The Buzz

Keri Hammond | Principal, MARKETLINK

Posted by Communications2 on Apr. 13, 2021  /  Member Spotlight  /  Subscribe 1

How long have you worked at your company?
MARKETLINK was established 18 years ago. I had consulted for a couple of years prior to that, so essentially, I’ve been out on my own as a consultant for two decades. Wow, time flies!

I got started in the A/E/C industry when I was very young working for my father’s engineering firm, Eckhoff, Watson & Preator (EWP Engineering – now the Stantec family). I also worked in-house in various marketing and business development positions at a few other industry firms prior to settling into a consulting role.

How would you describe your role/job? 
As an outside consultant in the A/E/C industry, I am so fortunate to get to participate in so many different types of projects on a daily basis. I get to have a perspective of various different types of firms as well as an understanding of all services that make up our built environment. From advertising and brand development to PR plans, business development and proposal strategy, we get to support a wide array of marketing and business development activities.

What are the rewards of your job? 
I feel lucky that I get to experience the industry through the lens of every discipline. Contractors, engineers, landscape designers, architects, and other specialty firms have all been clients of MARKETLINK over the years.

I also get to work with so many amazing people. I find that I’m always learning new and unique skills from our clients as well as our internal staff members, no matter their age, training, or work experience.

What are your challenges?
Because I do so many diverse things, it takes extra effort to stay on top of newest trends in marketing, social media and software. I really have to make a concerted effort to dig in with newer and emerging areas of marketing. It’s so great to have other colleagues in the industry and consultants that are experts in the areas where I am not.

What has been your most meaningful project? 
Early in my career I had the chance to be part of the team that put together the proposal that won my father’s firm, Eckhoff Watson & Praetor Engineering (now in the Stantec family), the bid to design various aspects of the infrastructure for the Winter Olympic Games held here in 2002. This was exciting because it was THE Olympics, it was personal, and because it was the first time we could go “all in” on a proposal (graphic designer, professional binding and printing) for the first time. This one was both personally and professionally fulfilling in so many ways.

How long have you been an SMPS member? 
I was the first student member here at SMPS Utah. This actually made me one of the first 5 or 6 members in the Chapter ever, so it’s been roughly 30 years as an SMPS member.

What is your role in SMPS?
Communcations Director

What led you to serve on the Board?
I was on the chapter board right from the beginning. Because there were so few of us, we simply just needed to dig in to help get the Utah Chapter off the ground! I believe I have been able to hold every position on the board and have been President two times. SMPS is very important to me personally and professionally. I rely on my SMPS network daily for help and guidance in my job.

I am so grateful for the connections and the friendships I have built as an SMPS Utah Board Member.

How has SMPS membership helped you? 
SMPS has definitely been a huge part of helping me build my business. A lot of my education came from SMPS because, when the Utah Chapter was getting started, people had never really been allowed to market in our industry before.

The networking and learning opportunities through this organization have been invaluable to my own confidence and my professional trajectory.

What’s the best career advice you’ve received?  
Try your hardest to understand the technical side of the industry. I have seen some marketers simply rely on the architects or engineers to do all of the technical writing, and I think that hinders their own success so much. As marketers, we can help relieve the burden that the technical side has on them, because they are expected to stay billable AND win work.

The best marketers close that gap as much as they possibly can. When you’re an internal marketer, the technical staff are, in essence, your clients. You have to remember to work on your relationships with them and help relieve their load, just like we all seek to do for our external clients.

What’s on your bucket list? 
To make a bucket list! Ha!

I just turned “really old” this year, so it’s about time I get around to making one I’m guessing.

Growing up we didn’t do a lot of traveling. I had never been on an airplane until I was 17 years old, so I still feel like I have a lot of traveling I want to do. Both my husband and son served missions for our church in Spain, so I really want to go to Spain and see what they experienced.

What was your childhood dream? 
I’ve always loved animals and wanted to have an animal sanctuary when I was a kid. I suppose my two adopted pets now do the trick, though!

Guilty pleasure: what can you not live without? 
Massages! Even better, is when I’m with my daughter and we make it a whole spa day.

Any other tidbits about your life you might be willing to share?
My Dad, my two brothers, and many of my cousins and uncles are all in engineering, so the A/E/C industry is certainly a family business for us. It’s fun to talk projects and developments at holidays spent together, though I’m sure the rest of the family gets a little bored!

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