Member Spotlight

Heather Justus, CPSM, has been working in the A/E/C industry for 11 years and is currently the Marketing Manager for Skanska USA Building Inc. in Durham. Before joining our industry Heather was a college student, landing her first job out of school with an A/E/C firm. The job was a perfect fit and all these years later she still loves what she does for a living. We are fortunate Heather has been a long-time member of our SMPS Research Triangle Chapter, presently serving as webmaster liaison for the Communications Committee.

Heather was born in Boston, MA, but was raised in Chapel Hill, NC and is a big fan of the Carolina Tar Heels.

When Heather is not hard at work for Skanska or SMPS you can find her watching UNC basketball and spending time with her husband, Brad, and their 2 year old son Benjamin.  She loves to travel and hike and see new places. She also has an addiction to trashy reality television, above all – the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Some  fun facts no one may know about Heather are that growing up she was in a youth tap dance company, The North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble, where she got to travel across the country to learn and perform with tap dance legends. She also did a six week cross-country road trip with her best friend right after college and has visited 27 US national parks!

Coordinators’ Club: Public Relations in the 21^st Century for the A/E/C Professional – Tips and Strategies and When to Consider Calling in a Pro

Patty Briguglio, President, MMI Public Relations, brings hands-on consulting experience with architectural/engineering/construction firms to develop and support their public relations initiatives.  She will offer tips and strategies to we who are not experts – how to craft your message, formatting/content which gets positive attention and makes an impact, building relationships with reporters/media influencers, and guidelines on what and how to pitch a story to broadcast, print, trade and social media outlets.  And finally, if resources and corporate support are in place – when and why do you call in a Pro. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

8:00 AM – 8:15 AM – Networking with continental breakfast provided

8:15 AM – 9:00 AM – Patty Briguglio Presentation

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM – Discussion

Location:     O’Brien/Atkins Associates

                    5001 South Miami Blvd – 4^th Floor

                    Durham, NC  27703

                    919/941-9000

Register here

Tuesday, March 13,  2012  – 11:30am – 1:30PM

RBC Center
1400 Edwards Mill Road
Raleigh, NC 27607

Register here

Description: Is your firm swimming in a bloody red ocean or has it diverged into a blue ocean that redefines its “buyer group” and shapes trends over time?  Chances are there may be an opportunity to reach beyond existing demand and create an uncontested market space, making your competition irrelevant. Willy E. Stewart, PE will teach us how to use the 6 step process described in “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, which gives you the tools to help you evaluate your company value curve and learn how to diverge from the industry’s value curve. Creating a blue ocean product or service is not easy, but understanding the concept may lead to improvements and perhaps finding a competitive advantage!

Speaker: Willy E. Stewart

Willy E. Stewart, PE, the president and CEO of Stewart Consulting Group, a consulting firm based in Raleigh, works with CEOs and senior management teams across a diverse collection of industries to assist in improving efficiencies and optimizing growth while remaining focused on the company’s purpose and its people. Willy is also the founder and CEO of Stewart Engineering, Inc., a multi-disciplined engineering firm headquartered in Raleigh, NC.

The SMPS Triangle Chapter is honored to have three distinguished Client/Owner Representatives in a panel forum discussion. Pierre Gingue, President, PEG Contracting, Fred Patrick, AIA, PE, Director of Facilities Design & Construction at UNC Greensboro are our panelists who will be led in discussion by Theresa Leahey, Director of Business Development, Affiliated Engineers. The panelists’ experience in the selection process, as well as in the delivery of design and construction projects, will provide insights helpful to any firm interested in better serving their clients and positioning themselves for new work!

Panelists

• Pierre Gingue, President, PEG Contracting
• Fred Patrick, AIA, PE, LEED AP, Director of Facilities Design & Construction, UNC Greensboro

Moderator

• Theresa Leahey, Director of Business Development, Affiliated Engineers, Inc.

Panelists

Pierre Gingue, President, PEG Contracting

Pierre has worked in the construction industry for his entire career.  He spent 10 years with Whiting-Turner Contracting Company as a project manager working up and down the East coast primarily for clients in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries.  His projects ranged from small $25,000 research laboratory renovations to a $250 million dollar Government campus expansion.  Two years ago, Pierre co-founded PEG Contracting as a construction and project management company focused on technical projects in the life sciences and technology industries.  Most recently PEG has provided services as the owner representatives to a large biotechnology company for their Research Triangle Park campus construction project.  To date this role has included construction management for Phase 1 as well as preparation of the RFP and selection of the design firm for Phase 2.  Pierre is a member of the Associated Builders and Contractors of the Carolinas and ISPE Carolina – South Atlantic Chapter.

Fred Patrick, AIA, PE, LEED AP, Director of Facilities Design & Construction,

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Fred has been with UNC Greensboro for 23 years.  He is both a licensed architect and a licensed professional engineer.  At the University, he has overseen approximately $453 million dollars of new and renovated construction equating to more than 5 million square feet.  At the 30th Annual State Construction Conference, Fred received the prestigious honor of the Frank B. Turner Award.  Given annually since 1983, the award recognizes a state government employee for dedicated public service and outstanding professional contributions to the built environment.  Fred’s experience in selecting and collaborating with architects/engineers/contractors spans 20+ years.

Moderator

Theresa Leahey, Director of Business Development, Affiliated Engineers, Inc. 

Theresa has worked with architectural, engineering, interior design and construction firms in the AEC industry for her entire career.  Since 2000, she has been the Director of Business Development for the North Carolina office of Affiliated Engineers Inc.  AEI is a consulting engineering firm which provides MEP and IT engineering services for R & D, healthcare and institutional clients.  A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Industrial Design, Theresa has been a member of SMPS since 1986.  She was the founding President of the Pittsburgh Chapter and has past service on the Board of Directors for the Research Triangle Chapter. 

 Location:

RBC Center
1400 Edwards Mill Road
Raleigh, NC 27607

Time: May 8, 2012 – 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Visit the Build Business Web site to check out the outstanding educational program, read about the keynote speakers, pick up travel recommendations and make hotel reservations, explore opportunities to sponsor or exhibit, and register!

We’ve all heard of PPPs, but do we really know how to make them happen? Or where PPPs are happening?  Or who is participating?  If you’re puzzled by PPPs, please join us for this program to learn all you need to know! Perry Safran (Safran Law Offices) and Kevin Dick (City of Durham) will clarify your questions about PPPs. Perry will cover the legalities, dispel the myths, discuss the pros and cons and some keys to success. Kevin will provide case studies of successful PPP projects from the City of Durham. This is a can’t miss event!

Register here

SMPS Triangle is offering a full-day, hands-on Adobe InDesign workshop with Adobe expert, Claudia McCue. This is a great workshop whether you are starting from scratch, brushing up on your skills, or significantly expanding your knowledge base. We’ll focus on beginner basics in the morning, and move into the expert level in the afternoon. Lunch will be provided.

Agenda items include:

• Setting up your InDesign defaults
• Using Bridge (and Mini Bridge)
• Understanding how frames work
• Importing text and graphics
• Working with color
• Working with layers
• Using Story Editor
• Setting up paragraph/character styles
• Setting up object styles
• Working with libraries
• Advantages of native graphics files (.psd and .ai)
• Working with master pages
• Creating bulleted and numbered list styles
• Creating/editing tables
• Managing long documents
• Setting up sections for numbering
• Anchoring images
• Using Preflight
• Creating templates
• Using the Book feature
• Exporting to PDF

 Also, feel free to bring problem files on a flash drive!

Agenda: Registration 8:30 – 9:00, Program 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Lunch will be provided.

Where: Mount Olive College (Research Triangle Park) 5001 South Miami Blvd. Durham, NC 27703 

Parking: Free!

**No refund is due if cancellation occurs within 24 hours of the event

***Additional $10 fee for walk-ins

Register Here:   

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2712213303

RDK welcomes Andreina Perez as the new Southeast Business Development Coordinator.  In her new role on the RDK Marketing Team, Andreina will be working with RDK Principal Kim Sousa and Group Leaders from our North Carolina offices to grow our business and service our clients in the Southeast.  Andreina is a LEED Accredited Professional with over ten years of professional experience.  She is also a member of the SMPS Triangle Outreach Committee and the IFMA Triangle Membership Committee.  Prior to joining RDK, Andreina was a Project Manager & Business Development Coordinator at ACH Constructors in Durham, NC.  Welcome aboard, Andreina!

There will be two breakout sessions led by industry leaders – “What’s Your Line” – refining your elevator speech and “I Shook A Lot of Hands…Now What?” – ensuring return on your networking investment. 

Speakers: Joseph A. Angell II, PE, CCM, DBIA, F.SAME ; Mary Heath – Marketing Manager – Stewart Engineering; Matt Smith – Director of Business Development -Hardin Construction.

When:

January 10th, 4-6pm

Where:
Capital City Club

21st Floor

410 South Wilmington Street

Raleigh, NC, 27601

Register here

When: January 18^th, 8:00am-9:15am

Where: O’Brien/Atkins Associates, 5001 South Miami Blvd – 4^th Floor, Durham, NC 2770

Demystify, Clarify & No Promises: Understanding the UNC-Chapel Hill A/E Submittal through Selection Process - Jerry U. Guerrier, RA, LEED AP, Facilities Architect, will speak to UNC-Chapel Hill’s process of public notification/website posting, the required electronic profile form, presubmittal briefings, what to highlight or not in the paperwork, team makeup, who is reviewing and what they typically are looking for, what constitutes an automatic “out”, how useful are the SF254s – should one for every team member firm be included, what happens after shortlisting, what are effective and non-effective interview strategies and more.   Walking the group through the University’s process, Jerry will offer insights into how an A/E firm can best position itself for selection.

Registration Link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2603848180