have chosen to stay, and to succeed. In my more than...

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...

Leader of Kansas-based civil engineering firm learned a lot during the recession, and has found a nice niche inspecting levies and dams. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent It’s about the client experience, not just the project....

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...

No two M&As are alike, and the more you know about them, the better prepared you are for the unknowns. Westwood’s long-term plan includes organic growth and the strategic procurement of companies and people that...

Today’s workforce is multigenerational, so those with experience and seniority must learn to understand, and teach, younger colleagues. I was born in 1944, a couple of years before the Baby Boom. But my values and...

Sanderson Stewart (Billings, MT), a 65-person regional community development firm, is the fifth place winner in the Special Event category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for its SSymposium event. The purpose of SSymposium...

HKS, Inc. (Dallas, TX), a 1,000-person architecture firm, is taking home third place in the Special Event category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for its JOIN US event. 2014 marked HKS’ 75th anniversary....

Maser Consulting P.A. (Red Bank, NJ), a 500-person multidiscipline engineering consulting firm, is the fourth place winner in the External Newsletter category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for its new brochure package. Due...

Strategic cooperation among competitors can result in big gains for each firm and better projects for clients. I hadn’t heard of “coopetition” – a contraction of cooperation and competition – for a while, but it...

Your job is to instill harmony between those who thrive on change and those who prefer the status quo. After working with A/E firms for about 35 years, I have come to the conclusion that...

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...

Don’t we all want to be part of an organization that we are thrilled to be a part of; that makes us proud? I often get chills when I think back on my early career...

By Debbie Frederiksen Director of Marketing Consulting, ZweigWhite During my junior year of college I took an elective business course in market research. I don’t recall exactly why I chose this class, but more than...

Press Release: June 20, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (June 20, 2011) – “Project Work Plan: The Process,” a new eLearning course from ZweigWhite, examines the various work plan options available, their significance to project managers, and...

Press Release: June 9, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (June 9, 2011) — Originally published in the May 2011 issue of Structural Engineering & Design, the continuing education course “BIM in a Cloud II: BIM and Cloud...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 19, 2011 Press Contact: Christina Zweig (479) 582-5700 direct (800) 466-6275 corporate (479) 445-7564 mobile ZweigWhite, LLC P.O. Box 1528 Fayetteville, AR 72702-1528 christinaz@zweigwhite.com www.zweigwhite.com FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (May 19, 2011) –Two...

Press Release: March 28, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (March 28, 2011) – ZweigWhite’s first course in its new Project Management eLearning Inititative—“Managing Project Communications”—recently achieved approval by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), allowing course takers...

As someone who has worked, studied, and written about this business for 28 years now, I thought today is as good as any day to share some of what I’ve learned. Here it goes: What...

It’s no wonder that contractors are getting more and more control over the building process. Contractor-led design-build’s popularity compared to designer-led design-build is just one example. There are many reasons for the decline of the...

As anyone who’s read any business books in the last decade can tell you, Jim Collins’ “Good to Great” is a classic that will be talked about for years to come. In the book, Collins...

When you look at architects, management consultants, bridge engineers, computer programmers, artists, or any other “professional” in the classic sense, there is always someone or some people who stand out as the thought leaders. They...

In tough times like those we are in right now (and they could get a lot worse), it’s easy for people to lose perspective. Little problems get blown up beyond their importance. Fear takes over....

No! I refuse to let pop culture permeate this temple of good management! It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s Jerri, Mad Dog, Kel, or Edna who gets booted off of the island. What I...

With 2001 now underway, I want to share some lessons I have learned in the last few years with our readers. These are each important issues related to your success as individuals and as firms....

In spite of my repeated attempts to educate our readers about some of the crazy things they are doing, it takes some people a long time to catch on. Here are few examples of what...

Good professionals have a lot in common— no matter what their profession. Take my six year-old’s kindergarten teacher, Ms. Donohoe. Many of the professionals working in design and environmental consulting firms could learn a thing...