Ep85 Doug Zabonick President Patriot Engineering

In this episode, Matt Nettleton interviews Douglas Zabonick, the president of Patriot Engineering and Environmental. Doug joined Patriot in June, 2015 as the leader of the Environmental Practice and was elected President in March 2020. Over the past four years, he has been instrumental in strengthening Patriot's core business while focusing on unifying and building Patriot's team and culture. Before joining Patriot, he was the President of 2 different environmental consulting companies headquartered in Indianapolis. During his career he has provided consulting engineering services throughout the United States and at projects in Brazil – South America and Abu Dhabi – UAE. Doug resides in Westfield, Indiana with his bride of 42 years, Kathy. He has two married adult sons and three grandchildren under the age of 2 who also live in Westfield. Patriot Engineering and Environmental, Inc. (Patriot) was founded in 1995 to specifically address the engineering and environmental needs of the development and redevelopment community. Patriot is a private, employee-owned S-Corporation with annual revenue of approximately $35 million and 190 professionals located in 9 offices throughout Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Patriot has provided services on every Toyota Manufacturing Facility in North America and is currently providing services at Toyota facilities in North Carolina, California, Texas and Mexico. Patriot specializes in three core service areas: environmental engineering and consulting, geotechnical engineering, and construction materials testing and inspection.   Takeaways Running a technical services business requires a strong focus on core values, financial literacy, and servant leadership. Transparency and trust are crucial in building a successful company culture. Understanding the financials of the business is essential for making informed decisions and ensuring profitability. The power of 'and' should be embraced in business decisions, balancing growth and profitability. As a business owner, it is important to prioritize the well-being and success of your employees. You can learn more about Doug on linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-zabonick-6483998/ or his company's website https://www.patrioteng.com/  Doug is a big reader so his book list is extensive Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0 – Jim Collins Good to Great – Jim Collins Great by Choice – Jim Collins Leadership Parable Series – Mark Miller Smart Leadership – Mark Miller Uncommon Greatness – Mark Miller Culture Rules – Mark Miller Any title by Patrick Lencioni Scaling Up – Verne Harnish The Great Game of Business – Jack Stack Wooden on Leadership – John Wooden EntreLeadership – Dave Ramsey The Infinite Game – Simon Sinek The Lazy CEO – Jim Schleckser