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Resilient Design: The Resilient Design Committee, Steve Raskin (Chair), Dean Manasses, Becky
Savage, Troy Kerr, Ray Lee, and Carol Stolt with Joe Chronister as Advisor has been busy. They
developed a presentation last year that has been used at several professional organizations, and
was also helpful in convincing Northwest R1 to hire FGM for the design of a safe room. They have
also published a detailed action plan for 2017. The plan defines what resilient design means at
FGM, suggests a marketing approach, and defines credentials members of the committee will
pursue to build our resumes. The committee has also incorporated the WELL Building Standard™
into our resilient initiative. In the coming year, we will work towards making Resilient Design another
tool in our toolbox for marketing and design in all practice areas.

As we have begun to concentrate our efforts on new strategies and Practice Areas, our Board
was forced to take a serious look at our Federal Practice Area. The Federal Practice Area is one
of our oldest, and has historically been quite profitable. In recent times, however, the market has
changed significantly. First came a shift towards design/build as a delivery method, and later a
move to promote work for disadvantaged business. Finally, in recent years Federal budgets have
been squeezed, or at times “sequestered”. All the above made it more difficult for FGM, a medium
sized, non-disadvantaged Architectural firm to compete for work. In recent years, our revenue
from this market had dwindled below six figures, and the Board made the difficult decision that
we would no longer pro-actively pursue work in this market. We will continue to honor our
commitments to strategic partners, and indeed have several active opportunities that may come
to fruition in 2017. So, the Federal Practice Area will remain on our website for the moment, but will
eventually be removed. Because of the Board’s action, MaryAnn O’Hara, our Practice Leader,
decided to leave FGM after 30 years of service. We thank MaryAnn for her many contributions,
and will continue to work with her as a consultant on any Federal projects that may come our
way.

Another one of our important strategic goals was to “have a fully empowered next generation
ready to lead the firm with confidence and skill”. Our work towards this goal has been quiet, but
steady. Last year we expanded our Board of Directors, and currently have three younger leaders,
Tim Kwiatkowski, John Dzarnowski and Andy Jasek participating fully as Managing Principals. These
Board Members have been working with Susan Harris, our management consultant, to craft a
vision for FGM that will carry us into the next generation. We have also invited others to participate
in committee work or training to gain leadership skill and experience. Kevin Meyer, Dean
Manasses, Bryan Mason, Josh Czerniak and Caroline Brogan all participated in Counsellor
Salesperson training this year. This is a new initiative for FGM, but has proven as a means for other
professional firms to turn successful Project Managers into successful rain makers. We understand
participation in any of these activities may seem to be a distraction from project responsibilities
and an unwanted extra demand on already crowded schedules. The truth is we are depending
on the people who are here at this shareholder meeting to provide the future leadership
necessary to keep FGM healthy. It is our job to provide the examples, mentorship and training you
need to keep growing professionally. For the younger people in the room- don’t hesitate to ask
for additional responsibility, and hold the current leaders accountable if you feel you are not
receiving the tools you need to reach your highest potential. FGM is proud to be an Employee
Owned firm- this is not a slogan, it reflects our ownership structure, and our culture. One important
component of ownership is a willingness on the part of current leaders to encourage, mentor and
train. Meanwhile, future leaders must be willing to learn and accept new responsibilities in order
to ensure the health of the whole firm. As the African proverb says “many hands make light work”-
together we can achieve our professional goals, while paving a good path forward for FGM.