Your source for construction industry news in the Carolinas
Never give up, act decisively, share the numbers, and lead by example to build a stronger, more resilient firm. After more than 55 years of working in my own and others’ privately-held businesses, there are certain mantras I have grown to live by. Maybe you will find some of these helpful. Here are a few…
I was talking about marketing the other day with someone who had recently started their own design business when I realized I had come up with a new term for the kind of marketing I was telling them to do and that I know works every time: “relentless marketing.” When we speak of “relentless marketing,”…
Balancing growth and profitability is essential for long-term value creation and success in AEC firm valuation strategies. I have often complained here and elsewhere about those financial “experts” who only want to use historic EBIT as the basis for determining value in an AEC firm. I think it shows a real naivety to just look…
2025 is already underway, and as a grizzled old veteran of the AEC business, I have a few thoughts that I wanted to share with our readers: There are many reasons to be optimistic. There is a tremendous pent-up demand for everything AEC firms do. The facts are that demand exceeds supply, and the skilled…
The new year is always a good time to do your necessary maintenance. Our Tiffin Allegro diesel pusher motorhome just turned over 50,000 miles. It is going into the truck shop later this week to get an oil change and to check out the front end, air brake and suspension systems, and Allison transmission. It’s…
“Culture” is one of those terms that is often bandied about by business advisors and management consultants, as well as anyone who is a student of management and leadership working in an AEC firm today. I like to think that a firm’s “culture” is defined by what type of behavior is rewarded and what type…
I woke up this morning thinking about all of the AEC firms I have been an owner in, served on the Board of Directors of, or worked for as an employee or consultant — and how many of them seem to have management with misplaced priorities. You might be wondering what I am talking about?…
Many folks working in firms in the A/E/C 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 can’t expect them to know it. It isn’t difficult, but not understanding it puts your people at a disadvantage and is bad for the…
It’s not going away. We are continuing to have a debate at the highest level in our industry on whether or not AEC firms should have a mandate that everyone work in the office or not. I can certainly understand and appreciate both sides of this big, big issue we are all facing. There are…
For decades, I have been accused of being overly preoccupied with business revenue growth versus the bottom line. Zweig Group even hands out awards each year for the fastest-growing firms in the AEC business. Sure – you need to make a profit to stay in business. Survival is a mandate and no one has unlimited capital. But…
