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Letter from the President
We started this year off with a bang! With so many new initiatives getting underway, the first 3 months of the SMPS year have flown by. The new sponsorship levels we introduced this year have been met with great enthusiasm. We have sold two of the three available platinum sponsorships and have only one annual education sponsorship left. Thanks to our new Platinum Sponsors, Raba Kistner and RS&H and our new Educational Sponsor, IMS, for scooping up these new opportunities and helping us to keep bringing quality programs and opportunities to our membership. The Mentoring Program has also gained steam and moved forward. We have paired up protégés with mentors and they are set to start off 2011 with a plan to meet their new year’s resolution to improve their marketing/BD skills! We have also been busy with our First Annual Communications Awards. We received nine responses from our Call for Entries, and the winners were announced at the awards ceremony held during our Annual Holiday Networking Luncheon at Carmelo's on December 14th. I hope you were able to come out and congratulate the winners, mingle with the judges and network with your fellow SMPSers. Continue reading in this edition of the SMPS Austin newsletter to see who the judges selected for each category. With the holiday season upon us, I've been reflecting on all I have to be thankful for, and the stresses of work, family and the holiday season are all diminished by the realization that although these things are sometimes hard to balance, I am blessed to have each one. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and I’ll see you at an SMPS event soon!
 2010 SMPS Austin Communications
Award Winners SMPS Austin is proud to announce this year's winners in the following categories: Project Spotlight: Twin Oaks Branch Library
The original Twin Oaks Branch Library opened in 1956 in a neighborhood shopping mall on East Oltorf. The branch moved three times within the same shopping center, and since 1992 it has occupied only 5,360 s.f. of leased space. Funding necessary to acquire and build a permanent 10,000 s.f. replacement branch were approved in the 1998 City of Austin Bond Election. The new Twin Oaks Branch Library opened to the public on August 21, 2010. The facility includes a large main reading area, young adult and children’s reading rooms, computer stations, staff offices and support spaces, and generous outdoor seating, including an amphitheatre area. The facility was constructed to operate as a “library for the future,” patterned after a popular new design model for community libraries which is indicative of South Austin culture and incorporates many features found in upscale bookstores. The library was designed and constructed using Austin Energy Green Building Program standards, which has requirements similar to the United States Green Building Council's LEED Silver rating. Sustainable features include a rainwater harvesting system and a daylighting control system that dims electric lamps when the building has sufficient daylight for reading and other activities. The library also features a 25.2 kW solar energy system that is expected to generate 32,760 kWh annually, which is sufficient power for about three standard sized homes. Additionally, reused bricks salvaged during the demolition of the old South Austin Post Office building, which formerly stood on the site, were used for construction. The building includes 15 huge timber trusses made of reclaimed Douglas Fir which saved about 30 large trees.
Owner Sponsorships Available
Platinum Level Sponsorship $3,000 member
Education Level Sponsorship $2,500 member
For more details on sponsorship availability and benefits, visit our website or contact Stefanie Raya. Event Spotlight
6th Annual AEC Group Bowl & Bowl for Kids' Sake The 6th Annual AEC Group Bowl and Bowl for Kids' Sake (BFKS) is quickly approaching! This annual event sponsored by SMPS and benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas brings together AEC firms in support of local mentoring efforts. We need your support by forming teams of 5 to raise pledges and bowl with your fellow AEC industry colleagues on Saturday, February 26th at Highland Lanes. BFKS has been the largest annual fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters since 1983. It involves more than 800 bowlers, more than 2,500 financial pledges, and reaches hundreds of local companies. Last year's event raised a total of $181,589! The AEC Group Bowl had 18 teams and raised more than $16,400! For more information contact Megan Felker at mfelker@jqeng.com or 512.474.9094. You can also visit the event website at www.bigmentoring.org/BFKS. Member Spotlight
Aan Coleman, President of Coleman & Associates, has practiced Landscape Architecture throughout Texas for over 29 years. Her firm focuses upon balancing the built environment with the environmental stewardship of the land, and sustainable practices remain her starting point for every design decision. Coleman & Associates’ work includes site planning and landscape improvement plans for communities, parks, universities, schools, office and retail developments, roadways and infrastructure projects, civic buildings and estate residential projects. I first heard of Aan when I moved to Austin in 2007 and began working for a local landscape architecture firm. As a native plant enthusiast, I find her work to be timeless and inspiring. - Amy DeFrank, Aguirre Roden 1. What is your professional history? 2. How were you first introduced to SMPS and what motivated you to join? 3. How has SMPS helped you in your career? 4. What has been your best project experience? Why? 5. What business development/marketing practices do you believe have been key to the success of Coleman & Associates? Why? 6. What advice would you give to SMPS members in making the most out of their membership? Top 3: Power Lunches
What is a Power Lunch? It’s the client/potential client lunch that needs to include good food, easy access and a noise level that is conducive to talking but not being overheard. Ranch 616
Great Parking – for Downtown One of the few downtown spots where you can find parking, even if it is metered. The food is an eclectic mix of “South Texas cuisine” where you can get an amazing frito pie, Jalapeno Maize Chicken and frog legs as an appetizer; they even mix things up with a different meat-of-the-day. And if you are hurting for talking points, comment on any piece of their eccentric décor which can jump start any conversation. Not the best lunch for a first time meeting unless you are comfortable eating a messy dish with strangers but the food is consistently good and the service is fast. Walton's Fancy & Staple
Best Deli Sandwich Serving the most high-quality, all natural meats ensures that your sandwich will be flavor filled and of amazing quality. Just an example of one of these amazing sandwiches – the Turkey Sweet includes turkey, bacon, caramelized apple and onions with cheddar on croissant; I have had a hard time ordering anything else. They have hot sandwiches and cold, all to be served on your choice of one of seven different kinds of bread. And don’t forget that pastry selection; opt for a cookie with lunch because if you wait to browse the sweets when you are leaving, you will end up with a box full. There are also soups and salads to please the picky and/or healthy. It is a more casual lunch spot as you do order at the counter so expect a nominal wait before you sit down, but even more temptation in front of that pastry case. The tables are small so don’t plan on going over materials or taking notes on a large pad and parking is your general downtown meters so give yourself some time. Galaxy Cafe
Great Selection, Quality With high-quality burgers, gourmet sandwiches, healthy wraps and tantalizing side dishes, Galaxy Café truly has something for everyone. Try the Zocalo Burger seasoned with crushed red pepper and topped with grilled jalapenos or the Hot Veggie Wrap with enough sustenance and flavor to satisfy a non-vegetarian. This Old West Austin location has a great atmosphere where the tables are big enough to show off some good marketing collateral and spaced out enough to keep your conversation at the table. You do order at the counter, which can get backed up, but with the extensive menu, you may need that extra time. There is a dedicated parking lot but it does fill up so plan a lunch a few minutes before noon. Lacey Miller People on the Move
Eric Churchill is now Business Development Manager at Satterfield & Pontikes. To contribute to "People On the Move," please contact Helga Diaz. Resource Review
We are all cutting back these days and stretching every marketing dollar we get but we are also creating more creative, in-depth materials so how do we balance? Well with a little research, one of our SMPS members found Stock.Xchange, the above website, with FREE stock photography! Need a unique construction photo to add some splash to a brochure or a colorful image to add excitement to a dull presentation? Check out this site! All you do is sign-up and start downloading. The free photos won’t include near as many results or choices as other pay sites but you get a good mix with every key word and can usually find something good on the first 2 or 3 pages of your search. The results will include some great images from iStockphoto.com, which is a pay-per-photo site, so don’t get sidetracked because with a little more searching, you can find the same quality for free. Now you can impress without taking a hit to your marketing budget. Happy searching! Lacey Miller Tips and Tricks
Have you ever . . . . . needed to separate two parts of your text with a dotted line? This process can be very frustrating and time consuming if you have to type each dot and each space in the line. There is a simple tool built into InDesign which will automatically generate the dots and the spacing for you, resulting in a consistently spaced dotted line. First, select the text to which you want to apply this effect. Using the Tabs panel, locate the Leader box at the top of the panel. A leader is a series of repeating characters (in this case, dots) that will fill the space between a tab stop and the text. To create a dot leader, set a Right Tab at the right end of the tab ruler. Making sure the Right Tab stop is selected, enter a space and a period in the Leader box, then press return. The space is critical to achieving a nice looking dotted line – otherwise the dots will be too close together. Finally, place your cursor in the text frame and enter a tab where you want the dotted line to begin. You will see that InDesign creates the evenly-spaced dotted line for you. Katie Harris, LEED AP If you no longer want to receive emails please click the link below. {[EMAIL OPT OUT]} |
SMPS Austin The Austin Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services focuses on the needs of marketers and business developers in the architectural, engineering and construction community, along with related strategic partners. This chapter operates with the following mission statement: "To advocate for, educate and connect leaders in the building industry. In This Issue 2010 SMPS Austin Communications Award Winners Project Spotlight: Twin Oaks Branch Library Event Spotlight: 6th Annual AEC Group Bowl & Bowl for Kids' Sake Member Spotlight:
SMPS Austin Members tour the new Norman Hackerman Building at UT Austin Upcoming Events Southern Regional Conference Early Bird Rates Expires Economic Engines: Air Transportation Developments in Central Texas - Luncheon Southern Regional Conference 6th Annual AEC Group Bowl & Bowl For Kids' Sake
Renewal Members Elizabeth Haynie, LEED AP
Networking at the October 14 "Marketing Sustainability" Luncheon
Join the SMPS Austin Chapter LinkedIn Group and get connected to our members! Twitter Blog Read SMPS Austin's blog, The Network for everything from helpful tips and resources to upcoming events and special announcements!
Event Photos
Industry professionals chatting at the 2010 Kick-off Party
2010-2011 Board
2010-2011 Newsletter Staff Helga Diaz Structures Lacey Miller
Lissa Adams
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Aan Coleman, ASLA, LEED AP
FREE Stock Photography Site:
Creating Line Leaders
