Executive Summary

The architecture, engineering and construction industry is changing—and the role of marketing and business development is changing with it.

In this special road-show episode of the Building Better Podcast, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors recorded from the SMPS Amplify AEC conference in Las Vegas, where hosts Bryan Benway and Marcus Wilkins sat down with four guests representing different perspectives across the AEC industry:

• Marci D. Thompson, CEO of SMPS
• Stacy Sanders, Director of Marketing and Business Development at EMA Engineering & Consulting
• Chris Martinez, AEC professional and longtime SMPS leader from San Antonio
• Melinda Hepp, Founder and Principal of Studio PR

Across four conversations, a common theme emerged: marketing, business development, public relations and storytelling are becoming increasingly important to how AEC firms grow, differentiate themselves and build stronger client relationships.

The episode also explored the strength of the Texas construction market, the value of mentorship and professional communities, the importance of authentic networking and what AEC firms should consider as they prepare for the industry’s future.

Four AEC Leaders, Four Perspectives on Growth

Amplify AEC brings together marketers, business developers and leaders from architecture, engineering and construction firms across the country.

For the Building Better Podcast, that created an opportunity to explore the industry’s future through four different lenses.

Marci D. Thompson discussed how SMPS is working to advance marketing and business development as business-critical functions within AEC firms.

Stacy Sanders reflected on her own career and how AEC marketing has evolved from a primarily supportive role into one that increasingly helps influence firm strategy.

Chris Martinez brought the conversation home to Texas, discussing continued construction and development across the state while emphasizing the importance of community, education and professional service.

And Melinda Hepp explored the role of public relations, storytelling, client experience and authentic professional relationships in building stronger AEC businesses.

Together, their perspectives point toward an industry where technical excellence remains essential—but the ability to communicate that expertise is becoming equally important to business growth.

Marketing and Business Development Are Moving to the Strategic Table

One of the clearest themes of the episode was the changing role of marketing and business development within AEC firms.

For Marci D. Thompson, that evolution is central to the mission of SMPS.

She described the organization as a convening authority for marketers and business developers and emphasized the importance of developing marketing and business development as business-critical functions within the AEC industry.

Her point was simple: doing great work is only part of building a successful firm.

“You can have the best designs, you can have the best insight, but if no one can find you, you can’t communicate, if you can’t tell the story.”

AEC firms must also be able to communicate what they know, demonstrate their expertise and help clients understand what differentiates them.

From Support Function to Business Strategy

Stacy Sanders has watched that transformation occur during her own career.

When she entered the industry, she said marketing was often viewed primarily as a support function. Marketing teams handled proposals, RFQs, production and presentation—important responsibilities, but ones that often happened behind the scenes.

Today, she sees something different.

“Now you are seeing marketers and business developers—we’re taking more strategic roles within our firm. We’re a part of the vision and the direction.”

Increasingly, AEC marketers and business developers are participating in conversations about where firms should compete, how they should position themselves, which markets offer opportunities and how companies can better serve clients.

For firm leadership, that shift presents an opportunity.

Rather than involving marketing only after a pursuit begins, firms can bring marketing and business development professionals into strategic conversations earlier—where market intelligence, client insights and competitive positioning can influence business decisions.

Storytelling Is Becoming an AEC Business Development Tool

Storytelling surfaced repeatedly throughout the episode, particularly during the conversation with Melinda Hepp.

As AEC firms explore new markets and opportunities, Hepp emphasized the importance of understanding how existing expertise can transfer into new areas—and then communicating that connection effectively.

“A lot of things are transferable. So, it’s all about the way you position yourself and the way you want to tell your stories.”

That distinction matters in an industry where many firms can offer similar lists of services.

Saying a contractor builds schools, hospitals, commercial spaces or industrial facilities communicates capability. But it does not necessarily communicate why that experience matters to the next client.

The stronger story explains the challenge behind the project.

How did the team keep an occupied campus functioning during construction? How was patient care protected during a healthcare renovation? How did early collaboration help an owner manage budget pressures? How did a project create a lasting benefit for the surrounding community?

Those are the stories that turn a project portfolio into demonstrated expertise.

What Effective AEC Storytelling Can Accomplish

Strong storytelling can help an AEC firm demonstrate expertise instead of simply claiming it. It can connect technical capabilities to client outcomes, differentiate similar project experience, support entry into adjacent markets and create stronger material for public relations and thought leadership.

Most importantly, it helps prospective clients understand how a firm’s experience could apply to their own challenges.

Professional Communities Can Accelerate AEC Careers

Professional development was another consistent theme throughout the four conversations.

For Stacy Sanders, SMPS played a particularly important role early in her career.

She joined the organization approximately 13 years ago while working as the lone marketer at an engineering firm. Without a large internal marketing team to learn from, she found knowledge and guidance through the broader AEC marketing community.

That included participating in SMPS’s mentor-protégé program twice before later serving as a mentor herself.

Her advice for professionals considering becoming more involved was straightforward:

“Don’t wait. Join. But get involved.”

Simply belonging to an organization is different from participating in one.

Attending events, finding mentors, asking questions, volunteering and building relationships with peers can expose professionals to ideas and experiences they might not encounter within their own firms.

Sanders also highlighted something distinctive about the AEC marketing community: professionals working for competing firms can still help one another develop.

They can compare challenges, discuss what they are seeing in the marketplace and learn from one another without allowing competition to define every interaction.

Bring Firm Leadership Into the Marketing Conversation

Sanders also shared a practical lesson for marketers who are trying to demonstrate the value of their work internally: bring company leadership into the conversation.

Earlier in her career, she invited a principal from her firm to participate in SMPS events.

That allowed leadership to see firsthand what other firms were doing, what ideas were emerging and how marketing and business development were evolving throughout the industry.

Instead of marketers having to continually explain why something mattered, company leaders could experience those conversations themselves.

The takeaway extends beyond conferences.

Marketing becomes stronger when technical and executive leaders understand its strategic purpose. At the same time, marketing becomes more credible when marketers understand the technical expertise, operational realities and client challenges behind the work they are communicating.

The strongest AEC brands are built when those perspectives come together.

Texas Construction Continues to Create Opportunities

Chris Martinez brought a distinctly Texas perspective to the conversation.

Looking across the state’s construction market, he described an environment where development continues across multiple regions and project types.

Austin continues to see major development. Dallas is experiencing entertainment-related investment. Houston continues expanding through new districts and development. San Antonio is growing while working to maintain the culture that makes the city distinctive.

Data centers and other large-scale developments are adding even more activity.

His message was clear:

“Keep betting on Texas.”

For developers, contractors, architects, engineers and other AEC firms, the larger point is not simply that projects are being built. It is that growth is happening across multiple Texas markets at the same time—and each market has its own needs, culture and opportunities.

Sports and Entertainment Projects Can Shape Entire Districts

Martinez also highlighted the impact sports-related development can have on Texas communities.

The conversation touched on projects and development surrounding professional sports organizations and venues in markets including San Antonio, Dallas and Houston.

The significance of those investments extends beyond an arena, stadium or training facility.

Major sports developments can become anchors for restaurants, hospitality, entertainment, infrastructure and surrounding real estate development.

For the AEC industry, that creates a useful reminder: major projects should be understood in the context of the communities developing around them.

A single project can influence how people experience an entire district.

Growth Requires Knowing Where Your Expertise Fits

While Martinez discussed the opportunities created by active markets, Melinda Hepp added an important strategic consideration.

AEC firms should not simply pursue every growing market.

Instead, she encouraged firms to understand their capabilities, evaluate the sectors where they already have credibility and determine where existing expertise can logically expand.

She pointed to growth in areas such as energy and data centers while also noting activity in office and multifamily work within her region.

The lesson is about intentional growth.

Entering a new sector does not always require starting from zero. Existing expertise, processes, relationships and project experience may be transferable.

The challenge is determining where that transfer is credible—and communicating the connection clearly.

Public Relations Deserves a Place in AEC Marketing Strategy

One trend stood out to Melinda Hepp during Amplify AEC: the increased attention being given to public relations.

She noted that several conference sessions focused specifically on PR, something she had not seen emphasized to the same degree at previous events.

That matters because public relations can play an important role in helping AEC firms communicate expertise beyond their own websites and marketing materials.

Strong PR can help firms contribute useful perspectives to larger industry conversations, elevate subject-matter experts and create greater visibility around meaningful projects and lessons learned.

But Hepp’s comments also pointed toward something broader: client experience.

AEC marketing teams have opportunities to help owners tell their stories as well.

A school, hospital, civic facility or commercial development ultimately belongs to the organization and community it serves. Helping clients communicate the purpose and impact of those projects can become another form of value.

Relationships Still Matter in an AI-Driven Industry

Technology and artificial intelligence are changing AEC quickly.

Chris Martinez acknowledged that reality directly, noting that AI is changing by the second and professionals must continue learning.

Yet some of the most important advice throughout the episode had very little to do with technology.

It was about people.

Martinez described SMPS as a community where professionals can find a sense of belonging, connect with others, continue learning and contribute through volunteering.

His message can be distilled into three ideas:

Connect. Grow. Serve.

Melinda Hepp reinforced that idea when discussing the importance of professional networks.

“Your network is so valuable. It’s so invaluable for the trajectory of your career.”

But networking, she emphasized, should not simply be transactional.

The goal is not to approach every new relationship as a sales opportunity. Strong professional networks are built through authenticity, service and genuine connection.

That approach becomes even more valuable over time.

The coordinators and managers professionals meet early in their careers may eventually become principals, executives and decision-makers. Careers evolve together, and relationships can compound over decades.

What Should AEC Firms Be Preparing for Next?

Interestingly, when Stacy Sanders was asked what firms should prepare for in the future, she acknowledged the obvious answers—technology and AI—but returned instead to people.

Her recommendation was for firms to continue investing in marketing and business development talent and intentionally create roles where those professionals can provide greater strategic value.

That idea connects many of the episode’s themes.

Technology will change.

Markets will change.

Client expectations will change.

But firms will still need people who understand clients, recognize opportunities, communicate expertise and build meaningful relationships.

The organizations that treat those capabilities as part of their growth strategy may be better positioned to adapt as the industry evolves.

SMPS and the Future of AEC Business Growth

For Marci D. Thompson, the future of SMPS is closely tied to the future of AEC business growth.

Looking several years ahead, she described an ambition for SMPS to become known as a central resource for firms and professionals seeking to grow.

“We want to be the indispensable resource to the industry. If you want to grow your business, you should be connected to SMPS in some way.”

Chris Martinez offered a complementary perspective.

He sees an opportunity for the organization to continue building research and intelligence around how AEC firms actually grow—information that can help companies understand pursuits, differentiate themselves and develop their people.

He also sees the potential audience expanding beyond marketing and business development professionals.

Owners, principals and technical professionals can all benefit from understanding the market intelligence and growth strategies traditionally associated with marketing and business development.

That may be one of the most significant shifts ahead: business development becoming less of a department and more of an organization-wide discipline.

Major Takeaways for AEC Leaders

1. Marketing and business development belong in strategic conversations

The role of AEC marketing is expanding beyond proposals and communications. Market intelligence, positioning, client knowledge and business development insights can help shape where firms invest and compete.

2. Technical expertise needs effective storytelling

Great work does not automatically communicate its own value. Firms should explain the problems they solve, lessons they learn and outcomes their expertise creates.

3. Relationships remain fundamental to business growth

AI and technology may transform workflows, but trust, professional networks, mentorship and authentic relationships continue to play a central role in AEC careers and business development.

4. Professional development requires participation

Joining an organization is only the beginning. Mentorship, volunteering, attending events and exchanging ideas with peers create much of the long-term value.

5. Growth should be intentional

AEC firms should evaluate where their existing capabilities and experience can credibly transfer before entering new sectors or markets.

6. Texas continues to offer diverse construction opportunities

Growth across San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas and other Texas markets is creating opportunities spanning commercial development, entertainment, data centers and community infrastructure.

7. Marketing can strengthen the client experience

Storytelling, communications and public relations can create value not only by promoting an AEC firm, but by helping owners communicate the purpose and impact of the projects being built.

Building Better Means Communicating Expertise Better

One idea ultimately connects all four conversations from Amplify AEC:

Building expertise and communicating expertise can no longer be treated as completely separate disciplines.

AEC firms still compete on their ability to deliver exceptional work. But sustainable growth also requires helping clients and communities understand the knowledge, people and thinking behind that work.

That requires technical expertise.

It requires marketers who can uncover meaningful stories.

It requires business developers who understand clients and markets.

It requires leaders who recognize emerging opportunities.

And it requires professionals willing to continue learning, serving and building relationships across the industry.

The future of AEC growth will not be defined by a single technology, market or marketing tactic. It will be shaped by firms that combine technical excellence with strategic communication, strong relationships and a clear understanding of the clients and communities they serve.

That’s where marketing, business development, public relations and storytelling become more than support functions.

They become part of how the AEC industry builds better.

About This Episode of the Building Better Podcast

This special road-show episode of the Building Better Podcast was recorded at the SMPS Amplify AEC conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hosts Bryan Benway, Director of Marketing for Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, and Marcus Wilkins, Director of Business Development for Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, sat down for four conversations with:

Marci D. Thompson — CEO of SMPS
Stacy Sanders — Director of Marketing and Business Development at EMA Engineering & Consulting
Chris Martinez — AEC professional and longtime SMPS leader from San Antonio
Melinda Hepp — Founder and Principal of Studio PR

Together, the four guests explored AEC marketing and business development, Texas construction growth, storytelling, public relations, networking, leadership, professional development and the future of the architecture, engineering and construction industry.