305 results found for “update”
Zweig Group is excited to join the 2025 ACEC Fall Conference as a Patron Sponsor, bringing leading-edge insights, research, and practical strategies directly to the engineering community. Held October 5-8 at the Marriott Marquis San Diego...
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...
By Matt Cooper | AEC firms face a middle management gap, but technology can empower PMs, boost efficiency, and accelerate talent development.
By Dan Schwartz | Successful M&A communication is achieved through strategy, storytelling, and staying human in the face of complexity.
By Kyle Ahern | The 2025 Mid-Year Compensation Update highlights key salary shifts and industry trends shaping AEC firm strategy.
By Som Kundral | Leadership isn’t about standing out – it’s about lifting others up and making sure no one’s contribution goes unseen.
By Will Swearingen | Firms that are truly boosting profitability aren’t just raising rates; they’re reengineering how they charge.
By Adam White | Meaningful employee growth goes beyond trainings and workshops – it takes time, trust, feedback, and a clear path forward.
“Proximity is a place of power. If you are a design firm leader, design firm owner, and you’re trying to take your firm to the next level, sometimes it means you need to get around...
By Janki DePalma | Ghosting job candidates damages trust, reputation, and your firm’s future recruitment success.
By Hal Rosner | Proper planning, organization, and understanding of data can mean the difference between a project’s success and failure.
By Kraig Kern | Packed calendars hurt productivity, but smarter meeting habits can help AEC professionals reclaim focus time and boost meaningful work.
By Phil Keeney | Government contractors must act now to secure CMMC compliance – or risk losing valuable federal contracts.
By James Gilmer | Proactively addressing these regulatory considerations ensures your firm remains in good standing, competitive, and positioned for long-term success.
Zweig Group, the leading provider of advisory services, research, and education for the AEC industry, has released its 2025 Fee & Billing Report of AEC Firms. This definitive resource offers a clear picture of today's fee...
By Anna Kendall | Effective internal communication plays a crucial role in shaping employee morale during times of significant change.
“I think the employee experience—and we've seen over the last five years how important the employee experience has been with how tight the labor market has been and how everybody is competing for the same...
"Mistakes are not fatal, but don't keep them to yourself.” Mike Makris About our Guests: Originally from Washington, Duncan Robertson has spent the past six years honing his marketing and public relations expertise and now...
By Lauren Martin | The standard of care for architects and engineers is evolving as climate change, disasters, and emerging risks reshape industry expectations.
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.
The conversation dives into the importance of maintaining a vibrant company culture in the face of evolving work environments. They highlight how, despite the chaos that keeps everyone up at night, there are strategies to...
By Ying Liu | The essential structural and tactical elements that underpin successful strategy execution in AEC.
"A lot of architects are rather introverted as well, so it takes some work to pull that out. And for me, my win is, did I get you out of your shell to share...
By Matt Gross | Build success by fostering strong culture, investing in people and infrastructure, prioritizing cybersecurity, and planning strategically.
By Greg Sepeda | Taking time to slow down, prioritize self-care, and recharge improves productivity, mental clarity, and overall well-being.
By Duane Gaugler | It’s true that mentor relationships aren’t easy to find time for, however, the potential they offer is enormous.
Join us as Justin Smith moderates a panel of esteemed experts, including Aaron Lauinger, Tiara Marcus, and Brian Sielaff, representing firms excelling in client engagement, project leadership, and culture protection.
By Kyle Ahern | Salary data reveals evolving compensation trends, including regional, role-specific, and growth-driven salary differences.
By Jordan Wilson & Dawson Fercho | The Republican reconciliation package consolidates energy, border, and tax policies, potentially reforming Section 174.
Zweig Group announces updates to its compensation data platform, Zweig Insights, as well as the release of the 2025 Salary Report of AEC Firms.
Kristin Kautz delves into the evolving landscape of AI, emphasizing its transformative potential in business and daily activities. Highlighting tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot, and Unanet's CRM integration, she illustrates how AI can enhance...
By Stuart McLendon | This process improves team coherence and speed in addition to enhancing revenue per man-hour.
By Mark Zweig | Don’t turn yours into a joke by getting the wrong help and taking the wrong direction with revising your strategic plan.
KP Reddy, founder and CEO of Shadow Ventures, discusses the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.
By Eileen Shields | Growing from a startup to nearly 100 employees, this firm thrives through agility, teamwork, and delivering high-quality solutions at the core of its business.
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.
By Jeff Bornemiss | This investment enhances employee engagement and serves as a powerful tool for recruitment and retention.
By Anastasia Welch | Transforming team dynamics and strategies for improved leadership skills, operations, and project implementation, leading to business success.
By Liisa Andreassen | President and CEO of Vierbicher (Reedsburg, WI), a community planning and engineering firm that is a proven partner for thriving Wisconsin communities.
By Lauren Martin | Including certificates of merit in contracts protects AEC firms and strengthens legal defenses against unsubstantiated claims.
By Hannah Dapore | Intentional strategies to uphold a strong company culture regardless of geographical boundaries.
By Kurtis John | Ignoring these areas of risk and their potential implications can have significant impacts on your success and your firm’s future.
By Alicia Kamischke | This is a versatile segment of your organization that should be tailored to best fit your company structure, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and needs.
By Leisbel Lam | Having a service recovery mindset in your projects is essential in order to keep your organization’s sustained competitive advantage.
By Lalitha Benjaram | This report allows firms to highlight their responsible business practices, community and sustainability commitments, and social innovations.
By Kristin Kautz | AI assistants empower personalized and effective support that will save time and money, and enhance creativity and quality.
By Lindsay Young | It’s never too late for firm leaders to set strategic goals and start investing in their companies.
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 Jennifer Haddad | When leaders combine a strong company culture with workplace flexibility and employee empathy, they can create an environment where hybrid work can thrive.
By Kristin Kautz | AI needs effective onboarding and subsequent guidance, patience, and education in order for it to become a productive and valued “employee.”
By Mark Zweig | Anything that requires human intelligence to deal with different complex human behavioral issues isn’t going to be replaced by AI any time soon, if ever.
By Greg Sepeda | If you can clear out the unnecessary underbrush, you will benefit from a staff that finally can breathe, see new paths, and move your firm forward.
By Matt Johnson | Client managers face new challenges post-pandemic, requiring increased client contact, realistic budgeting, and managing expectations for success.
By Liisa Andreassen | Principal at MCE (Minneapolis, MN), one of the largest mechanical and electrical consulting engineering firms in the United States.
By Brad Thurman | Define and nurture a strong company culture by articulating a concise core purpose, aligning actions with values, and embracing consistency.
🎙️ In our latest TZL Podcast episode, we dive into an enlightening chat with Zweig Group's data analytics guru, Keith Sequeira. We unpack how data is revolutionizing decision-making in design firms.
By Javier Suarez | Successful newsletters are relevant and valuable to readers, easy to consume, actionable, and loyal to your brand.
Zweig Group announces applications have opened for the 2024 ElevateHER® cohort and has announced the 2024 ElevateHER® Symposium will take place March 6, 2024 in Irving, Texas.
By Karne Newburn | Office space allows you to establish your presence with clients and staff by physically being there for them and by providing the tools necessary to stay connected in a virtual environment.
By Houston Matthews | If your team can keep communication at the forefront of all of your projects, you’re sure to be a success.
By Cindy Sevilla Esparza | As long as learning is at the forefront of your goals, these skills will help you reach your career milestones.
By Mike Woeber | What really changed with the federal research and development credit for 2022 tax purposes.
By Alexis Eades | As AEC professionals, we have a responsibility to provide safe, accessible, and equitable environments for everyone to live and function in every day.
By Mark Zweig | There are steps you can take that will make it more likely your company will adapt to change successfully over time.
By Mercedez Thompson | Many of the biggest obstacles AEC marketing teams face are ultimately the same – regardless of firm size.
By Mark Zweig | Your CRM should be a major asset for your firm, but you have to make sure your people are using and updating it.
By Liisa Andreassen | President of NTM Engineering (Dillsburg, PA), a civil engineering firm that specializes in water resources design, bridge design, and engineering instruction.
By Mark Zweig | The future will be here before you know it, so there is no time to delay your ownership transition planning efforts.
On the heels of a highly successful inaugural ElevateHER™ Symposium, Zweig Group has opened applications for the 2023 Cohort and announced February 15, 2023 in Dallas, TX as the date and location of the 2023...
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.
By Liisa Andreassen | Partner at Orcutt | Winslow (Phoenix, AZ), a design firm that aspires to positively disrupt architecture through innovation, experimentation, and invention.
By Christina Zweig Niehues | Zweig Group’s 2022 Marketing Excellence Award Winners have created some outstanding marketing campaigns, displaying incredible imagination and creativity.
By Malory Atkinson | If your logo no longer corresponds with your brand image and values, it’s time for a change.
By Jason Cunningham | There are several proactive actions that can be implemented to mitigate IT security risks and keep your firm prepared.
By Amanda Hartman, Hannah Rico & Jules Ackerson | Huge organizational milestones can be reached when you step away from your day-to-day operations to evaluate your firm’s past and plan for the future.
By Ashley Heinnickel | A rebrand is an opportunity to elevate your firm’s identity and build excitement about where you’re going.
By Liisa Andreassen | Chief people officer at HEAPY (Dayton, OH), a nationally recognized leader in sustainable and resilient engineering design.
By Mark Zweig | Just like any professional sports team, your firm is made or broken based on how effective you are at recruiting talent.
By Jim Toby | Taking the time to get it right the first time will lead to faster approvals, better plans, and overall project quality.
By Rob Hughes | Many design firms that adjusted their workplace to address COVID-19 face heightened exposures to employment-related litigation and related negative consequences.
By Matthew Poling | Often overlooked, the simple checklist can empower your people to coordinate more, reduce mistakes, and focus on bigger picture items.
By Christina Zweig Niehues | Zweig Group’s new website combines three old websites into one for a seamless user experience.
By Kyle Ahern | Each firm needs to find its own balance of open, consistent communication without being bothersome to employees.
ByStephanie Warino | Examining the top 10 differences between leading and average Best Firms To Work For.
By Lindsay Young | With a little effort, you can put a plan in place that will empower your firm to work with the types of clients you want on the types of projects you...
By Tom Godin | These fundamentals are an important part of your firm’s healthy diet.
By Julia DeFrances | It’s natural to want to go back to normal – but remember that employees are your firm’s most important asset, and their needs are critical to your continued success.
By Rob Hughes | Having a clear understanding of some key insurance concepts can help your firm navigate heightened requirements and hard insurance market conditions more effectively.
By Matt Hoying | Young (or less experienced) engineers and designers may lack construction experience. Fast track their learning with these approaches.
By Mercedez Thompson | While weak language can dilute your message, assertive language fosters attentiveness, boosts credibility, and increases authority.
By John Bray | Whether you’re an M&A enthusiast, first-time buyer, or an apprehensive seller, it would be naive to disregard these opportunities without understanding the dynamics of the M&A environment.
By Chase Miller | Managing through a virtual work environment certainly has its challenges, but it’s more important than ever to persevere and lead.
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.
Leading research firm for the AEC industry, Zweig Group, has launched two new surveys to best capture important changes in the environment for the AEC industry. The first survey is an iteration of the Impacts...
Zweig Group has updated the Impacts of COVID-19 on the AEC Industry Survey for 2021, adding new questions about PPP funding, outlook and budget forecasting, and more. After the initial success of Zweig Group's Impacts...
Zweig Group's media platform, Civil + Structural Engineer Media has announced the opening of the annual 2021 Engineering Drone Video of the Year (EDVY) Competition and a partnership with SPH Engineering's UgCS, the leading drone...
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.
Chairman and CEO of Salas O’Brien, an employee-owned firm with no corporate headquarters that provides building and facility solutions to clients across the United States.
By Chad Coldiron | Practice becoming a better communicator, and you’ll build better rapport and credibility with clients, colleagues, and just about everyone else.
Contract disclaimers reflect the reality that estimating is an art, not a science – and that design professionals cannot guarantee or warrant the actual costs of construction.
By Jamie Claire Kiser | Respond to your call to action, whatever it may be, and build a legacy that will leave your profession better than you found it.
By Anne Melia | Healthy employees are more productive, have fewer sick days, fewer accidents, and are happier in their professional and personal lives.
By Christina Zweig Niehues | If you don’t have a social media and online marketing strategy for your AEC firm, now is the time to get started.
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.
Collaboration is key when navigating challenging times. Our best way ahead is together, through strategic partnerships and adaptive thinking.
There are countless ways to develop business without being a business developer, and you are most likely doing some of these things already.
Zweig Group and OnStrategy Announce Industry Partnership to Offer OnStrategy’s Strategy Management Software and Process Management Best-Practices to the AEC Industry Fayetteville, Arkansas and Reno, Nevada (September 9, 2020) – Zweig Group, a leading provider...
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 Christina Zweig Niehues | In this year of upheaval and change, the most important component of any successful firm remains the same.
By Mark Zweig | When people are demotivated they become negative and cynical, and can pollute the attitudes of their co-workers. And if they’re really demotivated, they may quit.
Click here to take the NEW Q3 Impacts of COVID-19 on the AEC Industry Survey This is a short questionnaire that should take no more than 10-15 minutes. In mid-March 2020, Zweig Group launched a...
Taking a break and letting your mind wander can bring a fresh perspective and the extra boost you need to make it through the day a happier, healthier you.
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.
When firms encourage a hybrid role between business development and sales, the result is often improved collaboration throughout the firm.
From training your staff to making sure your firewall is up-to-date, it’s important that you take action to protect your firm’s data, your clients’ data, and your network from cyberattacks.
The 2019 winner of the Jerry Allen Courage In Leadership Award is Paul Greenhagen! Paul joined Westwood Professional Services in 1987 on a field survey crew. He is a “man of the people” who worked...
The tools that Revit provides have the power to help firms save time and money, while improving the quality of the final product.
By Jamie Claire Kiser | We’re using videoconferencing more than ever, but constant communication isn’t the same as effective communication.
Most of these ideas take very little money – just your time. Invest in yourself and your business and you’ll be stronger and better for it on the other side of this.
Ten takeaways from the Ames & Gough survey of 15 leading insurance companies providing AEC professional liability insurance in the U.S.
By John Bray | Connect with your people and bolster your business so you come out of this pandemic stronger on the other side.
By Chad Clinehens | Now could be the perfect time to give yourself and the workings of your firm some much needed attention.
Many firms still cling to old-school attitudes and business practices that chase away top performing employees looking for a more future-friendly place to grow their careers.
President and CEO of Westwood (Minneapolis, MN), a firm that’s been focused on enhancing communities with smart engineering for almost 50 years.
By checking in either monthly or quarterly, you can ensure that those responsible take the time necessary to follow through on your marketing plan.
Charting a sustainable future requires a willingness to critically evaluate your firm and prepare for the year ahead.
Implementing a formal, systematic safety program will benefit you, your employees, your clients, and your greater community.
To maximize outputs and outcomes, leaders need to become great managers of managers and together create “great jobs.”
A successful sustainability plan should formalize your approach for continuous improvement and help you build on what you are already doing in three key areas.
The industry is in desperate need of future leaders who know how to talk with, and understand, their people.
When new partners buy out old ones, you have to outline specific duties before assigning leadership roles, among other considerations.
Intertwined programs achieving greater diversity and transparency for TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc.
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.
“There’s a lot to know about your people. And we have to keep updating this information because your people are constantly changing.”
There are plenty of tell-tale signs your AEC firm needs a set of third-party experts to help you achieve your goals.
If you’re like the rest of us, your firm is busy. But as the projects and revenue pour in, so do plenty of problems that you’ll have to deal with.
Do you have software that you hate using? Is it too complex? Do you only have access to critical information, files, and documents at the office? Editor’s note: ProjectBoss was a sponsor of the 2018...
We all know it does, but it’s also hard to define, hard to achieve, and if we fail in our pursuit of it, the consequences can be severe. The word “quality” seems to be constantly...
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...
While the software is a proven workhouse for data storage and analysis, there are 7 good reasons to stop using it to manage your projects Editor’s note: ProjectBoss was a sponsor of the 2018 Hot...
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...
If you haven’t created a culture of cyber security, you’re asking for big trouble, like long-term damage to your firm’s reputation. Protection from cyberattacks involves much more than firewalls and encrypted passwords. Of course, these...
Planning and preparation are crucial if you want to take care of your people, take care of your clients, and get your firm back to doing business. Hurricanes, bomb-cyclones, catastrophic floods – a well-considered plan...
Social media isn’t nuclear physics, but you have to have the right voice for the right channel, otherwise you’re speaking Spanish in China. Would you walk up to someone at a cocktail party and say,...
Are all your processes in place in the event your firm is waylaid by a wildfire, earthquake, hurricane or flood? Things were pretty much business as usual in early December with sunny skies and strong...
Ditch the sleazy misconceptions. When you’re talking about how much enjoyment and pride you take in your work, and making connections, you’re selling. What sets you apart? That question is asked of all of us...
In this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, Randy Wilburn sat down with Bill Murphey, director of Zweig Group's training department, to discuss the importance of training and Zweig Group's updated lineup of training programs...
The next big downturn may or may not be just around the corner, but when it comes, and it will, will your firm be ready? Many would argue that the next Great Recession, or worse,...
Under threat, firms solve problems when leaders commit to the right roles and the right people to inform, inquire, and act. You’ve all been there. A room full of eight, 18, or even 80 anxious...
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...
A successful marketing campaign is difficult to measure using hard metrics, so don’t get caught in the quicksand of trying to quantify nebulous numbers. It’s Monday, 9 a.m., and as you get comfortable in an...
Assignments, attitudes, and acknowledgment – if you take care of the Big Three, your marketing people will do great things. I have been an A/E industry marketer since the early 1980s. In those 30-plus years,...
The rationalization process is all about determining what is working and what is not – especially with a sharp eye to the future. Most companies are doing very well these days and the effort to...
Some people think of it as a four-letter word, but when accountability is backstopped by reasonable policies, it can make your business better. If there is one issue that I have heard repeatedly in working...
Customer relationship management has changed over the decades, but some things have remained the same: currency, correctness, consistency, and completeness. Walkmen were all the rage, cell phones were the size of eggplants, and Whitney Houston’s...
This is the first article in a new series detailing Modern Marketing in the AEC Industry. Learn how to use the tools that will make your marketing more effective without wasting your time. The Achilles’...
If it flies, floats, or cruises the corridors of your local warehouse, you can get it in an autonomous variety – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m a pretty tech savvy guy...
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...
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...
Try employing a project management accountant to support the project manager, and watch the work and the cash flow improve. In supporting many of the firms that we work with, we find varying models of...
Open book management is a big card to play, but it puts everyone on your team at the table, and that’s where you want them to be. One of the trendier ideas in management consulting...
What can I do for you today? As it turns out, perhaps not a whole lot, but in a crunch, a little can go a long way. It’s a simple enough question. But how often...
As social media continues to change, so too does the way it affects the A/E industry. Stay in touch with the times or get left behind. Architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental consulting firms appear to...
While many of them might have flopped, you still have a chance to make the most important one a reality – ownership transition. Welcome to March! And congratulations on making it through all those resolutions!...
There are four ways AEC project managers can shine in team interviews. Try them all and win more work. Juggler. Cat herder. Diplomat. They go by many names, but project managers have one of the...
Philadelphia firm undertakes huge effort to improve CRM, update brand, and otherwise remain ahead of the curve. For Pennoni (Hot Firm #48 for 2016) marketing “success” can be viewed in a variety of ways –...
Make project management a cornerstone of the way your firm does business, and win more work in a competitive market. By Richard Massey Managing Editor A work in progress since 2005, the Technical Core Team...
If you think there’s too much recruiting, then you probably don’t realize there is no ‘season,’ but an unending grind. There is no preseason or final game for recruiting. A/E firms that don’t understand the...
Remember, thinkers and modelers, there is plenty of time to get to the bottom of whatever pressing issue we are facing. I’m an analytical person by nature. I am in a committed relationship with Microsoft...
1. Stodge will continue to be the preferred cultural thrust for firms in 2017. Touting flexible hours, casual Fridays, and no tie Tuesdays, firms will continue to innovate as much for themselves as they do...
A command of soft skills is essential to delivering a project that’s on time, on budget, and with no surprises. If you’re in the business of infrastructure and you manage projects, staff, or both, you...
If you want to drive traffic to your website and your brand, it helps – a lot – to be an expert in your given field. It’s true. The origin of your web traffic is...
The two don’t have to be at odds with each other. Make sure someone’s at least answering the phones so perks don’t impede responsiveness. Coming off the high of our annual Hot Firm and A/E...
Outdated or “dead” contacts are a real problem for any company that has a marketing program that uses a CRM or Client Relationship Management System. CLICK HERE TO UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFO WITH US The...
Your firm might want to try rolling business plans with one-, three-, and 20-year projections. It’s a lot of work, but it beats starting over again and again. It is generally good business to create...
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.”...
Take a good hard look at your firm and what it’s saying to the world. If things appear stale, it’s because they are. Fix it or lose out. Here are ten signs it’s time to...
A good communication plan is vital when things don’t go your way, so put a little thought into who’s going to do the talking when people start asking questions. Not a day goes by that...
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...
Zweig Group’s 2016 Policies, Procedures and Benefits Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Environmental Consulting Firms was just released on July 22, 2016. This legacy publication was updated in 2016 with the addition of data...
‘Job Descriptions & Organizational Charts’ Offers Two AEC Resources for Price of One Fayetteville, AR – March 23, 2016 — Zweig Group’s newest managerial resource, Job Descriptions and Organizational Charts for A/E/P & Environmental Consulting...
Understanding the nuances of a Happily Employed Job Candidate can boost your ability to hire the best people. I recently received an email from a client who was in the middle of arranging an interview...
You may have an “open door” policy as a CEO or manager, but you could still be seeing your firm through rose-tinted glasses. If you want to grow, are having a hard time recruiting or...
Allana Buick & Bers, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA), a 100-person architectural engineering firm, is the fifth place winner in the External Newsletter category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for The ABBAE Bulletin. The...
New Guidebook is a Revision to 2007’s ‘M&A Cookbook’ Fayetteville, AR; December 8, 2015 — Zweig Group – the architectural, engineering, planning and environmental consulting industry’s go-to resource for insight and advice – has released...
My husband and I had dinner one evening last week at one of our favorite local restaurants, an upscale place with a gracious staff and fantastic fare. Or, at least, we went to the restaurant...
Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (Nashville, TN), a 375-person engineering firm, is the fifth place winner in the Online Marketing category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for its new website. SSR leadership wants to...
Westwood Professional Services (Eden Prairie, MN), a 350-person professional services firm, is the first place winner in the Integrated Marketing category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for its refreshed brand. Clients complained that...
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...
AC Martin (Los Angeles, CA), an 85-person architecture firm, is the fourth place winner in the Online Marketing category of Zweig Group’s 2015 Marketing Excellence Awards for its new website. The AC Martin team wanted...
Top ranking AEC firms have positive organizational cultures, provide employees with the tools they need to be successful, and foster open communication. How do you get your firm to a place where every one of...
Here's some news and updates relating to our awards program and the Hot Firm and A/E Industry Awards Conference: The 2015 Best Firms To Work For Award winners have been posted and a press release...
The current momentum of the A/E market is like a moving sidewalk: Are you in a hurry to pass your competitors or just standing still? What do you do when you are on one of...
Diverse firms can implement rules-of-thumb to establish priorities and see results for years to come. By Andrea Bennett Managing Editor A/E/P and environmental firms have several items on their to-do lists at any given time:...
Successful Project Management for A/E/P and Environmental Firms, 2nd edition covers projects from inception to completion and beyond. By Andrea Bennett Managing Editor On April 30, Zweig Group will release the second edition of its...
Zweig Group's #1 priority is to make sure we have the best, most up-to-date, and most useful information and products. With this in mind, we decided to update our surveys and offer our clients a...
Having it is one thing; using it is another. Over the years we’ve received several inquiries for off the shelf QA/QC (quality assurance and quality control) plans and manuals – typically prompted by requirements in...
This article first appeared in The Zweig Letter (ISSN 1068-1310) Issue # 991 Originally published 1/21/2013 Get going on the five items Mark Zweig shares below. Marketing in the A/E/P and environmental consulting world –...
Press Release: October 7, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (October 7, 2011) – It’s impossible for a firm to be successful without great employees, and to have great employees, a firm has to be an excellent place...
Press Release: March 7, 2011 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (March 7, 2011) — ZweigWhite has partnered with American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) to produce and publish a co-branded version of the 2011 Financial Performance Survey of...
A software update for Kindle is bringing features that really ought to have been around from the beginning: real page numbers that match what's in hard-copy versions of books, a public notes feature that lets...
Press Release: January 10, 2011 As design firms were forced to shed workers and cut costs during the recession, technology often came to rescue, a report in the Jan. 10 issue of The Zweig Letter...
This year, All4 Inc., an environmental engineering firm in Kimberton, Pennsylvania, had clients go bankrupt and others stop work already in progress. Multidiscipline firm Smith, Seckman & Reid, Inc., in Nashville, Tennessee, had layoffs but...
This week’s special issue focuses on sustainability and green building. The guts of these ideas are not mere buzzwords, as the earth’s growing population and declining state of natural resources ensures we’ll all be dragged...
I was sitting in a meeting of top managers in a fairly large A/E firm the other day when the topic of candidates for their vacant HR director’s position came up. The woman who had...
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...
It’s been said before that success comes from 2% inspiration and 98% perspiration. That’s one reason why I never worried about who saw our strategic business plan. Knowing WHAT to do is the easy part....
We went to see my Mom and Dad in Kirkwood, Missouri, last weekend, for my Mom’s 85th birthday. While I was there, we had a lively discussion with my 85-year-old father, my 55- and 52-year-old...
When it comes to project management for A/E/P and environmental firms, there’s one thing we all agree on— it could be done better. I won’t even begin to attempt to postulate why that’s the case....
Fifty-eight-year-old Frank Gristleling was a strong leader of his firm. Other than a three-and-a-half year tour with the Navy from 1968 to 1971, Gristleling worked at Johnson, Smatters, and Tattersham (JST) since he started as...
Everyone in our country seems to be worried about terrorists. Undoubtedly, there are some good reasons to be concerned. But maybe the trouble is even closer to home— like in your own firm. We find...
As the year winds down, it’s apparent that the majority of design and environmental firms are finishing up a year that wasn’t as good for them as 2001. Flattening out of growth coupled with a...
Antoine Nicholas Smith had just started feeling a little better. He’d survived some tough times recently and come out smelling like a rose. After 9/11, his firm, Jones and Stern, tanked. They were losing money,...
Every month or two, I end up in an office where the owners or managers of the firm are telling me that their most critical need is to have formal job descriptions for each of...
Want to get some new jobs? Need them fast? If so, you aren’t alone. We have seen a number of our consulting clients and readers of The Zweig Letter face major reductions in their workload...
Most of us will never get rich quick. We won’t have a single breakthrough discovery that makes us millions. We won’t win the lottery. We won’t have a rich aunt who leaves us her art...
We’ve talked about it for decades, but the labor shortage in the A/E/P and environmental industries is finally here. Our clients are telling us that it’s hard to hire just about anyone. Every job takes...
I don’t mind telling our readers that it’s a great feeling to have a vehicle such as The Zweig Letter to share my thoughts so widely. Along with that comes a certain responsibility not to...
Say “strategy” to an architect, engineer, planner, or scientist and you are bound to get a negative reaction. These folks have been through all of the strategic planning meetings conducted by the management consultant of...
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...
t seems to me the only way to really be successful is to be different from everyone else. Whether it’s your career or your firm we are talking about, it’s all the same. Yet many...
Why do some firms grow, have happy employees, keep satisfied clients, and make their owners rich, while others start up, muddle along, and then either continue to muddle along or fizzle out completely? If you...
Not much gets someone who works in an A/E/P or environmental firm more upset than unnecessary bureaucracy. I’m talking about stupid forms to fill out, channels to go through, or steps to take that don’t...
Scott Adams, the creator of comic strip “Dilbert” and author of the best-seller “The Dilbert Principle,” is clearly familiar with the absurd, idiotic stuff some companies do in the name of “better management.” In fact,...
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...
Reflecting back on all of the A/E and environmental consulting firms that we came in contact with during 1992, one thought comes to mind. By and large, our industry’s management expertise has significantly improved. The...
