When I decided to attend Amplify A|E|C in Las Vegas this year, one of my biggest goals was simple: I wanted to get to know my fellow SMPS Colorado members better.

Technical expertise and IQ matter. Obviously. We want our architects, engineers, and contractors to know exactly what they’re doing.

But there’s another kind of intelligence that becomes increasingly important as you move into leadership: the ability to understand yourself, manage your emotions, and navigate everyone else’s.

My SMPS journey began with the Washington, D.C. chapter, where I participated in the mentor program early in my career. The experience helped me grow professionally, find my voice, and gain the confidence to advocate for myself.

When I moved to Los Angeles, joining the local SMPS chapter gave me an immediate connection to the A/E/C community. I once again participated in the mentor program, where I met professionals who would later become my coworkers at my next employer. I also joined the SMPS Los Angeles Social Media Committee to gain insights into committee work. SMPS provided more than professional development; it created relationships that directly shaped the next chapter of my career.

Thursday, September 10. Larimer Square. Mark it down.

My cat, Yeti Monster, has never attended an SMPS conference. She has never written a proposal, developed a marketing plan, sat through a networking event, or given a presentation in front of a room full of people.

And yet, she taught me one of the most important lessons I've learned about being brave: sometimes, you have to decide that you aren't going to be helpless anymore.

When I graduated from Clemson University in December 2020, I spent the next six months serving food at a local restaurant and applying for every job with the word marketing in the title. A classmate wasn't interested in the position, but they passed my résumé along to a family friend instead. That's how I found my way into the AEC industry as a Marketing Coordinator at a small architecture firm in Gastonia, North Carolina. 

At the time, I assumed career growth would come from working hard, keeping my head down, and gaining experience over time. I didn't realize that one decision, to volunteer for an SMPS committee, would completely change the trajectory of my career. I certainly had no idea that five years later, I would be leading the marketing department at my dream firm here in Colorado. 

Have you ever paid for a gym membership and realized it felt like throwing cash into a woodchipper because you rarely used it? Participating in a professional organization as a passive member can feel the same way. The greatest value of membership comes not just from belonging, but from actively participating.

Active membership can help you build relationships, shape chapter programs, develop leadership experience that may not be available at your firm, and become part of a larger professional community. Passive membership may feel easier, but it limits what you and your firm can gain from the organization. When firms see employees actively involved, they have more reason to cover dues, support event attendance, and recognize the value of credentials that can further your career.

When most conversations about AI and marketing start, they usually jump straight to content creation: "Write this proposal section", "Draft this email", "Create this social post." And yes, AI can help with all of that.

But in AEC marketing and business development, one of its biggest advantages is its ability to cut through the noise so there is more room to think strategically.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a “someday” conversation for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. It is already showing up in the tools, workflows, and conversations shaping how AEC professionals work.

As part of a graduate research project through the University of Oklahoma, my research group surveyed professionals across the AEC industry with the help and support of the SMPS Colorado Board and other amazing members of the local AEC community. The goal was to better understand how employees are using AI, what they need from leadership, and what communication strategies may help organizations adopt AI more effectively.

Ever wonder where your invoices are hiding after you register for an event?

Staying connected with SMPS Colorado starts with keeping your profile up to date. Whether you need to update your contact information, renew your membership, or access past invoices, our platform makes it simple. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to manage your account efficiently, ensuring you never miss an important update or opportunity. Let’s get started!

2025 Kickoff Event Recap
January & February Events have kicked the year off right! 

As we dive into the busy early months of the year—filled with calendar planning and proposal deadlines—it's important to stay grounded in a strong marketing strategy. To help you focus your efforts and achieve your goals, we’ve gathered a few insightful articles to guide you:

Our weeks are filled with meetings and one-on-ones that often require some level of persuasion to get someone to move forward on something. These things can be small – the position and size of a logo on a marketing piece – or big – a new budget item for a website redesign. No matter what the ask is, you need to know how to communicate your point with authority and clarity in a way that makes sense to decision makers. 

A little bit of work on the front end of a presentation – positioning yourself as a persuasive speaker – can help you effectively deliver your message. You need to establish yourself as a credible source of information before your audience will listen to what you have to say.

The best Thai food in Denver. Period. If you’ve ever lived in Denver, you already know or you should. I’ve brought it up in random conversations across the country, and every time, it’s the same reaction: a knowing nod and a look of longing. Even in Joshua Tree, chatting with a vintage store owner who used to live in Denver, I mentioned “the best Thai food in Denver is...” and before I could finish, he goes, “U.S. Thai.” It’s that legendary. 

2024 Event Recap
Photos From - 2024 Owner's Rep Roundtable Luncheon

The Design of Everyday Things

Donald A. Norman

Imagine a tool that brings everyone—designers, marketers, and project managers—onto the same page in real time. Figma has become that tool for us. It’s a collaborative, cloud-based design tool that allows teams to create, share, and edit design files in real-time. It’s like if you took the collaborative system of Google Docs, where everyone can work together seamlessly on the same file, with Adobe’s intelligent and responsive design framework, and put them together in one application. After introducing  this system to my team, I watched our marketing and proposal workflow evolve from near-siloed and somewhat cumbersome to smooth, collaborative, and efficient. 

In this article, I’m going to walk you through how Figma has been such a game-changer and how you, too, can leverage its features to enhance team alignment, speed up your process, and bring a new level of precision and creativity to your proposals. More importantly though, why stepping outside your comfort zone with new software can be beneficial, even if your current tools feel adequate. 

A coworker wrote, “what is one of your favorite restaurants in the Denver Downtown area?” on our common area whiteboard, and we sure got some responses! I, unfortunately, have not yet had the chance to visit every single one of these places so if I haven't yet been, I've provided my gut-instinct opinion from perusing Google reviews. Next time you’re trying to choose a spot, take a look at the restaurants our members near Downtown Denver would recommend:

Casa Bonita is more than just a restaurant; it’s a full-fledged experience that combines dining with entertainment, making it a unique destination in its own right. Located in Lakewood, Colorado, Casa Bonita is a massive pink stucco building that stands out with its whimsical, almost theme-park-like atmosphere. The restaurant is famous for its immersive environment, complete with cliff divers, puppet shows, arcade games, and even a haunted cave.

Casa Bonita is unlike any other restaurant in Colorado. The interior is designed to resemble a Mexican village, complete with winding paths, cave-like rooms, and a waterfall that serves as the backdrop for the cliff divers. The attention to detail in the decor creates an immersive experience that’s both kitschy and charming.

Usually, it begins with the clock. Or, more accurately, my noticing the clock—minute hand discomfitingly deep into the eight o’clock hour. And then the thought: I am going to be late.

“Let’s GO! Daddy’s going to be late! Let’s GO GO GO GO GO. Shoes on, everyone!”