I am pleased to report that GAI once again experienced very positive results in 2014. While I am very proud of our accomplishments over the year, my role as President and CEO is to keep us focused on the future. In this first quarterly message for 2015, I would like to share highlights from our 2014 Strategic Planning Meeting conducted last fall. Input into this strategy session was a collaborative effort that engaged staff across GAI and allowed valuable input to the GAI Board of Directors from every level of our organization. This collective effort resulted in a 3-year Strategic Plan that takes GAI’s visionary reach to 2017 and beyond. Plan highlights were shared with all employees during our annual State of the Company Meeting, and a few of our significant goals are outlined below.

Support our Project Managers: We will invest in digital tools and efficient systems to support our Project Managers. As the lifeblood of our firm, they need to have all the necessary support to engage 24/7 in our clients’ goals to get projects built or completed.

Develop our People: An engaged staff is focused on clients’ needs and is supportive of the firms’ goals. All successful firms must deliver a quality project, but what underlies each successful project is employee engagement. Enhancing employee engagement through additional training and development opportunities for all staff in all functions and stages of their careers is a priority. With that in mind, GAI has updated our nationally-acclaimed internal leadership training programs.

Make Quality, Service and Safety Really Matter: GAI continues to focus on the fundamental qualities of client service, quality deliverables, and safe work environments. While all firms deliver technical services, it is the personal delivery of that service that sets good firms apart. GAI believes in this distinction and will continue to strengthen our customer service culture by enhancing our Client First Program to provide our staff with the customer service skills and awareness to support our clients’ needs. We will support and strengthen our Quality Management Systems by extending our programs to our Corporate Services areas to align technical operations with support operations. By embedding safety into our everyday thoughts for ourselves, our clients, and our families, we continue to reduce safety incidents for our staff and others.

Focus on Growth: We are extending and strengthening our geographic reach nationally and internationally. By adding new strategic services and offices, we will broaden our market reach, better support our world-class clients, and provide more career opportunities for our staff.

We have many important initiatives ahead of us, but I am confident we will achieve success in each area as we continue down our path of smart, strategic growth. By taking this time to map out our vision through our Strategic Planning sessions, we will continue to strengthen our evolving organization. I look forward to sharing more updates and good news about GAI in future messages.

Gary DeJidas, PE
President and CEO, GAI Consultants, Inc.