Catching Up With The SMPS Foundation

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VOLUME 42 ISSUE 4

FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

The Decade Ahead from the Rearview Mirror

Our Love of Learning

New Leaders Coming to Terms with Being the Boss

Working with AI in A/E/C

How to Develop More Meaningful Win Probability Values

Highlights of Our 50 Years

SMPS Brand Through the Years

A Look Back at the Marketer

1973: A Snapshot

SMPS Foundation Update

Foundation_Amplify-2022-Atlanta-Foundation-Event-A

Andrea Goodwin

FSMPS, CPSM

Chuck Raymond

CPSM

Barbara Shuck

FSMPS, CPSM

SMPS at 50

Catching Up With The SMPS Foundation

Andrea Goodwin

FSMPS, CPSM

Chuck Raymond

CPSM

Barbara Shuck

FSMPS, CPSM

A Critical Part of SMPS that You May Not Know About

The SMPS Foundation exists to study industry, societal, and technology trends that expand the business-generating activities of professional services firms. The Foundation explores and recommends strategies and solutions to achieve the Society’s vision of Business Transformed Through Marketing Leadership. The Foundation’s efforts and outputs go a long way towards keeping you – our members – at the forefront of marketing.

That said though, many of you may not know the history of the Foundation and what it can do, and is doing, for you.

The Foundation’s Roots

Founded over 30 years ago in 1992, the Foundation regularly produces research reports and publications and supports scholarships and other special funds. We actively promote marketing and business development as essential elements of the modern business model. A not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Foundation is funded by donations from SMPS members, their firms, and others interested in our work.

How You and Your Employers Benefit from the SMPS Foundation

The built environment impacts all aspects of society, including infrastructure, education, healthcare, technology, commercial and retail, hospitality, and residential industries.

Construction is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. The industry has over 750,000 employers with almost eight million employees, creating nearly $1.8 trillion worth of structures each year. Construction is one of the largest customers for manufacturing, mining, and a variety of services.

Similarly, engineering and architecture are major drivers of the U.S. economy, amounting to almost $400 billion in 2019 revenue, directly and indirectly supporting $600 billion in GDP, according to a study by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). One in every 33 Americans owes their job to the engineering and architectural services industry and that for each new job created in the engineering and architectural industry, two more are generated in sectors that support or benefit from their operations.

Standing out from the competition is hard, and savvy professionals are always on the hunt for industry information that builds their competitive advantage.

The SMPS Foundation produces relevant research that helps design and construction companies get—and stay—ahead. Successful businesses are all about moving faster with less effort. The SMPS Foundation provides relevant research that helps firms develop better strategies and tactics for short- and long-term wins.

Increasing Diversity in the Industry

The A/E/C industries, like others, struggle with being limited by untapped social and ethnic diversity. The SMPS Foundation provides scholarships to marketing and business development students so that all social, ethnic, and gender-diverse perspectives have a voice to help companies transform through marketing leadership.

For example, using a generous gift made available by SMPS founder and member #1, Andy Zinsmeyer, and his family, we have recently partnered with UNCF to manage the scholarship fund to provide financial assistance to students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The fund provides up to $1,500 in financial support, mentorship opportunities, and SMPS student memberships per scholarship recipient to help bridge the representation gap in the A/E/C industries.

Memorial Leadership Endowments

The SMPS Foundation establishes endowments to honor deceased members who served in formal leadership roles of the Society or the SMPS Foundation, or both.

The first honoree of a Foundation endowment was the late Ron Garikes, FSMPS, a past president of SMPS. The second honoree was the late Kenny Diehl, FSMPS, another past president of SMPS and the 2016 Weld Coxe Marketing Achievement Award recipient. Earnings from endowments support leadership and learning opportunities for SMPS members, such as Amplify A|E|C, The Pinnacle Experience, or other events hosted by SMPS.

Recent Research Published by the Foundation

The output from the Foundation, which represents a legacy of valuable research for the Society’s members and their firms, has evolved over the years in accordance with the needs of the Society’s members, as many of us may recall.The full scope of the research published by the Foundation since its inception is far too lengthy for the space allotted for this article, but you may be familiar with some of the recent products, most of which are free to members. Even some older reports have valuable information that still applies in today’s business environment.

Additionally, between 2007 and 2011, the Foundation published over 30 white papers, and in 2013, we published a book entitled “A/E/C Business Development – The Decade Ahead” by Scott Braley, FAIA, FRSA, and Scott Butcher, FSMPS, CPSM. Coming soon, Scott Butcher will be reanalyzing the information in that book to see what they got right and wrong and to make new prognostications for the decade ahead. We invite you to stay tuned.

What’s In Store for the Foundation

The SMPS Foundation is committed to working alongside the Society to help achieve the winning aspiration outlined in the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan of becoming an accessible and indispensable community for all professionals who drive growth and sustainability for A/E/C firms.

Furthermore, we will continue to:

Identify topics for research projects.
Raise funds for research projects.
Identify researchers to conduct funded studies.
Create awareness and promote the Foundation’s research.

Admittedly, our industry is changing every day, so it’s more important than ever for the Foundation to produce timely and relevant industry research for marketers and business developers in all stages of their careers. While we are always looking at “what’s next” in terms of long-range research topics, we are also exploring new ways of delivering actionable takeaways from recent studies and thought leadership that you can begin implementing now in your firm. Stay tuned to the Marketer and Marketer Quicklook newsletter for ideas and conversation starters with your firm’s leadership.

How are you using (or have you used) Foundation research to improve your competitive advantage? What topics would you like to see us tackle in the coming years? We’d love to hear from you.

And don’t forget there are many ways to donate to the Foundation – through your annual membership renewal, planned giving, corporate matching, and more. You can invest now for the next 50 years!