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BY THE NUMBERS
Stats on Key External and Internal Industry Trends
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THE PINACLE EXPERIENCE 2024
Elevating Marketing Leadership to the Next Level
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: CHAPTER PRESIDENTS
Inspiring Professionals, Driving Excellence: Our Chapter Presidents at the Helm
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: LEADERSHIP
Honoring Volunteerism: Celebrating the Leaders Who Drive SMPS Forward
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SMPS CONNECTIONS
Building a Career in A/E/C Runs in the Family
SMPS CONNECTIONS
Building a Career in A/E/C Runs in the Family
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It’s not often that we discover SMPS members who are related, married, or business partners. In our series SMPS Connections, we chat with members with personal connections to learn more about their shared relationships and roles in each other’s lives and careers. Some have a parent in the profession and are following in their footsteps. Others have met at SMPS events and captured each others’ respect and hearts.
In part two of our series, we share the story of the mother-daughter duo Julie Shaffer, FSMPS, CPSM, and Katie Brandon.
Can you give us highlights from your career and your current role in the A/E/C industries?
Julie: After graduating with a degree in communications from the University of Texas at Arlington, I entered the industry as a freelance graphic designer. In 2003 I started working for an engineering firm. Over the next 10 years, my role transformed from graphic designer to marketing coordinator and finally creative director before I left the corporate world to start my own firm, Shaffer Creative. I realized I wanted to dedicate more time to my school-aged children. Since then, my career has expanded, and I’ve found that I love providing hands-on learning for marketing teams with a focus on efficiency.
Katie: I earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a certificate in international business. After graduating, I started working in the A/E/C industries as an intern at an engineering firm. Since then, I have grown in my marketing role and am now a marketing manager for UES, a nationally accredited geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing firm named #1 on Zweig’s fastest-growing firms. In my current role, 70% of our workload is pursuit-driven. The other 30% encompasses event planning, management, branding projects, marketing campaigns, design pieces, and more.
Katie, did your mom play a role in your chosen field, and if so, how?
Yes, growing up, I watched what she was doing, and it piqued my interest. After some exposure to the field, I found myself doing something similar. Having a family member to lean on who gets it is helpful.
Julie, what qualities does your daughter possess that make her a great marketer?
Katie has a strong work ethic. She is positive and a joy to be around. Her warm and genuine charm is reflected in her passion for her work and her firm. She does her absolute best on every project she tackles.
What’s the best advice you’ve received during your career?
Julie: Early in my career, when Katie and her brother were in elementary school, I struggled with work/life balance. One evening, I felt overloaded at work. Katie had a play at school. I was considering missing her production to get some work done, and one of my seasoned co-workers said, “You will always have work that needs to be done, and this moment will soon be forgotten. You will never have this moment with your daughter again. Here, your role as a marketer is replaceable, but your role as a mother is not.” I was profoundly impacted by her words. Since then, I’ve been driven to work hard but balance my life at home. And, yes, I went to Katie’s play.
Katie: My mom has encouraged me to extend my learning and marketing skills to be a successful marketer. This includes increasing my proficiency in Adobe software and attending SMPS programs to learn additional areas of the industry. My boss, Pam Conine, CPSM, has encouraged me to use my upbeat, outgoing personality to benefit our firm. I recently had the opportunity to represent our marketing team at the Texas Municipal League Conference and work alongside technical staff in a client-focused environment. It was exciting and exhausting.
My favorite yoga instructor once said, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” That really stuck with me. I strive to be a lifelong learner, constantly picking up and growing new and exciting hobbies. This passion for learning extends to my professional life as well. I love understanding the ins and outs of our industry from all perspectives. When you truly grasp something from multiple viewpoints, you can relate to it, write about it, and market it effectively. By continually learning and keeping an open mind to growth, I can always give my best, no matter what challenges come my way.
Julie, what advice would you give your daughter now? And what advice five years from now?
Work hard (but with balance), have a good attitude, and never stop learning. Five years from now, when you start to feel beat down by demanding deadlines, remember that what we do is for the greater good. We play a role in developing the built environment around us. Work hard, have a good attitude, and never stop learning.
Katie, what advice would you give your mom based on your life experiences?
Anyone who knows Julie Shaffer knows that she’s a worker bee. She is fantastic at what she does and is highly sought after by our industry for her training expertise and industry knowledge. While she is quick to assist others and always ready to step in, my advice to her would be to prioritize herself, too.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Julie: I love photography, travel, and spending time with friends and family.
Katie: My friends and I do real estate investing on the side, and I’ve found myself rather obsessed with this hobby. It’s even more remarkable when what I do at work can directly translate to my side hobby knowledge and vice versa.
What three words would you use to describe your daughter?
Julie: Katie is confident, vibrant, and personable.
What three words would you use to describe your mom?
Katie: My mom is detail-oriented, a peacemaker, and innovative.