Search results

By Matt Cooper | The gap between struggling and high-performing AEC firms often comes down to seven operational levers leaders can control.

  August 3 – DLR Group (Omaha, NE), an integrated design firm, acquired McFarlane Architects (San Diego, CA), an architecture, planning, and interior design firm serving science, technology, and advanced manufacturing environments. The acquisition strengthens DLR Group’s expertise in complex technical facilities. [More information] ...

Zweig Group and Stambaugh Ness leverage deep AEC market intelligence to unite a premier San Diego life sciences firm with a national employee-owned design leader.

By Morgan Stinson | AI disruption is real, but people still bring the judgment and connection technology cannot replicate.

  July 1 – Atwell (Southfield, MI), an engineering, planning, and consulting firm, acquired NEI Electric Power Engineering (Lakewood, CO), a transmission, substation, and power systems engineering firm. The acquisition creates an integrated platform focused on critical power and...

By Jeremy Zick | The smartest AEC firms are treating nearshoring as a compensation strategy, not simply a way to cut costs.

By Mark Zweig | Future AEC leaders are built when firms stop guarding the numbers and start teaching people how business works.

By Sarah Kinard | Market shifts are inevitable, but firms that recognize them early can turn disruption into opportunity.

Zweig Group has released the 2026 Financial Performance Report of AEC Firms, one of the industry's most comprehensive resources for benchmarking financial performance, operational efficiency, and firm health.

By Jennifer Knox | A clear KPI framework helps AEC leaders cut through complexity and focus on the metrics that move the business.

By Marla Miller | AEC firms may be leaving R&D tax credits untapped simply because they do not recognize the innovation already happening in their work.

  Zweig Group is the leading advisory firm for the AEC industry, providing expert guidance across the entire M&A lifecycle. With deep industry knowledge and decades of experience, we help firms navigate transactions, maximize value,...

By Mark Zweig | AEC firms that want better marketing need to sound more human, move faster, and stop hiding behind safe, forgettable messaging.

Zweig Group is the leading advisory firm for the AEC industry, providing expert guidance across the entire M&A lifecycle. With deep industry knowledge and decades of experience, we help firms navigate transactions, maximize value, and...

By Kraig Kern | AEC firms excel at solving known problems, but creativity is what reveals the opportunities and risks no one sees.

By Kyle Ahern | Employee survey data reveals the hidden drivers of culture, retention, and performance in AEC firms.

By Mark Zweig | Long-term firm owners stay motivated by evolving the business, mentoring emerging leaders, and staying close to the action.

By Stuart McLendon | When economic data grows less reliable, long-term AEC planning becomes a far riskier bet.

By Daryl Simons Jr. | If your retention strategy relies on appreciation events instead of competitive pay, you are already losing talent.

By Mark Zweig | Annual performance reviews fail AEC firms because real leadership requires continuous feedback, not once-a-year management theater.

By Mark Zweig | Better project management isn’t about new systems, it’s about disciplined leadership, clear decisions, and relentless execution of fundamentals.

By Kristi Weierbach | Discretionary versus non-discretionary bonuses can quietly impact compliance, overtime costs, and overhead rates more than many AEC leaders realize.

By Nam Douglass | Operational lessons and compliance priorities for AEC firms in 2026.

By Kyle Ahern | Outdated pay benchmarks are quietly undermining retention and credibility in today’s AEC compensation decisions.

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

By Jeremy Clarke | Micromanagement is hated, but accountability often wears that label when underperformance finally meets real leadership attention.

Zweig Group has released the newly updated Business Operations Benchmarking Tool, a powerful resource designed to help firm leaders evaluate, optimize, and defend their operational decisions with confidence.

  Zweig Group is the leading advisory firm for the AEC industry, providing expert guidance across the entire M&A lifecycle. With deep industry knowledge and decades of experience, we help firms navigate transactions, maximize value,...

By Nam Douglass | Businesses across the U.S. face increased federal scrutiny, making proactive workforce compliance essential to mitigate risk and avoid costly penalties.

By Robert Jones | Understanding the difference between FAR overhead audits and compilations helps AEC firms secure DOT contracts and avoid costly setbacks.

By Ying Liu | These three common leadership personas quietly sabotage strategy execution.

Zweig Group, the leading provider of management consulting, research, and education for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, has released its 2025 Recruitment & Retention Report of AEC Firms, offering a comprehensive look at the...

August 1 – LJA Engineering (Houston, TX), an employee-owned engineering firm, acquired G&R Surveying (Austin, TX), a land and civil construction surveying services firm. [More information]  August 1 – HFA (Bentonville, AR), an architecture and...

At this year’s Design for Freedom Summit, held at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut, leaders from across the architecture, construction, and advocacy communities gathered to confront one of the industry’s most pressing ethical imperatives: eliminating...

By Dathan Gaskill | Fractional CFOs offer flexible, expert financial guidance to help AEC firms grow, reduce risk, and improve efficiency.

By Mark Zweig | Stop measuring success by utilization – revenue factor reveals what really drives profit in architecture and engineering firms.

By Nam Douglass | Firms that critically consider how best to leverage this tool today are better positioned to win the projects of tomorrow.

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 Morgan Stinson | Attracting and retaining top talent in the AEC industry requires adapting to what employees value today.

By Javier Suarez | Companies should focus first and foremost on “doing” and then worry about “saying” what they are doing.

By Stuart McLendon | In uncertain waters, let strong financial leadership be your north star.

By Mark Zweig | 2025 offers opportunities for AEC firms to thrive through responsiveness, strategic metrics, strong banking ties, and workplace honesty.

By Emily Gaines | The words and numbers used to describe design concept, building component, and client goal form a dataset that guides decisions and improves project success.

By Kristin Kautz | AI adoption empowers firms to unleash their human potential to solve problems that matter.

By Travis White | The rise of nearshoring can reduce costs, address talent shortages, and enhance growth opportunities for AEC firms.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team...

    Domestic Transactions: 9/2/2024Civil engineering firm, Northern Engineering & Consulting (Bemidji, MN), providing land surveying, right-of-way design, GIS, site development, water, and sewer design services, joined industry leader, IMEG Corp. (Rock Island, IL) (ENR #52). Read More.   9/3/2024CLEAResult (Austin,...

      Domestic Transactions: 8/1/2024Kimley-Horn (Raleigh, NC) (ENR #10), a leading planning and design consulting firm, joined forces with A.D. Engineering (Chattanooga, TN), a firm with expertise in planning, site layout, grading, stormwater design, water system design,...

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

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team...

In this engaging episode of The Zweig Letter Podcast, host Randy Wilburn delves into the ever-evolving world of recruitment and retention within the design industry. Joined by Jeremy Clarke, Director of Recruiting and Retention at...

By Mark Zweig | Entrepreneurship is all about seeing and doing things differently from everyone else, so maybe you should be more questioning of the status quo.

The AEC industry’s comprehensive, data-based resource on financial performance, departments, challenges, methodology, and practices now available in Zweig Group’s online shop

Zweig Group is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Best Firms To Work For Award, which honors outstanding workplaces at AEC industry firms.

By Leisbel Lam | Having a service recovery mindset in your projects is essential in order to keep your organization’s sustained competitive advantage.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory...

Zweig Group announces the release of its 2024 Principals, Partners & Owners Report of AEC Firms. This comprehensive report contains information on the ownership agreements, responsibilities, compensation, billing rates, chargeability, work habits, and challenges of AEC firm...

By Stuart McLendon | Facing a talent shortage exacerbated by baby boomers’ exodus from the workforce, AEC firms must innovate to succeed.

By Adrian De la Garza | CEO of UES, an industry leader with more than six decades of experience in geotechnical engineering, materials testing, environmental consulting, and more.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here.   Domestic...

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 Will Swearingen, Kevin Johns & Alexis Martin | Finding extra deductions or credits will serve you now and when the time comes to transfer ownership.

By Mark Zweig | Open-book management is about sharing financial performance data with employees to foster trust, educate, and improve the firm’s overall performance.

By Travis White | If you want your firm to be an early adopter, you must be aware of this new technology and be willing to adapt.

Zweig Group client McCoy Collaborative Preservation Architecture has joined TreanorHL’s Historic Preservation studio.

By Wesley Jones | Empowering diverse groups within your organization is paramount to understanding your employees, your clients, and the industries you serve.

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 Jared Maxwell & Cady Sinks | AEC firms are navigating more complex risks and an evolving market for professional liability insurance.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and partner at Hoefer Welker (Kansas City, MO), an interdisciplinary architecture, planning, and interior design firm.

By Alec Russell | The Zweig Index reports on 11 of the AEC industry's leading firms on a monthly basis. This installment details the financial standing of Bowman.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry, advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here.   Domestic...

By Adrian De la Garza | Insights and considerations that can help you decide if you’re ready to buy another firm.

Zweig Group is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 Best Firms To Work For Awards, which honor outstanding workplaces AEC firms.

By Liisa Andreassen | Founder of Indigo River (Nyack, NY), a certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise committed to helping our society evolve together with our environment.

  Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry, advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here.  ...

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 Mike Woeber | What really changed with the federal research and development credit for 2022 tax purposes.

By Kevin Johns | In order to remain competitive, AEC firms need to understand and embrace new technology.

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of McFarlane Architects, a dynamic architectural, planning, and interior design firm that provides innovative design solutions to its clients.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry, advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here.   Domestic...

By Andy Chavez | The Zweig Index reports on 11 of the AEC industry’s leading firms on a monthly basis. This installment details the financial standing of AECOM.

By Andy Chavez | The new and improved Zweig Index will report on 11 of the AEC industry’s leading firms on a monthly basis. This installment details the financial standing of Atlas Technical Consulting (ATCX) as of...

By Mark Zweig | When used consistently, this strategy will allow you to grow faster, raise fees, shed bad clients, and ramp up your pipeline of job candidates.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry, advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here.   Domestic...

Zweig Group has released its 2023 Salary Report for AEC Firms for all regions of the United States. These reports are based on a comprehensive salary survey of hundreds of industry individuals and firms.

Our team of M&A advisors are industry leaders. We seek high-caliber, experienced M&A advisors and corporate executives with unique talents and perspectives who are driven to find solutions for business owners’ strategic and capital challenges.

  Domestic Transactions: 11/8/2022 Full-service, multidisciplinary consulting firm LJA Engineering (Houston, TX) acquired multidisciplinary engineering and surveying company Alliance Engineering & Planning (Alpharetta, GA). Link to Details.   11/9/2022 Pennoni (Philadelphia, PA, a multidisciplinary consultancy, acquired civil engineering and land surveying firm CH...

By Liisa Andreassen | Project director at OBMI (Miami, FL), a leading global master planning, architecture, and design firm that has been creating timeless spaces for 85 years.

Domestic Transactions: 10/3/2022 Civil engineering firm VHB (Watertown, MA) acquired landscape architecture firm HG Design Studio (Richmond, VA). Link to Details.   10/3/2022 Kimley-Horn (Raleigh, NC), a planning and design consulting firm, acquired full-service structural design and consulting firm Pangolin Structural (Phoenix, AZ). Link...

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.

Zweig Group is pleased to release the 2022 Marketing Report of AEC Firms. This publication is a source of information for firms that want to better understand the ever-changing marketing landscape of the architecture, engineering,...

By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of DOWL, LLC, a firm that offers a wide range of engineering services to public and private clients, from the Arctic Ocean to the Rio Grande.

By Keyan Zandy | The disruptions we’re facing today are forcing us to get creative and evolve the ways we think and work. New opportunities are in reach if we stretch for them together.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry, advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here.   Domestic...

By Mark Zweig | Try to keep calm, be positive, and don’t listen to pundits’ predictions about the economy.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here.   Domestic...

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Mancini Duffy, a national design firm based in NYC with a 100-year-old history and tech-forward approach specializing in architecture, planning, and interior design.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here. Domestic Transactions:...

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Martin/Martin (Denver, CO), a full-service civil and structural engineering and surveying firm founded in the 1940s.

By RLG Consulting Engineers | Principal at RLG Consulting Engineers (Dallas, TX), a firm that specializes in civil, structural, survey, and forensic engineering.

By Josh Blair | This intriguing and fulfilling career path leads to new experiences, new opportunities, and new ways to expand your skills every day.

By Andy Chavez | What characteristics are highly desirable to buyers in the AEC industry right now?

By Keyan Zandy | Disruption drives innovation, and these challenges will help us to be leaner in our business and develop more creative and collaborative ways to build.

By Liisa Andreassen | CEO of LaBella Associates (Rochester, NY), a firm with diverse service offerings that can address any aspect of the built or natural environment.

By Christina Zweig Niehues | We’re about to be short on leaders in AEC industry firms. It’s time to act now before it’s too late.

By Mark Zweig | Here’s what you really need to do to get more job candidates for any opening you have, increase your job offer acceptance rate, and speed up the hiring process.

Zweig Group is the leading AEC Industry advisory service provider. We blend industry and sector knowledge with experience across the M&A lifecycle to help you capture value for shareholders. Reach our Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory team here. - Domestic...

By Liisa Andreassen | Managing partner of Svigals + Partners (New Haven, CT), an architecture and art firm that helps communities thrive by creating environments that build upon who they are.

By Kevin Johns | These five financial considerations are just a few of the measures that successful AEC firms put in place to build long-term organizational health.

Domestic Transactions: ESOP engineering, consulting and construction firm, KCI (Sparks, MD) has announced the acquisition of Civil Engineering Consultants (CEC) (San Antnio, TX). CEC is a wide-ranging civil engineering, construction management and surveying firm, whose capabilities will complement KCI's...

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 Phil Keil | There is a bridge to opportunity that can lead us to a landscape where the change we seek is possible.

By Roger Marquis | What is a self-perform general contractor and why should your firm consider working with one?

Domestic Transactions: Burgess & Niple (Columbus, OH) has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase CMA Engineering, Inc. (Austin, TX). CMA provides land development and civil engineering services focused on utility design in the central...

By Chad Coldiron | Whatever your role is at work or in life, showing others respect is always a good way to build a great relationship.

By Liisa Andreassen | Chairman and CEO of Landry/French (Scarborough, ME), a 100 percent employee-owned commercial construction company.

By Jamie Claire Kiser | It’s time to reevaluate every penny of our cost structures and ensure that our investments are going to our workforce.

By Sara Parkman | They are the senior principal and president of Genesis (Blue Bell, PA), a full service firm that delivers facilities for life-saving therapies.

By Mark Zweig | Not only do you need to monitor and report on the right performance metrics for your firm, but you also have to explain what these numbers mean to your people.

By Liisa Andreassen | President at FitzGerald (Chicago, IL), a nationally recognized architecture firm with roots dating back more than 100 years.

By Mark Zweig | Stop lamenting the labor shortage and start doing what you should to find and keep the very best people in spite of it.

Facility planning, design, construction management and commissioning firm, Salas O'Brien, (Santa Ana, CA) has acquired PCI Skanska (Evansville, IN) from Skanska USA. The acquisition of PCI Skanska adds an engineering team focused on power and...

By Jake Voorhees | Whether it be remote flexibility considerations, how firms make strategic growth decisions, or hiring tactics in general, engineering workplace culture is changed forever.

SWCA Environmental Consultants (Phoenix, AZ) has acquired Sycamore Environmental Consultants, (Sacramento, CA) an environmental consulting services, compliance and permitting firm. Sycamore provides environmental permitting support to the public and private sectors and specializes in public...

By Keyan Zandy | Many firms have been slow to engage in conversations with their employees about mental health. It’s time to make a change.

Zweig Group is excited to announce the addition of Shirley Che to the team in the role of Marketing Manager. Shirley is a data-oriented creative with a passion for connecting communities to resources. She holds...

By Liisa Andreassen | President of Fishbeck (Grand Rapids, MI), a firm of engineers, scientists, architects, and constructors in the business of problem solving, inspiring results, and bringing ideas to life.

By John Bray | Approachable steps you can take to prepare for a potential acquisition down the road, and why it’s never a bad idea to take them.

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.

By Mark Zweig | When times get tough, you have two choices: You can cut expenses and eliminate all investments, or you can double down on making improvements in your business.

By Jamie Claire Kiser | Companies are adopting fluid work from home policies and people have begun migrating away from dense cities.

By Mark Zweig | Best practices may be safe, but they won’t differentiate your firm. Make these changes and your firm will stand out.

Managing principal at Inventure Design (Houston, TX), a firm that transforms the client experience in design and architecture by creating smart, human-centered spaces.

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

Lean methodologies can truly move the needle in an industry beleaguered by workforce shortages and increasingly pressed for our most valuable commodity – time.

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.

Baby boomers and millennials may use different leadership styles and cope differently in business and in life, but the interaction of both can deliver some key benefits.

By Eduardo Smith | Company culture, employee engagement, and morale are often the differentiators between common and great companies.

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

Dillon Consulting (Toronto, Canada) acquired F.C. O’Neill, Scriven & Associates (Halifax, Canada), a Nova Scotia based consulting engineering and design firm that specializes in mechanical & electrical building sciences and fire protection engineering. Link to...

Structural engineering firm Parrish Hansen Structural Engineers (Clovis, CA) joined Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group (Fresno, CA), a firm that offers civil and agricultural engineering, environmental engineering, hydrogeology, planning, and construction management services. Link to...

Former president of CobbFendley (Houston, TX), a 530-person firm that is committed to providing innovative engineering solutions with the goal of bettering communities.

Architecture and structural engineering firm Lionakis (Sacramento, CA) acquired Lundstrom & Associates (Irvine, CA), an architecture firm which specializes in laboratory design for clients within the science, technology, and education markets. Link to details J-U-B...

By John Bray | The value you will add and the time you will save is worth the cost almost every single time.

Marketing spending has climbed to an all time high, according to Zweig Group’s 2019 Marketing Survey.

Embrace change, take chances, and continually innovate to make sure your firm stays ahead on the innovation continuum.

Texas-based architectural design firms Archon Architecture (San Antonio, TX) and Archon Design Build (San Antonio, TX) announced their merger and rebranding as DALLENBACH-COLE. Link to details EA and environmental firm Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber...

Considering a design project in the fledgling cannabis industry? Make sure your professional liability coverage won’t go up in smoke.

Intertwined programs achieving greater diversity and transparency for TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc.

Parsons Corporation (Centreville, VA) entered into an agreement to acquire QRC Technologies (Fredericksburg, VA) from private equity firm DC Capital Partners (Alexandria, VA) for $215 million in cash. Link to details EN Engineering (Warrenville, IL),...

Taylor Dayton, EIT, is a project engineer at Aspect Consulting’s office in Wenatchee, Washington.

President of JBCI, a small, but venerable, repair and restoration firm based in Philadelphia.

Many of the design activities performed by architecture and engineering firms on a day-to-day basis can qualify for R&D and related incentives.

CEO of TLC Engineering Solutions, an Orlando, Florida-based firm pushing its way into the future.

“We need everyone’s talents. And we especially need those with a tremendous amount of experience, contacts, and proven skills.”

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

Survey data from Zweig Group’s 2019 Financial Performance Survey of AEC Firms indicates strong financial performance industry-wide.

Recent data indicates strong financial performance industry-wide Zweig Group’s annual Financial Performance Survey of AEC Firms, released on April 4, 2019, identified a strong positive trend in multiple key financial indicators, including profit, revenue, staff...

If you want to run a successful firm, there are employees you just have to keep. But in other instances, turnover can be a good thing.

“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?”...

Innovation demands that we think, struggle, act, and sometimes fail. A tough slog, but it has to be done. It’s a balancing act to fit innovation into the daily practice of the AEC industry. Whether...

What engineers need to know (but often don’t) about this critical financial tool and how it can help a firm succeed. At JBCI, one of our guiding principles is transparency. We embrace sharing relevant financial...

Giving your clients a say in the layout of their new healthcare space will improve that client’s processes, enhancing overall flow. Why is LEAN-based space planning so important in healthcare facilities? It’s a simple answer:...

By Christina Zweig Niehues | A larger client database, higher shortlist rates, and measurable metrics. Yes, marketing is expensive, but it’s a good place to spend a bit of gold.

Sharing something personal about your history is a great way to connect with a selection panel – and, of course, to win work. Making a strong first impression and connecting with the selection panel are...

Tribes provide compelling places for support, validation, and direction, but tribalism cannot be allowed to thwart a firm’s success. I chose psychology as a major in college because I thought it would help me understand...

Managing principal and president of HED, Inc. (Hot Firm #34 for 2017), a 350-person design firm with offices in Illinois, Michigan, and California. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “Small changes often lead to significant results,” says...

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...

Attention to performance metrics can enhance business value, so you might try using a few new financial ratios in your spreadsheets. For those of you involved with firm financial management, you expect to regularly review...

When it comes to our projects, we need to know as much as we can to ensure we stay on track for our firm and our clients. There’s a fine line between what we know...

President and CEO of BSB Design (#87 Hot Firm for 2017), a 180-person architectural design and development firm based in Des Moines, Iowa. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “My advice is to get on it!” says...

The last few weeks have been pretty rough. A nice young fellow who cleaned my antique cars was killed in a New Year’s Eve altercation with a gun-wielding criminal. Several of my friends and acquaintances,...

Getting the information you need on how to run your business in a timely manner is an absolute requirement for survival and success in the A/E business today. As business owners this has to be...

We all need a lengthy, unadulterated turning-off of our brains. How do you start? Try taking a break from the lifelong grind. Sabbatical – rooted in the Greek word sabbatikos – the word speaks to...

Architects and engineers – well, anyone for that matter – who own their own business are bound to get unsolicited (or requested!) advice from time-to-time. While some of that advice may be good, a lot...

President of Wakefield Beasley & Associates (Hot Firm #14 for 2016), a 165-person architectural design firm based in Alpharetta, Georgia. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “We are a fast-paced, high-performance company, and underperformers are detrimental to...

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...

Senior employees are outperformed by their subordinates all the time. Use metrics to reward the doers and identify the dead weight. The subject of compensation is a challenging and emotionally-charged issue. It affects all of...

While the lure of them is understandable, there are probably better, more human ways of evaluating candidates before you hire them. Some people are enamored with personality tests. But despite their popularity in certain circles,...

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...

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...

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...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (May 1, 2017) –Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) Expands into Rocky Mountain Region through Denver’s Burkettdesign Milwaukee-based Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), a leading architecture and design firm that has more than 180 employees in...

Milwaukee-based Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), a leading architecture and design firm that has more than 200 employees in three offices in Wisconsin and Iowa, today announced that it has expanded into the Rocky Mountain region...

CEO and founder of Comprehensive Environmental Inc. (Best Firm #3 Environmental for 2016), a 30-person firm headquartered in Marlborough, MA. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent A cornerstone of great project management? “Be available,” Pannetier says. A...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (April 14, 2017) –Zweig Group recently released the 2017 Financial Performance Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Environmental Consulting Firms. This annual publication is based on a survey of industry firms, and is...

CEO of HGA (a multiple Hot Firm award winner), a national, 750-person integrated architecture, engineering, and planning firm based in Minneapolis. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “Our most successful proposals help the client visualize the journey...

In spite of an incredibly healthy economy and high demand for AEC services throughout the land, there are still individual companies out there that are struggling financially for one reason or another. And inevitably, since...

President and CEO of Jones|Carter (Best Firm Multidiscipline #17 and Hot Firm #18 for 2016), a 465-person engineering firm based in Houston, Texas. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “The board must conduct itself as a board...

CEO of Wantman Group, Inc. (#5 Hot Firm and #19 Best Firm Multidiscipline for 2016), a 310-person engineering consulting firm based in West Palm Beach, Florida. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent “The easiest work is repeat...

“It is widely-recognized that "The Age of Easy Oil" is over, and companies are entering more inhospitable environments – both politically and geologically-speaking - than ever before in the quest for the Black Gold.” Sed...

A revamp of global bank capital standards is on hold during the change of administration in Washington, with U.S. and European Union negotiators locked in a “fundamental disagreement” over how to stop banks gaming the...

“At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt...

“At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt...

“Digital transformation deserves better than a buzzword and a marketing concept.” Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et...

“At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt...

1. The competition for skilled labor will increase. This will lead to more employee turnover, higher wages, and an uptick in inflation. The unemployment rate will remain near 5 percent nationally, but the number of...

Office amenities are shifting from a focus on whimsy to a focus on meaning, and that adds up to improved productivity and increased profitability. As someone who designs workplace environments, it’s fascinating to participate in...

1. M&A activity will increase. The majority of firms with more than 50 people are looking to buy or sell. This is crazy! According to Zweig Group's 2016 Merger & Acquisition Survey, 62 percent of...

Cincinnati CEO usually operates at about 150 miles per hour, but from time to time he puts on the brakes. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent When it comes to leading, David Arends, CEO of CR Architecture...

We’re down to the fourth quarter. It’s either been your best year ever – in which case you want it to end up as such – or it hasn’t been – and you have to...

When does travel time become paid time? If you don’t know the answer, you might need to check in with the U.S. Department of Labor and dust off your policy manual. It is alarming to...

A visionary rather than a command-and-control type of leader, Mike Sanderson has a musical side to him that some might find surprising. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent He doesn’t like the word “client.” He prefers “customer.”...

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...

Lonnie Laffen, CEO of JLG Architects, is a Bison who likes burgers and fries, a big motor bike, but not politics. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent Twenty-seven years ago, Lonnie Laffen, president and CEO of JLG...

Did your interns live the dream? If so, great, but if not, it might be time to retool your program by taking these six simple steps. As a communications major with an interest in broadcast...

Much like a “perfect” farmer, marketing professionals must take charge of each step of the growing (submittal) process, or else risk disaster. Dedication, hard work, persistence, and pride are some of the most commonly used...

The exclusive rights to a new technology launched TerraTherm into a world of contamination – and that’s right where John Bierschenk wanted to be. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent It all started with research. John Bierschenk,...

As good as business is in the AEC world – and believe me, it’s really good for most everyone right now – we are seeing a lot of companies developing profitability problems. It’s pretty simple:...

In the form of growth, profitability, and important projects, multidiscipline firm based in upstate New York is reaping the benefits of a well-executed ownership transition. By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent In 1977, when Wayne Wegman joined...

When J. Peter Devereaux joined the Detroit-based firm in 1985, there were nine employees. Today, Harley Ellis Devereaux (Hot Firm #23 for 2016) has 324 employees and has undergone a series of evolutions. After working...

Zweig Group’s 2016 Financial Performance Survey of Architecture, Engineering, and Environmental Consulting Firms, gives firm leaders a clear view into industry trends and financial metrics that can help firms effectively manage their resources. The best...

By Mark Zweig | Many folks working in firms in the A/E/P and environmental consulting industry don't understand commonly-used financial terminology. How can you blame them? If no one ever explained it to them you...

Sometimes, firms get lost in utilization and project profitability, and end up solving the wrong problem. People respond to what you track and report. The accounting really does matter. For example, we've helped companies dismantle...

Implementing these 8 easy changes can help your firm work smarter, not harder, and reap the monetary rewards. I have always felt that, if A/E and environmental consulting firms spent as much time on getting...

Did you know? Marketing trends are discussed by only 40% of A/E firms during marketing meetings. Marketing departments are becoming increasinly responsible for tracking all marketing/sales related data. From 1997 until last year, the percentage...

Technical professionals should appreciate the importance of timely and accurate time-sheets for determining appropriate project billing and more. For most A/E/P firms, it is the talent, technical expertise, and experience that are sold to clients...

By Ed Friedrichs Chairman, ZweigWhite When I was CEO of Gensler I was often asked how I kept track of it all. At the end of my tenure, we had 2,400 people in 25 offices...

Press Release: September 14, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (September 14, 2011) — Architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms that have successfully navigated through the recession have done so by walking a budget tight rope. An...

By Mark C. Zweig CEO, ZweigWhite The tough times haven’t gotten any better. If you look at the American Institute of Architects’ billing index, it goes up a little and then falls back again. Money...

By Tracey Jeffers Principal, Valuation Consulting ZweigWhite If you are involved with financial management at some level in your firm, you expect to regularly review the typical balance sheet and income statement. A smaller percentage...

After 28 years of working with architects and engineers who are either sole or part owners in their firms, I can honestly say that these folks are deficient in their knowledge of rudimentary finance and...

Human resources management has long been criticized and undervalued by top management in A/E/P and environmental firms. Evidence of this fact is pay. According to ZweigWhite’s 2007-2008 Management Compensation Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning &...

When I passed the baton to Dick Ryan as our CEO three years ago, it allowed me to move on and do some other things I have always wanted to do. One of those activities...

By Mark Zweig | If you really want to raise your effective labor multiplier, here are some things to try.

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...

The year is barely underway, and I am already hearing complaints from A/E/P and environmental firm owners: It’s time to be more profitable! This will sound like a bold claim. But the truth is, I’ve...

The longer I’ve worked with A/E/P and environmental firms, the more clear it has become to me: Most firms are working on the wrong side of the equation when it comes to boosting effective multipliers...

It’s been said before that “cash is king.” It’s also been said that you can be profitable and still go out of business if you run out of cash. That said, our industry— that of...

Years ago in The Zweig Letter, I wrote an article entitled, “Go local” as a rebuttal to all of the pundits who were advocating A/E firms “go global.” It just made sense to me that...

Many firms are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they don’t know how much to spend on marketing. On the one hand, it’s harder than ever to get work, there’s downward fee pressure resulting...

More A/E/P and environmental firms than ever are seeing their businesses slow down and profits eroding away. We find the situation is rarely, if ever, hopeless. Any firm can stop this slide IF they want...

As you get your A/E/P or environmental firm ready for 2003, you may be patting yourselves on the back. The fact is that while overall, 2002 was not as good as 2001, a lot of...

While it certainly wasn’t the case 20 or even 10 years ago, today most design and environmental firms have a business plan. Most of them are labeled “strategic plans,” though I’ll confess that I usually...

I don’t want to be negative nor schizophrenic. Sure, there was panic after 9/11, but the fact is our industry (overall) has been remarkably healthy since then. The data still looks good in many sectors....

Irving “Tuck” Schlockmeir walked into the Schlockmeir Associates board meeting in a bad mood. Tuck was frequently in a bad mood, and if he wasn’t, the fear that he might go into one scared everyone...

With the tight market labor, Gen-X employee turnover, inefficiency from internal competition, and record backlogs of project work to be completed, it may be time to take a hard look at your compensation policies and...

At one of my “Managing a Growing Firm” seminars a few weeks ago, I had an attendee tell me how another attendee was handling his ownership transition program. When I asked him who was offering...

I would be surprised if more than one of our readers hasn’t said to themselves recently, “We really ought to be thinking about what we’ll do if things slow down.” Well get ready folks, it’s...

Goodness, how times change. Can you imagine what your reaction would have been five, or even three years ago, if a management consultant advised you to get out of the environmental consulting business and move...

This week, I thought I’d dedicate my column to answering some of the recurring questions we are asked about the A/E/P and environmental consulting industry. Here goes: Should salaried people be paid for overtime? I...

The A/E/P and environmental consulting business is really pretty simple from a financial management standpoint. It shouldn’t be hard to track the numbers you need to run a firm, yet so many companies seem to...

Sometimes I think the owners and managers of A/E and environmental firms need a strong dose of realism. We seem to want to bury our heads in the sand to avoid the obvious, or wish...

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...

We work for a lot of different firms in the A/E and environmental consulting industry. We talk to a lot of different professionals out there. What’s in and what’s out these days? Here’s our view:...

Conventional wisdom (CW) isn’t always so “wise.” Let’s take a look at some of the wisdom frequently heard in the halls and conference rooms of A/E and environmental consulting firms: The company will be profitable...

We constantly get asked by principals in A/E and environmental consulting firms about what or where the next “hot markets” will be. It seems that these people have read about market life cycles in the...

We’re convinced that 1993 is going to be a good year for the A/E and environmental consulting industry. No matter how bad the last few years have been, every single firm has the potential to...

This is the time of year many firms do their budgeting. Unfortunately, many of them make the budgeting process far more difficult than it has to be. Small firms may not know where to start...