The Emotional Side of Marketing, with Brent Darnell
As an international, best-selling author and the authority on emotional intelligence, Brent Darnell works with technical seller-doers in the AEC industry to help them master critical people skills and become service-focused leaders. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in the workplace today, but it is not what it seems at face value. Emotional intelligence is […]
What Owners Have to Say, with Judy Sparks and Katie Cash
When you are marketing and selling professional services to Owners, it’s important to know what they are looking for and how your AEC marketing strategy should reflect that. Smartegies recently conducted a survey in order to better understand procurement processes, buying preferences and online habits of some of Georgia’s most coveted public sector and institutional […]
How to Win work with Georgia Tech, with Scott Jones
As the Assistant Vice President of Facilities, Design, and Construction at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Scott Jones runs a progressive operation that oversees all of Georgia Tech’s design and construction projects. The institution consistently releases around $450M-$500M in AEC projects per year, and competition to be awarded those contracts is fierce. You need a […]
The Missing Link in Your AEC Marketing Strategy, with Brenda Christman

In this day and age, you have the ability to build and scale your business without a sales force, and AEC firms are finally adopting an innovative approach to digital and inbound marketing after seeing it work in so many other industries. Developing an effective marketing plan starts with putting the right people in place […]
Winning AEC Projects From the State, with Marvin Woodward
The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC), was created by a constitutional amendment in 1972 and is responsible for the proper application of proceeds from general obligation debt and the issuance of all public debt by the State. No agency or authority can incur debt or employ other financial or investment advisory counsel without […]
Sales, and Business Development – What’s the Difference? with Judy Sparks and Katie Cash
There is a common misconception in the AEC industry that sales, marketing, and business development all serve the same purpose, but ‘sales and marketing’ are not synonymous and they represent completely independent efforts in your growth strategy. In this episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, Judy Sparks and Katie Cash have broken down each term […]
Picking Up the Slack: Marketing as a Company-Wide Effort, with Scott Steiding
In the engineering industry, mastering the art of communication as an individual can help move the needle for an entire organization. At Morrison Hershfield, Scott Steiding did just that. He became well versed in the language of his technical staff and leadership, which led to successive prosperity, heightened brand awareness, and strong, inter-departmental collaboration within […]
How AEC Firms are Solving Today’s Difficult Lead Gen, Recruiting, and Marketing Challenges, with Judy Sparks and Katie Cash
Oftentimes, when we talk about digital marketing with our clients and prospects—that is, principals of AEC firms and their teams—we see an immediate glaze go over the faces of the people in the room. Why? Because there is a widely held assumption within the AEC industry that digital cannot solve real business challenges like lead […]
Overcoming the Skills Gap in AEC Marketing, with Judy Sparks and Katie Cash
About Judy Sparks Judy is the founder, CEO, and President of Smartegies LLC. Founded in 2008, Smartegies is a specialty marketing agency that has helped more than 150 companies across North America build stronger brands, implement effective communications, and develop winning strategies and proposals. Judy has worked in B2B marketing and sales roles exclusively since […]
Understanding the Importance of Company Culture, with Tracey Sibley
About Tracey Sibley As Brasfield & Gorrie’s Vice President of Marketing, Tracey Sibley leads one of the nation’s largest and most respected construction industry brands. Brasfield & Gorrie provides general contracting, design-build, and construction management services for a variety of markets including healthcare, commercial, institutional, federal, municipal, industrial, infrastructure, and water treatment. With more than […]