Page 6 - Graypvine - Gray Inc. April 2023

Gray AE, spanning the US from coast to coast as well specifically designed for the AE industry), researching
as in Ontario, Canada. In addition to intense focus market/peer data, and developing dashboards that
on our projects currently in design execution, we are ensure accountability and accuracy to meet our
making progress in each of our Strategic Plan goal company's profitability goals.
areas. This plan consists of five core goals and their Tons of effort and hard work is being poured into
associated initiatives, where the intent is to promote each of these initiative areas, and I’m sure I will have
people, process and operational improvements. This additional updates related to each of them in future
Graypvine article will be dedicated to an overview articles.
of the Strategic Plan and specific initiatives for fiscal
year 2023. Willett Engineering
Starting with Goal 1: Attract, Retain, and Grow our with J. Mac Willett
Team Members, we are focusing on two core initiative President & Principal Engineer
areas: Team Member Development and Mergers &
Acquisitions. Within the Team Member Development
6 initiative, we are working to produce a thorough We are in the midst of an exciting season at Willett

training and development framework that supports Engineering, with a number of unique projects in the
team member growth while our M&A effort is focused works. I’d like to tell you a couple of interesting stories
on growing our currently limited architectural capacity about some of our current undertakings.
through a strategic acquisition. We are honored to be providing structural
In Goal 2: Expand our Geographic Presence, engineering for the preservation of Johns Homestead,
we are working to improve our existing Work from a special historic site in the state of Georgia. This circa
Anywhere policy as well as exploring the feasibility 1829 farm is historically significant due to containing
of Co-Locating with other Gray, Inc. companies. the state’s only documented rammed-earth structure.
We are researching and evaluating best practices in The rammed-earth method of construction was
the industry, outlining areas for improvement, and developed by ancient civilizations and was the
ensuring a collaborative and successful team member method used to construct the earliest portions of the
experience remains our top priority. Great Wall of China. In the United States, this ancient
Our team for Goal 3: Improve our Processes is method saw a brief revival among rural homesteaders
centered around the development of the Project of the 1800s. We are very excited to be involved in
Management program within Gray AE by defining the the preservation of this rare historic site.
position (in addition to the Design Manager), outlining In the past I’ve mentioned our longstanding
standard processes and procedures, and determining relationships with Atlanta-based film studios and our
how this position will fit into our organization work designing large sound stages and production
effectively. complexes. Our connections in the movie business
The Goal 4: Diversify our Customer Base team is have also led to a burgeoning reputation among
evaluating the feasibility of design-only work (meaning location scouts. We go out to their prospective film
working directly for customers other than Gray sites to consult on how to safely accommodate
Construction) and consulting with experts to outline the crew and equipment on real-world structures,
measures that ensure successful project execution, including roofs, bridges and balconies. If you’re
overall program management and customer success. watching the popular new ABC show “Will Trent",
Finally, the Goal 5: 75th Percentile of Profitability you’ll see ten different locations around Atlanta where
in the Industrial Market Research team is focused on we have given consult. We’re proud to be bringing
supporting the Deltek transition (we recently moved the Gray values of safety and quality of life to the
to a new accounting platform called Deltek, which is Hollywood of the South.