Summer
Issue 9
2010
A refreshing look at marketing today.
San Antonio brings home
Striving for Excellence 1st place AWARD –
Medium Chapter
Feature:
By Maggie Seay, CPSM
I
t was said by many that it couldn’t be
done. Yeah, the San Antonio chapter
is good, but there is no way they’ve
done enough to win Striving for Excellence
(SFE) again in such a short time span. They
just took home SFE Grand Champion in
2008. But the SA Chapter Board thought
they had a chance…
We knew we were succeeding where other
chapters were falling apart during these
tough economic times. Our membership
was growing, our event
attendance was the highest
it’s ever been and our bank
account was solid. We were
expanding into new arenas,
like participating in Habitat
for Humanity and hosting
a mini regional conference
at the Plaza Club. We
brought in additional
graphic design talent to
join our Communications
Committee, which also helped
create the unique look of our SFE submittal.
We knew the chapter was strong — strong
enough to compete for the SFE Award. We
just had to prove it by submitting a creative,
fact-filled and convincing proposal.
The SFE Awards are open to all chapters
across the nation. To be considered, the
chapter has to submit “a creative synopsis
of the chapter’s activities, accomplishments
and achievements.” To hit all the criteria,
an outline of what is to be included in the
submission is issued, much like an RFQ.
members and boards past, and expanded
it to take our chapter to the next level.
The chapter had to demonstrate success in
the following areas:
Some key highlights that played a part in
our winning submission were:
•
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Programs and Educational Goals
Chapter Management – mostly
focuses on member growth
and retention
Communications – branding,
announcements, newsletter, etc.
Financial Health
Our theme was “Rock Solid.”
The thought behind this theme
was explained on the cover of the
submittal – “For the San Antonio
Chapter, “Rock Solid” does not
represent a destination, rather it
illustrates our chapter’s story of
the past and our hopes for the
future. Each year that we grow
and exceed our goals, we realize
that we can achieve even more
because our foundation is rock solid. Like
a rock formation, our basis is built on
multiple, interesting layers, fueled by the
energy and creativity of our members and
leadership who offer diverse experience and
ideas. We stand firmly on the foundation of
our past experiences while keeping an eye
to the future…”
•
We discovered many years ago
that the secret to bringing in new
members and keeping them is
to make sure there is value in
being a member. Membership
Director Melodye Tomsu and
her committee embarked
on creating a New Member
Packet to explain the benefits of
membership, organized happy
hours with other organizations in
San Antonio, hosted orientation
breakfasts and membership
drives, and most importantly,
contacted the members every
month to remind them of
upcoming events.
•
Community Relations Director
Jennifer Ornelas rallied her
committee and challenged them
to organize new events that
For the San Antonio Chapter, “Rock Solid” does
not represent a destination, rather it illustrates our
chapter’s story of the past and our hopes for the
future. Each year that we grow and exceed our
goals, we realize that we can achieve even more
because our foundation is rock solid. Like a rock
formation, our basis is built of multiple, interesting
layers, fueled by the energy and creativity of
our members and leadership who offer diverse
experience and ideas. We stand firmly on the
foundation of our past experiences while keeping
an eye to the future. The possibilities are endless,
and we continue to refine and build that we may
achieve excellence for our members, our industry
and our organization.
1
This theme ran through the submittal
highlighting how we’ve taken the solid
foundation, which has been laid by
continued on page
4
If you are interested in featuring an industryrelated article/essay/commentary in our
newsletter, please submit in Word format
or include in your email to smpsnews@
sanantoniosmps.org.
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Vendor Spotlight:
: freshly squeezed info
Triangle
Reproductions
A big SMPS thank you goes
to Triangle Reproductions for
the company’s tremendous
generosity in serving as an inkind sponsor for the year.
It’s hard to believe that over
50 years have passed since Triangle first opened its doors
as a blueprint shop serving architects, engineers and the
oil and gas industry with large-format printing of maps,
plans, etc. A lot has changed since 1958 (especially
technology), and Triangle has grown into a fullservice reprographics firm using state-of-the-art digital
equipment to deliver exceptional printing services.
Triangle’s services go beyond just pressing the print
button. In an age where artwork frequently arrives in the
form of a digital file, Triangle not only prints the job, but
also interprets the prints to ensure no information is lost
in the file transfer. With all jobs, Triangle provides the
highest quality, while offering good old-fashioned service
and free delivery. As an added bonus for its clients, most
jobs are completed by Triangle’s staff and delivered the
same day. Triangle can even deliver a turnkey product,
first designing the piece and then printing it.
A selection of Triangle’s services include:
• High-speed color laser copies
• Color digital scanning and printing in large or
small-format
• Company stationery
• Full-color posters and banners
• Fome-Cor® board mounting
• Laminating of a variety of media
Triangle’s real secret to success is its people, who always
deliver a “can-do” attitude of service. Many Triangle
staff members have over 30 years of service. Experience
counts, and the people at Triangle take personal
ownership in finding creative solutions to address their
clients’ needs every day.
For more information about Triangle and the
company’s services, or to arrange a visit from a Triangle
representative, please contact Jeff Spear at 210-8241426 or [email protected].
Book Review
Welcome New Members
By Lauren Guido,
Guido Brothers Construction Co.
April
The first SMPS Book Club recently
completed Outliers: The Story of Success
by Malcolm Gladwell. While the book
provided an excellent platform for discussion on topics ranging
from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to Bill Gates, the final review of
the book was mixed.
Outliers centers around the often-asked question, “What do
‘they’ have that I don’t have?” More specifically, Gladwell
challenges the belief of the self-made man and suggests that
superstars do not arise out of thin air but are actually benefited
by hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities. Clearly,
the topic of why some people are successful and why others do
not reach their potential founded a healthy discussion among
the SMPS members. Everyone contributed to the conversation,
bringing a wealth of experiences and opinions to the table,
and the 90-minute discussions flew by. As SMPS members, it is
important to challenge ourselves and our ideas as to what makes
us and our company successful. Outliers does a good job of
provoking thought in those directions.
The next SMPS Book Club series will focus on the book Made to
Stick – Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath
and Don Heath. Linda Koch, CPSM, FSMPS will facilitate the
discussion. We hope you will join us!
Bunmi Adeeko – Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
Brooke Bastin – Workspace Solutions, Inc.
Elizabeth M. Garrett – PBK
Leona Laijas – M&S Engineering, LLC
Felicia T. Love – CNG Engineering
Stephanie Silva – Jaster-Quintanilla San Antonio
May
Dexter Bacon – Arias & Associates, Inc.
Kris D. Maples – RS&H
Ashley N. Nelson – Alterman
June
Deborah A. Ferris – Skanska
Danny M. Patton – BRANDT
Jeff R. Young – Combs Consulting Group
July
Richard Evers, III – Koontz McCombs Construction
August
Diana Chipatecua – Alpha Building Corporation
Christopher McMillan – Student, St. Mary’s University
Members on the Move
Chris Szymczak, new CoMET Operations Manager at
Arias & Associates, Inc.
Felicia Love, new Marketing Coordinator at CNG
Engineering
Jodi Williams, new Marketing Coordinator at Bain
Got Announcements?
Medina Bain
SMPS is pleased to place your latest
news, announcements, updates and newsworthy
information in our newsletter. Please send your items to
[email protected].
Road Science, LLC
Aleisha Knochenhauer, new Account Manager at
Jennifer Burkholder, promoted to Director Of
Marketing at O’Neill Conrad Oppelt Architects, Inc.
Member Spotlight:
Steve Lyons
Accounting manager for Aerotek, Steve Lyons was born and
raised in Agora Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles. Steve moved to
Texas after high school to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
An avid sports lover, Steve can be found frequently in the stands
of a Longhorn football game or floating the Frio River with his
wife, Summer and his 2-year-old son, Chase. Steve and his wife
are expecting their second child in October.
As accounting manager for Aerotek, Steve provides specialized
staffing services to the firms in the AEC industry. With more than
3,000 employees nationwide and 40 in the San Antonio office,
Aerotek fuels Steve’s entrepreneurial spirit, allowing him to treat
his job like his own business. As a three-year member of SMPS,
Steve has had the opportunity to develop relationships with
individuals in the AEC community and continue to learn about the
ever-changing industry.
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Project Spotlight:
Medical Education
Training Centers (METC)
Buildings 3 and 4
: 100% pure marketing
PORT SAN
ANTONIO HEADQUARTERS
Project Spotlight:
Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas
This civil engineering project by
JASTER-QUINTANILLA includes two
new medical training facilities on the
Medical Education Training Campus
(METC) at Fort Sam Houston. The
420,000-square-foot project will
be jointly supervised by the U.S. Air
Force Center for Engineering and
Environment and the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers. Medical Buildings 3 and
4 are part of a planned nine-building
military medical training campus.
The buildings will be designed
to achieve Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED)
Silver certification. The buildings
will accommodate classrooms,
laboratories, a 300-seat auditorium,
continued from page
a broadcastquality television
production studio
and simulated
hospital facilities.
The facilities will
accommodate
specialized training
courses for medical
support technicians
from all branches
of the U.S. military.
Civil engineering aspects will include utilities, fire protection, secure access, water, gas,
sanitary sewer, walks, storm drainage, onsite and offsite storm water collection system
and site improvements. Accessibility also will be included for the site. Antiterrorism/Force
Protection measures also will be included in the facility design. The estimated construction
cost is $117 million and is scheduled for completion in October 2010.
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San Antonio brings home
supported our San Antonio community, as well as give to the Janey Briscoe Foundation at University Health System. We held
our first Habitat for Humanity event with more than 30 participants. A bowling for charity event also was created, which raised
over $1,500 for the Foundation.
•
Education Director, Kirk Kistner, took the model for the very successful SMPS Southern Regional Conference and condensed it
down to a one-day mini regional event, which also included a “Meet the Press Panel” over lunch. He also implemented a book
club and secured multiple speakers throughout the year to address topics such as strategic planning and presentations.
•
Our lunch programs were extremely strong this year. President-elect La Shawn Stewart utilized her committee members to
bring in high-level speakers such as Keith Parker with VIA, Dr. John Folks and Vernon Dunagin with Northside ISD, Kelley
Neumann with SAWS and Elaina Ball with CPS Energy. The majority of our lunch programs exceeded the 100 attendee mark,
proving that our members and guests were finding great value in the networking and owner face time they were getting at our
programs.
Winning the SFE Award is not just about the board members’ initiatives but more about how the chapter as a whole comes together to
take ownership of these initiatives and be successful. None of the programs mentioned above would matter if the members didn’t buy
into what SMPS is and how the organization can help make people better both professionally and personally. SMPS is a place to grow
your network, learn new job skills, increase your wealth of knowledge and become a leader. I am proud to have served as president
during such an outstanding year, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing what this chapter will accomplish in the years ahead.
Thanks to all who have contributed time and support to make this chapter as great as it is!
Photographer: Custom Aerial Images
Project Spotlight:
William J.
Brennan High
School
In January of this year, the Port San Antonio (PSA) Headquarters, a new
29,400 square foot office building, was awarded Gold Certification for
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green
Building Council. The headquarters is the first building in San Antonio
to receive LEED Gold Certification for commercial interiors and the
fourth building in the city to be Gold Certified. The major components of
establishing LEED certification are due in part to the designs developed by
the architect, BEATY PALMER, and the MEP engineer, CNG ENGINEERING.
Several measures were taken in the construction of the headquarter offices
to promote energy efficiency and to reduce overall energy consumption,
including the installation of a sophisticated HVAC system, utilization of
natural light and the installation of energy efficient lighting, use of energy
star appliances and the purchase of Green power. With the LEED Gold
Certification, the PSA headquarters has set a positive standard for future
development and promotes Port San Antonio’s vision of establishing itself
as a high-performance industrial complex that is a quality place to live,
work and learn.
William J. Brennan High School is the third new
high school constructed by BARTLETT COCKE
GENERAL CONTRACTORS for Northside
Independent School District. Located on a 78acre site, Brennan was built to accommodate the
rapid growth of Northwest San Antonio.
The multi-story, 454,000-square foot high school
accommodates 3,200 students and contains 600
total rooms, including classrooms, laboratories,
cafeteria, library, common areas, band hall,
orchestra hall, choir hall, art rooms, black box
theater, a 1,200-seat auditorium, ROTC facilities,
offices, full-size gymnasiums, mini gym, locker
rooms, weight rooms, trade shops, central plant
and mechanical and electrical facilities.
Photographer: Leigh Christian
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: real marketing flavor
Spotlight:
Bowling for Charity
...and the Best Places to Work Winners are...
By Jennifer M. Ornelas
After deciding on what events to coordinate for the year, the
Community Relations committee, chaired by Jennifer Ornelas, decided
on several new “firsts” for the San Antonio chapter. The most fun…
definitely the bowling event. Held at University Bowl, the response
to this bowling for charity event was overwhelming. We secured 10
sponsors, 20 teams, 100 players and donated prize giveaways. With
the generosity of our sponsors and teams, we raised almost $2,000
for the Janey Briscoe Foundation. We had prizes for the top three
teams with the highest score, best team theme and best individual
score. The results were as follows:
Several SMPS San Antonio Chapter member firms were recognized in the San Antonio Business Journal’s Best Places to Work 2010
competition.
Congratulations to:
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Bain Medina Bain (BMB), a professional consulting engineering and surveying firm, offers its employees many special benefits, including
pre-paid legal and identity theft protection, holiday celebrations for Mardi Gras, Fiesta, Halloween and Christmas, a Crisis Day Pool
for employees who need extra time to handle unexpected issues, BMB University (an in-house lunch and learn program), weight-loss
competitions and company sports teams.
1st place – Bain Medina Bain
2nd place – Joeris General Contractors
3rd place – Liberty Mutual
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors possesses an extensive and distinguished history in the Texas construction industry. Established in
1959, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors is a leader in the commercial building industry. As an employee-owned firm, the company
has developed a unique reputation based on building lasting value for our clients. The employees of Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
are the basis for the firm’s success and growth. Many of the company’s employees have been with the firm for more than 20 years. The
company offers employees an array of traditional benefits, but the unexpected extras keep morale high and employees smiling. Some of
the extra incentives include annual family picnic with a generous prize raffle, gas and grocery gift cards for a job well done, health club
reimbursement and an annual safety incentive bonus.
Best Team Theme: Skanska, “Incredibowls”
Thanks goes out to the Community Relations committee (Sandy Lenz
— Bain Medina Bain; Peter Licalzi — Joeris General Contractors;
Amanda Miller — Project Control; Matt Moczygemba — Kudela &
Weinheimer; Pat Ralph — Alpha Building Corporation) for all their
hard work in making the final community event for the 2009-2010
year a huge success.
Employees of Coyle Engineering, Inc., a small, woman-owned firm providing civil engineering, design, planning and consulting services
for commercial, industrial, residential, municipal and institutional projects, enjoy monthly Celebration Challenges instead of the usual
cake in the conference room. Every month a group of employees plans a themed event to celebrate the birthdays and anniversaries
for the month. Coyle Engineering has season tickets to the San Antonio Spurs and often does a drawing for employees to have an
opportunity to attend. The company also has a large break room with a pool table for employees to use. Coyle Engineering realizes
the importance of being involved in the professional community and insists that employees are involved in at least two professional
organizations with memberships paid for by the company. Additionally, Coyle Engineering sponsors events and programs supported by
staff such as baseball teams and walks and races for special causes.
“The event finally came together thanks to Jennifer and Peter’s
persistence in finding just the right venue, and it turned out to be a
great night. I know that several of the teams are ready for a re-match.
Raising money for the Children’s Center and having fun doing it...What
could be better?
” ~ Pat Ralph
Congratulations:
Bain Medina Bain (#2, medium companies category)
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors (#1, large companies category)
Cleary Zimmermann Engineers (#11, small companies category)
Coyle Engineering, Inc. (#8, small companies category)
2010 Chapter Award Recipients
Board Member of the Year:
Melodye Tomsu
Cleary Zimmermann Engineers
New Member of the Year:
Zac Harris
Joeris General Contractors, Ltd.
Committee Member of the Year:
Abby Deras, CPSM
Cude Engineers
Leonardo Award:
Joe Irizarry
Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc.
Cleary Zimmermann Engineers, a consulting engineering firm offering professional services tailored for mechanical, electrical and
plumbing (MEP) building systems, offers many perks to its staff members. Highlights include generous year-end bonuses, quarterly
barbecues with principals doing the cooking, St. Patrick’s Day contests to see who can wear the most green, monthly birthday
celebrations, special ice cream celebrations for graduations and other special events, gift cards for staff members when the firm achieves
a goal or milestone, a Christmas dinner and a summer picnic.
Let’s extend a big thank you to the
2009-2010 SMPS board members,
and welcome our, 2010-2011 board
members:
2010-2011
SMPS Board
President  La Shawn Stewart
Foster CM Group, Inc.
President-Elect  Melodye Tomsu
Cleary Zimmermann Engineers
Past President  Maggie Seay, CPSM
Cude Engineers
Treasurer  Vicki Thayer
SpawGlass
Pencil it In
Events & Conferences
SEP 22Lunch Break: Join us every 4th Wednesday for our monthly program! This month is
a panel with Judson ISD and San Antonio ISD.
OCT 14
2nd Thursday Mixer: Informal gathering for industry professionals to network, meet
with friends, or just relax after a long day. This is a free event. No RSVP required.
4:30 pm - 7pm, Location to be announced.
FEB 9-11
Save the Date!: Annual SMPS Southern Regional Conference
Hyatt Regency Downtown Hotel, Houston, TX, www.smps-src.org.
Details to come.
2010-2011 SMPS Sponsors
SMPS graciously thanks the following for their annual sponsorship of our chapter:
Annual Presenting Sponsor
Secretary  Adrian Lindsey
Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc.
Communications  Abby Deras, CPSM
Cude Engineers
Education  Kirk Kistner
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
Platinum Sponsors
Membership  Matthew Frey
CF Jordan Construction
Sponsorship  Chris Carruth
Joeris General Contractors
Community Relations  Rebecca Mansfield
Jamail & Smith Construction
In-kind Sponsors
For more information about our
Board of Directors, please visit our
website at www.sanantoniosmps.org
and click on “About Us.”
: beverage servers
Communications Committee
[email protected]