Play Ball!

 As noted in April’s newsletter, we are celebrating membership in SMPS Fort Worth on May 16^th with a Night at Rangers Ballpark as the Rangers take on the Oakland A’s. There are a few tickets still available and we encourage those who have not had an opportunity to sign up to register now.  If you are a current member, join us for an evening of networking and fun.  Bring your family and a colleague at your firm or at another firm who would benefit by membership in SMPS.  If you are not currently a member, join us for the game and enjoy great baseball, friends and learn about the many benefits of membership.  There will be door prizes for members and prospective members, and one lucky prospective member will win a one year membership, courtesy of the SMPS National Office.  For members who bring a colleague who becomes a member, they will earn a three months extension on their current membership!

SMPS Chapter Presidents have come together and set up a competition between our chapters as to who will have the most new members between May 1^st and June 30^th.  The winning chapter will be announced at the National Conference in San Francisco this July and will receive a stipend for a member to attend the 2013 conference in Orlando, Florida.

Speaking of the National Conference, there are a number of Fort Worth members who have already registered.  For more information on the conference and registration, click on the link below.  Jen Yoder, CPSM, a founding member of the Fort Worth Chapter while with Baird Hampton Brown, and now with the North Florida Chapter, is one the this year’s speakers.

One of the benefits of SMPS Fort Worth membership is being able to attend events presented by other SMPS chapters across the country for the member price. SMPS Austin is having a half-day workshop on May 10 called “Everyone is a Marketer.”   So if you’ll be in the Austin area, sign up.  There’s even a networking happy hour following the workshop.  Click here for more details.

In June, the SMPS Forth Worth Chapter will celebrate our Third Year Anniversary at Del Frisco’s in downtown Fort Worth.  It was on June 13, 2009 that our chapter was ratified.  Register now and join us at the celebration.

With summer approaching, the board is planning a number of great events to finish up the year. Look for updates on our website, and in future Newsletters.

Next month, President-Elect, Pam Conine with MULTATECH will put pen to paper (actually more like fingertips to key board) and fill us in on her just completed experiences at the SMPS President’s Leadership Symposium (PLS) in Alexandria, Virginia.

Until then, we look forward to seeing you on the Journey,

Rick Evans, President

Freese and Nichols, Inc. is a full service professional consulting firm serving municipal and county governments, water districts, the U.S. government, higher education and the energy industry. It is the first engineering/architecture firm to become a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. With offices in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, Freese and Nichols’ 475 employees provide engineering, architecture, environmental science, planning and program management services throughout the region. For more information about Freese and Nichols, visit www.freese.com.

Interested on how your company can be active in SMPS?  Contact Julie Shaffer at jshaffer@apaienv.com

Career Bank

 The SMPS Fort Worth Career Bank includes marketing and business development positions in A/E/C industry in the North Texas area.  All non-member postings on this site will be subject to a $75 one-time placement fee.  For more information, please contact communications@smpsfortworth.org.

 Check out our current job postings here...

Professional Development

Your marketing skills are vital to the lifeline of your firm. Every day you further your company's growth by identifying new project opportunities, developing business relationships, and getting your company's name in front of prospective clients. That's your job as a professional services marketer. Now the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), the recognized leader in education and information for marketing professional services, offers a credential that recognizes your achieved marketing expertise, the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM).

CPSM Certification Program

Through SMPS, you can earn a credential that recognizes your marketing expertise: the Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM).  This credential serves as a mark of distinction for professional services marketers and business developers, raising their standing with their employers, peers and the public.

When you apply for the CPSM examination, you're taking an important step toward joining a distinguished group of professionals who have made a commitment to professional excellence, career advancement and an ongoing pursuit of knowledge.

Throughout the year, SMPS Fort Worth will offer CPSM study groups. These groups offer excellent opportunities to meet and interact with other professionals who are studying for the CPSM exam.  Please contact Cindy Sears-Clemmons at if you are interested in participating in a CPSM study group.  

Why study with a group?

A study group can "pick you up" when you find that your motivation to study is slipping. The other group members can be a source of encouragement.

Group members will listen and discuss information and concepts during the study sessions. These activities add a strong auditory dimension to your learning experience.

One or more group members are likely to understand something you do not. They may bring up ideas you never considered.

You can learn valuable new study habits from the other group members.

Teaching and explaining information and concepts to the other group members can help you reinforce your mastery of the information and concepts.

Let's face it - studying can sometimes be boring. Interacting with other group members can make studying a lot more enjoyable.

To find out more, visit the national SMPS website:
http://www.smps.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Certification

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Do you have a viewpoint or case study that you want to share with your peers who are responsible for firm growth?  Have you successfully led a change initiative in your firm?  Or is there simply a topic that you would like to see explored in a future newsletter?  We want to hear from  you! 

If you are a SMPS Fort Worth Member and want to position yourself as a thought leader within your firm, submit an article for review to be included in an upcoming newsletter.  Select articles will be featured on our website and in the newsletter.  Submit your article ideas today to communications@smpsfortworth.org.