President's Message October 2021

When I first joined SMPS a decade ago, I was in my second year as a marketing coordinator at a law firm. I was not quite in the A/E/C industry, but the law firm primarily represented public agencies, which meant lots of RFPs to respond to.

Some of you may recall the sharp uptick in public agency RFPs in 2010/2011 as the economy recovered. It was nuts. As the sole person in charge of these responses I was overwhelmed, to say the least. My counterparts at other law firms weren’t facing this strain as most of their firm clients came from the private sector.

I longed to commiserate with others dealing with this stress. Somehow I stumbled upon SMPS. I loved attending the programs and getting to know others who understood the unique stresses of an A/E/C marketer and who had tips to make my job more efficient. As I built my confidence, I started to think “what’s next?”

Enter Mentoring Pathways. This chapter program matches “proteges” with “mentors” for one-on-one attention as well as group workshops. I was matched with Gina Phelan, who deserves a special shoutout today. She volunteered her time to meet with me regularly and ultimately helped me go beyond thinking of how to survive my current job to thinking about the long-term. I reaped so many benefits. It felt like I was finally given a map and a lantern to guide my way. I often reflect on this experience.

If you are also wondering “what’s next” in your own career track or are looking to give back, now’s the time! Registration for 2022 Mentoring Pathways begins this week.

Shannon Daggett, CPSM
Markeing Manager, Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc.
[email protected]
President, SMPS SF Bay Area Chapter