This article originally appeared on SMPS Boston’s website.
by Paul Garabedian
SMPS Boston’s Member Spotlight Blog serves as a platform to welcome new members to SMPS Boston and highlight its established members within the A/E/C community. September’s Member Spotlights include Kate Murphy and Jamie Medeiros.
Murphy, director of marketing for Goody Clancy, has been involved in SMPS for one year.
Why did you decide to join SMPS?
I joined SMPS to answer the basic but important question: What are my firm’s marketing needs? My background is not in marketing or communications; I came to this work after earning a Masters degree in Architecture. In my first few roles, therefore, I was more comfortable allowing a firm to define its needs for me, and then doing my best to meet them. I now realize that firms often don’t know what they need, and Marketing has important, strategic role to play in set goals and priorities. I still have a lot to learn, but in the short time [that] I have been a member of SMPS my confidence in proactively answering this basic question about needs has increased tremendously. SMPS has been a rich, relevant resource for information about best-practices.
What is your favorite part about being a marketer in the A/E/C industry?
I have always loved writing, thinking, and talking about architecture and design. During my M.Arch program, I often felt more at home ranting about Hiedegger than modeling with Revit. Working in marketing has therefore given me a pathway to continue thinking and writing about design without having to devote any time to fenestration details! What I did not expect I would love so much, however—and what I am most curious about these days—is thinking about design as a business. How does an organization promote design excellence? How can promoting employee growth and learning help strengthen the growth of a firm? And what can Marketing’s role be in helping a firm succeed—by all measures, on all levels? These are incredibly interesting questions to be grappling with on a day-to-day basis.
What is something about your job, other than money, that has inspired you to keep working there?
Research demonstrates that mission-driven employees stay longer and perform better at work, and this is absolutely true in my case. I love coming to work every day at a firm that espouses a strong ethic of environmental sustainability and social justice in line with my own personal ethos. It is remarkably fulfilling to feel that my work at Goody Clancy has a broader positive impact.
Medeiros, administrative and marketing assistant for HLB Lighting Design, has been involved in SMPS for one year.
Why did you decide to join SMPS?
New to marketing and the A/E/C industry, SMPS offers many opportunities for learning and is a great resource to help develop my career path. SMPS is also a great way to meet and connect with new people in the industry.
How has your SMPS membership benefitted your career?
SMPS has so many networking events, educational workshops and even scholarships to attend conferences. These resources give me the skill[s] and knowledge that I apply to my job every day.
What is your favorite screen-time break activity at work?
Our office is located right on the water in the North End, it’s the perfect location for a quick walk around the building to enjoy the fresh air and ocean view.
Paul Garabedian works for ELLANA Construction Consultants as a business development associate.