The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) has announced its 2009–2010 National Board of Directors, composed of senior marketing and business development leaders representing the architectural, engineering/planning, and construction industry. The new board takes office on September 1, 2009.
2009-2010 SMPS National Board of Directors
President Thomas E. Smith, Jr., AICP, FSMPS, CPSM, President, BonTerra Consulting, Pasadena, CA
Past President Dana Birkes, APR, FSMPS, CPSM, Vice President, Business Development/Marketing, The Flintco Companies, Inc., Tulsa, OK
President-Elect Carolyn Ferguson, FSMPS, CPSM, WinMore Marketing
Advisors, Kingwood, TX
Secretary/Treasurer Barbara D. Shuck, FSMPS, CPSM, Vice President, Marketing Director, Emc2 Group, Architects Planners PC, Mesa, AZ
Chapter Delegate Kevin Hebblethwaite, CPSM, President, EDI Ltd., Atlanta, GA
Fellows Delegate Judith Nitsch, P.E., LEED AP, FSMPS, CPSM, President, Nitsch Engineering, Boston, MA
At-Large Delegate Donna Lynn Jakubowicz, CPSM, Corporate Marketing Director, Barton Malow Company, Southfield, MI
President Smith has served SMPS since 1984 in various capacities at both the local chapter and national levels. His goals for the coming year are “to continue to demonstrate the value of membership and participation in SMPS, expand the ways in which we communicate cost-effective program opportunities, provide members with ready access to national and regional economic trend data and forecasts, and expand the use of emerging technologies to make it easier to connect with each other, and in so doing, to expedite access to opportunities for increased business for our firms.”
Smith maintains: “SMPS continues to become stronger every year. With nearly 7,000 members in 58 chapters throughout the United States and in Canada, the organization is poised to reach even more professional services marketers and business development professionals in the A/E/C industry.
“At this time, our members are facing increasing challenges caused by the current U.S. economic climate. A/E/C firms are laying off staff, including marketing and business development professionals, in order to reduce operating costs and to survive the recession. One of our key challenges as an organization is to help our members retain their employment by demonstrating, in new ways, their value to their companies’ business success. For those members who have lost their jobs, our mission is to provide them with improved job skills and easy access to networking systems and employment opportunities that will expedite their job search and return to work.”
The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is a community of marketing and business development professionals working to secure profitable business relationships for their A/E/C companies. Through networking, business intelligence, and research, SMPS members gain a competitive advantage in positioning their firms successfully in the marketplace. SMPS offers members professional development, leadership opportunities, and marketing resources to advance their careers.
SMPS is the only organization dedicated to creating business opportunities in the A/E/C industry. Companies tap into a powerful national and regional network to form teams, secure business referrals and intelligence, and benchmark performance. SMPS was created in 1973 by a small group of professional services firm leaders who recognized the need to sharpen skills, pool resources, and work together to build their businesses.
Today, SMPS represents a dynamic network of 7,000+ marketing and business development professionals from architectural, engineering, planning, interior design, construction, and specialty consulting firms located throughout the United States and Canada. The Society and its chapters benefit from the support of 5,000 design and building firms, encompassing 80% of the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms and Top 400 Contractors.
