Case Studies Archives - Friedman & Partners

Unicorns & Survey Monkeys, Councils & Summits: Outside-the-Box Employee Engagement

In an era defined by persistent labor shortages, generational change and heightened employee expectations, employee engagement has quietly become one of the most powerful drivers of retention, recruitment and long-term firm stability. In this edition of The Friedman File, we explore how some AEC firms are moving beyond generic engagement strategies and instead building distinctive, firm-specific programs that give employees a voice, reinforce shared values and create real emotional connection to the organization.

Recognition as Culture: Bergmeyer’s Unicorn Awards

At Bergmeyer, employee engagement is centered on the idea that everyone has something special to contribute and that they should be recognized publicly and meaningfully for it. This is embodied in its Unicorn Award, which, in the words of President and CEO Rachel Zsembery, “honors our fiercely focused, highly motivated creative thinkers.”

Nicknamed the “Golden Horn,” the award is a […]

By Rich Friedman|2026-02-04T18:36:32-05:00February 2026|Case Studies, Recruiting & Retaining Talent|

Beyond the Perks: How One Midwestern Firm Turns Culture into Strategy

In a time when workplace culture can be underappreciated or overlooked, Kaskaskia Engineering Group, LLC (KEG) reminds us that genuine connection and trust are still the foundation of AEC firm success. The firm’s people-first policies, like banking time after 40 hours per week or its festive “4-3-2-1 Policy” (more on that later), illustrate how culture can drive both morale and margins. In this issue of The Friedman File, we explore how this firm of “KEG-ers” is winning at work and in life.

Culture in the Open

Spend a little time with the folks at Kaskaskia Engineering Group (KEG) and one thing becomes clear: this is a firm guided by its own compass, doing what it believes is right without worrying how it plays to the outside world. This fearless confidence is further reinforced on the KEG website, where their Dogs page features more than forty […]

By Rich Friedman|2025-11-03T09:42:38-05:00November 2025|Business Strategy, Case Studies, Recruiting & Retaining Talent|

Breaking the Mold: One Firm’s Journey to Becoming a “Design Collaborative” and Why It Matters

It’s not unusual for an AEC firm to re-examine and refine their mission, vision or even their core values on a regular basis. Many firms do this during their annual strategic planning process, which may result in a tweak here and a readjustment there. Much less frequently do we see firms completely revamp their firm’s direction and brand in the way that Bergmeyer did beginning in 2020 when the firm transitioned from a traditional architecture/interior design firm into what they’ve termed a “design collaborative.” The rationale that drove this transformation, along with the process and ultimate benefits, are the focus of this edition of The Friedman File.

The Value in Being a “Design Collaborative”

A cynic might perceive Bergmeyer’s transition to a “design collaborative” as little more than a cosmetic marketing exercise designed to help them stand out in a crowded field. The firm’s leadership— […]

By Rich Friedman|2025-08-06T09:34:07-04:00August 2025|Business Strategy, Case Studies, Marketing & Branding|

Asking the Right Questions: The Undeniable Value of Client Feedback

Client feedback is one of the most important, but underutilized tools that an AEC firm can employ as an improvement strategy. As I relayed in a March 2025 presentation to AIA’s Large Firm Round Table Marketing Forum, a good client feedback process benefits most practice management areas. When done sincerely and strategically, client feedback can reshape a firm’s internal practices, reinforce long-term relationships and drive smart growth. It can be a foundational element of an AEC firm’s business development and strategic planning efforts, and it is the subject of this edition of The Friedman File.

The Value of the Ask

A critical takeaway here is that simply asking for feedback is itself an act of value. It tells your client: “You matter. Your opinion counts. We want to get better.” This message alone can shift brand perception and deepen trust—even before a single question is […]

By Rich Friedman|2025-05-05T17:21:12-04:00May 2025|Business Development, Business Strategy, Case Studies, Market/Client Research|

The Rise of AI Search in AEC Knowledge Management

What if you had an internal search engine that could access and easily retrieve all your collected data and information? A tool that could understand unique AEC industry terminology, and help us find what we need, not just what we asked for? The future is now with artificial intelligence (AI) powered search, the topic of this edition of The Friedman File.

The Institutional Knowledge Quandary

Our industry thrives on institutional knowledge. However, our valuable experiences, project summaries, technical details and lessons learned are scattered arbitrarily across our digital ecosystem. Information lies in different software platforms, with inconsistent, convoluted naming conventions. Traditional keyword searches can’t decipher this puzzle, leading to inefficiency and lost opportunities.

AI-powered search can help solve this challenge. By integrating AI into intranet search functionality, firms can unlock the collective intelligence of their organizations, more accurately retrieving contextually relevant information. AI search also aggregates […]

By Rich Friedman|2025-02-17T14:07:25-05:00February 2025|Business Strategy, Case Studies, Market/Client Research|

The Digital Asset Challenge: Using Technology to Improve Organization & Efficiency

One of the most challenging aspects of marketing and business development in the AEC industry is the organization, management, and accessibility of digital assets, including project photographs, headshots, renderings, and other imagery. Increasingly, AEC firms are turning to technology to solve this challenge. In this edition of The Friedman File, we explore how digital asset management (DAM) technology can increase efficiency, enhance proposal preparation, and reduce frustration for your marketing and business development team.

What is DAM, and Why Don’t More Firms Use It?

For architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms, efficiently organizing and retrieving digital assets is essential to successful marketing and business development. Yet many firms still rely on outdated systems or manually curated folders that limit productivity, create redundancy, and strain resources during high-stakes proposal preparation.

Digital asset management (DAM) systems streamline this process by providing a centralized, searchable platform that accelerates workflows, […]

By Rich Friedman|2024-11-11T09:56:11-05:00November 2024|Business Development, Business Strategy, Case Studies, Marketing & Branding|

Personality Assessment Tests: Infusing Objectivity & Insight Into A/E/C Firm Team Building

Deloitte reports that 80% of Fortune 500 companies use personality tests for a variety of reasons, including recruiting, career planning, leadership development and team building. The global consulting group adds that there are approximately 2,500 such tests on the market. In this issue of The Friedman File, we examine the experiences of two firms to consider how assessment tests can help A/E/C leaders more effectively hire, manage resources and promote employee success.

Seth Wilkinson, president of 140-person Wilkinson Ecological Design/Ecotone, says that his firm began using the Winslow Personality Test in 2014. “We were introduced to it by a third-party consultant, and we initially took it as a leadership team to understand each other’s personalities a little better,” says Wilkinson. “It resonated for many of us quite a bit, so we started using it more broadly. We now use it as part of our […]

By Rich Friedman|2024-08-06T13:04:19-04:00August 2024|Case Studies, Leadership, Recruiting & Retaining Talent|

Technology as a Competitive Edge for A/E/C Firms

A trend I’ve noticed in the last few years is the rising number of A/E/C firms with technology-based subsidiaries or divisions. This extends beyond the common tools used by architects, scientists and engineers, such as 3D modeling or CADD, to owning technology processes or products used in project delivery that have traditionally been a reimbursable item or subconsultant service.

This issue of The Friedman File outlines some of the benefits and challenges of this growing practice, with examples from the experiences of two industry-leading firms that have made this leap.

Opportunity Knocked

Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is a 700-employee environmental consulting firm with 21 offices across California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southeast. In late 2021, it acquired 36-person Sitka Technology Group, which develops and manages knowledge infrastructure for conservation, restoration and sustainable development. With Sitka as the centerpiece, ESA launched its new Technology Services Group […]

By Rich Friedman|2024-08-06T11:36:11-04:00May 2024|Business Strategy, Case Studies, Market/Client Research|

Living the Dream: PAE Engineers’ HQ Embodies an Aspirational Vision

PAE Engineers enjoys a unique symbol of its brand identity – the company’s Portland headquarters office, which is the world’s first developer-driven Living Building. In this edition of The Friedman File, we look at how 375-person PAE Engineers achieved the multiple benefits of creating a sustainable, resilient and cost-effective speculative mixed-use building that serves as its main office, as well as an investment property, marketing jewel and beacon of the firm’s vision, mission, principles and values.

PAE’s Living Building Challenge

The PAE Living Building is a five-story, 58,000-square-foot mixed-use building located in a historic neighborhood in Portland. Designed to last 500 years, the comfortable, modern and functional structure uses far less energy, water, and material than comparable buildings of its size. The largest commercial urban Living Building in the world, it “demonstrates how the built environment can achieve the deep and immediate carbon emission reductions […]

By Rich Friedman|2024-02-05T20:01:23-05:00February 2024|Business Strategy, Case Studies, Marketing & Branding, Recruiting & Retaining Talent|

Is EOS the Answer or the Leadership Flavor of the Month?

The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is a hot topic in A/E/C leadership circles. Curiosity about the effectiveness of this 15-year-old management approach runs high at conferences, online discussion boards and other gatherings. In this edition of The Friedman File, we examine pros and cons of EOS with insight from two CEOs whose firms adopted it.

What is EOS?

As perfectly described by the website Ablison.com, “Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is a framework designed to help companies achieve their goals by creating structure and discipline in their operations. It is a set of tools that encompasses various management concepts such as Six Sigma, lean manufacturing and total quality management.”

Founder and entrepreneur Gino Wickman hatched the concept for EOS while advising companies on business and leadership in the 1990s and early 2000s. He and co-founder Don Tinney launched EOS Worldwide in 2008. The company – of which […]

By Rich Friedman|2023-09-05T12:33:17-04:00September 2023|Business Strategy, Case Studies, Leadership|