The office’s newest employee, Jennifer Booth is a newcomer to New Hampshire and holds over ten years of diverse experience.  After earning a bachelor of arts in journalism from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, she worked for a short time in New York City at the New York Law Journal and Barnes & Noble.com.  She then worked in marketing and public relations for several years before beginning her career in the engineering industry at The LiRo Group, a full-service, multi-discipline engineering, architecture and construction management firm based in New York.  Locally, she is a member of the Seacoast Women’s Network and the Maine chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services.

At S. W. Cole, Jennifer will be working with the Somersworth and Keene offices to help facilitate business with area architects and developers while maintaining S. W. Cole’s current long standing relationships.

S. W. Cole’s team of engineers, geologists and technicians in New Hampshire has grown steadily since the Somersworth office was established in 1999. S. W. Cole is an employee-owned firm of over 80 scientists, engineers and technicians providing geotechnical engineering, geoenvironmental and ecological consulting, and construction materials testing for projects throughout New England. S.W. Cole, which was established in 1979, opened an office in Keene, New Hampshire in 2008 and also has offices throughout Maine.

The Foundation of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) is pleased to announce that Allison Sovetsky, college, university, and hospital market specialist at Woodard & Curran, in Portland, ME, has been awarded the SMPS Foundation’s Ron Garikes Student Scholarship for 2010. Sovetsky, a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, has over seven years of marketing experience, has been active in the Maine Chapter of SMPS, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree.

In her current role at Woodard & Curran, a 600-person engineering, science, and operations firm, Sovetsky is responsible for all marketing functions for the firm’s college, university, and hospital market segment. Sovetsky is pursuing a master’s degree in marketing from Southern New Hampshire University, with an expected graduation date of December 2010.

Sovetsky has been an active SMPS member for the last three years. She most recently was elected chapter treasurer for 2010–2012. Sovetsky ’s past SMPS achievements include being awarded the SMPS Maine scholarship in 2009 and the SMPS Maine Leadership Award in 2010. As the Ron Garikes scholarship recipient, Sovetsky will receive $1,500 from the SMPS Foundation to be used towards her educational expenses.

About the Ron Garikes Student Scholarship This scholarship fund was created by the SMPS Foundation in partnership with Karlsberger, a full-service planning and architectural firm, where Ron Garikes spent most of his 27-year career. Garikes recently led the firm’s national Laboratory and Technology Group and served as COO of its Birmingham, AL, office. Headquartered in Columbus, OH, with additional offices in New York, NY, and Ann Arbor, MI, Karlsberger is one of the country’s leading consultants to the healthcare, pediatric, research, and education markets.

A Distinguished Life Member and a Fellow, Garikes has served SMPS in the roles of National President (1991–92), National Board Secretary, Southeast Regional Director, and Foundation Trustee. Garikes is a founding member of SMPS Alabama and was president of that chapter. A contributing author to the three editions of The Marketing Handbook for the Design and Construction Professional, Garikes is an accomplished industry author and presenter and a contributor to the SMPS journal Marketer.

PORTLAND, ME–Jennifer Andrews, Marketing Manager and Associate at Woodard & Curran and SMPS Maine President Elect, earned the designation of Certified Professional Services Marketer in April. She is among a growing number of professionals to be certified by the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), which advocates for, educates, and connects leaders in the design and building industry.

Certified Professional Services Marketers (CPSMs) are recognized as having the experience and knowledge to generate profitable business in the architectural, engineering, and construction marketplace. To achieve this designation, certification candidates must meet educational and experience requirements, pass a rigorous written examination, and pledge to abide by the CPSM Code of Ethics. The process validates the individual’s mastery of and ability to apply critical business development knowledge in an industry that values certification.

Andrews joins fellow Maine Chapter members Anne Crowe Kroger of Walker Parking Consultants (Past President), Kathryn Hews of Marketivity, Inc. (President), Monica Morin of Allied Engineering (Past President), Susan Ransom of PDT Architects (Past President), and Lisa Stevens of Harriman Associates (Past President), as CPSMs.

SMPS Chief Executive Officer Ronald D. Worth, CAE, FSMPS, CPSM, observed, “Pursuing certification demonstrates a professional’s commitment to life-long learning and to building the firm’s business. Certification is truly an investment in one’s career, the profession, and the industry.”

On the positive side, SMPS Maine has achieved some wonderful successes over the past year.  As part of reinventing the chapter, we looked at ways to reengage our member firms through sponsorships and more active involvement.  One way that we gained sponsors through these challenging economic times was to have member firms host our education programs.  Over the past year five firms stepped forward to host an event.  This approach saved the chapter a significant amount of money and at the same time allowed the sponsoring firms to showcase their services and capabilities.  This was truly a win-win situation.

We were also able to secure gold, silver and in-kind sponsorships from several key firms including:  GEI, Woodard & Curran, SMRT and CD&M Communications.  The generosity of these four firms resulted in a healthy balance sheet as we close out this year.

One of the greatest successes of this chapter year was the reestablishment of the excellence in A/E/C marketing communications after a 3-year hiatus.  The 2010 SMPS Beacon Award winners will be recognized on June 10, 2010 at the SMPS Maine Chapter awards banquet. The success of this competition highlights the outstanding quality of marketing communications within the Maine Chapter.

I close out my year as Chapter president with gratitude for the confidence that was placed in me to “reinvent” the SMPS Maine Chapter to a solid financial base.  I will be passing the gavel to a dynamic board that will be able to implement programs to encourage membership growth and to formulate strong programs.  I encourage each of you to look at ways to become more actively involved in our chapter. Involvement at the local level connects you to a national and regional network of over 7,000 marketing and business development professionals within our industry.  I look forward to continuing to serve on your board and to connecting with each of you as we embark on the 2010-2011 SMPS Maine Chapter Year!

Katy Hews, SMPS Maine Chapter President

We are nearing the halfway point of the 2009-2010 SMPS Maine Chapter Year.  We began this year with the theme “Reinvention:  Changing Times Call for Changing Strategies.”  We have successfully implemented this theme through a focus on leadership, volunteerism and sponsorship.

We have been very fortunate over the past six months in securing a gold sponsor – GEI Consultants, and two silver sponsors – Woodard & Curran and SMRT.  These sponsorships have allowed the chapter to host two social events – a September kick-off and a December Holiday Party, and to conduct two client-focused programs, one centered on higher education in Maine and New Hampshire and the other focused on balancing land development with watershed management.

In addition to our generous Chapter sponsors, we have secured program sponsors for our education series.  These program sponsors have opened their offices and provided refreshments to our attendees for a social networking hour following the program.  Program sponsors have included Wright-Ryan and Woodard & Curran, with upcoming programs being sponsored by Harriman Associates, SMRT and CONTECH.  Our education program speakers have been high profile marketers and have brought their expertise and experience in the Domains of Practice as defined the SMPS National.

We are very excited about the remaining half of the 2009-2010 Chapter Year.  In addition to the remaining education and client-focused programs, we will be bringing back the June Awards banquet, where firms can showcase their work in several categories.  Although this event is still in the planning stages, the categories that we are considering include: Advertising; Corporate Identity; Holiday Piece; Internal Communications; External Communications; Promotional Campaign; Web Site; Newsletter, monograph, or book; Leadership within the chapter; and People’s choice.  These award categories are based on the categories developed by SMPS National so that a firm can submit to both the Maine Chapter and the National competition.  Details on this program will be posted on our website in the near future.

I would like to thank all of the SMPS Maine volunteers who have made the first half of the year a success; and I look forward to meeting all of you at our future SMPS events.

If your firm is interested in sponsoring an upcoming event, or sponsoring SMPS
Maine on an annual basis, please contact Jen Andrews at jandrews@woodardcurran.com.