ANNOUNCING THE 2018 FIND THE LOST DOLLARS™ CLIENT AWARDS WINNERS!

(***The 2019 Find the Lost Dollars Client Awards will open for submissions very soon!***)

These Winners showcase the positive effect of using the Find the Lost Dollars Business Management Assessment and Training Program to change the mindset, behavior, reputation, and financial results of their A&E firm!

The Find the Lost Dollars™ Client Awards were designed to recognize our clients who have realized the greatest financial impact, culture change, business process and systems improvement and individual employee performance improvement as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program.

The Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program enables Architectural, Engineering, and Environmental consulting firms to improve financial performance and differentiate their value by being able to save their clients’ money because of careful management of scope and budget.

AEC Business Solutions is committed to ensuring that all of our clients see a measurable increase in profits as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars Training Program. In fact, that is our brand promise!!

Winners were announced and Awards were presented on March 19 at the AEC Profitability Summit 2018, Miami Beach, FL.

 

Standing out from dozens of submittals, we are proud to announce these firms and individuals as the Find the Lost Dollars Client Award Winners in the following categories:

 

AWARD #1

FIRM that has FOUND THE MOST DOLLARS as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program

 

Davey Resource Group – Kent, Ohio

  • Analyzed and changed contract types​
  • Focused staff on controlling scope creep ​
  • Implemented change orders processes​
  • Improved project management processes​
  • Operating profit rose $475,000 from 2015 to 2017

AWARD #2

FIRM that has had the HIGHEST PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN PROFITS as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program

Hillmann Consulting Logo

Hillmann Consulting – Union, NJ

  • Implemented new extra services process​
  • Monitor time sheets daily​
  • Added line items to estimate​
  • Use overtime instead of hiring new staff​
  • Analyze jobs real-time to track budgeting ​
  • Increased profits from 4.1% of revenue in 2016 to 9.4% in 2017  – 5.3% Increase!!

AWARD #3

FIRM that has had the BIGGEST CULTURAL CHANGE as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program

 

IBI Group logo

IBI Group – Houston, TX

  • Understanding balance between quality, keeping clients happy, and having profitable projects​
  • Employees more financially oriented and budget conscious​
  • Started holding employees accountable for performance​
  • Focused on getting great clients

AWARD #4

FIRM that has had the MOST IMPROVEMENT IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program

 

QK – Fresno, CA

  • Initiated Find the Lost Dollars program for all technical staff​
  • Improved estimating and budgeting processes​
  • Increased communication internally and with clients about extra services​
  • Charge PM and billing time to projects ​
  • Fired unprofitable high revenue client!

AWARD #5

INDIVIDUAL professional who has FOUND THE MOST LOST DOLLARS for his/her company as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program

 

QK – Fresno, CA

Lisa Wallis-Dutra, Senior Engineer

QK Lisa M Wallis-Dutra

 

  • Improved scope and estimates to include all activities possible​
  • Review all scopes, schedules, and fees with clients​
  • Realization of the value of project management​
  • Found lost dollars averaged to be $1,440/week – a potential $74,880 lost dollars per year!

AWARD #6

INDIVIDUAL nominated by their firm for EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE as a result of completing the Find the Lost Dollars™ Training Program

 

Davey Resource Group – Kent, Ohio

Joe Gregory, Regional Operations Manager

 

  • Led the Find the Lost Dollars sessions and worked closely with participants​
  • Took ownership of the fiscal report card​
  • Improved reporting and level of transparency​
  • Held staff accountable and worked with them to avoid culture traps and change behavior

Really, All of the Finalist Clients are Winners

These firms Found Lost Dollars, improved their culture, trained their employees, improved their business practices and in turn improved their ability to serve their clients.

Learn more about our Finalist firms:

 

Davey Resource Group – Kent, Ohio

Davey Resource Group, Inc. (DRG) is a multi-faceted, client-centered consulting enterprise that is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Davey Tree Expert Company. Headquartered in Kent, Ohio DRG has 3 main focus areas–utility vegetation management; asset management; and environmental consulting. The environmental consulting team provides ecological services; ecosystem restoration; water resource engineering; stream and wetland mitigation services; permitting and compliance; threatened and endangered species; archaeological investigations; GIS/IT services; and urban forestry consulting and environmental planning. DRG is passionate about the client experience and is committed to providing solutions through innovation and expertise.

Entech Engineering – Reading, PA

We help our clients make more informed decisions, while investing in their buildings and infrastructure assets through engineering and architectural planning and design services. As we evaluate different perspectives and information, clients thoroughly examine and understand their possibilities and can confidently select solutions that are then implemented with sound design. We leverage our technical expertise, to allow clients to do more with their limited resources as they plan, construct, operate and maintain their facilities and infrastructure.

We were founded in 1981, with a simple mission to help clients effectively reduce and manage the energy consumption of their buildings, via energy audits and mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) design services. Since then, we have expanded our offerings to include civil, water, wastewater, environmental, architectural, structural, and oil and gas services. Our wide array of services gives us more comprehensive technical capabilities, resulting in a deeper understanding of the relationships between the systems of building and/or infrastructure components.

With over 100 professionals and six locations across Pennsylvania, our depth and breadth allows us to provide world-class expertise with local responsiveness. From our corporate headquarters in Reading, we serve a broad array of clients, including educational, healthcare, industrial, and governments across the mid-Atlantic region.

Hillmann Consulting Logo

Hillmann Consulting – Union, NJ

Hillmann Consulting, LLC has been a well-recognized leader in the Environmental Consulting, Risk Management & Loss Control, Construction Services, and Construction Risk Management industry since 1985. By linking our enduring company values with the values and priorities of our clients, we provide a unique approach which combines our expert technical skills with a strong understanding of our client’s business objectives. Our firm was originally established serving mainly commercial properties located in New York City, which is one of the most complex, highly regulated, aggressive markets in the country. This early experience afforded us the unique opportunity to be mentored by some of the most experienced engineers and managers at top developers and banks for over 30 years now. We offer a comprehensive range of services and continue to expand our service capabilities in an effort to meet the changing needs of our clients.

IBI Group logo

IBI Group – Houston, TX

From high-rises to industrial buildings, schools to state-of-the-art hospitals, transit stations to highways, airports to toll systems, bike lanes to parks, IBI Group designs every aspect of truly integrated cities.

Our collaborative approach focuses on future-forward solutions. We’re bridging the gap between design and technology, unlocking new potential in data-driven environments.

At IBI, we believe in cities built upon intelligent systems, sustainable buildings, efficient infrastructure, and the human touch.

QK – Fresno, CA

QK has a diverse staff of 110 employees in six California offices – Bakersfield, Porterville, Visalia, Clovis, Merced, and Roseville.

QK is built on five distinct areas of expertise that work together to make the built environment possible. We have the industry’s most creative professionals in:

  • Engineering Design & Construction Mgmt
  • Survey & GIS
  • Urban Design & Landscape Architecture
  • Biology & Environmental Permitting
  • Planning

Within these five areas of expertise, QK’s specialized experience helps visionary clients throughout California. Our services include:

  • Civil Engineering
  • Traffic Engineering
  • Utility Coordination
  • Construction Management
  • Labor Compliance
  • Land Surveying
  • Geographic Information Systems
  • Urban Design
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Land Use Planning
  • Environmental Planning
  • Biological Resources
  • Environmental Permitting

Since 1972, QK has successfully partnered with cities, counties, state agencies, private clients, and other public agencies, to use our talents and services in the development of efficient solutions that have lasting positive impacts. These efforts result in the establishment of sustainable communities that offer a better quality of life.

The Lighting Practice – Philadelphia, PA

The Lighting Practice was founded in 1989. This 29-year-old firm, a certified WBE and DBE, is a leader in lighting design, specializing in sustainable lighting for corporate, healthcare, higher-education, hospitality, mixed-use, retail, and public spaces. Its team of talented lighting designers have created lighting strategies for a variety of notable projects throughout the US and abroad. These projects include the Empire State Building Historic Lobby Restoration and Tower Lighting Replacement, the Statue of Liberty National Monument Life and Safety Upgrades, the first LEED children’s hospital: Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The George Washington University Science + Engineering Hall, multiple projects with the University of Pennsylvania, The Logan Philadelphia, State Farm’s Atlanta HUB, GlaxoSmithKline’s double LEED Platinum headquarters at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and our team is illuminating Target’s new urban/small format stores in cities across the country.

Sain Associates, Inc. Logo

Sain Associates – Birmingham, AL

Sain Associates, Inc. is a Civil Engineering consulting firm that offers services in surveying, traffic/transportation design, GIS, site/civil engineering, and CE&I. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama for 45 years, we have branch offices in Pulaski, Tennessee and Mandeville, Louisiana.

Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. Logo

Wetland Studies – Gainseville, VA

Founded in October 1991, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI), a Davey Tree Company, is the leading natural and cultural resources consulting firm in the Mid-Atlantic. WSSI started as a one-person wetlands consulting firm and has grown into an integrated multi-discipline 140-person firm focused on solving Clean Water Act permitting and regulatory requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. Our staff, which includes wetland scientists, water resource engineers, arborists, archeologists, and regulatory, ecosystems, compliance, survey, and GIS specialists serve private, public, and energy sector clients. WSSI has provided wetlands and water resources consulting on more than 7,500 projects and over 275,000 acres throughout the region. Wetland Studies and Solutions is headquartered in Gainesville, Virginia with satellite offices in Richmond, Roanoke, and Millersville, Maryland.

WSSI developed the first wetlands bank in Virginia in 1994 (fourth in the U.S.), the first mitigation bank to provide stream credits in Virginia, and the first urban stream bank in Virginia (nearly 14 miles built to-date). In addition, WSSI’s headquarters office facility received the first LEED Gold approval in Virginia in 2006. Furthermore, in the area of wetlands and stream restoration, WSSI has also created an ongoing multi-million dollar wetlands research initiative with several universities.