Commentary: Front-Seat Riders Experience Ups and Downs As Firms Face Transitions in Leadership

Summary

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On Oct. 27, 1972, the U.S. Congress enacted the Brooks Act, essentially creating a marketplace in which architects, engineers and contractors would need to compete on qualifications for federal contracts. States soon followed with similar laws. As a result of this new competitive marketplace, several industry firms came into existence. Given that the average American can expect to work about 40 to 45 years in a good economy, many of the founders of those businesses are now retiring. We are in an age of transition.

As an employee of David Evans and Associates Inc., a firm that is negotiating that transition, it often feels like I'm riding a roller coaster. One day everything is going along smoothly. Then a change occurs, and there's a fast upturn. Then a few days later, there's a plunge and a wicked curve, and just as quickly a sense of reassuring calm returns. More loops, twists and turns are ahead. If this was my experience from the middle car on the roller coaster, I wonder what life was like in the front car. I spoke to three different "front seat" riders: Ed Friedrichs, now retired president and CEO of Gensler Architecture; Martha Knowlton, current Pacific Northwest regional manager and vice president with Kennedy/Jenks Consultants; and Jay Lyman, recently named COO at DEA. They described their rides as frustrating and then rejuvenating, as creative and then transparent, and as thoughtful and then frightening - truly a roller coaster of emotions and best intentions.

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Commentary: Front-Seat Riders Experience Ups and Downs As Firms Face Transitions in Leadership

Friedrichs spent 10 years, admittedly starting very early, searching for his replacement by seeking the proper balance between operatio...

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