SMPS-NY Member of the Month, May 2014

May’s Member of the Month is a welcomed addition to the New York Chapter. Since relocating from California to New York in 2013, Alexis has become an integral part of multiple committees including programs, communications and special events. As the New York Regional Marketing Specialist at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, she is expanding her responsibilities daily and exemplifies the importance and determination and passion in one’s career. Where are you from originally and what brought you to New York City? I was born in Hamburg, Germany, which was the location of a physics experiment my father was working on at the time, and we moved to Southern California when I was three years old. I grew up mostly in California and, thanks to my father’s ensuing physics experiment in Switzerland, the Large Hadron Collider, we spent every summer and my sixth grade year in and around Geneva. What brought me to New York was a perfect alignment of several circumstances, with a touch of serendipity! I had wanted to live in New York for as long as I could remember. Having worked as the Office Manager and Regional Marketing Specialist in the Los Angeles office of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) since 2005, I discovered in 2012 that our East Coast marketing team had an opening, so I jumped at the opportunity to move across the country. I asked to move to our New York office to add a marketing presence in that location, since our East Coast marketing team was located solely out of our Boston headquarters. Ask and ye shall receive! I moved to New York on February 1, 2013, and I hit the ground running as SGH New York’s Regional Marketing Specialist.

[expand title=”Read the rest of the article here…”] Can you tell us more about your position as a Regional Marketing Specialist at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger? As the Regional Marketing Specialist, I am in charge of marketing for SGH’s New York office. SGH is a national engineering firm that designs, investigates, and rehabilitates structures and building enclosures. In addition to working on proposals, developing marketing collateral, and executing local marketing initiatives, I am also responsible for the planning and coordination of all SGH East Coast events, including symposia, seminars, and continuing education opportunities for clients out of our New York, Boston, Washington, DC, and Chicago offices. I also have the pleasure on occasion of working alongside our business development manager to provide BD support. I assist with finding opportunities for our senior staff, not only by helping track trends in our industry, but also by helping our engineers gain exposure through speaking engagements, client meetings, and networking opportunities at industry events and conferences. I am passionate about working with our talented engineers and architects, and my plan for the future is to further enhance awareness of SGH’s expertise and broad capabilities. What advice would you give to fellow SMPS members who are looking to become more active in the New York chapter? I can’t emphasize enough the benefits of joining an SMPS committee, even a committee that is responsible for tasks with which you may have little to no experience. Joining a committee is hands-down the BEST way to make industry connections, develop your own professional skills, increase the visibility of your firm and yourself among your peers in the industry, and make a new set of friends in the process! In what part of New York City do you enjoy spending the most time in and why? Having only been a New Yorker for a year, I feel I haven’t even scratched the surface of discovering all the wonderful nooks and crannies in this amazing city, so I can’t really pick a favorite neighborhood yet. However, I can say so far that I love hanging out on the Upper West Side, as well as in the neighborhoods all across downtown, from Chelsea to the East Village. There is much more to see, though, both inside and outside of Manhattan, so I’m definitely looking forward to exploring in my “free” time. What do you find to be most rewarding about being a member of the Programs, Communications, and Special Events Committees? I am actually rewarded with several benefits unique to each of my three SMPS-NY Committees. For example, with the Programs Committee, I find value in our interactions with end users and potential clients, as well as exposure for my firm, e.g. when my Principal moderated the Building Revitalization breakfast panel. On the Special Events Committee, my event planning skills get a chance to flourish, I get to scout out fun social venues for SMPS events, and we have a really great time in the process. And on the Communications Committee, I enjoy the constant interaction this committee has with all the other SMPS committees. You get to see what everyone is working on and you gain first-hand knowledge of everything that is happening within our chapter. I must say that, overall, the single most rewarding thing about participating on these committees has been the wonderful volunteers I have met and the long-term relationships I have formed with them. Their enthusiasm is infectious and their know-how and resolve are inspiring. If you could be any other profession what would it be and why? Any profession that would allow me to be a world traveler. So much beauty to see and experience. So much more perspective to gain.[/expand]