Issue link: https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1415426
18 csengineermag.com MAY 2019 line with that employees' ambitions. It is not reasonable to expect that we can create opportunities aligned with everyone's ambitions and expectations, but what we do strive for is that employees leave better prepared and more experienced than when they arrived. Benefits are evolving. Are you offering any new ones due to the changing demographic? Benefit and compensation packages are evolving every year. Most notably, we have recently created an employee perks program, where employees are granted a number of points based on their level of em- ployment status and number of years of experience. They can choose to use those points for a wide variety of perks, including team building activities like bowling and golf leagues, health options and gym mem- berships, family related activities, or entertainment/leisure activities. Also, SCE has created a company bonus program whereby if the com- pany is successful in reaching its annual performance goals, the week between Christmas and New Year's is granted as an additional week of vacation and our offices close for that time period. This has been a very popular motivator which also encourages personal and family time. What scares you about the geopolitical environment today? Today's geopolitical environment poses significant challenges to the consistent growth and service categories we expect to achieve. While our services are less influenced by the international business climate, many of our clients' needs are directly influenced by the world econo- my. Most prevalent today would be the threatening impacts of foreign trade tariffs. Materials and equipment availability and costs could have an adverse effect on projects we design and a client's ability to fund infrastructure improvements. Stability in the government and inter- national relations appeared to be at an all-time low under the current administration, and until that changes, we may be in for a bumpy ride. Have the tax cuts impacted your firm's valuation? Do you plan on doing another valuation due to the tax cuts? Our firm valuation is relatively simple. In our shareholder agreement, we have agreed to adopt the Zweig Z-3 formula for all internal share transfers, and it is updated annually, based on updated Zweig variables. We have successfully relied upon that valuation for nearly a decade and conducted several ownership transfer transactions on that basis, without challenge or difficulty. Amazingly, our firm's value has sig- nificantly gone up in recent years due to our growth and profitability, and our commitment to investing back into the company (retained earnings). Observation of construction inspection for several SCE private Gas Utility clients throughout the state of Georgia. Photo: SCE LIISA ANDREASSEN is a freelance writer who lives in Asheville, NC. She writes on a variety of topics including architecture and engineering, business management, HR, and technology. She can be reached at landreassen@zweiggroup.com.