AEC Marketing for Principals

Strategic marketing for AEC firms starts with a simple discipline: understanding the business before producing the deliverable. Katie sits down with Kevin Johnson, Senior Director of Marketing and Sales Enablement at H.J. Russell & Company, to talk about what it actually takes to build a marketing function that operations leaders trust enough to bring in early. Kevin shares the mindset shift that changed how his team operates, moving from "make this for us" requests to a real seat at the table, and why that shift only happens through relationships, not mandates.

Kevin sees marketing and sales as working toward the same goal. Marketing helps build awareness and gives seller-doers the tools and messaging they need to have stronger conversations with clients. But that connection also has to happen internally. Kevin talks about the importance of understanding what operations and technical leaders are dealing with every day, from managing risk and protecting margins to handling urgent job site issues. When marketing understands those pressures, it becomes much easier to get their attention, earn their trust, and work together more effectively.

Kevin shares a firsthand look at what it takes to introduce a CRM into an established AEC firm that had never used one before. Instead of rolling it out across the company all at once, his team started small, built the system behind the scenes, and introduced it gradually. As people began to see the value, adoption grew naturally, eventually reaching about 70 percent utilization in a year and a half. He describes the process as “crawl, walk, run” and connects it to another leadership principle he follows: fire bullets, then cannonballs. Start small, test what works, prove the value, and then make the bigger investment once you know you are headed in the right direction.

Marketing as a growth partner is the vision Kevin closes on, urging AEC firms to stop treating marketing as a production shop that simply executes requests and start treating it as a genuine growth partner that helps generate leads, strengthen client relationships, and hit the firm's financial goals. For any marketing or business development leader working to build trust between departments, this conversation offers a clear, tested path forward.

Key Takeaways

• Strategic marketing starts with understanding the business first. Learn the firm's goals and pipeline before producing deliverables, so requests shift from "make this for us" to "here's what we're trying to do."
• Marketing and sales enablement function best as one growth strategy. Marketing builds the content and positioning; seller-doers put it directly into clients' hands.
• Introducing a CRM, or any new system, works better as a crawl, walk, run process. Build quietly, prove value in small wins, then scale adoption once trust is established.
• Understanding an internal client's day-to-day world, their deadlines, risk, and pressure, leads to more collaborative requests and faster responses than transactional asks.
• The goal is for AEC firms to see marketing as a growth partner that helps generate leads and grow the business, not just a production shop that fulfills orders

Connect with Kevin Johnson

Sr. Director Marketing & Sales Enablement, H. J. Russell & Company

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-johnson-91046814/

https://www.hjrussell.com/

Connect with Katie Cash:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacash/

https://smartegies.com/

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Project management in AEC firms generally doesn't go beyond the technical aspects of the business, such as schedules, budgets, and quality controls that keep a building on track. Marketing rarely gets the same discipline. Even though marketing teams juggle their own budgets, deadlines, and quality standards every week. Listen in as Katie Cash talks with Meredith Schroeder, Director of Operations at Smartegies, about why AEC marketing departments need real project management systems, not just good intentions and a color-coded whiteboard.

Marketing workflow visibility comes up early as the clearest sign that a team has outgrown its current systems. Meredith shares the telltale signs of a reactive marketing department: missed deadlines, last-minute requests, and no single place to see the full workload, and explains why a new tool or process document rarely fixes the problem on its own. She and Katie also dig into proposal management, tracing what it takes to coordinate a dozen internal contributors who do not report to marketing while chasing a must-win RFP deadline that never moves.

AEC marketing operations round out the conversation with a practical look at staffing versus workflow problems, and how time tracking data can show whether a team truly needs more people or simply needs better prioritization. Meredith closes with her five core project management practices: creating alignment early, building timelines around reality, making it easy for others to contribute, making the work visible, and owning the deliverable, along with her top tip for listeners: start before you start.

Key Takeaways

• Marketing departments deliver against budgets, schedules, and quality standards just like technical teams, and benefit from the same project management discipline.
• Reactive, last-minute work is usually a visibility problem, not a staffing problem. Get the full workload in one place before deciding you need to hire.
• Internal clients respond better to specific, well-resourced requests than to vague asks dropped on short notice.
• Time tracking by task, not by a single daily bucket, reveals where a marketing team's hours actually go and whether workload is balanced fairly.
• Meredith's five practices: create alignment early, build timelines around reality, make it easy for others to contribute, make the work visible, and own the deliverable.

Connect with Meredith Schroeder

Director of Operations, Smartegies

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mer-schroeder/

https://smartegies.com/

Resources Mentioned in Episode:

• SmartSkills Session: *you do have to have a subscription or pay to hear this webinar* https://www.bigmarker.com/smartegies/smartskills-work-smarter-not-harder

Connect with Katie Cash:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacash/

https://smartegies.com/

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Higher education capital planning, university procurement, and what it really takes to win AEC work with a public university anchor this conversation with Howard Wertheimer, FAIA Emeritus, LEED AP, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Howard has spent more than two decades on both sides of the design and construction table. He built his career in private practice, including 21 years as a Partner and Principal at Lord, Aeck and Sargent, before moving into ownership and institutional leadership roles at Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt University, and now UNC-Chapel Hill, where he oversees planning, design, construction, and operations across nearly 20 million square feet of campus facilities.

Host Katie Cash sits down with Howard to unpack how UNC's capital improvement plan comes together, from early pre-planning and budgeting through board approval, and what firms need to understand about the state's advertising and procurement process. Howard explains why attention to detail on proposals, from accurate references to correctly spelled university names, matters more than most firms realize, and how outdated reference contacts can quietly sink a submission. He also shares how UNC brought in an independent cost estimator to reconcile budgets on a CM at-risk delivery project and saved three million dollars on a single job, along with a look at the 950-acre former airport site UNC recently acquired for future campus development.

Whether a firm is chasing its first project with a public university or working to strengthen a long-standing relationship, Howard's perspective from both sides of the table offers a clear, practical roadmap. It is a conversation packed with guidance for any AEC firm serious about growing its higher education practice.

Key Takeaways

• Sweat the details. Typos, misspelled university names, and language copied from a previous proposal read as a lack of care and are one of the fastest ways to lose credibility with a selection committee.
• Keep references current and relevant. Outdated contact information undermines a proposal before anyone picks up the phone, and a reference tied to the wrong project type can do just as much damage.
• Local presence builds trust. For out-of-state firms pursuing public university work, having someone who can be on site within a day matters, especially on the construction side.
• Independent cost estimating pays for itself. Bringing in a third-party estimator to reconcile budgets between the design team and the CM helped UNC save three million dollars on a single project.

Connect with Howard Wertheimer, FAIA Emeritus, LEED AP, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities, The University of NC at Chapel Hill

https://www.linkedin.com/in/howard-wertheimer-faia-emeritus-leed-ap-6711454/

Resources Mentioned in Episode:

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, official website and facilities RFQ postings
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Howard's previous institution
• University of North Carolina System, Board of Governors
• UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees
• North Carolina State Construction Office (SCO)
• Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, Georgia Tech
• Clough Undergraduate Commons, Georgia Tech
• Krone Engineered Biosystems Building, Georgia Tech, AIA COTE Top Ten award winner, LEED Platinum
• Howard Wertheimer's contact email: worthy@unc.edu

Connect with Katie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacash/

https://smartegies.com/

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AI promised AEC marketing teams more speed. What it delivered was a mirror.

Katie Cash sits down with Rachelle Ray, Head of AEC Marketing Innovation at OpenAsset, about what has genuinely changed in proposal production since AI entered the workflow, and what has simply been exposed rather than fixed. Rachelle brings a rare dual perspective, having led marketing and proposals inside an architecture firm before moving to the vendor side, and she is direct about where AI creates real value and where it introduces contractual risk that firms are not yet prepared to manage.

Katie and Rachelle also discuss the guardrails firms need before rolling AI out firm-wide, from approved and prohibited language lists to structured training and review processes.

Key Takeaways:

• Speeding up misaligned pursuits with AI does not save resources; it burns them faster.
• AI-generated proposal language can create real contractual risk without a review process in place.
• Firms that succeed with AI treat it as a firm-wide rollout, with training and guardrails, not a single toggle switch.
• The AEC marketers who thrive in the AI era will build data literacy, relationship intelligence, and systems thinking.
• Knowledge management, capturing what lives in people's heads, is becoming essential infrastructure for AI to work well.

Connect with Rachelle Ray, Head of AEC Marketing Innovation, OpenAsset

https://openasset.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelle-ray-marketing/

Connect with Katie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacash/

https://smartegies.com/

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AEC marketing is shifting from a reactive, proposal-driven function into a strategic discipline that drives demand. Justin Davidson of JE Dunn has helped lead that change from the inside.

Katie Cash talks with Justin about how that shift played out inside one of the country's largest builders, where JE Dunn built a dedicated vertical market model for its fast-growing industrial and manufacturing practice. He shares why a strong digital footprint now wins work from clients who find the firm online, and how video content and AI-optimized search are reshaping the way owners choose their builders.

Whether you support a single office or a national vertical, these lessons will help you move upstream and earn a seat at the strategy table. Listen to hear how JE Dunn turned marketing into a growth engine.

• AEC marketing
• construction marketing strategy
• marketing and business development alignment
• vertical market marketing
• video marketing for construction
• content generation
• industrial and manufacturing construction
• digital footprint for AEC firms
• AI optimized search
• JE Dunn

Connect with Justin Davidson, Marketing Director - Advanced Facilities Group, JE Dunn

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/noel-brady-mscsi-mrics-aaaa4547/https://www.linkedin.com/in/justindavidson09/

JE Dunn: https://jedunn.com/

Connect with Katie Cash:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacash/

https://smartegies.com/

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If your firm is still waiting for the RFP to show up before getting serious about winning the work, you are already behind.

Katie Cash chats with Noel Brady, Co-Founder and COO of ProjectMark, the CRM built specifically for the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. They talk about what it actually takes to build a firm that grows with intention. Noel challenges the deeply ingrained belief that winning work is about personal relationships alone and makes the case that sustainable growth requires systematizing those relationships so they become a firm-wide asset rather than a liability that leaves when a key person leaves. From pipeline conversion ratios to the go/no-go decisions firms get wrong, this episode is an honest guide to replacing gut instinct with clean, actionable data.

Noel and Katie also dig into the cultural and behavioral shifts that distinguish firms that merely talk about being data-driven from those that actually do it. If your firm is ready to stop reacting and start leading, this episode is the place to start.

• AEC business development

• CRM for AEC firms

• architecture engineering construction marketing

• AEC firm growth strategy

• go/no-go decisions AEC

• pipeline conversion ratio

• data-driven AEC

• seller doer AEC

• project pursuit strategy

• RFP strategy architecture firms

Connect with Noel Brady, Co-Founder & COO, ProjectMark

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/noel-brady-mscsi-mrics-aaaa4547/

ProjectMark:https://www.projectmark.com/

Connect with Katie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacash/

https://smartegies.com/

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The old AEC marketing playbook is no longer enough, and as the AEC truth teller, Judy Sparks is here to say what the industry has been too polite to admit out loud… the way you’ve always done it is quietly costing you work.

Judy Sparks, Founder and CEO of Smartegies and Amazon bestselling author of "The Modern AEC Marketer," joins Katie Cash for a candid milestone conversation. This is episode 100, and they are celebrating with some long-overdue industry truths. The way you’ve always done work as an AEC firm has changed. And it’s time for your firm to catch up.

There is a disconnect between how AEC leaders think about marketing and how marketing actually works. Judy talks about the gap, from treating the marketing funnel as a discipline rather than a diagram, to why top-of-funnel investment is where most firms are quietly losing ground. She also walks through a practical alignment exercise that will quickly reveal who your firm’s highest-value customers are and how to reach them.

If you are ready to advocate for a seat at the leadership table, this episode will help create a clearer path for you to get there.

Connect with Judy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judysparks/

Connect with Katie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kacash/

https://smartegies.com/

Grab Judy Sparks’ new book, The Modern AEC Marketer: How the Next Generation Will Lead the Industry Forward: https://a.co/d/0hNpFy1G

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

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Podcasting may be the most underutilized business development tool in the AEC industry right now.

Tom Schwab, CEO and Founder of Interview Valet, is joining Katie Cash to explain why they believe podcast marketing deserves a real seat at the table in every AEC firm’s growth strategy. Podcasting goes far beyond content creation; it’s a strategic driver for relationships, reputation, and revenue. From podcast guesting to launching your own show, Katie and Tom discuss how architects, engineers, and construction professionals can build trust, deepen client relationships, and improve visibility in both traditional and AI-driven search.

Podcast interviews can be used to influence decision makers, strengthen trust, and create evergreen marketing assets. Katie and Tom even break down the realistic expectations around time, ROI, and how to align podcasting efforts with real business outcomes.

Podcast marketing is no longer just for consumer brands. For AEC firms ready to grow their reputation, strengthen relationships, and drive revenue, the microphone may be the most strategic tool in your marketing mix.

Connect with Tom Schwab, CEO & Founder, Interview Valet:
https://interviewvalet.com/aec

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Grab Judy Sparks’ new book, The Modern AEC Marketer: How the Next Generation Will Lead the Industry Forward: https://a.co/d/0hNpFy1G

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

We hope you’re finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you.

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Good leadership in architecture has never been just about knowing how to design a building.

Tory Winn, Principal and Co-Managing Director of Gensler's Atlanta office, has thought a lot about what it actually takes to lead well in this industry, and it comes down to people. How you build a team, how you show up for clients, how you bring someone along who's just starting out.

In a conversation with Katie Cash, she talked about why Gensler still believes in getting people in the same room, what mentorship looks like when it's done right, and how firms can stay true to who they are even as the workforce changes around them. She also touched on AI, not as a threat to creativity, but as a tool that helps designers show clients what they're imagining before the words are even there.

The throughline in everything she described? Leadership is less about having the answers and more about making sure the people around you feel like they're part of something.

The firms that get that right, the ones that invest in culture, in connection, in the next generation, those are the ones doing the most interesting work.

Connect with Tory Winn

Principal & Co-Managing Director, Gensler Atlanta
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tory-winn-ncidq-iida-97a087178/

https://www.gensler.com/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

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Great engineering firms do not scale on talent alone. They scale on repeatable systems and a culture of accountability.

Suzie Engel, PE, President and Owner of Motz Engineering, shares how she transformed her firm by building a process-driven culture that improves communication, protects quality, and creates better client experiences. By implementing structured systems, data tracking, and clear accountability across teams, Motz Engineering delivers consistent results while empowering engineers to focus on solving complex problems.

Suzie also discusses how sharing lessons learned across departments strengthens leadership, improves future project outcomes, and helps engineering firms grow without chaos. For AEC leaders looking to raise standards while protecting team culture, this conversation offers practical insights you can apply immediately.

Connect with Suzie Engel, PE

President and Owner, Motz Engineering

https://www.motzengineering.com/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

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Brand is no longer a support function in AEC. It is a strategic lever that shapes perception, culture, recruitment, and long-term growth.

Katie Cash sits down with Emily Cannon, Vice President of Brand Strategy at Brasfield & Gorrie, to discuss what it really means to elevate the brand to the executive table. From aligning regional leadership to activating entertainment as a marketing currency, Emily shares how intentional collaboration between marketing and the C-suite is reshaping the firm’s internal culture and external presence. She also explores how brand influences retention, recruiting, pursuit strategy, and even proposal performance.

If your firm is navigating growth, leadership transition, or brand evolution, this conversation offers practical insight on aligning strategy from the inside out and turning brand into a measurable driver of momentum.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• AEC brand strategy
• Construction marketing strategy
• Brand alignment in AEC
• B2B brand strategy
• AEC leadership alignment
• Employer branding in construction
• Construction firm marketing

Connect with Emily Cannon, CPSM

Vice President of Brand Strategy at Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycannon1/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

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What does it take to lead a 70-year engineering firm into its next chapter of growth without losing the culture that built it?

Katie Cash sits down with Carrie Stokes, President and CEO of Barge Design Solutions, and Erika Booker, Chief Marketing Officer of Barge Design Solutions, to unpack how leadership vision, marketing alignment, and data-driven strategy fuel sustainable growth in today’s competitive AEC market. From intentional CEO transition planning to integrating communications and sales enablement, they share how employee ownership, disciplined client selection, and CRM-backed business development decisions protect both culture and profitability.

If you lead an engineering firm or support one through marketing and business development, this conversation offers a clear look at how alignment across the C-suite and marketing team drives measurable impact and long-term brand strength.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Engineering firm leadership
• AEC marketing strategy
• Strategic growth planning
• Employee-owned firm model
• CRM implementation in AEC
• Business development analytics

Connect with Erika and Carrie, BARGE:

https://bargedesign.com

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

We hope you’re finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you.

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What does it really take to get a major urban infrastructure project funded, approved, and built?

Jack Cebe, President & CEO of The Stitch at the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, shares how his team is working to transform three-quarters of a mile of interstate highway into a 17-acre urban park with the potential to generate $9 billion in economic value. The Stitch is designed to reconnect downtown Atlanta, unlock development opportunities, and create a new community asset above the Connector.

With a background in landscape architecture and civil engineering, Jack breaks down how infrastructure capping projects come together, from funding strategies and approvals to design, engineering coordination, and project delivery. He also shares practical guidance for AEC professionals on building authentic networks and developing the communication and project management skills needed to lead complex, multi-stakeholder urban initiatives.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Infrastructure projects
• Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
• Park development
• Landscape architecture
• Grant funding
• Professional Networking

Connect with Jack Cebe, President & CEO of The Stitch:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcebe/

https://thestitchatl.com/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

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The future of the AEC industry is being shaped long before professionals step onto a jobsite, and it starts in the classroom.

Dr. Georg Reichard shares how Georgia Tech’s School of Building Construction is reimagining construction education to better align with industry needs. From hands-on, real-world projects to a renewed focus on communication, leadership, and emerging technologies, the program is designed to prepare students who are ready to contribute on day one. The conversation explores how academia and industry can work together to strengthen the talent pipeline, adapt to rapid technological change, and ensure the next generation of construction professionals is equipped for long-term success.

As the demand for skilled AEC professionals continues to grow, collaboration between educators and industry leaders has never been more important. This discussion highlights why investing in education today is essential to building a stronger, more innovative built environment tomorrow.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• AEC education
• Construction workforce shortage
• Georgia Tech building construction
• Construction leadership development
• Industry-academia collaboration
• Construction technology innovation

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

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The future of commercial real estate is being shaped by a more intentional, client-first approach that prioritizes alignment, transparency, and long-term value across every decision. As market conditions shift and expectations evolve, firms that lead with clarity and objectivity are redefining how real estate advisory supports business growth.

Jue Wang shares how T. Dallas Smith & Company has differentiated itself through a conflict-free advisory model that places tenant and buyer representation at the center of its work. She discusses how office, industrial, and mixed-use trends are evolving, how technology and data are raising the bar for insight and accountability, and why deeper collaboration between real estate advisors and AEC partners is essential to delivering better outcomes for clients.

This conversation offers a grounded, forward-looking perspective on what today’s decision makers value, how firms can strengthen trust through smarter advisory services, and what it takes to stay relevant as the built environment continues to evolve.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Client-First Advisory
• Market Trends
• Real Estate Technology
• AEC Collaboration
• Workplace Strategy
• Next-Gen Leadership

Connect with Jue Wang, Director, T. Dallas Smith & Company

https://www.tdallassmith.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jue-wang-ccim-b6a61851/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

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What happens when AEC marketing owns the data story and becomes a true strategic partner to the firm?

Katie Cash sits down with Katie Robinson, Chief Marketing Officer at LS3P, to unpack how a traditional proposal shop evolved into a firmwide, agency-style marketing and knowledge management team. Katie shares how LS3P aligned marketing with business strategy, centralized project data through a data manager program, and used tools like Power BI and AI to unlock insights that support both pursuit strategy and firm leadership. She also explains why open access to project data, clear security rules, and cross-functional collaboration are non-negotiables for sustainable growth.

From Expert Hours that support thought leadership to an AI steering committee that protects IP and improves efficiency, Katie shares a practical roadmap that any AEC firm can start small and scale. Marketers will come away with clear strategies for strengthening relationships across the firm, earning a seat at the strategic table, and elevating marketing from a support function to a true driver of growth.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• AEC marketing
• LS3P
• CRM
• Power BI
• AI in AEC
• Strategic planning

Connect with Katie Robinson, Chief Marketing Officer / Vice President / Principal at LS3P:

https://www.ls3p.com/portfolio/katie-robinson/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-schroer-robinson/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

We hope you’re finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you.

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Consistent, ground-up financial planning is the difference between hopeful growth and profitable growth for AEC firms.

Katie Cash sits down with Jason Kruger, Partner at Citrin Cooperman, to explore how AEC leaders can better align sales, marketing, and finance for intentional growth. Together, they discuss how to define success, set measurable KPIs, and build budgets from the ground up rather than relying on projections that lack real data. Jason also shares how firms can safeguard cash flow during expansion, create accountability across departments, and prepare their reporting to meet the expectations of potential buyers during an acquisition.

Tune in to hear what sets financially disciplined AEC firms apart. Jason unpacks how intentional budgeting, transparent reporting, and alignment between sales, marketing, and finance drive measurable and lasting growth.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• AEC marketing
• Financial strategy
• Risk Management
• Profit Margin
• Sales and Marketing Alignment

Connect with Jason Kruger, Partner at Citrin Cooperman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-kruger-a0b159b/

Email: JKruger@CitrinCooperman.com

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

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Knowledge has become one of the most valuable assets in the AEC industry.

Chris Parsons, founder and CEO of Knowledge Architecture, joins host Katie Cash to explore how firms can transform scattered project data and expertise into a true competitive advantage. Together, they discuss the rise of knowledge management as a C-suite priority, the role of AI in accelerating KM 3.0, and why structured data matters more than ever for marketing and proposals.

By focusing on people, process, technology, and culture, firms can unlock smarter collaboration, sharpen their storytelling, and create systems that support sustainable growth.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• AEC marketing
• Knowledge management
• Knowledge strategy
• AI in AEC
• Business development
• Content management

Connect with Christopher Parsons, Founder and CEO, Knowledge Architecture:

https://www.knowledge-architecture.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherjparsons/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

We hope you’re finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you.

Here’s how you can help. Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!

And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

Winning more of the right work starts long before the RFP. It starts with pipeline discipline, proactive positioning, and breaking down silos.

Marketer turned business developer Lee Jarboe, FSMPS, CPSM of JE Dunn Construction, shares how accurate pipeline data, smart market mix, and account-based marketing shorten the path from first touch to real conversations about client needs. With examples from large, multi-market operations, Lee explains why sales is a leading indicator, how to time resources, and when to say no so you can win better.

She also makes the case for cross-functional alignment. Include marketing and BD in strategic growth talks, communicate the “why” behind pursuits, and stop the silos. The payoff is faster trust, sharper go/no-go calls, and teams that are all in when it counts.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• AEC marketing
• Pursuit strategy
• Sales pipeline
• Go/no-go decisions
• Account-based marketing
• Client experience
• JE Dunn Construction

Connect with Lee Jarboe, FSMPS, CPSM of JE Dunn Construction:

Website-https://blaizecommunications.com/https://jedunn.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leejarboe/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

We hope you’re finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you.

Here’s how you can help. Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!

And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

Great firms aren’t just built on great design; they thrive through smart operations, strong culture, and client-focused strategy.

Natalia Castro, COO of Saltz Michelson Architects, shares her unconventional path from crime analysis to leading operations in a 50-year-old legacy architecture firm. She explains how prioritizing internal culture directly impacts client satisfaction, why listening is an underrated business advantage, and how strategic thinking can open new market opportunities like aviation. From adapting to AI to navigating generational mentorship, Natalia offers practical and inspiring insights for firm leaders.

Her perspective blends honoring the legacy of a firm while embracing innovation, proving that operational excellence is just as critical as design expertise in creating long-term growth.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• AEC marketing
• COO Leadership
• Aviation Market Strategy
• Service-driven industry
• Legacy Architecture

Connect with Natalia Castro, COO | Business Operator at Saltz Michelson Architects:

Website-https://blaizecommunications.com/https://www.saltzmichelson.com/

Connect with Katie: https://smartegies.com/

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:

We hope you’re finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals. Your feedback is important to us and we’d love to hear from you.

Here’s how you can help. Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!

And if you haven’t done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.