David Winter is the American Council of Engineering Companies Engineer of the Year. David is CEO of Hart Crowser. He has been with Hart Crowser for nearly 27 years total and steadily worked up through the ranks as a staff engineer, project manager, market leader, officer, and now President and Chief Executive Officer. Through those many years he has organized and led many company initiatives, targeted and overseen expansion into new geographic regions and into new technical disciplines, negotiated and integrated acquisitions, and mentored young staff in business, project management, and client development.
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- David’s background
- Hart Crowser’s culture where team members feel the freedom to try new things
- Some of the biggest lesson David’s learned in his career from mentors like his cousin, his stepfather, and John Crowser
- Why you need to get good at writing proposals
- Why young engineers need to pay attention to those around them early in their career
- The importance of not being afraid to try something new
- A story of a time when Hart Crowser lost a lot of money on a project that they bid way too low and how that turned out well in the long run
- Identifying the team members that you need to keep and creating a career path for them
- Why expanding through acquisition is a strong strategy
- What both successful and unsuccessful acquisitions look like and how to make sure your acquisition is one of the successful ones
- How Hart Crowser has created a culture of stay and community and how they make sure their business isn’t just a job for employees
- Some of the biggest economic factors that Hart Crowser competes with
- Some of the biggest challenges that David is facing and will face
Ways to contact David: