President's Letter: Build Business in the Big Apple
Randle Pollock, FSMPS, SMPS National President and Principal, Walter P. Moore
Your national SMPS organization has been very busy this month. The National Board—both the current one and the incoming one—met together for the first time in Block Island, RI, to strategize our collective future in sessions facilitated by the venerable Weld Coxe, FSMPS, an SMPS founder.

Our June meetings have historically been devoted to strategic planning; this one was no exception. Some bold and exciting new strategies have been identified. President-Elect Karen Courtney, AIA, FSMPS, will outline them with you soon.

Earlier this month I represented you at a soggy AIA convention in Chicago, where a record 21,000 attendees worked hard to stay dry, if not high. CEO Ron Worth has been all over, too, as have other board members. And the staff remains laser-focused on "hugging our customers" and are doing a spectacular job.

At this time I want to personally invite each of you and your colleagues to join other industry leaders for Build Business—the leading business development, marketing, and management conference for the design and building industry—to be held in New York City August 11-14, 2004, co-hosted by SMPS and PSMA.

This is an event not to be missed! Here's why: Never before have so many eminent clients come together in a single location to describe their upcoming projects and selection procedures, give presentations, participate in panel discussions, and be available for networking and initiating or renewing relationships.

Among those clients scheduled to participate in Build Business are:

• Wilfred Chabrier, General Manager of Business and Job Opportunity, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
• Mike Crickenberger, Vice President, Global Business Development, Dupont Safety Resources
• Edward A. Feiner, FAIA, Chief Architect, US General Services Administration, Design Excellence Program, Washington, DC
• Tom Gormley, Vice President of Design & Construction, HCA Healthcare
• Kevin P. Fitzpatrick, President, AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp. (invited)
• Keith Hines, Manager of Corporate Purchasing, Altria Corporate Services Inc.
• Bill Hoy, Senior Vice President of Design & Project Management, Marriott International
• Michael Kolk, R.A., Director, City University of New York Programs, Dormitory Authority State of New York
• Emory N. Jackson, Director of the Office of Opportunity Programs, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York
• Patricia Lancaster, FAIA, Commissioner, City of New York Buildings
• James W. Montanari, Senior Managing Director, Staubach Advisory Services
• Donald E. Moore, Managing Director of Design and Construction, New Jersey School Construction Corp.
• Judith Nitsch, P.E., President, Judith Nitsch Engineering Inc., and Chair, Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Physical Facilities Committee
• William Parrish, Managing Director of Design and Construction, Newark Public Schools
• Larry S. Kirk, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Finance & Administration, Capital Projects & Real Property Management, State of Tennessee
• Marc Boddewyn, Vice President of Design & Construction, Hudson River Park Trust
• Elizabeth "Libby" Williams, Diversity Consultant, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation/APS
• David Thurm, Vice President of Real Estate Development, The New York Times
• Marcelo Velez, P.E., Assistant Vice President of Design and Construction, Columbia University.

Also playing key roles in the conference will be:

• Richard T. Anderson, President, New York Building Congress
• Norbert Young, FAIA, President, McGraw-Hill Construction
• Invited Journalists from Architectural Record, Building Design & Construction, Business Week, CNBC/MSNBC, Construction.com, Engineering News-Record, Newsweek, The New York Times, Time, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.

Attendees can register for a single day or the full conference. If you wish to obtain more information about the conference or to register for these events, please go to www.buildbusiness.org or contact the SMPS National Office at 1.800.292.7677.

In closing, I want to acknowledge the unexpected passing of a great marketer. Ramesh M. Khona, P.E., a vice president and stockholder of Gannett Fleming based in Harrisburg, PA, and a longtime SMPS member, passed away suddenly on June 7 after a brief illness. While I used to see him frequently at ACEC conferences and other top industry events, he often attended our SMPS national conferences as well. He was always a delight—always interested as well as interesting—passionate about so many things. I learned something from him whenever we talked. I know he thought a lot of SMPS. And we did of him. He will be missed.

About the President
Randle Pollock, FSMPS, is principal in charge of marketing for Walter P. Moore, engineers and consultants (www.walterpmoore.com). Based in Houston, Randy can be reached at 713.630.7488 or rpollock@walterpmoore.com. [ return to top ]