Restaurant Review: Casa Bonita

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.

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Book Review: The Time Bind

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!”

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List of Links: Summer 2024

This list of links started with me trying to find humor in AEC Marketing. I was introduced to AEC Marketing Memes on Instagram by Kimberly Wybenga and felt so understood in the best way possible during a stressful proposal! This list of links is short but hopefully helps you catch your breath when you need it most.

Social Media Humor: AEC Marketing Memes Instagram and Facebook

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Digital Accessibility in A/E/C

If you've been an A/E/C marketer for a while, you probably have a core memory of that ONE proposal—the beast of all beasts. The one that made you question your sanity and every life decision that led to the moment it crossed your desk.

It's been several years, but my "proposal-from-hell" experience still evokes shreds of PTSD when I recall its insane requirements and impossible deadline. But it was THIS paragraph (which admittedly, I initially skimmed and dismissed as a standard requirement) that brought me to a standstill when I reread it 24 hours before the submission deadline:

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The Way AEC Firms Win Work is Evolving: Discover the New Research from SMPS Foundation

The way A/E/C firms approach business development continues to evolve. Today's successful firms leverage a combination of dedicated (full-time) business developers and seller-doers (professionals who handle both project delivery and business development).

Building on a Foundation of Success

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One2One Mentoring - What are the Benefits?

SMPS Colorado’s One2One Mentor-Protégé program is now open for applications!  Find out how being a part of an official mentor-mentee relationship can benefit you personally and professionally.

 What are the Benefits of the (SMPS) Mentoring Program?

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Survey Says: Marketing Planning

The temperatures dip, the days get shorter, and marketing planning and budgeting for a new year begins! Marketers on all levels, from coordinators to directors, are crunching numbers, reflecting on the past year, and planning for future efforts. 

What does the future look like? What challenges do marketers anticipate in the year ahead? Over 80% of respondents identified economic instability as the primary challenge they are facing, with intense competition (72%) and shifting customer preferences (55%) following closely behind. 

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Restaurant Review: Smokin' Yards BBQ

Back in Kansas, where I’m from, we take our barbeque (BBQ) very seriously. I can still remember eating ribs at KC Masterpiece, no BBQ sauce needed because I was raised that you only need the sauce if the meat isn’t what it could be. As I got older, a pulled pork sandwich from Oklahoma Joe’s, which was actually out of a gas station, was all a BBQ lover could ask for. 

Now, like Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore, but having lived in Idaho Springs, Colorado for almost 4 years, Smokin’ Yards has become the place that takes, at least our taste buds, back home. 

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List of Links: Fall 2023

The Content Strategist

Contently is a blog that takes readers on a dive into the world of content marketing, strategy, and social media in a wide range of industries.

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On the Humble Icebreaker

Do you run meetings where getting people to engage feels like pulling teeth? I know I do. I also know of an ancient facilitation technique that helps to break the ice, and make things a little more alive.

Yes, icebreakers can feel a little silly—and they are no silver bullet for the many challenges of running a great meeting—but I would argue that they are still an essential facilitation tool. What can icebreakers do?

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Book Review: Start with Why

“Start with Why” by Simon Sinek is a thoughtful read on business leaders and political visionaries who have shaped history. A few of the examples in Sinek’s story: Walt Disney, Wright Brothers, Martin Luther King Jr., Herb Kelleher, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Sam Walton. Sinek argues that some did not have first-mover advantage, the best product, nor the most talented team, rather he attributes their success to focusing on the “why.”

The paradigm shift of starting with “why do something” rather than “what are we doing” can be a game-changer. According to Sinek, “the why” is a more effective way of defining your business objectives, which enables the team to clearly understand the mission and how to get there. This is part of the golden circle framework, which has three layers. First, “the why-” the core purpose/cause, then “the how-” the processes to get there, and lastly “the what-“the products or services offered. When the golden circle is properly executed, the team has a greater sense of purpose and appreciation for the cause, which leads to more trust, loyalty, and profitability. 

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Q&A with SMPS Fellow Michele Raftery

Recently, SMPS HQ announced the 2023 Fellows Class and our very own, Michele Raftery was announced as an SMPS Fellow. As a Principal and Partner at 4240 Architecture, Michele’s roles are diverse—from leading the firm’s project pursuits, business and marketing strategy, research and development, office management and HR to managing visioning, analytics, and graphic design on project teams. Michele’s experience spans many regions, scales, and project types including: hospitality, multi-family, senior housing, commercial office, government, and higher-ed in locations as far at Hong Kong and project costs up to $500M. She’s passionate about learning and always eager to serve the profession to advance the quality and impact of the built environment. This life-long learning ethos manifests itself through listening platforms at home with her four children and service platforms beyond. Michele is currently serving as a Trustee for the SMPS Foundation and is a SMPS Colorado Past President (2016/17) and Leonardo Winner (2020/21).

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List of Links: Summer 2023

Talk About AI Before Anybody Else in Your Firm
From SMPS HQ, a piece on key insights and ideas from the SMPS Webinar Revolutionizing AEC: Unleashing the Power of AI in AEC Marketing
https://www.smps.org/2023/06/16/talk-about-ai-before-anybody-else-in-your-firm/

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Book Review: Bold Brand 2.0

Bold Brand 2.0 by Josh Miles is a refreshing read on rebranding/repositioning a company, so your firm can stand out amongst the sea of competition. The Bold Brand’s niche is the A/E/C marketplace; however, the bulk of the book is applicable to nearly any industry. Bold Brand 2.0 encourages a company to periodically distill its brand down to its core, then evaluate your brand on how it is reflected across the company’s ecosystem, to ensure the branding is consistent and coherent throughout. Moreover, it advocates evaluating a customer’s journey to identify opportunities, which can be a tedious exercise, but totally revealing.

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So You're A First Time Supervisor, Now What? Part 2

If you missed Part 1 of this series, visit the SMPS Colorado Blog.

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Podcast Review: A Bit of Optimism

We are surrounded by negativity and pessimistic outlooks everywhere we turn these days, without even having to look for it. On the other hand, finding engaging and inspiring material that leans on positivity takes a bit more effort. (Like filtering through the political and comparison garbage to watch dog videos on Instagram.)

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Your One-Stop AI Resource: An Exploration of FutureTools

In the dynamic AEC industry, we're continually on the hunt for innovative strategies and tools that will give us a competitive edge in digital marketing. One of the key challenges I've faced has been sourcing a platform that consolidates all the AI tools available, especially those I may be unaware of. Today, I'm thrilled to share a resource that I've been using for a while, one that maintains a current, comprehensive list of all AI tools availableFutureTools.io.

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A Collaborative Proposal Process: Fostering Team Buy-In, Maintaining Motivation, and Finishing Strong

Fostering Team Buy-In, Maintaining Motivation, and Finishing Strong 

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Removing Barriers to Change

As marketers, we face lots of challenges: inefficient proposal processes, difficulties engaging leadership time and attention, and fighting for department budgets, to name a few. I bet each of you has at least one thing you’d like to change within your department or company. Throughout my career, I’ve encountered my share of resistance to change across a variety of industries, including digital printing, advertising, and engineering. To understand more about why change is so difficult, I completed the Coursera series Removing Barriers to Change by University of Pennsylvania Marketing Professor Jonah Berger. This free online course discusses the barriers to change and how to become more effective in inspiring change with others and your organization. 

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BD/Marketing and Operations: Marketing Partner or Proposal Machine

Marketing Partner vs. Proposal Machine
We have all seen the epic battles of people vs. machines. There are dozens of examples—Terminator, I Robot, and The Mitchells vs. the Machines. You would think the machines would conquer the world or be indestructible, but it’s always the people that win in the end (sorry if that was a spoiler alert). Much is true for your marketing department. Proposal machines may seem like a great idea on the surface. Proposal machines in your marketing department spew proposal response after proposal response, ensuring they follow the bullets needed to give the client what they request on the surface level. The machine does as it's told and serves as an obedient member of the team.

The reason people excel over machines is because they can think. They can provide a strategy for ways to win which machines can’t anticipate. When you treat your marketing team as an asset, you will realize the strategic value they can provide. Marketing is a very critical need for organizations to succeed, especially when teaming with operations. This partnership can take an average company and propel it into a great company.  

How to Gain Confidence as a Marketer
If you’re feeling like a proposal machine, how do you break out of that cycle and do so with confidence? Michelle Decker of 4240 Architecture says “Listen. Put your ear to the ground and ask questions to truly understand. Listen to the world, economy, your peers, your leaders, your consultants or subcontractor, suppliers, etc.—listen to their joys and pleasures, their pain points or biggest challenges, listen to their fears—and, most importantly, listen to yourself in knowing how you contribute to those positive and negative experiences. Once you can listen, you can inspire, motivate, and lead.” 

As a Marketer, your job is to sell the business to clients, but first, you have to understand the business and the industry inside and out. One of the best ways to gain a seat at the table is showing your worth, so the more you know about how your company and the industry operate, the better. A few ways to do this include meeting with subject matter experts (SME) from your company or within the industry, especially with your finance department so you understand how your firm makes money. You can also follow local and national construction publications to study patterns within the industry and the global economy. One thing SMPS can specifically help you with is becoming a CPSM. Study all the domains inside and out and reach out to fellow CPSMs to better understand the material. The more you know, the more your confidence will grow.

Start the Conversation to Meld Operations and Marketing
Do you think you deserve a seat at the table with operations? Do you think you can provide value to your company? Decker said, “We are essential functions and more effective together. It’s also more fun together. Put in the work to get there. Build trust with one another.” The best way to get involved after fully understanding operations is to speak up. Start a conversation with management and indicate your interest in being involved in strategic ideas. Speak up about wanting to partner more with operations to truly benefit the company. One of the best ways is to not only say you want to contribute, but show them. Give them examples, statistics, and creative solutions as to how you can help the bottom dollar. End the proposal machine cycle and be the hero of your company.