SMPS Atlanta Blog for AEC Marketers

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77341979527440387292009-10-17T02:54:41.918-07:00SMPS Atlanta Blog for AEC MarketersSMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.orgBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-89400140394218855202009-09-23T12:42:00.000-07:002009-09-24T06:34:48.447-07:00A/E/C Mega Meeting: Retrofitting Suburbia

Ellen Dunham-Jones was the keynote speaker at this year’s A/E/C Leadership Roundtable Mega Meeting addressing the topic of suburban sprawl. With more than 200 people in attendance, Ms. Dunham-Jones discussed her new book Retrofitting Suburbia and the following topics that relate to our current economic climate and our design/development industry. Our industry is facing massive foreclosure numbers

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-11601171147318670472009-09-18T05:51:00.000-07:002009-09-18T06:04:32.327-07:009 Steps to Motivating Your Team Today

When it comes to motivation, are you just going through the motions? Make yours a GREAT team to work on. Here are a couple ideas adapted from ‘A great attitude’ www.qpcteam.com. Keep your promises. Do what you say you’re going to do. And if you can’t, tell members as soon as possible.Don’t lie. Even little white lies to sugar-coat bad news destroy trust.Cut down barriers. Remove those obstacles

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-58833623850063622912009-08-27T11:16:00.000-07:002009-08-28T12:52:51.203-07:00Drum roll please...the results are in!

In the SMPS National Publication the Marketer (link access for members only), the article “Silent Presses” discussed how online publications and blogging is resulting in a decline of the newspaper/magazine industry. Although other industries are twittering and involved in the blogosphere, where does the A/E/C industry stand regarding online technology? The National Conference, buildbusiness.org,

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-87012637854983587262009-07-30T06:09:00.000-07:002009-07-30T06:20:32.907-07:00Senior Roundtable: Thought Leaders Share Perspective

While in the midst of economic uncertainty and firms trying their best to stay ahead of their competition, it was refreshing to see firms sharing information to help fellow A/E/C members survive in today’s market at SMPS Atlanta’s Senior Roundtable event. With more than 60 people attending, Steve Setzer, Senior Correspondent with ENR Magazine moderated a panel of esteemed professionals which

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-15678342789045797232009-07-13T10:02:00.000-07:002009-07-13T10:39:52.649-07:00Working with the Federal Market

The Federal Market - it’s so hot right now. Yet for most AEC firms, the phrase “federal market” strikes a chord of confusion, hesitance, and trepidation. What is an SF330? Where do I go to find solicitations? What’s with all the acronyms? These are common questions for those new to this market. With the economic stimulus package indicating an increase in spending on government contracting

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-83516346386526148432009-06-09T09:22:00.000-07:002009-06-09T11:11:09.966-07:00Top Ways to Stop Wasting Time

Often without thought, we allow time wasters to gobble up chunks of our day. It can happen so easily. You can prevent these “minute maulers’ from doing their damage by trying one of the suggestions in the book "Yes, You Can" by Sam Deep & Lyle Sussman below.Enjoy your new found time: When planning a new activity, anticipate all that might go wrong so that you won’t be forced to fight fires when

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-32152885337409706492009-05-19T05:46:00.000-07:002009-05-19T05:52:13.928-07:00Get with the Program

If you've seen the movie WALL-E, raise your hand. That's what I thought, quite a few of you. I am very afraid that the depiction of human beings in this movie may actually come true one day. For those of you who haven't seen the film, picture a cruise ship turned into a space vessel on a permanent voyage somewhere in outer space. Technology has advanced so far that each individual literally

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-33672225096405389282009-04-23T10:34:00.000-07:002009-04-23T10:39:58.270-07:00Hard Hat Tour of Gwinnett Braves Minor League Stadium Synopsis

An unseasonably cold wind was blowing on Tuesday, March 31st, but that didn’t slow the numerous trade crews and their monumental efforts to complete the Gwinnett Braves ballpark. Nor did it stop the many members of SMPS and DBIA from attending a presentation and tour of this amazing facility. Special thanks go out to Ashley Dale of Barton Malow, and the SMPS Programs Committee for all of their

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-39814629564119027442009-04-23T10:22:00.000-07:002009-04-23T10:26:32.066-07:00Redevelopment in Georgia Program Synopsis

Maria Mullins, Director of DeKalb County’s office of Economic Development moderated an esteemed panel of industry experts including Ken Bleakly of Bleakly Advisory Group, Scott Condra with Jacoby Development, Ted Tarantino of MARTA and Bob Roche a City Councilman in Doraville. Maria shared that based on current conversations with GM, there is no information to share at the present time. GM is

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-24043243529859642362009-04-23T09:10:00.000-07:002009-04-23T10:19:02.916-07:00International Business Program Synopsis

The SMPS Atlanta Chapter’s November program focused on international business and local A/E/C firms working abroad. The Panelists were Bill Griffin, Chairman of the Board, Rosser International; Helen Davis Hatch, FAIA, Principal and Vice President of Client Relations with Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates; Richard Taylor, a Partner with HLB Gross Collins, an accounting firm; and

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-2174484623584311022009-02-06T10:31:00.000-08:002009-02-06T13:59:03.173-08:00Dealing With The Reality of Unemployment

Having recently been unemployed, I would like to offer the following insight on how to deal with this new reality for so many in our industry. First and foremost, get registered with the Department of Labor immediately, regardless of your severance situation. They will know if, and when, you are eligible to receive an unemployment payment. In Atlanta, the system is backlogged, so it can take over

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-80660849237147318412009-01-16T05:55:00.001-08:002009-02-02T11:51:47.869-08:00Vectors vs. Pixels

Here's a situation you may be familiar with. You've just joined a firm and you need to do a design that requires a vector image. Your boss doesn't understand why you can't just use a jpg, tif, or gif image and no one knows what a vector image is. If you feel shy or irritated when trying to explain the importance of vectors, or maybe you need an entertaining reminder yourself, check out this

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-65725039147472301202008-11-11T06:26:00.000-08:002008-11-11T06:31:59.758-08:00Best Practices Program Synopsis

For the October 28 “Best Practices” presentation, Karen Courtney of Barton Malow and Pete Kienle, of McKim & Creed featured real world examples and life lessons beginning with some definitions and differences between marketing (one to many), business development (one to one) and sales (closing the deal).As they moved into the “Business Acquisition”: process, they talked about delineating the

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-41816035581438452182008-11-11T06:19:00.000-08:002008-11-11T06:25:37.828-08:00What's On My Mind...

These days I’m finding it’s important to cut through the clutter and focus on what is important. The challenge is figuring out just what is the important stuff.We all have that ever-present balancing act between our personal and professional lives. The way I see it is, as you get older, you really need to “protect” your me time, or the thing that makes you YOU, gets lost. Time is a premium. I can

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-38224774140864293282008-09-24T07:29:00.000-07:002008-09-24T09:06:22.672-07:00Freebies!! Everyone loves free stuff.

Here are some links that will get you going on your stock photography library. Nothing is totally free. You are required to register at each of the sites. Be sure to declick receiving free mailings or offers. Also note the usage requirements. Happy photo hunting!Freebies: Free weekly images at istockphotoEvery week on istockphoto, a free image is provided for download. Downloads continue to be

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-35843039303270564172008-07-17T17:03:00.000-07:002008-07-17T17:28:15.252-07:00Choosing the Right Public Relations Partner

Strategic ApproachPublic relations firms come in all different shapes and sizes. Finding the right firm that fits your company is the first step.Your PR firm should have:Knowledge about your businessIndustry expertise across critical sectors Experience and relationships with local media and industry trade publicationsProven success in the marketplaceSeasoned PR professionals as day-to-day

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-25029381202557082352008-07-02T10:36:00.000-07:002009-02-02T11:55:07.340-08:00Smarter Internal Marketing

I was reading an article in RainToday on 6 Steps for Creating a Marketing Plan that Works Best for You. (If you haven’t utilized RainToday as a resource, you should really subscribe.) The article talked about marketing to the path of least resistance and evaluating how you could make your efforts easier. This is one thing that I think too many marketers continue to overlook in their path of

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-45668265489976059522008-06-30T07:57:00.000-07:002008-07-02T11:03:02.329-07:00BIM Recap

The recent SMPS program featured a panel of team members who worked together using BIM software on the Emory Psychology Building project. One glance around the room, filled with technical staff – architects, engineers, contractors – revealed that this topic was definitely a pace setter in our building community.The panelists included Craig Bullock from Emory University, Paul Hedgepath from Holder

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-70545128301336091322008-06-22T17:02:00.001-07:002008-06-25T06:40:28.967-07:00RSS Feeds: What Are They & How Can They Benefit Me?

What is RSS?RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is an XML-based format for content distribution on the Internet. RSS Feeds (similar to a bookmark in a web browser) are often indicated by links that say "RSS," "Syndicate this site" or a square orange button with the text "RSS" or "XML" within it. RSS Feeds are commonly used on weblogs (blogs), news Web sites and other places with frequently

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-52252785079895746352008-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:002008-06-03T16:48:51.110-07:00Adobe Acrobat Basics

Although Adobe Acrobat has been around since 1993 for MAC users and 1994 for PC, there are still new users each day. So let's go over the basics.What is Adobe Acrobat and why would I use it? Adobe Acrobat allows users to create PDFs (Portable Document Format) in the attempt to make your office paperless, as well as to efficiently and effectively archive and transmit documents via email or through

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7734197952744038729.post-54168150354435535982008-05-16T12:43:00.000-07:002008-05-16T13:02:53.152-07:00Official Launch of SMPS-GA Blog

So what is a blog?Blog comes from the term web log. A blog displays information in reverse chronological order. Typically a blog provides informal commentary or news on a particular subject.What is the purpose of the SMPS-GA blog?Our blog is intended to be an educational resource for SMPS members on trends, topics, technology in the AEC industry. Additionally, it is content that is beneficial to

SMPS Atlanta Chapterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752655423915737540webmaster@smpsatl.org0