About the Show: "The most diverse companies are the most successful companies, period." - Melvalean MacLemore Summary: In this enlightening episode of the TZL podcast, Melvalean MacLemore and Zhetique Gunn, dedicated committee members of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and key players in the HBCU Professional Development Program (PDP), sit down to discuss the multifaceted approach they're taking to bring diversity into the architecture industry. Key Topics: 1. HBCU Profes...
Aug 10, 2023•38 min•Ep. 228
"Communication is everything. It was the lifeblood for the success that we had on this project." - Bill Mandara, Mancini Visualize the hustle and bustle of Times Square, the pulsing core of New York City. Now, imagine elevating an entire structure in the midst of one of the busiest intersections in North America if not the World. This is the scale of the TSX Broadway undertaking to which Bill Mandara, Benjamin Alper, and Joe Levi have dedicated their expertise. Last year, the renowned Palace The...
Jul 20, 2023•33 min•Ep. 227
Preview the Elevate AEC Conference: Inspiring Leadership and Industry-wide Progress With Zweig Group CEO Chad Clinehens "There are very few rooms that you can be in where you can connect with that many people and gain that much insight and understanding." - Chad Clinehens Do you want to enhance your professional network and gain valuable industry insights? Are you looking for a solution to connect with like-minded professionals in the AEC industry? Look no further! In this special TZL podcast ep...
Jul 13, 2023•37 min•Ep. 226
Empowering the Next Generation of Sustainable Designers with AECOM’s Ross Wimer "We're helping our clients trim their portfolios and make their buildings more efficient." - Ross Wimer Ross Wimer is an accomplished architect and Global Head of Architecture at AECOM , who has dedicated his career to sustainable design. Ross's extensive experience working on projects worldwide has equipped him with a deep understanding of the environmental challenges architects face and how to overcome them. His co...
Jun 29, 2023•44 min•Ep. 225
"We always need to be minding the back office as much as we mind our interactions with our clients." - Robert Yuen In this episode of the Zweig Letter Podcast, CEO of Monograph, Robert Yuen , discusses their 2023 Strategic Risk Report for the design industry . As firms face economic uncertainty, Robert offers strategies to tackle the risks associated with money, clients, time, and talent. In this episode, you will be able to: Cultivate lasting client relationships to boost your architecture firm...
Jun 01, 2023•55 min•Ep. 224
"Investing in HR, marketing, and other 'overhead' areas drives the greatest growth." Chad Clinehens Have you heard these 3 myths about building a cohesive C-suite team in the AEC industry? If so, you might be missing out on valuable opportunities. But don't worry, Chad Clinehens is here to share the truth and help you create the ultimate leadership team. Listen to this breakout session from the 2022 ElevateAEC conference. In this episode, you will be able to: Grasp the vital role of a Chief Stra...
May 11, 2023•56 min
The Power of Trust & Knowledge Sharing: A Chat with GMB's David Bolt "Knowledge is something to be shared." - David Bolt David Bolt traces his extraordinary design career journey back to his passion for both the creative and logical aspects of life. With a strong foundation in architecture, he has remained with one company, GMB, for a remarkable 25 years. From starting as an intern, David now leads as their president. His empathy for his employees, born from experiencing a diverse range of p...
Apr 27, 2023•57 min•Ep. 223
Venture Capital Meets Design: Exploring Opportunities with Shadow Ventures and Nick Durham "You want to be a part of building something really important to lots of people." - Nick Durham Get ready to meet Nick Durham, a general partner at Shadow Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage, technology-driven startups within the built environment. With a strong background in real estate finance and a passion for innovation, Nick has an innate ability to spot potential in emerging ...
Apr 06, 2023•46 min•Ep. 222
Creating Psychological Safety w/ Janki DePalma: Stop Apologizing & Start Growing When Janki DePalma discovered the irony of women apologizing for things they don't need to, she took action to encourage women and help them create a psychologically safe platform for them to be their best selves and foster innovation. "Making mistakes is a key part of the growth mindset. Great innovation comes from making mistakes, learning, and making more mistakes." - Janki DePalma Janki DePalma is the Senior...
Mar 16, 2023•43 min•Ep. 221
In this podcast episode, Randy Wilburn sits down with Roger Krulak, CEO of Full Stack Modular. Roger Krulak, considered the “OG” of Modular Building, has been in the construction and development industry for most of his life and was determined to find a solution to the lack of efficiency he experienced. After being charged with building a large project in Brooklyn, he moved to develop a more efficient way to build mid- to high-rise modular buildings. He created a system that held up well to seis...
Feb 23, 2023•38 min•Ep. 220
In this podcast episode, Randy Wilburn sits with Mike Woeber, Co-Founder of Corporate Tax Advisors (CTA) , to discuss how design firms can learn how to qualify for R&D tax credits and maximize their business growth to unlock potential savings. When Mike Woeber left his career at Ernst & Young , he became a tax partner. In the process, he discovered the lucrative, yet often overlooked, Research and Development Tax Credit, which he and his partner Dawson Fercho used to develop relationship...
Feb 02, 2023•38 min•Ep. 219
In this podcast episode, Randy Wilburn sits with Mark Hodges, Chief Growth Officer of Edafio, to discuss how design firms can better protect their data from cybercriminals. "In this new world order, data is like crude oil. It's got utility even before it's refined. And many people ignore how much their data is worth, so they don't put the protection around it." - Mark Hodges. Mark Hodges is the Chief Growth Officer with Edafio. He has a long history in television, marketing, and data companies a...
Jan 05, 2023•49 min•Ep. 218
In this episode of the Zweig Letter Podcast, host Randy Wilburn interviews James Garrett Jr., an architect from the St. Paul, Minnesota area who has received several design awards in the past few years. We originally had James on the podcast right after the George Floyd incident in the Summer of 2020. "I always sort of on the front end of sort of actively thinking about what's the next thing is, this thing that we're currently doing, the best possible use of our time and our energy and our resou...
Dec 15, 2022•36 min•Ep. 217
Mancini Duffy is a Triumvirate of Excellence In The Design Industry In this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, we speak with the leadership of NY-based Architectural Design Firm Mancini Duffy. Christian Giordano, President, Bill Mandara, CEO, and Bolanle Williams-Olley, CFO, offer a great perspective of how successful a design firm can be when the leadership operates in concert with one another. Mancini Duffy is a firm with a history. This more than 100+ years old design firm has been transfor...
Dec 01, 2022•53 min•Ep. 216
Colleen Martindale has built a HOME in the Pre-Construction group at McCarthy while creating a path for other women in the construction industry In this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, we speak with Colleen Martindale. She is the Sr. Pre-Construction Director with McCarthy based in Dallas, TX. With more than a decade and a half of experience, Colleen has found success in a historically male-dominated industry. “When you look up the Org chart, and nobody looks like you, that can be pretty in...
Nov 17, 2022•34 min•Ep. 215
ElevateAEC 2022: How AEC Firms Can Find A Unique Partner in an Increasingly Crowded Private Equity Landscape In this BONUS episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, we hear from Michael “Mick” Renshaw from Trilon Group and Larry Smith, CEO of DRMP . Tune in to hear this and much more on this BONUS episode of The Zweig Letter Podcast. Get your FREE Subscription to the Zweig Letter Newsletter. Thank you to ALL of the Sponsors of the 2022 Elevate AEC Conference Corporate Tax Advisors Insperity Edafio Te...
Oct 27, 2022•39 min
In this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, we speak with Scott Harvey-Lewis. He’s the owner and president of Building Mavens, a multi-disciplinary engineering boutique equipped with the knowledge gained from decades of industry experience. Scott has more than 17 years of industry experience and has worked on several public and private-sector projects, providing structural engineering design, construction administration, and forensic services. We dived deep into Scott’s intrapreneurship career ...
Oct 13, 2022•35 min•Ep. 214
On this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, we speak with Erica Olsen. She’s the COO and co-founder of OnStrategy, where they combine hands-on services with customized software to design great strategies and automate the process for managing execution. Erica has dedicated the last 20 years to growing OnStrategy with one goal in mind—helping organizations from around the globe create and execute their strategic vision. We discussed how OnStrategy has differentiated itself by being experts in the...
Sep 29, 2022•34 min•Ep. 213
On this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, we speak with Michael Hein. He’s the CEO of the HFW Companies, where he leads, manages, and is accountable for driving the company’s vision and culture, fostering its big ideas, mapping out the strategic plan, and removing obstacles that threaten to disrupt the company’s success. HFW is an AEC industry professional services company investing in architecture and engineering firms that serve metropolitan and infrastructure markets and are open to aligni...
Aug 25, 2022•41 min•Ep. 212
I love watching award shows, especially the Oscars – Will Smith’s antics aside. There is something about witnessing a group of peer individuals celebrating the past year’s achievements. I remember hearing Mark Zweig tell design firm leaders back in the day that they don’t celebrate their wins enough nor create ample opportunity for most of the people within those successful organizations to take a victory lap. It is good to acknowledge success and hard work – even if it is just once a year. We a...
Aug 11, 2022•31 min•Season 6Ep. 210
In this episode, John Wheaton, CEO of Wheaton Sprague Building Envelope in Stow, OH, shares his origin story and how we came to embrace engineering as a vocation. John is a man after our hearts because he also has a podcast. He has run the Creating Structure podcast for a couple of years now. Our own Mark Zweig, Chairman of Zweig Group, has been a featured guest on the podcast. John shared several great stories with us, including how his firm has worked remotely in a hybrid environment since the...
Jun 09, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 209
In this episode, Justin Smith, Principal with Start 2 Rise in Tampa, FL, sits down with us to discuss how he and his colleagues help AEC Design Firm leaders “build stronger Project Management playbooks to focus on growing their people and their business.” Justin has teamed up with Zweig Group to offer a groundbreaking Project Management training program to help PMs be more effective and efficient. The best part about the PM Training that Justin has created is that it was designed and delivered b...
May 26, 2022•35 min•Ep. 208
In this episode, Burke Pemberton, CFO, and Principal with Stok in Denver, CO, sits down with us to discuss how he and his colleagues at Stok focus on the built environment and serving the needs of their client partners. With offices in San Francisco, Denver, and San Diego, Stok offers Sustainability Consulting, Energy and Performance Engineering, and Real Estate and Workplace Solutions. We discussed “Quiet Fridays - a uniquely Stok practice, Equitable Governance, and why Stok Invests so much int...
May 12, 2022•56 min•Season 6Ep. 207
We recently did a refresh of the TZL Podcast Brand. To learn more about this and our new look, check out the article we wrote about the genesis of the Zweig Letter podcast. The Zweig Letter Podcast Origin Story Get your FREE subscription to The Zweig Letter.
Apr 28, 2022•27 min•Season 6Ep. 206
In this episode, David Shove-Brown, with Design Firm //3877 in Washington, DC sits down with us to discuss how he and his partner, David Tracz built //3877 from the ground up. David shares his Super Hero Origin story from growing up all over the world to going to school at Catholic University to starting //3877 and serving the needs of clients in multiple verticals including, residential, retail, and healthcare. David was recently featured in a Zweig Letter article by Liisa Andreassen . Email Da...
Apr 14, 2022•45 min•Season 6Ep. 205
In this episode, Jamie Claire Kiser – Managing Principal and Director of Advisory Services for Zweig Group – discusses the current state of M&A affairs in the AEC industry. Jamie Claire originally joined Zweig Group to manage and run the mergers and acquisitions team, and she has a background in business and law. In just the past seven years, Jamie Claire and her team have witnessed and been a part of a flurry of M&A activity, helping firm leaders decide to sell or buy in what many are d...
Mar 01, 2022•38 min•Season 6Ep. 204
We sit down with Architect and Digital Strategist Sara Kolata on this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast. Sara is a part of the new breed of architects that has decided that the old way of being a practicing architect is ripe for change. She has worked in Third World countries and helped solve First World design problems. Sara has big goals, and she has indeed broken the mold on how she practices architecture. She has also developed courses and events to help practicing architects improve their...
Jan 13, 2022•49 min•Season 6Ep. 203
Enjoy this 2021 Best of the TZL Podcast Episode On this episode of The Zweig Letter podcast, we sit down with AllanTsang and Dan Oblinger, professional Negotiators from Oblinger & Tsang. We had a far-ranging conversation about Negotiation and Active Listening for Design Professionals. Dan and Allan go deep in these areas to discuss how to overcome scope creep, telling the client “No!” and making sure that you are making better decisions in all company areas. Negotiation to us is the non-vali...
Dec 30, 2021•44 min•Ep. 202
We recently sat down with Raouf S. Ghali, CEO of Hill International. Raouf oversees one of the largest “pure-play” Construction and Project Management firms with a global reach. Hill provides program, project, and construction management services in a wide variety of sectors. Their services include cost engineering and estimating, quality assurance, inspection, scheduling, risk management, and claims avoidance. According to Hill International’s website: “We are the 5th largest project and constr...
Dec 02, 2021•34 min•Season 6Ep. 201
We recently sat down with Michael Riscica, RA, Founder of the Young Architect brand, including the Young Architect Academy, ARE Bootcamp, and Young Architect Conference. Michael is a licensed Architect who took his lumps while getting his design career off the ground. He has experienced many key events in his career that have ultimately led him to a place where he spends a lot of time helping young design professionals be the best version of themselves on both a professional and personal level. ...
Oct 28, 2021•38 min•Season 6Ep. 200
