Growing a LEGENDARY AEC Firm with Strong Values!

Key Concepts

• Core Values (LEADS): Learn continuously, Engage as a family, Act with integrity, Deliver quality, Serve always.
• Culture Maintenance: Proactive efforts to define, communicate, and reinforce organizational values.
• Client Relationships: Focus on building long-term partnerships with clients rather than pursuing individual projects.
• Continuous Improvement: A mindset of constantly seeking ways to improve processes, services, and employee engagement.
• Leadership Excellence System: A defined set of attributes and qualities expected of leaders within the organization.
• Employee Engagement: Actively seeking and responding to employee feedback to improve the work environment.

Freeze and Nickels' Success Factors

Core Values and Culture

• Freeze and Nickels has thrived for over 130 years, recently winning the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for the second time.
• The company's success is attributed to its core values, encapsulated in the acronym LEADS:
  • Learn continuously
  • Engage as a family
  • Act with integrity
  • Deliver quality
  • Serve always
• These values were developed through focus groups involving leadership and employees to identify what makes Freeze and Nickels unique.
• The values are branded with a North Star logo, symbolizing constancy and reliability.
• All decisions are made in alignment with the LEADS values.
• Brian Cawthorp emphasized the importance of maintaining the company's culture, stating that "in order for us to continue to have success as an organization, we need to maintain our culture."

Continuous Improvement and Innovation

• Freeze and Nickels has a continuous improvement mindset, initiated in the mid-90s due to industry changes.
• The company's mission statement emphasizes "innovative approaches, practical results, outstanding service."
• Innovation is balanced with practicality, ensuring solutions are feasible for clients' budgets and constraints.
• Brian Cawthorp noted, "Every problem has a practical side to it as well, whether it's political, cost, or whatever."

Client Relationships

• Freeze and Nickels focuses on "pursuing clients, not projects," prioritizing long-term relationships.
• The company's first client, the City of Fort Worth, has remained a client for 131 years.
• This approach fosters community connections and enables Freeze and Nickels to give back to the communities they serve.
• The "Serve always" value reflects the company's commitment to community involvement.

Employee Engagement and Development

• Freeze and Nickels aims to be "the firm of choice for our clients and our employees," believing that a positive work environment leads to better client service.
• An annual employee engagement survey gathers feedback to improve the work environment.
• The company states that it is "only growing to create opportunities for our staff."
• Freeze and Nickels University provides leadership development training.
• A strong mentorship program is available to all employees.

Leadership Excellence System

• The company developed a "Leadership Excellence System" to define the attributes and qualities expected of leaders.
• This system is used for leader selection and performance evaluation.
• The system aims to maintain consistency in leadership as the company grows.

Brian Cawthorp's Leadership Journey

• Brian Cawthorp joined Freeze and Nickels in 1992 after graduating with a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.
• He progressed from technical roles to project management and group management.
• He enjoyed "putting people in a place where they have the opportunity to have success."
• He became CEO in December 2015.
• His leadership style emphasizes surrounding himself with great people and empowering them.

Maintaining Values During Growth

• Maintaining values during growth requires leadership to model those values consistently.
• Freeze and Nickels uses its leadership excellence system to ensure consistency.
• Brian Cawthorp emphasized the importance of leaders being present and engaged with both employees and clients.

External Involvement

• Brian Cawthorp serves on several boards and professional committees.
• This external involvement provides a peer group for learning and serves as a sounding board.
• It also allows him to model the "Serve always" value and contribute to the development of future generations in the profession.

Conclusion

Freeze and Nickels' sustained success is rooted in its clearly defined core values (LEADS), a culture of continuous improvement, a focus on long-term client relationships, and a commitment to employee engagement and development. The company's leadership emphasizes modeling these values and creating a supportive environment where employees can thrive. The development of the Leadership Excellence System further reinforces these principles, ensuring consistency as the company continues to grow. Brian Cawthorp's leadership journey exemplifies the importance of people skills and a genuine interest in fostering the success of others. His advice to "be present" underscores the value of personal connections in a people-driven industry.