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SMPS Member Spotlight
 Name: Ellen Guerra, CPSM
Title: Marketing Manager
Firm: Henderson Engineers, Inc.
SMPS Chapter: Las Vegas
News: I recently became president of SMPS Las Vegas—we are growing this year!
# of years in the A/E/C industry: 3
How has SMPS helped you in your career? SMPS has taught me almost everything I know in regards to this industry. I am a relative newcomer to the A/E/C community and this organization has given me a crash course in industry knowledge and allowed me to contribute well beyond my years. Additionally, it has allowed me to build a nationwide network that has been truly indispensible.
Helpful hint to share with your fellow SMPS members: Drink a Monster Energy drink. It makes those blah days so much better!
Tell us something we would be surprised to learn about you. I make off-beat gingerbread houses.
What I did at work yesterday: I aided in a write-up to mark the 35-year anniversary of an employee of our company, coordinated ordering new office furniture, shot several e-mails back and forth in regards to our chapter’s upcoming November luncheon, designed a flyer for an internal employee appreciation event, set up several client appointments, and did some preparation work for an upcoming Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) golf tournament that I am chairing.
As a CPSM, how has certification benefited you? Certification has benefited me in many ways. First, during the course of studying for the exam, I learned how other firms complete tasks, new theories, and other perspectives. This really broadened my views and I was constantly thinking, “How can I implement these strategies to better my firm?” Second, it gave me confidence in what I do and how I do it.
SMPS Student Member Spotlight
 Name: Elena de Verteuil
Firm: Resource International, Inc.
School You Attend: Miami University
Major and Minor: Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Expected Graduation Date: May 2013
SMPS Chapter: Columbus
News: I joined SMPS last year and through my involvement in the Student Membership Program and associated chapter networking events I was able to get a summer internship where I gained valuable experience in A/E/C marketing.
How has SMPS helped you in your courses and/or your career? SMPS has provided me with connections, mentorship, and professional development skills that have helped me to build onto my coursework, extra-curricular activities, and internship.
Helpful hint to share with your fellow SMPS members: I recommend taking advantage of speakers and workshops hosted by schools or businesses. The Dalai Lama, Condoleezza Rice, and other speakers I heard this past year each had different yet wise words that I was able to learn from. I also recommend taking notes to reference and remember each speech.
Tell us something we would be surprised to learn about you. One of my favorite things to do is travel. This summer I am fortunate enough to be studying abroad in Luxembourg and Spain. I am looking forward to the international classes I will be taking, learning about other cultures, and the overall experience.
What I did at school yesterday: Yesterday was one of my busier days. I had classes most of the day, ranging from accounting to management information systems. Then, after class, I had a meeting with Miami University Women in Business (MUWIB), for which I am the advertising chair. I was looking forward to this meeting because we were handing out T-shirts that I had designed for the organization. I also had been in close communication with the print company to produce a proof, quote, and final product.
SMPS Member Spotlight
 Name: Jeffrey Taub, CPSM
Title: Director of Marketing and Business Development
Firm: Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates
SMPS Chapter: New Jersey
News: I received the first-ever SMPS New Jersey Lighthouse Award on June 28, 2011, a surprise presentation during our chapter honors program recognizing public- and private-sector contributors to New Jersey’s built environment.
# of years in the A/E/C industry: 11
How has SMPS helped you in your career? SMPS has contributed to my increased confidence as a leader and networker, enhanced my public profile in the industry, and led to new publicity and business opportunities for my employer. I’ve worked for small- to mid-sized specialty firms the last six years, and have found in SMPS an organization that provides professional development and learning opportunities that I couldn’t have otherwise attained. To have a professional society singularly dedicated to marketers in the A/E/C industry is invaluable.
Helpful hint to share with your fellow SMPS members: There is much to be gained by observing the industry through the eyes of those architects, engineers, and construction professionals that we marketers represent. I offer to conduct site tours, review technical memoranda, edit project reports, and prepare scopes of work whenever possible. Putting myself in the shoes of our engineers and planners helps me identify and craft marketing messages and success stories that might not come across in conversation, particularly when writing about the firm and representing our staff at conferences and events.
Tell us something we would be surprised to learn about you. I was captain of our NCAA Division III tennis team in college. I’m also the son, son-in-law, and grandson of engineers.
What I did at work yesterday: I contributed to proposals due this week in New York, New Jersey, and Uganda; reviewed RFPs for new projects in Maryland and Pennsylvania; refined an article I’m writing on marketing ethics for planning consultants; and uploaded SMPS photos to Flickr and Facebook.
How has certification benefitted you? Earning the CPSM certification last year raised my stature in the industry and reinforced the respect my colleagues and co-workers have for marketing professionals in the A/E/C market. I believe that the company I keep says a lot about my professionalism and integrity, and joining the ranks of certified marketers—both locally and around the country—positions me among the best and brightest our industry has to offer.
SMPS Member Spotlight
 Name: Jana J. Monforte
Title: Associate / Marketing & Business Development
Firm: Wallace Engineering
SMPS Chapter: Oklahoma
News: 2011 has been a exciting year…I was recently named an associate at Wallace Engineering, served as the SMPS Awards Gala emcee at Build Business in Chicago, and finished out a successful year serving as president of SMPS Oklahoma with an incredible leadership board alongside me.
# of years in the A/E/C industry: 19
How has SMPS helped you in your career? SMPS has been extremely instrumental in strengthening my knowledge of the A/E/C marketplace. Through educational programs, publication offerings, networking opportunities, and regional and national conferences, I have learned to “think outside the box” when marketing my firm’s services. The camaraderie that SMPS has is one to be proud of and boasts highly of the quality and character of people that are members of this organization. For me, SMPS has helped present new goals and challenges, new business, and educational opportunities…and sometimes most importantly, new friends. My network has significantly increased over the years as I have become more involved on a state, regional, and national level. If you have the opportunity to become involved with SMPS, my advice is to go for it! It will forever change the way you market and develop business for your firm. SMPS opens doors, but it’s up to you to decide to walk through them or not. If you want to stay in the know about what is happening in our market, SMPS is essential as it is the most powerful marketing network in our industry.
Helpful hint to share with your fellow SMPS members: Building strong relationships is paramount in business development, in marketing…and in life! If you are genuinely interested in others and make it known to them, people will want to do business with you. The bottom line is people want to work with people they like…this means your clients, your peers, and your staff. Surrounding yourself with a team that works passionately towards a common purpose is essential to the growth of your firm. Understanding the true definition of leadership is a must. You are a true leader ONLY if others follow. I recommend the book Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. StrengthsFinder can help determine how team members can maximize their contribution to the group’s collective goals. Another book recommendation is 1-on-1 Management by Kelly Riggs. This book provides a step-by-step approach of management principles that can be used to build trust, improve communication, and create a positive work environment.
“I believe the real difference between success and failure in a corporation can be very often traced to the question of how well the organization brings out the great energies and talents of its people.”
– Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
Tell us something we would be surprised to learn about you. Got Woo? I do. Find out what your top five strengths are in the book/online survey Strengths Based Leadership.
What I did at work yesterday: Answered multiple emails, returned phone calls, read newspaper and journal record online, researched two prospective clients, updated CRM database and brochure copy, coordinated a press release, wrote a few handwritten notes to clients, overhauled my iCal, checked in on TweetDeck, and renewed my annual membership to SMPS (eleven years and counting).
SMPS Member Spotlight
 Name: Alison Carney, CPSM
Title: Director of Marketing
Firm: Balfour Beatty Construction
SMPS Chapter:
Washington, DC
News: Humbled to be nominated for and receive recognition as Chapter President of the Year; co-chairing registration committee with Ree Miskimon of EBA Engineering for the SMPS Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference (in October); talking with Frank Lippert of David Evans and Associates Inc. about co-authoring an article for an upcoming issue of Marketer.
# of years in the A/E/C industry: 26
How has SMPS helped you in your career? Number one for me is relationship-building. SMPS – much more so than other professional organizations – attracts and retains members who welcome and engage one another at every turn. I have benefitted from introductions, teaming opportunities, and lead-sharing, as well as from education programs: best practices, lessons learned, and client panels to name a few. In SMPS I have found mentors, developed friendships, and learned from industry leaders and peers at all levels throughout my career.
Helpful hint to share with your fellow SMPS members: Amazing (and favorite) leadership development opportunity: John Grinnell’s Leadership Jumpstart. Learned about it from a contact I made at my first SMPS National Conference in Hilton Head.
Tell us something we would be surprised to learn about you. I love horses, always have. A favorite vacation was a week of horse camp my husband gave me for a birthday. It was a week of girls and horses; I was the only adult in the group of mostly 12-year-old girls!
What I did at work yesterday: Participated in an a.m. internal pursuit strategy meeting, had a lunch meeting with a local chapter member, planned an October meeting with counterparts in our Baltimore office, touched base with several industry contacts, and checked in on Twitter and LinkedIn end of day.
How has certification benefitted you? The benefits of becoming certified are many, not the least of which is a feeling of personal and professional accomplishment in mastering the body of knowledge. Other benefits I have gained include the relationships developed through my study group, camaraderie with other CPSMs, excellent CPSM roundtables at every National conference, emphasis on continuing education, local CPSM Coffee Talk sessions, and the CPSM listserve and community on mysmps.org.
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