Liz Larsen, P.E.

An annual or semi-annual review meeting isn't good enough! Engineers shouldn't WAIT that long for: → A Chance to get feedback → Praise and recognition → A career progress chat   These things need to be continuous!    Two forms of appreciation every manager can implement! 👇    Modest influence - Say thank you (it's free!!) - Connect on a personal level - Actively listen and encourage ideas   Impactful influence - Offer extra PTO or gift event/concert tickets - Highlight them on company social media/newsletter - Fund a training course   Most of these forms of recognition take minimal effort. But all have a HUGE impact! Engineers who receive recognition are 20x more likely to be engaged than those who don't. Appreciation doesn't have to break the bank and goes a LONG way!

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Random question I am hoping my network can help me out... How many #StructuralEngineering firms are there in the US? Do you know? My guess is somewhere between 1500-2000. But I am honestly just guessing. In my count, all the big companies' separate office locations don't count - they all would just be 1 company (e.g. Jacobs, Kimley-Horn, AECOM, etc). What do you think? #structuralengineers NCSEA SEI - Structural Engineering Institute

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I came across this graphic recently that really struck me as being relevant for the construction industry.  Let me explain... I think that many architects think of the customer as the user of the building, but in commercial construction that may be an entirely different person than who is paying the bills to build the building or the folks making the decisions about what and when to build. I've also worked with many enclosure consultants who have a hard time recognizing that working for a GC is different than working for an Architect or Lawyer. Being a sub-consultant makes it even harder to know who the real customer is. The concept of being customer-centric is more than just a buzzword—it's about truly understanding WHO the customer is and HOW to convince them of your value. To make it easier, let's break it down into the four categories: 1️⃣ Users: Those directly utilizing the product/service. 2️⃣ Payers: Those funding the project. 3️⃣ Decision-makers: Those calling the shots. 4️⃣ Influencers: Those shaping decisions behind the scenes. Each of these 4 categories comes with distinct needs and expectations, demanding tailored approaches for effective engagement. Understanding this dynamic is not just advantageous—it's essential for success in selling products or services within the industry.  Even when the only thing you are selling is your idea. #customerengagement #marketanalysis #thecustomerisalwaysright 📸 image credit: Jeroen Kraaijenbrink ___________________ Join the journey towards innovation and excellence in architecture and construction! 💬 Let's spark meaningful conversations and collectively advance our understanding of building science and construction materials by engaging in the comments below. ♻ Reshare this post with your network and follow me for more insightful content. 

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21 lessons as we start our 9th year in business at H+O Structural Engineering 🚀 1. Good people aren't hard to find, your company is. 2. Growth is mostly removing constraints. 3. Don't mask disorganization by calling it collaborative. 4. Time spent does not equal value created. 5. Entitlement in the workplace starts with leadership 6. You can't pay someone to be better. 7. Being too busy is something you can control. 8. Open Book Financial Management is a super power. 9. Judgment and leverage > time 10. Curiosity is the gap between what you know and what you want to know. 11. Success is predictable. 12. Accountability is a differentiator. Most justify and deflect. 13. Content is the new oil. 14. Create an offer so good people feel stupid saying no. (Hormozi) 15. Make sales to get customers, not get customers to make sales. 16. Communication skills compound your value. 17. Hire A players. 18. Mission, vision and core values is where you start. 19. Predictable, sustainable and transferable raises enterprise value. 20. Be an objective thinker. 21. Change is required to stay relevant. What lesson would you share? 👇🏼 #engineering #architecture #leadership #realestate #construction

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In the engineering industry, ENR rankings are a big deal, and companies like to point to their rankings, but what do they mean? Engineering News-Record, or ENR, is a publication providing engineering and construction news, analysis, commentary, and data for contractors, project owners, engineers, architects, government regulators, and industry suppliers. Each year, ENR publishes rankings of construction and engineering firms based on annual revenue.  Lists are further divided into specific market sectors and regions. Among engineering design firms, such as ours, the primary list is the 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 list.  Each April, ENR ranks the 500 largest U.S.-based designs firms, both publicly and privately held, based on design-specific revenue. Freese and Nichols is at #️⃣1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ on this list with $266.5 million in revenue.  We moved ⬆️8️⃣ spots from last year. Of course engineering design is very broad, and the U.S. is quite big, so lists divided by sector and/or region are helpful as well. Other rankings for Freese and Nichols include: #️⃣8️⃣3️⃣ Pure Designers (⬆️5️⃣ spots) #️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ Design Firms for Water (⬇️1️⃣ spot) #️⃣1️⃣9️⃣ Design Firms for Sewer & Waste (⬆️1️⃣ spot) #️⃣7️⃣2️⃣ ENR Southeast (⬆️7️⃣ spots) #️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ ENR Texas & Louisiana (⬆️1️⃣ spot) Specific market sector rankings in 𝗘𝗡𝗥 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝗮𝘀 & 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮: #️⃣1️⃣1️⃣ Texas (⬆️1️⃣ spot) #️⃣5️⃣ Oklahoma (⬆️4️⃣ spots) #️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ Louisiana (⬇️1️⃣ spot) #️⃣1️⃣ Environmental and Geotechnical Engineering #️⃣1️⃣6️⃣ Civil Engineering #️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ Government/Public Building #️⃣5️⃣ "Other Project Types" While it's exciting to ascend the list, in my experience, I'm more than happy 𝘯𝘰𝘵 to be toward the very top of the list.  Through my experiences at 3 different engineering firms, I've discovered 2 of my career preferences: ➡️ I enjoy being part of growth, preferably organic, rather than through acquisition. ➡️ I also enjoy being part of a "large" company, rather than a "giant" company. While ENR ranking is not a direct measure of recruiting success, it 𝘪𝘴 an indirect measure of our growth in headcount.  Over time, as long as we are climbing upward, it's probably an indicator that as an organization, we are attracting and acquiring the right talent. 👍🏻James (Jim) P. Riney +JMJ #engineering #civilengineering #construction #talentacquisition #recruiting

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This is a really strange job market.  I've been trying to figure out a way to explain the stark differences in the job market for corporate talent and engineering talent to others.  Here's what I came up with... Using LinkedIn data, I calculated a demand/supply ratio for corporate talent, and for engineering talent, for comparison. More specifically, I selected job functions associated with corporate talent, and with engineering talent.  I used the jobs posted on LinkedIn by job function as an approximation of demand.  I used the number of LinkedIn profiles by job function as an approximation of supply. A higher number indicates a tighter talent market.  So as an employer, it means this talent is harder to find.  As a job seeker, it means more opportunities are available to you. Obviously, conversely, a lower number indicates more available talent to employers, and a more challenging job market as a job seeker. The numbers support my experience that while it is a tough job market for folks in corporate job functions, finding engineering talent remains to be a challenge.  The dichotomy is real! Later, I thought to compare the demand/supply ratio for engineering talent across all industries to the demand/supply ratio for engineering talent in the civil engineering industry.  In a weird way, I was glad to see the number jump, indicating an even tighter talent market in our industry, as it definitely reflects my experience. So the numbers confirm the challenge, now to focus on solutions... 👍🏻James (Jim) P. Riney +JMJ #engineering #civilengineering #jobs #careers #talentacquisition 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝗱𝘀 (like me) Using Talent Insights (a LinkedIn Talent Solutions product), I looked at the most prevalent 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 (also referred to as 𝘑𝘰𝘣 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 on LinkedIn) for our, and similar, civil engineering companies (Engineering, Operations, and Project and Program Management).  I also selected 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 associated with corporate functions, regardless of industry (Accounting, Administrative, Business Development, Human Resources, Information Technology and Marketing). I created a Talent Pool Report in Talent Insights, selecting United States as the location, and the respective 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯(𝘴) for each ratio.  I divided the number of 𝘑𝘰𝘣 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 by the number of 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 for each, multiplying by 100, and rounding to the nearest tenth to express the ratio as a percentage.  To restrict to the civil engineering industry, I selected Civil Engineering from the 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 field.

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I provided a proposal for a builder that described my original design fee and then a price for repeat plans on separate lots. While my template from a past project included a note about "identical wind speed" I noticed I was missing the part about "identical exposure category". This is another reminder how important it is to fully describe what the proposal includes, and exactly when the additional hourly rates will kick in. Just for the non-engineer readers, Exposure D (near the ocean or an airport) can create 80% higher wind speeds from Exp B to Exp D, depending on the height of the building. This is the difference between a window at 23 PSF or 42 PSF, or a roofing product not meeting code or just increasing the number of fasteners. Keep in mind the wind pressure requirement is independent of impact protection. Most of our projects need to meet both.

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The city of Milton, Georgia, is investing $397,000 in several projects along Crabapple Road (Ga. 372) to enhance pedestrian safety, improve streetscape design, and reduce traffic congestion. These initiatives include the installation of a mid-block pedestrian crosswalk with a pedestrian beacon, landscaping, and drainage work. Additionally, there are plans for a stop-and-go traffic signal at Crabapple Road and Green Road, with considerations for a roundabout pending funding availability. Other projects aim to modify the Heritage Walk roundabout, add multi-use paths, and potentially bury power lines. These investments align with the city's goal to transform Crabapple Road to reflect downtown Milton's character while ensuring safety for pedestrians and drivers. #Traffic #PedestrianSafety #Georgia #Transportation

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I’m happy because I got a 85% on my first assignment in Building Materials Science. Not bad for a single momma doing 10+ hours on a #constructionsite.👷🏽‍♀️I’m also having a great week knowing it’s my last week in college and I’ve got the first year out of the way. I’m so nosey on #site! Sometimes I walk around and make the guys teach me, LOL. 😂 I be like: what are you doing, what is this, what’s that on your computer screen, what are you looking at? 😩😂 Like today, I learned all about the Thermo Scientific Niton XL2 980 GOLDD (Geometrically Optimized Large Area Drift Detector) XRF Analyser from the Quality Manager, had a conversation with the #structuralengineer about steel deflection and learned all about plate rollers that bend steel. Now back to this little device (Niton XRF Analyser). It captures the characteristic of the specific elements within the material. Therefore, when used with #steel , it determines the elemental composition of the metal and quantify the concentration of various elements such as iron, carbon, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, etc., what they call non-destructive testing. I told the guys it’s ENGINEERING 101 today ‼️ Another busy week for me but that’s okay. #civilengineering #engineering #engineeringcareers #builtenvironment #infrastructure #constructionindustry #womeninconstruction #constructioncareers #renewableenergy #constructionsite #stem

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I used to do estimates for a general contractor- I now work at Bluebeam- here are the 3 things I would have done differently. I had access to Bluebeam,  but I admittedly had no idea what I was doing with it. My main job was VD&C Manager (see last Monday’s post for 3 things I’d do differently in that role) But in the cyclical nature of construction- I wore different hats. Today’s hat - estimator. I’d usually be given 1-3 divisions to tackle- (the easy stuff) Admittedly, this wasn’t my favorite. I also didn’t want to learn a new software. So I would take these tasks as opportunities to figure out how to do things faster within Bluebeam.  And I made some cool progress :) Now this is what I would do differently- and what I felt like an absolute magician doing! Visual Search This will ALWAYS be my favorite feature. FOREVER and ALWAYS You can search for text or for IMAGES (!!!) I’d do this on tags, or specific elements relating to the division I was taking off. You wouldn’t believe the number of times the door schedule and tags didn’t line up correctly. WHAT I WISH I KNEW: You can automatically highlight the count selection (by clicking the thunderbolt) and add a count. -you can also automatically hyperlink to a cut sheet or other sections of the drawings. Custom columns Hear me out-  You’re heads down trying to finish your “quick” estimate-  Someone walks into your office and asks you a question- You just lost your spot. I wish I had created a custom column, that was a checkbox for my own backcheck. (oh yeah and custom columns would have been handy to run a calc within the markups list instead of exporting to Excel a million times) Compare Documents This happened one time- I had completed a signage takeoff…  it was Friday afternoon… and I got a revision. I actually printed one document and  held it next to my screen as I compared the new and old version  (yes I’m embarrassed to share this). What I should have done - run a quick compare documents- Find the updates (if any)  Update the takeoff… Enjoy my weekend! Like this? I’ll be cycling through all my past roles and sharing what I wish I knew that would have saved me a ton of time! Check back next Monday for what I’d do differently within my document management workflows! In the meantime- what should an estimator know within Bluebeam? PS- curious how I pivoted from Construction to Bluebeam? Comment “pivot” below and I’ll send you all the details!

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One of the huge benefits to working in the Construction Industry - failures/problems do get investigated, results can become a part of the culture under the "lessons learned" title. This example from Engineering News-Record: https://lnkd.in/gtdcaRqC #constructionindustry #failure #riskmanagement #marine #bridge #baltimore #engineeringnewsrecord #epcrecruiters

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The #CLM Magazine May/June issue features a "Leading Out Loud" Q&A article including MC's Vice President of Engineering Services and Civil/Structural Engineer Expert, Dave Amori, PhD, PE, RRC. Check out the virtual edition for industry-related questions being answered. This article addresses how #property #claims #adjusting has changed over the years and if #inflation is still impacting these claims. Also, what #technology #tools are proving the most useful? Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gKi-bsXR CLM Alliance (Claims and Litigation Management Alliance)

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Employee growth and development at Lochner happens at all levels with a mix of coaching, continuing education, and challenging opportunities. Take the first steps and apply now: https://bit.ly/3xdgE8W #Construction #Utility

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In the upcoming months, I plan to discuss my journey as a black traffic/transportation engineer and what I have done to get to where I am within my career and consulting business. I will be exposing both the good and bad within our market and what improvements can be made. I will be collecting data and taking polls. I also encourage my peers to add "constructive criticism" on the topics presented but expect to be challenged if you don't come bearing "receipts". So let the discussions begin..... The first discussion will be on the topic of understanding your value to both the public and private sector markets within Traffic and Transportation Engineering.

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Are we excluding the best candidates by requiring specific degrees for certain positions? As a former brickmason turned surveyor, I can attest that life experience and on-the-job training can be just as valuable as a formal education. While I believe in higher education and even taught at a local college, I've seen firsthand how unnecessary credentialization can prevent qualified candidates from even being considered. Don't use education requirements as a filter to exclude potential candidates, its just a form of exclusion. Instead, focus on the skills and experience needed to excel in the position. By doing so, you may just find the best candidate for the job, regardless of their educational background. Let's work together to attract top talent and fill open positions, without needlessly limiting our options. #realtalk #leadership

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Holding out to hire the “perfect” candidate?  A Common and Flawed approach Let me explain: Waiting for the perfect candidate might seem like a logical approach. But from my experience, it often backfires. I see this all too often as a recruiter, and it's a major pain point! Most companies spend weeks/months trying to find strong talent. Then, once they find a good one, they try to keep them “warm” while they wait for someone even better to appear. And when their “perfect” candidate doesn't materialize, they go back to their first candidate to make an offer. Only to find that the candidate’s long gone! They took too long, and Their competitor hired them instead…Ouch! Now they have to start the search all over again. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this exact situation play out. The best companies have a streamlined hiring process and are Always aware that other companies are interested in the same candidate. If you find a strong candidate who’s fully qualified and a great cultural fit… Don’t delay - make the hire!

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Check out my recent insights on navigating interviews, especially if you're of a certain age. Remember, during an interview, you're there to secure the job, not disclose all your trade secrets. Human Resources may seem friendly, but their goal is to learn as much as possible. Stay alert and always prioritize your interests. #JobInterviews #CareerAdvice #HRInsights #JobSearch #InterviewTips #CareerDevelopment #ConstructionIndustry #RecruitmentInsights

This week United for Infrastructure marks the 12th annual Infrastructure Week and continues to spread awareness about the potential transformative investment represented by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. #structuralengineering #civilengineering #geotechnicalengineering #constructionengineering #foundation #geostructural #SiteStructural #engineering #design #construction #risk #riskmanagment #infrastructure #InfrastructureWeek #InfrastructureWeek2024

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