News

April is Stress Awareness Month

By Suzie Bravo | Client Services Manager | Atlas

How are you doing? Really, how are you doing? It’s ok if the answer is something other than “I’m good”. Maybe the truth is that you’re feeling nervous, restless, tense, maybe you feel tired, overwhelmed, lonely. It’s ok to not be ok, and stress can cause very real physical symptoms including headaches, insomnia, low energy, and ultimately, lowered immune system.

April is Stress Awareness Month, and SMPS OC is focusing on holistic wellness as occupational therapy! We think of professional societies as a way to build business, network, learn, and grow professionally, but none of us can function to our full capacity if we don’t take care of our bodies and minds and feed our souls. So let’s talk about it.

We encourage you to join us for upcoming events focused on elevating your client and pursuit positioning strategy, identifying win themes in your pursuits, and gain tips and advice on how to avoid “WFH burn-out” and maintain overall well-being. On April 22^nd, we will hold a Wellness Edition of our Sip, Savor, and Share networking event. The program will be an open discussion on how we are all doing with the pressures of work, life, and the pandemic! Guest speaker Jessica Andrews, owner of Penny Promotions — a print, promotional items, and marketing services business; certified yoga instructor; singer-songwriter; vegan enthusiast; Orange County native; and proud dog mom will speak to the importance of prioritizing health and wellness to balance all that life inevitably throws at you!

In the meantime, below are some tips and tricks that, if practiced regularly, will get us back on track to enjoy balance and fewer stress-related symptoms. Although these practices will not eliminate the pressure of an impending deadline or demanding client, they may provide tools to help us react more constructively.

• Aim to get dressed every day in real clothes -on bottom and on top!
• Create a routine that includes breaks as part of your workday.
  • Create a list of things you want to accomplish during your workday and cross them off as you go
  • Carve out a designated workspace, keep your desk organized and clean to maximize productivity
• Exercise is key! Even a short brisk walk helps.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day, because chances are, you’re not drinking enough!
• Stretching or yoga is a great way to set a good intention to your day.
• Meditate, pray, or otherwise find a quiet time for at least 10-20 minutes each day
  • Eating healthy
    • (it’s easy to binge or over snack but by eating healthy or making healthier choices you can curve the urge to snack on junk, or simply planning out your meals with healthy swaps)
    • Make time for family meals! If you don’t have kids or family, make time to enjoy your meal with minimal distractions
    • Take your daily dose of vitamins or supplements
  • Keep a consistent sleep schedule and try to stick to it

And remember, easy does it! None of us can experience perfect balance at all times. And that’s what’s so great about being part of the SMPS OC community, we are here to support and encourage each other, and lift each other up when we are down. To get us started on the right path, here are some links to free resources available online.  

Yoga and meditation:

https://www.purpleyoga.org/jessicaandrews

https://www.empoweryourwellness.online/why-you-need-yoga/

Eating healthy:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nomanazish/2018/01/09/10-simple-ways-to-start-eating-healthier-this-year/?sh=4331891233da

Exercise tips:

https://www.bodyrefinerygym.com/fitness-nutrition-tips/sneak-exercise-into-your-day

Apps and podcasts:

Guided Meditation and Mindfulness - The Headspace App

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ted-health/id470623173

Letter from the President

Bonnie Temple, CPSM, Regional Strategic Pursuit Manager, Brown and Caldwell

It’s the middle of March 2021 and time is flying past; we are more than halfway through the Board Term! As I reflect on our accomplishments and look to the future, I am amazed at the number of quality events our Chapter has provided and has planned for the remaining term of my Presidency.

I am honored to be at the helm of this dynamic team; each person has outstanding and different qualities that are combined into a force to be reckoned with in this industry for our Chapter and our firms.

My two primary goals this year were (and still are): to provide value and give back. We are accomplishing this direction in so many ways for our sponsors, each other, our firms, the industry, and the communities in which we live and work.

My personal experience from being an active member of SMPS since 1998, inspired the newly established Professional Development Committee; tailored for one-on-one career growth. We also established a Charity Chair role to provide an organized approach to our charitable events. During the holidays in 2020, we raised over $1,000 for Families Forward and provided donations to CHOC, our local children’s hospital. We are currently planning an event in July to do even more.

Although we have yet to be together in person, being apart has brought us together in ways we never imagined. We collaborate and co-host events with sister chapters from all over the United States to provide networking, education, and programs. These draw us together and keep us connected, sharpen our skills, and teach us about market sector and industry-wide trends, opportunities, and challenges, on local, regional, and nationwide scales. These experiences have taught us new ways to help our firms overcome issues and identify new ways to help our clients and win work. We are moving forward with a clear direction and vision.

The SMPS mission is to advocate for, educate, and connect leaders and although the pandemic has raged throughout our world, this organization and our chapter has persevered and will continue to do so. The SMPS vision is “Business transformed through marketing leadership” and the events we collectively offer do just that.

This year taught us resiliency, creativity, and adaptation. We have learned to appreciate so much, and to pivot, so we could live up to our Mission and Values, for you, our members.

I am so proud of this Chapter, our Directors, and volunteers who contributed to this success. If you want to become part of this team, please do not hesitate to reach out. I can say with confidence, it is worth every moment.

Sincerely yours,

Bonnie Temple, CPSM

SMPS Chapter President, 2020-2021

SMPS OC Member Spotlight – Keelin Cox

Today we are shining the spotlight on SMPS OC Member Keelin Cox, CPSM, ENV SP. Keelin is a creative thinker and problem solver with a focus on thoughtful interactions throughout the AEC industry. As a senior proposal specialist at Stantec, she is invested in supporting the water sector to build winning proposals, create smart strategies, and help her teams serve their communities. Keelin has a longstanding history volunteering for SMPS Orange County as hospitality chair, treasurer, and ultimately President. She is also the host of the AEC Marketeer podcast that explores AEC marketing and beyond.

In April Keelin will be presenting on how to identify win themes for proposals. During this interactive session, you will learn how to ask the right questions to uncover key win themes for your proposals beginning at the go/no-go all the way through to submittal.

Register here: https://smps-oc.org/meetinginfo.php?id=73&ts=1615582231

1. Tell me how you got started in your career.

I studied Environmental Studies at UCSB with the goal of becoming an environmental consultant. After 2 years working at AEC firms in Santiago, Chile, I moved back to California and my dad, a land surveyor, introduced me to his Marketing and BD manager, Sue Pender. Sue walked me through what a career in AEC marketing might look like and I fell in love with AEC marketing right on the spot. Sue then helped me get my first job in California at a small engineering firm in Mission Viejo. She also encouraged me to not only join SMPS OC, but to find a way to volunteer on the board in some capacity–which I did as hospitality chair.

2. You launched your own podcast in 2020; what prompted you to start AEC Marketeer and can you share details on it?

There were a few disjointed thoughts that all culminated in this podcast. I was driving to work thinking that I would love to listen to something work-related that would give me a few new ideas and get my gears turning during my commute. Separately, I found myself thinking about the marketers who aren’t able to go to SMPS conferences or don’t have an SMPS chapter close-by and how many cool people I meet through these events. So I started thinking, what might be a way of introducing a marketer to these great thought leaders, no matter their location or ability to attend a conference. My answer to that was a podcast purely based on how accessible podcasts are. All that coupled with having just “retired” as the OC Chapter’s Past-President and then COVID-19 hitting, I figured if ever there was a time to start a podcast, it’s now!

3. How did you first get involved in SMPS?

Sue Pender encouraged me to join and I think within a week of being a member I got a call from the Chapter’s incoming President at the time, Shannah Hayes, asking if I wanted to get coffee and talk about volunteer opportunities (well done Shannah). She was getting ready for her year as President and asked if I would consider the Hospitality Chair position. I took it and I think it was a decision that altered my entire career in the best way possible. I owe a lot of my current success to those two women.

4. What makes you passionate about this work?

I genuinely feel that the work myself, my colleagues, and our companies do help our communities, in a way that few things can. When I started college, I entered as Pre-Med because I really wanted to help people every day and in a completely different context, I still get to do that as an AEC marketer. I love how complicated and dynamic our projects are. I love of all the fun, quirky, interesting, and sometimes challenging personalities I get to work with every day. I love learning about clients and how they want and need to help their communities. I find the scale of our projects fascinating. And of course, I love winning. I am a fairly competitive person and winning a major pursuit is probably one of my favorite feelings in the whole wide world.

5. What publications and blogs do you read?

I read a lot of articles through Harvard Business Review, I subscribe to Matt Handal’s Help Everybody Everday newsletters, and I follow people on LinkedIn like Maisha Hagan that post great articles and resources. I also read SMPS’ Marketer magazine almost cover to cover and get excellent ideas from those articles as well. I also really enjoy reading articles/magazines from outside the AEC industry like Fast Company, AMA Marketing News, MarketingWeek, and CMO by Adobe to try and find ideas/designs that I could potentially adapt for the AEC space.

6. What was the last book you read?

I recently finished a book called Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell that is just beautifully written. I also love the Upside of Stress Kelly Mcgonigal. That is a life-changing book that I wish I would have known about sooner and I highly recommend to literally anyone. On the professional development side, right now I’m reading Managing Up by Mary Abbajay. I heard her speak at Build Business and loved her session. This book is an extension of that session with lots of practical, relevant tips to identify and manage different personalities in the workplace.

BYLAWS UPDATE: BRINGING US CURRENT

Results

The Orange County Chapter members voted to approve updated Chapter ByLaws. (See details below.)  Voting occurred March 5, 2021 to April 5. 2021. The updated Chapter Bylaws (linked here) go into effect immediately. The Board of Directors thanks our members for their participation and vote.

Background

The Orange County (OC) Chapter’s ByLaws were last updated in 2012.  Since that time, SMPS Headquarters (Society) has created a Model Chapter Bylaws document that reflects the organization’s current operations. Bylaws establish the basic rules and structure of corporate governance and serve as the operating agreement between the members and chapter leadership. The goal of the OC Chapter’s update is to bring our Bylaws and operations consistent with the Society Model Chapter Bylaws. 

Highlights of Changes

The update will:

• Bring the OC Chapter Bylaws into alignment with the Society’s Purpose and Membership Definitions
• Give us the opportunity to change the Secretary’s term of service from a previously set two-year term with a term limit of two-consecutive two-year terms, to a one-year term with a term limit of three consecutive one-year terms
• Allow us to streamline the Board of Directors election process by changing from the Ballot Method to Slate Method. Under the Ballot Method, membership is required to vote on all positions, even those that are uncontested. This means we prepare and administer an election even if only one candidate is running for an office. The Slate Method streamlines the process by requiring an election only for contested positions.

We’ve posted both the current Bylaws (here) and the proposed Bylaws (here) on our website for you to review and compare. 

Next Steps

Proposed changes to Chapter Bylaws must be approved by the Chapter’s Board of Directors and SMPS Headquarters prior to being submitted to Chapter members for a vote. The OC Chapter Board of Directors has received Headquarters approval and is hereby submitting for our members vote to accept the new Orange County Chapter Bylaws, dated February 2021.

OC Chapter members will receive a ballot for voting via email. Voting is open from March 5^th to April 5^th. If you did not receive a ballot or have questions about the Bylaws or voting process, please contact OC Chapter’s Immediate Past President, Kelly Teenor, APR, CPSM at [email protected].