A/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, dropping tenant leases, and increasing energy costs. Owners, designers and developers are forced to begin to think outside the box, literally. Dilapidated retail centers, dead big box stores and grayfields (parking lots) are the prototype of suburbia and the ideal candidates for urbanization, re-greening and rehabilitation strategies.

• Urbanization: Full scale retrofits (changing a closed-air mall to a high density, mixed use open-air development)
• Re-Greening: Restoring natural resources (removing a run-down strip center and restoring the area to a natural floodplain)
• Re-Inhabitation: Mixing uses, community serving businesses, and pedestrian friendly stores (redeveloping an empty big box Wal-Mart into a mega church or temple)

Suburbia was built on cheap land, cheap oil, and cheap water with mainly unsustainable materials and a lack of public space. With an immense increase in transportation, housing and energy costs, it’s imperative that we focus on impacting climate change and enhancing affordability. Consider the following statistics:

• The average Atlantan drives 66 miles a day (national average: 33 miles/day).
• The average office employee uses 30% more energy driving to work than an office building uses during the eight hours the employee works.
• Suburban job growth is outpacing urban job growth by a factor of six.

It’s important to have green buildings, but more important to locate them properly. We need to start focusing on retrofitting the fundamental infrastructure and redirecting growth of the suburbs. Single-use developments inhibit the growth and stability of Suburbia. When designers and developers introduce the synergies of a walkable mix of uses and public spaces it results in reduced traffic, increased health, and increased property values.

Retrofitting Suburbia offers urban qualities at suburban costs. We can start by building on parking lots, widening sidewalks, adding trees, introducing bike lanes and incorporating pedestrian friendly shopping. Suburbia is getting old and the presentation of new urbanism and sustainable infrastructure can support slowing communities and local businesses in this challenging economic climate.

If you would like to learn more about the topic of preventing suburban sprawl, you can purchase Ms. Dunham-Jones’ book Retrofitting Suburbia, available for purchase at www.amazon.com. Ms. Dunham-Jones is a professor at Georgia Tech and holds a M.S. in Architecture. She will also be organizing and presenting at the 2010 Congress for New Urbanism annual program: Prescription for Healthy Places, May 19-22 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Currently she is involved with LWARPS – We Can Reverse Sprawl – in 100 years

• Transit on every major corridor
• 1000 ft buffers on stream beds (reservoirs, etc.)
• Subdivisions that are too close to water or too far from transit will not be viable (eco-transfer)

Now is the time for looking ahead to retrofitting suburbia. Goals include:

• Planners changing zoning
• Public to partner
• Architects/Engineers to develop complex designs

Click here to listen to the podcast of the event.

Malory Hunter, Business Development Manager
Foresite Group, Inc.
SMPS Atlanta, Newsletter Editor

9 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.

1. Keep your promises. Do what you say you’re going to do. And if you can’t, tell members as soon as possible.


2. Don’t lie. Even little white lies to sugar-coat bad news destroy trust.


3. Cut down barriers. Remove those obstacles that block the way your basis business and you’ll do away with an amazing amount of friction and drag.


4. Keep score. How can team members know if the team is winning or losing if you don’t keep score?


5. Recognize others. Asking for teamwork, then neglecting to recognize those who excel at it, signals that teamwork really isn’t that important.
   
6. Have fun. Even the hardest workers need to kick back, laugh, and have a good time. Celebrate successes.


7. Have Pride. What makes you proud to work here and be part of the team? What did you do today to merit that pride? Share your pride and ask your team members too.
   
8. Communicate constantly. Tell them exactly what’s going on, why it’s happening and what they need to do for success. Ask questions and demand answers. Don’t hide behind technology.
   
9. Do your fair share. All team members must be fairly tasked. (Share the ‘dirty work’).

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
– Helen Keller

“Experience is not what happens to a person; it is what a person does with what happens to them.”
– Aldous Huxley

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
- William James

Ronald D. Worth, CAE, FSMPS, CPSM
CEO
SMPS National

Drum 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, had a session dedicated to social media. The case study during this session involved HOK who is way ahead of the curve compared to any other organization in the A/E/C industry. HOK has employees in all of their global offices posting to the their blog, www.hoklife.com. Are A/E/C marketing professionals leery of accepting new forms of technology and do we lag behind other industries?

SMPS Atlanta has embraced this new way to communicate by being the first chapter to maintain a blog, but where do our members stand regarding the utilization of technology? How do our members feel about moving to an online newsletter only? In an industry that is pushing for sustainable design, are we also embracing the other areas that can make us “green”?

To gain some insight we conducted a survey to find out what our members and prospective members thought about our communication efforts to determine what type of communication is preferred and how they utilize technology. The survey revealed that even in our industry you can begin to see the paradigm shift, as more and more A/E/C professionals begin to want information at their finger tips. We surveyed over 1,000 industry professionals and received 168 responses, as of this blog entry. 60% stated they preferred to receive the newsletter online vs a hard copy. 22% stated they prefer to receive a hard copy and 18% stated they preferred both.

So, why does technology take longer for the A/E/C industry to accept? Is it because the X & Y generation are slowly creeping into our industry? Is it because marketers and principals aren’t sure how new technology pertains to them? Maybe a little of both. When asked if you knew SMPS Atlanta had a blog, 33% said Yes and 67% said No. Of that 33% that said Yes, only 14% actually read the blog. However, 51% said they felt the blog was of value to them or their firm. Additionally, as a comparison 56% of those that responded said they don’t even read other blogs. So for that 44% that do read blogs, we are working on new content based on your feedback. Additionally, we will be putting out topic ideas with deadlines to get our members involved in the newsletter and blog.

Over the next year we will continue to publish the newsletter, however, in the future we may move to be online only as the results revealed that we are still split on this issue. You will also begin to receive a special edition of the infoblast with one to two articles every other month. SMPS Atlanta will continue to send the regular infoblast out each week on Wednesday mornings. Also, 70% stated they were interested in podcasts, so we are looking into this technology.

Please comment on the blog, call, or email me or any board member with any feedback. As we are here to advocate, educate, and connect leaders in the building industry.

Sarah C. Mackley
Innovative Solutions Group, Ltd. (ISG)
SMPS Atlanta, Director of Communications

Senior 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 included:

• Monica Bell - Senior Vice President and Global Director of Marketing and Business Development with HDR CUH2A
• Pete Kienle, FSMPS, CPSM - Business Development Director with McDonough Bolyard Peck, Inc.
• Bruce Lea - Senior Business Development Manager with Gilbane Building Company
• Bill Viehman - Chief Marketing Officer with Perkins + Will

Although the panel discussed some of the negative impacts of the economy, Peter Kienle posed the question, “If marketing professionals aren’t positive then who is?” Reflecting on the event, Beth Harris, President of SMPS Atlanta and Regional Business Development & Marketing Manager with McDonough Bolyard Peck (MBP) commented, “We had great questions and comments from the audience. The panel was totally willing to open up and share ideas and activities that set them apart. They encouraged us to think outside-of-the-box, now a requirement for survival in these times.” The panel discussion revolved around three questions:

• What are your thoughts about the existing market?
• Where do we go from here with a difficult economy? What outside of the box and provocative ideas can you share?
• What should your firm be doing to cope?

Firms tend to have amnesia and forget the key fundamentals when things get desperate and fear steps in. The panel focused on the do’s and don’ts to be successful. Bruce Lea stated firms should “focus on how to come out stronger”. For example, is your firm maximizing time in front of clients? Do you have a focused, aggressive business behavior, identifying a champion for key clients? Are you reducing the proposal mill versus increasing the number of proposals?

This is a great time to be out in front of your clients, so spend your time wisely by getting involved with clients. Don’t forget the top three things you can do in marketing: hold a seminar/training session, volunteer for a speaking engagement, and write an article or white paper. Always follow the money trail and make sure your client has funds to pay for the project. Lastly, the panel strongly discouraged firms from buying work, as that practice tends to delay the inevitable. Firms buying work now, will ultimately be hurting later leading to reduced staff levels, and clients ultimately pay the price in the end.

All panel members shared some out-of-the-box examples. Monica Bell mentioned her passion for measuring accountability which led to developing a system for measuring face time. Additionally, they are conducting Post Occupancy Evaluations (POE) for work done by their firm and other firms, to identify areas that could be more efficient. Bill Viehman suggested not waiting until a client comes to you with a problem, but rather identifying an area that could help people in a certain industry.

Several panel members discussed how marketing plans are becoming less about the company’s business approach and more about developing an action plan for each individual. Additionally, panel members mentioned that their firms are also focusing on more robust personnel programs by developing staff and taking advantage of down time. There was some concern that a “brain-drain” would occur once things return to normal and firms will be scrambling to find good people.

If you have any additions or out-of-the-box ideas, please add a comment to this blog.

Sarah C. Mackley
Innovative Solutions Group, Ltd. (ISG)
SMPS Atlanta, Director of Communications

Working 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 projects, there’s never been a better time to pursue federal contracts. Easier said than done, we say.

For many companies today, the need to understand and infiltrate this new market is necessary for their survival. Luckily, SMPS is in tune and offered a spectacular program to address the AEC industry’s thirst for information. Setting a record attendance for a luncheon program, “Doing Work with the Federal Market” featured a highly knowledgeable panel; Brian Whelan with the General Services Administration and Les Zuniga from the Savannah Corps of Engineers honestly answered a number of questions, while Chuck Schadl from the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center served as an expert moderator.

After a lunch filled with end-of-year awards for the SMPS Atlanta chapter, inquisitive questions were thoughtfully answered by the panelists on how to become eligible for government work, how to work best with government entities, stimulus projects, and more. A few featured questions:

Q: What is the number one cause for disqualification with a SF330?
A: A late submittal. Under-qualified firms. Not following the solicitation.

Q: What is the best way to work with the government?
A: Getting government work is not a game of chance. There is no substitution for satisfactory experience and relevant experience. Asking for debriefings after each submittal is also advised; this will help you to better understand what is being looked for.

Tip: Switching team members throughout the process is not advisable!

Q: What is more important; experience or performance?
A: Experience – that factor weighs in before anything else.

Q: Do you have to have previous government contract experience in order to be awarded another?
A: No. Relevant experience is the key factor. The government would like to expand its horizons on the companies they work with. The more companies competing for projects, the more competitive the pricing will be!

Tip: Make sure proposals have page numbers!

By the end, there was one very clear point: follow the directions of the solicitation. A simple concept often forgotten.

Emily Choate

Choate Construction

Program Committee Member, SMPS Atlanta

Event Sponsor:

Top 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:

1. When planning a new activity, anticipate all that might go wrong so that you won’t be forced to fight fires when an expected crisis occurs.


2. Don’t answer the telephone during a meeting or project if it disturbs the flow of progress or causes you to waste other people’s time.
   
3. Keep your desk and office organized so you have quick access to what you need. Put things in a place where you won’t have to hunt for them.


4. Delegate effectively so you are not busier than your subordinates and can make the best use of your time.


5. Communicate with the intent to be understood so you don’t have to send the same message twice.


6. Improve your listening skills so that you’ll never be paralyzed by uncertainty about what someone has asked of you.


7. See that the meetings you attend start and end on time and that there are no unnecessary deviations from the agenda.


8. Stand up when unwanted visitors get past the pit bull who should guard your office. Come around from behind your desk and meet the person near your door.


9. Stop thinking about what you have to do and do it.

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff that life is made of.”
-Benjamin Franklin

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.”
-Charles Buxton

“We all find time to do what we really want to do.”
-William Feather

Ronald D. Worth, CAE, FSMPS, CPSM
CEO
SMPS National

Get 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 has to do nothing - not even stand up. Every individual is an obese blob of inactivity moving around in a personal hover craft with a holographic-like display screen less than two feet in front of him or her. The only visible activities carried out by the average person are talking (incessantly to too many people at once), listening (passively to multiple sources at once), staring (at screens while missing out on most everything else going on), and pushing buttons (which can make anything happen). I do not want to go there.

You may be surprised to learn that this entry is about social networking and media. Where the heck did that term come from anyway, and why did it only get popular AFTER technology existed to "enable" it? OK, let's get on track here. I am NOT your typical user. I'm actually writing this on my own Google Documents account (http://docs.google.com) from a computer that currently serves my personal network (hebblethwaite.net) as a spam filtration system (www.nospamtoday.com) before sending incoming emails to a Scalix Server (www.scalix.com) running on a Fedora Core 4 linux box (http://fedoraproject.org/) - yeah, I know version 10 is out now, just call me old school. That being said, I do have some concerns about the role technology is playing in our lives. At the end of the day, I want to be in control of technology, not vice versa. I want technology to support and improve human relationships, not degrade them.

Judging by the plethora of webinars, conference sessions, and "experts" that are now available to teach you about social networking, I will assume that some of you still have NOT begun using one of the following: LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, twitter, Plaxo, and who knows what tomorrow. This composition will not teach you how to do those things. What I want to do is challenge your value strategies related to the tools themselves.

• How are you using them to improve the visibility and positioning of your firms, your services, your people?
• Are you doing things in one online community that you'd prefer NOT to be seen by members of another (good luck with that)?
• How much time do you spend staring at screens compared to actually talking to other human beings in meaningful purpose-driven conversations that actually produce results?

Look, I don't want to rain on anyone's parade. I love the fact that my LinkedIn profile (http://tinyurl.com/cfpjkw) is 75% complete (after being at 60% for months); that 10,526 people have joined my network since April 24; that when I google myself, the first 30 links are about me, not the other Kevin Hebblethwaite; and that if I really want to I can follow Ashton Kutcher's every move (http://twitter.com/aplusk). I do wonder however, how much more information we can really take. Sooner or later we actually have to plan, design, and build great projects. Who's going to do that if we're all tweeting and texting all the time?

I simply would like to be convinced that there is a story in the continuing progress of technology that does NOT end with a scenario similar to the opening shot aboard the Axiom in WALL-E. I challenge you to seriously think through your personal and professional strategies on social media and networking. Do everything you can to make them help you, not hinder you.
This is too funny - I guess writing a google doc while generating tinyURLs while searching for myself all over the Web while trying to listen to U2's new release (a really great album, www.u2.com) is just a little too much for my Pentium 4/256MB RAM computer. Maybe I need to get with the program.

I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection, A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender, Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by and they did not notice me.

-Bono

Kevin Hebblethwaite, President
SMPS Atlanta Past President and EAC member
SMPS National Chapter Delegate
EDI, Ltd.
www.twitter.com/ediltd