Posts filed under 'Civil Engineering Companies'
Bring On The New Year – Please!
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
This past year has been challenging for many in the A/E/P community and everyone associated with it. At least once a day I am asked “Where do you see the market heading in 2010? Do you see the job market picking up?” After 20+ years recruiting civil engineers, architects and planners I look into my crystal ball and my past civil engineering blogs and try to answer. The answers usually depend on the daily changing news from my clients and various news sources. Do I see an increase in hiring from my clients? Yes. However, these needs are very specific. They are either strategic discipline hires or for candidates who meet their requirements exactly. There is little to no flexibility in candidate experience.
Our community is watching President Obama and the US Congress. Workforce planning has become a guessing game for operations and human resources executives. Should firms hire for potential jobs or for projects awarded that have tentative start dates? Or, should firms implement overtime for existing staff and hold on making new hires? Tough questions. In either case, job seekers at all levels are discussing where to go next or what to do.
Many of us have minimal control over whether firms move forward in bringing on new staff. So let’s take control over what we can manage. If you are unhappy with your job, need a job or have let your job search go stale – take control and make or redesign a plan. If you need new clients – make a new plan. Whether you gain education, identify a recruiter to assist, join new associations for networking or apply to specific companies who have projects in your area of interest…just take action. Our January newsletter author, Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP, CPESC, CPSWQ, poses the question “What will it take for you to make 2010 a ‘Career Year’?” This is a worthwhile read.
As 2009 comes to a close, I have one thing left to say, “Bring on the New Year – Please!”
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
2 comments December 29, 2009
Marketing Opportunities After A Disaster
By Carol Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
Hurricane season is upon us. While homeowners in hurricane-prone areas prepare for the worst and hope for the best, FEMA contractors also update their teams. Disaster relief opportunities abound following devastation from natural disasters. Historically, non profit agencies jump in to help the injured and sick. The US Military Disaster Response Team deploys to work side by side with local officials. The combined efforts of civilian and military operations have become common. According to the FEMA website: Mitigation Assessment Teams (MATs) are made up of representatives of FEMA Headquarters and of FEMA Regional Offices, state and local officials, and public and private sector experts in technical disciplines such as structural and civil engineering, architecture, building construction, natural hazards research, and code development and enforcement. Since the market downturn, many firms have traveled cross country and overseas to find a way to “get listed” as an approved FEMA contractor or a subcontractor.
The Heritage Foundation’s Dennis R. Shrader lectured on FEMAUnfinished Business and asked: ”How do we nationally collaborate and allocate resources to effectively and efficiently prepare ourselves in order to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from catastrophic incidents?” It is an interesting lecture and I encourage you to read. With that in mind, I would ask you almost the same question. How do you, as those involved in the civil engineering community, collaborate to effectively and efficiently prepare yourselves in order to respond to catastrophic incidents, to help our communities rebuild?
Profiting from disasters can be seen as ”distasteful.” Kerry Harding, President, The Talent Bank, responds “through FEMA, the nation has a planned, measured response to disaster mitigation with pre-approved vendors with pre-approved fee structures in place that they rely on in times of emergency. There is NOTHING unprofessional or “sleazy” about fulfilling the terms of a previously negotiated contract. When disaster strikes, it’s too late for firms who haven’t been thoroughly vetted to try and jump on the bandwagon. At that point, the stakes are too high.”
Are you and your firm ready to respond? Are your “ducks in a row?”
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion board
3 comments August 26, 2009
Use the Downturn to Make Yourself Part of a Winning Firm
By Bruce Lynch, Vice President of Publishing, PSMJ Resources Inc.
For over 30 years, PSMJ Resources, Inc. has offered publications, educational programs, in-house training and management consulting services to A/E/C professionals worldwide. PSMJ Resources conducts more than 200 educational seminars and conferences annually, supported by major professional societies, including AIA and ACEC. Headquartered in Newton, MA, PSMJ Resources provides more than 150 titles in book and audio, and publishes three newsletters about A/E/C firm management. PSMJ Resources also produces the industry’s preeminent annual surveys on management salaries, financial performance, fees and pricing, and benchmarks for the design firm CEO. On the web:http://www.psmj.com/
I have spent the last few weeks interviewing the PSMJ Circle of Excellence Class of 2009. Circle of Excellence firms ranked in the top 20 percent of firms participating in PSMJ’s Financial Performance Survey that achieve the best overall performance in 13 benchmarks that measure business operations in terms of profitability, growth, cash flow, overhead control, business development, project performance, and employee satisfaction.
Virtually every executive I have spoken with from this exclusive group of design firms has told me that they have used the economic downturn to improve the overall quality of their staff. Many super-talented people with very impressive resumes – as well as star students coming out of design schools – are available and obtainable for firms that have the muscle to make it happen.
Are you one of these people that’s going to add value to a firm that is prospering in the face of tough economic times? There are a number of factors that determine the answer. In general, firms that are looking to upgrade staff try to improve their overall position in specific geographic locations, in services offered, and in markets served. To upgrade at the management level, firms are looking to hire market and/or thought leaders. In upgrading staff, firms are looking for people with direct apples-to-apples experience with a specific market or service offering or that bring valuable knowledge on the latest technology.
Here are some examples: If you are a project manager and you are a super client champion in a specific geographic area, research firms that may be interested in expanding their services in your area. Sell yourself as someone who comes to the firm with a ready-made base of new clients. If you are a K-12 program manager, look for healthy firms that may want to expand into the K-12 market – your addition to the firm gives them the opportunity to hit the ground running. What if your expertise is in a market that is currently sluggish like residential construction? Sell your value-add expertise. Do you have relationships with zoning boards or permitting authorities? These are tangible benefits that can elevate the profile of a firm overnight.
For non-management design professionals, sell your direct experience with a specific market or service. If you design health care facilities, get letters of reference from health care professionals with whom you have worked directly. Having direct experience using Building Information Modeling (BIM) software like Revit is a huge selling point as more firms work on BIM-designed projects. If you have recently graduated from design school, sell your facility in new software applications and your ability to train up your peers in these applications.
It’s also helpful to have a relationship with a professional recruiter – even if you end up finding an exciting new job on your own, these people have the experience to serve as a sounding board and alert you to opportunities you didn’t know existed.
If you are good and you have the skills and experience that other firms see as an “upgrade”, you will always be impervious to the ups and downs of the economy.
All the best,
Bruce
civil engineeering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Add comment July 22, 2009
Back to the Boardroom: Engineering Leaders Are Returning to the Workplace
By Carol Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
The civil engineering market has seen the return of well respected senior executives. Those who either retired, or semi-retired have been enticed away from the golf courses, lakes and tennis courts back into the boardroom. Not that many of them had fully retired; but, they had found a comfortable consulting medium which has now turned into a minimum of 40 hours. Why is this return happening in the numbers that it is occurring?
Last month I spoke with the CEO of one of my clients. In 2007 I had assisted the firm on executive recruitment for their succession plan. The CEO had planned his retirement in two years. Last month he told me that he put off retirement for another year or two. He stills enjoys his work and is experiencing success with new avenues for his firm. He jokingly (with a tinge of seriousness) said that after the stock market losses and engineering market downturn, he had virtually worked for “free” for the past year and a half. This sentiment is a recurring theme with senior leaders.
Talking to several of these returning or non-retiring executives, I have seen several common themes:
1. They are fortunate to be healthy and energetic;
2. They had a history of success in building, leading, managing or cleaning up firms;
3. They are finding retirement not all they imagined it to be;
4. They love the engineering business and when called upon to “fix” something that needs repair, they can’t resist;
5. They have the expertise in technical areas that had been dormant and are now in the forefront of the industry;
6. They enjoy their work.
These execs are making changes in their firms in many important ways. For example, with technological advances such as SKYPE and other avenues for “virtual meetings,” many executives tried to minimize busy travel schedules by cutting in person regional office visits. This meant that they were less available to staff, less visible. Employees of “Best Firms” stress the importance of feeling valued and known by company leaders. Accessibility to these leaders is of paramount importance to them. Returning executives understand this and several have re-established travel to branch offices – they are bringing back the “TOWN HALL” meetings! While industry morale has been lower than in past years, the increase in potential opportunity is pulling companies up by their boot straps. To compete for work, companies need involved and committed staff. These smart executives can teach future leaders a few things. Connecting with employees in person, who are the heart of the company, is never a bad thing.
For whatever reason engineering leaders are returning, or postponing leaving…let’s learn from them. They have survived past recessions, lawsuits, bad press and staff shortages. While the industry is changing, some aspects of running an engineering consulting practice has not, or maybe should not. Let’s take advantage of mentors and pay attention, learn while we still can!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
1 comment May 21, 2009
Are CE’s Becoming IBMr’s ?
By Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC, home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
Prior to this current economic downturn a MAJOR topic of discussion was the lack of civil engineers in the marketplace. It did not matter if I was executing a search for a Project Engineer who was an expert in hydrology & hydraulics and flood control, a Project Manager who understood advanced water treatment, a National Program Manager with P3 or Design Build experience as it related to toll roads or a Land Development Department Head; no matter how you sliced it, the pool of civil engineers was shallow. Engineers at all levels throughout the civil engineering community struggled with same dilemma. They were working ridiculous amounts of hours, weekends included; their employers became stagnant in their plans to diversify into other civil engineering disciplines; and principal level engineers were rolling up their sleeves and cranking out construction plans themselves. When the economy eventually picks up, the civil engineering community will be treading in that shallow pool again wondering ‘where are we going to find the right engineer with the right experience?’
The other evening I was at home watching the NCAA Tournament and a commercial came across the television screen that caught my attention. It was all about traffic and transportation and the technology that is being utilized to help ease traffic congestion, which would help cut down on fuel costs as well as free up more time for people all over the country. The average commute time in most major cities across the United States, according to a Time Magazine report in 2007 is +/- 30 minutes. Many folks I know spend at least 45 minutes each way on their commute. And if there happens to be an accident on the LBJ Freeway in Dallas or the Schuylkill Expressway in Philadelphia, well then you can just forget about getting to work on time or home for dinner. Thank goodness for the hard working civil engineering consultants and DOT engineers who are putting in countless hours and lending their skills to help make the necessary improvements to our transportation infrastructure that will help cut down our commute times and allow for us to do fun things like play with our children, spend time with our friends and families or be able to get to our softball game before the 4th inning…right? But wait…this commercial I saw was not for a consulting engineering firm or a PSA type commercial from ASCE…it was is an IBM commercial.
So, if I am a college student pursuing a degree in civil engineering and I want to specialize in transportation, you can be darn sure I am going to check out IBM. To answer the question as to ‘where are all the civil engineers?,’ maybe they are all working at IBM. Is it even possible to fathom the AECOM’s and URS’ and CH2M Hill’s of the world to advertise in this manner? Are there opportunities for ASCE to advertise like this? Or are those avenues of advertising just a pipe dream for the traditional civil engineering community at large?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: linkedin discussion group
4 comments April 9, 2009
Do You Work For A Communicative Leader? Is No News Worse Than Bad News?
By Carol Metzner
Co-Founder A/E/P Central, LLC, home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com &
President, The Metzner Group, LLC
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” -Peter F. Drucker
According to Drucker, “Managers are concerned with immediate results. Leaders are concerned with long-term results.” To succeed, companies need both of these people. That being said, companies need leaders who can and will communicate.
Do you work for a communicative leader? To survive the next few years company leaders need to be visionary, strategic thinkers. They need to take information from a variety of sources, set direction and communicate that to staff.
Conducting searches in the civil engineering marketplace, I hear from many of you that confidence in your current company leadership is falling. Much of that drop can be attributed to lack of communication. No communication is deadlier than bad news. With company teleconferencing, intranets and email blasts there is no good explanation for silence from the top. If you are at the top, why aren’t you talking to your employees? Many staff are walking on egg shells. Are they next to be laid off? Do you have a plan? If not, are you working on one?
Many qualities of the best civil engineering firms are those where the leaders:
- Stress the importance of communication and communicate openly and honestly;
- Practice an open door policy;
- Encourage employee input in strategic planning;
- Encourage employee feedback;
- Practice an open book management style, sharing financial performance with employees (the good and the bad);
- Clearly communicates goals and direction.
There are other characteristics of successful firms for sure, but if these few qualities are put into practice then employee fears would be somewhat lessened and productivity may likely rise. What do you think?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering industry blog :: civil engineering discussions
1 comment February 18, 2009
Cutting Fees To Get Work
By Carol Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC, home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
“We have to keep the staff working” is the phrase I hear from many in the engineering community. The statement lends itself to questions of exactly how to do that. Larry Courtney wrote an insightful newsletter for us this month discussing the importance of good company leaders to guide firms through these times. If you haven’t read it…it is a MUST read!
Along these lines of “feeding” staff and how to do that, I read an article that brought this and our LinkedIn discussion on firms lowering their fees back to debate:
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority received bids to replace two 51 year old bridges on their Northwest Extension (I-476) in the Pocono mountains. About “3.2km (2 miles) of new approach road work is needed plus removal of the the 1957 spans.” It is reported that the work was costed at $127M in 2007.
Fast forward to this past week, 2009…the top 4 bids ranged from $102M to $113M, with the winning bidder coming in at under $110M. Tollroads News did an interesting article on this notable reduction in fees. It was suggested that there are several explanations for the $17M reduction in cost. Drop in material cost and utilization of pre-stressed concrete beams for steel could contribute to the lower bid. BUT it could be due in part to the increased competition for work. Firms are willing to cut fees, seemingly significantly, to win work.
Here is the debated topic of reducing professional fees to bring work in the door and keep existing staff billable. While the majority of comments from our discussion board are slanted toward civil engineering firms NOT reducing fees, there are some firm owners who have other ideas. One owner tells us: “As an owner who wishes to keep his best assets, his staff, I am using my negotiating skills to get the price I can in a tough market, while making sure I get the appointment. Sometimes the profit element will suffer. The customers who you have a long term relationship with will remember this later.”
This is a tough discussion. When the market picks back up, and it will…do you think you or your engineering firm will be able to get your fees raised? But do you have a choice not to lower your fees with staff to “feed?” With the Turnpike example, we now see that small privately held firms, as well as the large public firms, are all struggling to keep profitability up while maintaining the staff workload. Are clients going to choose their consultants based on fee and not expertise or excellence? Do you really believe that all engineering firms are basically the same, provide the same quality and should be selected on whom is the cheapest? This is the same argued topic that recruiters – headhunters- search firms have had in regards to their fees for decades! Ready for discussion #2! Let us know!
3 comments February 5, 2009
The Difference A Year Makes
By Carol Metzner, President, The Metzner Group, LLC and Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
Just took a quick look at the start of our BLOG last January. The majority of posts in the first quarter of the year centered around recruiting; trying to identify candidates in the tight marketplace. Here we are months later and folks are using our LINKEDIN discussion group to network after being let go from their employer and human resources professionals are looking for help in outplacing laid off staff.
The difference a year makes!
December 2007 ENR issue covered their annual “The Year in Construction” photo contest. They boasted that with such a booming year, there were many great photos from which to choose a winner. This month’s articles discuss the uncertainty in future transportation projects and an expected slowdown in the international power plant design and construction sector boom.
So here we are. A new year on the horizon. Hopes of an infrastructure stimulus package dancing in our heads! It is important for those of us who survived the down market conditions of the late 1980’s, early 1990’s and again the perilous times after 9/11 to speak of our making it through. Talk to those civil engineers who are talking of leaving the industry…hang in there, if possible. The market will change, projects will find funding and the US will need your talents and expertise.
My wish for you this holiday…joy, peace and time with those who bring you happiness!
1 comment December 17, 2008
Stayin’ Alive, Stayin’ Alive…
By Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC, home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
I am sure you all remember or have heard the Bee Gee’s classic ” Stayin’ Alive,” right? I recently came across a civil engineering firm in the Washington, DC area that is doing what they need to do to “stay alive” in this market. It is certainly one thing to cut back on unnecessary costs and overhead or to layoff those folks that are least productive. But this firm has announced to all of their clients that they are cutting all of their professional services fees by an average of 15% across the board; from cad technician all the way up through the principal level. By doing so they are reaching out to their clients and saying, ‘hey, we feel your pain, we know the economy is in shambles right now and we want to help you out by drastically discounting our fees.’ A nice gesture indeed, and just another way to fight through these turbulent economic times.
All that being said, how does this type of discount effect the psyche of their competition? Do they jump on the bandwagon and discount their fees as well in order to stay afloat? Or, do they take other traditional cost cutting measures in order to preserve and maintain the normal competitive fee structure that they rightly deserve as professional civil engineers, surveyors, planners, etc? I can see both sides of the coin here as I have seen this happen in the recruiting industry, but I am not a professional engineer (I have trouble maneuvering my car at the correct angle to get it in the garage). As a member of the professional civil engineering community, is this tactic happening in your city, with your firm or with your competing firms? How do you feel about this cost cutting concept? Conversely, when times were good a few years back, was their an uptick in firms inflating their fees?
Thanks for reading, I look forward to your thoughts. And, just in case “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gee’s isn’t completely stuck in your head, it certainly will be now:
Happy Holidays!
Add comment December 11, 2008
Does your firm have a leadership transition plan? (and why should you care?)
By Carol Metzner, President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
In the past several years, the A/E marketplace has seen a high number of mergers and acquisitions. Firms facing retiring leadership have options. They can transfer ownership to the next generation; train and coach potential internal successor candidates; bring leadership talent in from the outside; or sell/merge the firm.
Over my 20+ years of recruiting and search, I have seen firms formulate excellent leadership transitions and I have seen other firms fail terribly. In today’s market, more than ever, the wrong choice or even a safe choice for successor can lead to turbulent times. A firm can never afford to make an incorrect choice. However, making no choice is tantamount to a poor choice. What are retiring executives to do? How can they walk the fine line of selecting the “right” successor, especially if that person is from outside the firm, without drastically shifting the culture or upsetting internal management candidates? The answers are complex and perhaps a great future newsletter topic! However, several quick items can be agreed upon: It is important to have a strong board of directors or executive management team to monitor the process. The choice of a leadership successor will be one of the most important decisions your board, outside board members and team will have. Additionally, selecting the right outside management consultant can offer objectivity and facilitate a time frame. One thing is for sure: IF employees have confidence in their executive team, then they will, at least initially, support a succession choice (even if they don’t like it) because they KNOW that the CEO, board and/or advisors have the health and welfare of the firm at heart.
Whether you are a human resource professional or design professional, it would be in your best interest to find out if your company has any plan for it’s future successors. Ask your leadership or write the question on the intranet. Are you working for a company that really is thinking about their future as well as yours?
1 comment October 15, 2008
