Ingenuity Spring 2018

Pond Ingenuity Spring 2018 15 underutilized section of Mableton into a town square. The project addressed the Mableton redevelopment district’s plan of creating a community that accommodates its aging population, where “residents are able to age gracefully in a thriving community,” Matt Wilder, Pond director of landscape architecture, said when accepting the award. Another award-winning project reflecting Pond’s community-development practice is the 15-mile Big Creek Greenway project in Forsyth County, Ga. The last phase of that multiyear project is currently under construction, Osterloh says. Going to School A specific driver behind Pond’s performance and growth is the emphasis on creating high-performance teams, says Tony Parker, president and CEO. At the center of that effort is Pond University, an initiative started about six years ago aimed at improving the leadership and relationship skills of a select group of emerging company leaders. It’s a major effort, with the company estimating that it invests roughly $1 million developing Pond U.’s annual class of roughly 20-24 “students,” who come from a range of positions. Company executives take turns leading two-day, offsite sessions held every other month, with an early focus on each individual’s potential “derailment” issues. “If you’ve got some character flaws or issues in your personality that cause the team to not operate as effectively as they should, you have to be aware of those things, which (can be) very unnerving,” Parker explains. “It’s all about building trust, and that’s essential to having a high-performance team.” Adds Pam Gower, human resources director: “We’re really all about relationships in our organizations, and that really starts with the relationships we have with each other.” The educational initiative appears to be producing the intended results. Kathryn Masters, director of airside/landside/ cargo, planning and development at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, says the Pond team—which is partnered with Michael Baker International as engineer of record for civil projects— provides “a level of collaboration you don’t always get” from other firms. Pond has been serving in this role for approximately 10 years. “As an owner, we have a strong opinion about how we think things should be done,” Masters says, adding that Pond does “a good job of listening to that and respecting that, but also being willing to come in with their own ideas.” Of the Pond-Michael Baker team, Masters adds, “They do good work, they’re responsive and they communicate well.” Sullivan with ACEC Georgia says Pond University is “one of the leading internal leadership and business development programs” among the association’s member firms. The difference between Pond U. and other, similar programs, Sullivan believes, is that Pond’s initiative is “part of a much larger, broader, deeper commitment to building a culture of inclusiveness (and) valuing employee perspectives.” While the program itself stands out, Sullivan adds, “It’s that larger culture that Pond has created that is the real key” to its growth. Pond currently targets a robust 20% annual growth rate, which Meier says “creates opportunities for the great people we’re hiring.” “It is challenging growing the company,” he adds, “but we make it fun.” Scott Judy | Deputy Editor for Regions, and Editor of ENR Southeast