Tell us about your firm:
Marksmen General Contractors is a culture based, core values centered company that builds with a focus on excellence. We calm the chaos of construction projects while providing clients more clarity and greater insight. In every interaction, we strive to multiply trust, dissolve stress, and collaborate as purposeful partners. We do this through our core process of planning with precision, communicating with clarity, and executing with excellence.

How did you get your start in the A/E/C industry?
I sold wine for about a year right out of school before landing a job with an MEP Engineering firm in Dallas, there was an Aggie connection. After about 5 years there, we moved down to San Antonio where I started working for Marksmen GC. I love the industry, especially smaller firms, because you really get to champion, build, and manage a brand. 

What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a board member?
For anyone afraid of the time commitment or unsure if they are “ready,” trust that you are ready and know that the time you commit to the organization will bring positive return. Serving on the board is one of the best ways to grow in career.

How is the board positioning the organization to stay relevant in a changing A/E/C landscape? 
Maria and the board she assembled have done a phenomenal job of ringing in our 25th year as a chapter. Last year she led the charge to engage with our membership and lead the board through a strategic planning process. We’ve put together a plan that positions SMPS San Antonio as a leader in the A/E/C community today and for years to come.

Tell us about your firm:
SpawGlass is a 100 percent employee-owned, Texas-based construction services provider. Our mission is to provide the absolute best construction experience by operating based on the principles of the SpawGlass Way: Build Trust, Be Professional, Live Teamwork, Be Passionate and Think Like an Owner. With a team of qualified professionals, SpawGlass is structured to provide services throughout every phase of construction. From initial advising and consulting to post-occupancy through facility maintenance and renovations, we customize our services to fit the specific needs of each client.

How did you get your start in the A/E/C industry?
I entered the A/E/C world almost by accident, taking what I thought would be just a simple job, on summer break, almost 30 years ago. Instead, that experience opened a passion and a future I didn’t even know I existed. Seeing projects take shape from the ground up and watching teams turn drawings into something real was the spark that set me on my path. That summer wasn’t just a job, it was the moment I realized how much I loved the challenge and creativity of construction and it ultimately set the course for my entire career.

What is one strategic priority the board is focused on this year, and why does it matter?
Actively increasing awareness about the A/E/C industry is an SMPS San Antonio Board priority because it directly impacts a member’s experience, development, organizational cohesion, and the Society’s ability to prepare A/E/C professionals for the next step in their careers.

How do you see the role of marketing and business development evolving in our industry?
SMPS San Antonio’s vision is “Business transformed through marketing leadership”. That means, marketing and business development are crucial to a company’s success. That also means, these roles must be consistently growing in order to facilitate that transformation. AI is streamlining and automating the industry. Marketing teams can be more efficient and business development can be readily prepared with data to interface with clients. All of that can’t replace the personalized outreach and relationship building that only a human-to-human interaction can achieve. Real success comes from pairing AI-driven capability with genuine people skills. SMPS San Antonio is expanding the ways our members and industry peers connect, build relationships, elevate expertise and advance the A/E/C profession.

Tell us about your firm:
Metric Engineering was founded in 1976 on the principle of providing personalized consulting engineering services. Today, we are among the top consulting engineering firms specializing in civil and transportation projects. Having had clients throughout Texas for over a decade now, I am so thrilled to serve as boots on the ground and welcome Metric’s expertise and reputation throughout the region.

How did you get your start in the A/E/C industry?
I hold a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Texas Tech University and a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at San Antonio. My career in the A/E/C industry began in 2012 when I accepted an internship with Pape Dawson, which set the foundation for my professional path.

What motivated you to serve in this volunteer role, and what impact do you hope to make during your term on the board? 
Having the opportunity to impact the A/E/C industry, grow with my peers, and showcase our local talent are a few of the reasons I decided to step into the role of President. One of the greatest returns so far has been relationships as well as getting to learn from the rest of Board, who are all key to the success of the year.

Where do you see the biggest growth opportunities in our region or industry over the next 3-5 years? 
I would say the opportunity to guide our partners and help them tap into different funding mechanisms. As we know, our communities in this region and throughout Texas only continue to grow. Embracing 
public-private partnerships will be key to delivering and supporting critical infrastructure in communities.

SMPS Members are heading to the Southern Regional Conference in San Antonio from Jan. 28 – Jan. 30. This year’s SRC will feature more than 20 educational sessions packed with valuable insights, covering everything from career development and business strategy to marketing, leadership, and professional growth. SMPS San Antonio will be well represented with some of our own speakers sharing their expertise in these areas. We hope to see you there!

Pre-Conference Sessions:

Beyond Proposals: A Framework for Strategic Pursuits and Confident Conversations
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 | 12:00PM - 3:00PM
Maggie Seay, CPSM, CEO & Co-founder (Emerald Fox Marketing)
Winning work in today’s AEC industry requires more than a strong proposal—it takes trust, alignment, and strategic positioning. This interactive three-hour workshop equips business developers, marketers, and technical professionals with tools and exercises to build client trust, clarify pursuit strategies, and collaborate effectively before the RFP is even issued.

Less Hustle, More Flow: InDesign for Proposal Production
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 | 12:00PM - 4:00PM
Audra Allen, President & Co-Founder (Emerald Fox Marketing)
Back by popular demand, this expanded four-hour training gives AEC marketers a hands-on, in-depth look at mastering InDesign for proposal and RFQ production. From foundational skills to advanced techniques and time-saving workflows, participants will learn to streamline document creation, build effective templates, and create consistency across even the most complex projects.

Regular Sessions:

Grow or Go: Intentional Career Building for AEC Marketers
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30 | 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM | Mulberry
Joyce Watson, CPSM Principal of Marketing (Cleary Zimmermann)
Audra Allen, President & Co-Founder (Emerald Fox Marketing)
Join us on Friday for a session led by two of SMPS San Antonio’s most well-known subject matter experts. Joyce Watson (Cleary Zimmermann) and Audra Allen (Emerald Fox Marketing) will deliver a lively, insight-packed conversation about owning your career path and making bold, intentional moves.

Learn more about the conference, here!

By: Lauren Hillmann, Lake Flato Architects

Being an A/E/C marketer can be scary! Monsters seem to jump out at us from every corner. And they always have solicitations with 12-point font minimums and 13 hard copies due at the exact time you promised to take your kid trick-or-treating.

As Halloween approaches from the shadows, let’s shrink some of these marketing boogeymen down to “fun size” – small enough to manage, friendly enough to face without fear.

The Ghost of Proposals Past

Remember the last six proposals you worked on for this client? Your technical team certainly does. Pull them all – even the one from 2016! They will haunt you with mistakes long past and names of team members you never met.

Banish It!

·         Exorcise your archives. Keep past proposals organized and accessible so you can summon what you need without unleashing chaos. Build a searchable proposal or opportunity library in SharePoint, Unanet, or OpenAsset – or create your own system.

·         Set boundaries. Don’t let the netherworld invade the present. If you switched to InDesign in 2021 or rebranded in 2022 (choose any point of “no return”) and stop calling on outdated ghosts that keep you stuck in the past.

·         Stop the séance. Instead of having everyone conjure old go-bys, ask your technical lead or SMEs what they truly need. Guide them toward the light of newer, livelier proposals that are a better fit.

Our past work shouldn’t haunt us. We can look back at where we’ve been without letting those specters scare us. Let those tired apparitions fade, and move forward.

The Zombie Template

A template created in 2017 has risen once more. It’s slow, buggy, and incompatible with your current software, but it just won’t die. You keep it limping along out of necessity, but it clumsily crashes InDesign and maybe eats some of your work.

Stop It from Rising Again!

• Rebuild from the ground up. Invest in a clean, fully equipped template that works with current tools and tricks.
• Contain the threat. If you must use a zombie file, fix it once, then quarantine it; label it “DO NOT USE” or move it to a damaged-file archive. For InDesign, make it an IDML to help debug and resave as an INDD; for Word, paste content as plain text to clear formatting issues.
• Back it up. Zombies close in when your only working copy corrupts the night before submittal. Save often – and always to a backup location as well as your source.

We can’t keep a good template down. But honestly, eventually, we’re going to have to put it to rest. It can’t drag along forever. Let’s use our brains and prepare a fresh template with new life built into it.

The Frankenstein Boilerplate

A dash of firm overview, drag-and-drop QA/QC and scheduling sections, and some lengthy project management narrative – and voila! You have bunch of non-linear boilerplate stitched together with the power to drive clients (and reviewers) to madness.

Give It Real Life!

• Develop seamless content. Create concise, approved boilerplate that is written to function as a seamless part of the whole body response in a proposal.
• Build in unique expertise. Encourage project managers and technical leads to contribute original and specific insights for every section.
• Give it a heart. Make a human connection, not an unfeeling monster. Tell the story of why you care about this project and why you believe your team is a good fit. Let this flow through your voice, tone, and message across all sections.

Great content doesn’t need lightning to come alive; we can create something authentic through collaboration, clarity, and care.

The Curse of the Problematic Printer

Your in-house printer costs as much as a luxury car but still leaves roller marks on your beautiful pages. Or maybe your trusted print shop had an off day, and your perfect Pantone turned pumpkin.

Break the Hex!

• Test it out early. In house, print one section (or one complete copy) as a proof before running the full set. Using a printing service? Confirm all specs, including paper weight, binding, and color calibration.
• Line up alternatives. Have a secondary print location or vendor ready for emergencies.
• Leave room for the unexpected. If at all possible, plan and schedule to print well in advance of deadline to ensure you have enough time to pivot on the printing process if problems arise.

Printing doesn’t have to be terrifying; if we plan to give ourselves the options and time to succeed, we won’t be cursing ourselves for not preparing a backup plan.

The Portal of Neverending Doom

You have logged in to the client’s bid portal, downloaded the solicitation documents, and confirmed intent to bid. But who knows what lurks beyond the “Bid” button? A maze of additional requirements? More forms? Separate upload sections? Maybe even text entry responses?? Did you click something and time-travel back to a blank bid page?!

Escape the Trap!

• Survey the pitfalls. Log in as part of parsing RFP requirements, and tour the procurement portal page/tabs. Peak behind the bid button and map out upload sections and requirements. Capture all intel you gather to guide you when submitting – file size limits, naming conventions, text-entry fields, etc.
• Get one step ahead. Submit early (try for at least four hours in advance of the deadline), if at all possible, to avoid panic-inducing glitches or server delays. If the portal has text-entry fields, have your response in a saved Word document ready to copy and paste.
• Leave breadcrumbs. Keep notes on the idiosyncrasies of each client’s portal, mapping the maze to save your sanity next time – and so the next marketer doesn’t fall victim to a bid portal hazard.

Procurement portals can be ominous, but preparation helps turn unforeseen conditions into a strategic condition assessment.

The Vampire Pursuit

This proposal was powerful, alluring, and horrific – and it completely drained you. The whole pursuit effort took everything you had. You waltzed with it, wrestled with it, lost yourself in it – and eventually emerged on the other side of this effort with lessons (and scars) you will have forever!

Protect Your Energy!

• Ward against the uninvited. Plan a primary course of action and a few backups. Define action items and responsible parties. Identify all necessary resources and available support early to prevent late-night bloodletting. Communicate and provide status updates/reminders often.
• Break the thrall. Build in breaks – a short walk, lunch away from your laptop, a moment to reset – to stay sharp throughout the proposal process. When the fog clears (and you have a confirmation of receipt), take time to recharge and recover.
• Check your reflection. Capture what you see when you look back. Hold internal debriefs soon after submission to discuss areas of improvement for next time.

Demanding pursuits test your limits, but they shouldn’t consume you. Define your boundaries, respect them, and emerge from each challenge sharper and more resilient.

The proposal process is a bit like a haunted house, full of jump scares, eerie silence, and the unexplainable. But every fright is also an opportunity to shed light on the darkest corners, strengthen bonds with the team, and solve the mysteries that vex us.

A/E/C Marketers are unstoppable forces! There’s no monster in this industry that we can’t tame! With teamwork, humor, and a few fun-size fixes, even the scariest proposal challenges can become sweet victories. Happy hunting!

By: Mary Hazlett, Tetra Tech

Dear Members,

As this board year comes to a close, I find myself feeling a mix of pride, humility, and unfinished ambition. We set out with big goals, and in many ways, we achieved them. Our financials are more transparent than before. Our leadership is strong, and our future is bright. The Director-Elect role, though still evolving, has helped usher in a new generation of volunteer leaders. And while membership numbers held steady, our engagement showed that the value of this chapter runs deeper than numbers alone.

To lead this organization has been a privilege and an honor. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the members of this chapter. As I step into the role of past president, I’m filled with optimism. Ahead of us are changes that will make us stronger: aligning our board and fiscal year with the calendar year, continuing to evolve our technology, and refining the way we serve our members.

But more than anything, I look forward to seeing Maria lead us forward. Her intelligence, determination, and vision will guide us into a milestone year. Under her leadership we will begin a new board and fiscal year, celebrate our 25th anniversary, and host the Southern Regional Conference.

Maria will have a strong board by her side. But the measure of our success will be the engagement of every member, your ideas, your energy, your voice.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve, to lead, and to be inspired by each of you. The work continues, and the best is yet to come.

Sincerely,

Garrett McCullough

President 

Society of Marketing Professional Services, San Antonio Chapter

by Garrett McCullough, Marksmen General Contractors

You’re the technical lead on a proposal with a quick turnaround. You use ChatGPT to write emails and summarize meetings, so you ask the system to draft your cover letter, thinking you can focus on more pressing items like the project approach. You copy the AI’s output and send it to your marketing specialist. They’ll just drop it into the proposal, right? Not quite. What if the AI-generated response missed RFP requirements for information to be included in the cover letter? Or it references services you don’t even offer? Or it just sounds very generic?

You need a marketer – one who knows how to harness the awesome brain power of AI and plug it directly into the heart of A/E/C proposals!

Professional services marketers have always served as a bridge between technical expertise and persuasive storytelling. Since generative AI has been integrated into almost everyone’s toolbox, we now also bridge the gap between our subject matter experts (SMEs) and this mercurial technology.

If you have never used ChatGPT or a similar AI model – or even if you use it on a daily basis – read on to understand the capabilities of these models and how marketers can spin their output into proposal gold.

ChatGPT has Limits – Here’s Where Marketers Take Over

ChatGPT can:

·        Draft text based on your prompt

·        Revise or reorganize information for clarity

·        Provide suggestions or outlines for structuring content

·        Simulate interview Q&A

·        Make recommendations to help combat writer’s block

ChatGPT cannot:

·        Extrapolate client hot buttons from an RFP

·        Understand nuance regarding scope or requirements

·        Write value propositions that explain your team’s differentiators

·        Align win themes with the client’s needs, pain points, and goals

·        Ensure compliance with a client’s submittal structure or evaluation criteria

Marketers take everything ChatGPT can do and expertly blend it with everything it cannot. This is where trained marketers translate automation into persuasion. ChatGPT creates a draft zero. Only skilled marketers using ChatGPT can turn that into a first draft.

Now, let’s talk about that last bullet in the “cannot” list: ensuring compliance. Even when provided with the solicitation, while AI can perform detailed analysis of RFP requirements, generative AI models cannot eliminate or catch all errors or non-compliant elements. Also, if AI does not know something, the model guesses to fill in the gaps with information that can be wrong. ChatGPT itself offers this disclaimer below its prompt field: “ChatGPT can make mistakes.”

Using generative AI requires understanding that its output is what we affectionately call a bad “first draft” – it’s a starting point; not the finish line. First and foremost, AI-generated content needs to be carefully reviewed for anything that doesn’t match your request or follow your parameters (including page limits, designated formats, and even order of content). Then, AI responses need to be customized and honed – adapted to reflect your firm’s identity and why you are the best choice for a project. This is where marketers truly shine.

What a Skilled Marketer Brings to the AI Table

A marketer is an ambassador of your brand, style, and voice; your messaging and differentiators; your values and vision; your history and your story. We have always translated raw technical content into cohesive and compelling narratives using a vast array of software and tools, and now AI has expanded our toolbox. Wielding AI strategically and purposefully, skilled marketers can supercharge our work and workflow.

Marketers can use AI to:

·        Draft SWOTs, capture plans, and clarification questions to the solicitation

·        Suggest messaging for emails and talking points for the BD team

·        Generate content outlines based on RFP requirements

·        Create first drafts of technical narratives (from notes), resumes, and project writeups

·        Simulate client Q&A and help develop theme-based scripts for interview prep

From drafting boilerplate copy to streamlining proposal processes, generative AI tools are powerful. But like any tool, their value depends entirely on the user. In the hands of an A/E/C marketing professional, ChatGPT becomes a creative assistant, a research aid, and a speed multiplier.

If team leaders ask, “Can we just use ChatGPT to write this?” Write it? No. Draft it? Sure! (As marketers, we know there’s a difference.)

Equipped with AI, marketers can alleviate the writing burden on technical staff, elevate idea generation, and refresh tired text.

It’s Not the Tool; It’s the Talent

Generative AI is both an art and a science, and its purpose is to serve as a tool – like a hammer, for example. Lots of people use hammers, but not everyone is a carpenter. Still, people generally see using a hammer as an easy task – that is, until they hit something besides the head of a nail.

A/E/C marketers are already using AI as a smart tool to deliver better, faster, more effective proposals.

So no, you don’t need ChatGPT.

You need a marketer who knows how to use ChatGPT, who also understands your clients, your differentiators, and how to use AI to level up your proposals.

Interested in learning more about using AI as an A/E/C marketing professional? Here are a few resources to get started:

The AEC Marketer’s Guide to Using AI for Proposal Success | OpenAsset

Is AI Really Revolutionising Bids and Proposals? Here’s What Four Experts Think | Winning the Business

AI for Proposal Writing: Tips, Tools + 13 Ways to Win More RFPs  - OpenAsset

Vision-Driven Leaders: How to Use AI Effectively in Writing AEC Proposals | MarketLink

By: Mary Hazlett and Vanessa Yabor, Tetra Tech

As I begin to wrap up my final months as the San Antonio SMPS Treasurer I am profoundly moved as I reflect on my journey these past years.

When I first joined the organization, my goal was simply to network and meet new folks in the A/E/C industry. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I attended the functions, but I began to meet kind folks with different backgrounds and experiences. Kind folks that that truly wanted to know more about who I was as a person rather than just another contact.

During my time with SMPS I served on the Outreach Committee under the mentorship of Lauren Sharp, as Treasurer under the mentorship of SMPS President Crystal Del Bosque and finally under the mentorship of SMPS President Garrett McCullough. All righteous folks who sincerely care about the betterment of the organization and the inclusion of all.

I can honestly say that my time with the organization has shaped me into a better person. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served on this volunteer board of extraordinary folks, and I am grateful for the lifelong friendships I have made along the way.

Frank Munoz
Treasurer