As Co-Vice President what are some specific goals you have for BL moving forward? I have a few things that are at the top of the list which are consistent with our strategic goals and priorities: Promoting connectivity with all of our employee owners and building strong relationships while executing all we need to do. Being responsive to our clients (which is always a priority) and continuing to focus on project management and delivery. I also believe we need to keep focus on our operational excellence while continuing to grow and expand both geographically and in our service offerings.
What gets you most excited about the new year? As the calendar turns to a new year, I’m feeling recharged and refocused especially after the Company’s holiday break during which I was able to enjoy some quality time with my family. I’m excited to work closely with Carolyn (President & CEO) and Julia (Co-Vice President of Operations) as well as all our employee owners on the 2023 goals and priorities we’ve set with our entire senior leadership team and of course, I’m excited to achieve those goals, too. Each day also brings new opportunities to work together with our clients on some exciting and interesting projects.
What trends are you seeing in the industry? I’m continuing to see the big firms get bigger and see BL well positioned in this sector as a medium size firm. Even as we grow, we are not a global sized firm, so as we compete with these much larger firms, our agility and personal service remains a big competitive advantage. Our clients provide positive feedback on our responsiveness and the quality of our work but also on our employee ownership and how we are able to jump on projects and get them done. Of course, it’s our employee owners that make it all happen. The great thing about BL is that everyone has the opportunity to put their mark on what and how we do things. Challenging ourselves and being creative lets us capitalize on that opening in the “middle” and allows us to continue being successful and grow.
Where do you see opportunity for clients in 2023? Despite some ongoing concerns in the economy – we continue to see activity and resilience even in some of the more susceptible markets of land development and retail/commercial/residential. On the Public Infrastructure side, year 2 of the 5-year transportation bill has this market remaining strong. We are looking to connect with more DOTs and public clients to lend our expertise, especially in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Energy programmatic work continues with key clients as well as new work on the facilities side with ASMEP (Architecture, Structural Engineering, and MEP Engineering). We are also seeing significant growth in the renewables market.
Do you have any personal 2023 bucket list items/or resolutions for yourself? The typical resolution of getting in better shape and focusing on fitness is definitely on the list. My wife and I are both turning 50 this year so I’d love to get away as a family and celebrate these milestones. We don’t have an exact location picked out yet, but we love the beach, warm weather and sun, and have a few islands in the Caribbean to still explore. But we have also talked about getting back to Hawaii, which we visited a long time ago on our honeymoon. Definitely open to suggestions!