2017 Women in Building Services: Alexis Newman, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

Name: Alexis Newman, MBA

Title: Senior Marketing Specialist 

Company: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | President, SMPS New York

Years in real estate: 13

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? Society for Marketing Professional Services

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career? 

Balancing work with professional development is an obstacle, especially when I got my MBA at night or when I serve on professional boards. But determination and a desire to grow have allowed me to expand the services that I provide to SGH. Over the years, I developed a firmwide reputation for event planning, which helped as I transitioned from the West Coast to New York. An obstacle for AEC marketing professionals is showing the value of marketing. As president of SMPS New York, my goal is to help marketers establish what their purple power is and discover what makes them remarkable.

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career? 

My ability to validate and appreciate people helps my peers and colleagues give me their best. Having a true interest in what our employees do and what makes them proud helps me to market the firm by choosing the right people for the right event to promote our work. This helps me create a successful client events program nationwide. Motivating people to come together and work toward a common goal has brought me to where I am today as president of SMPS New York, leading a board of 17 AEC marketing leaders and serving as SGH’s first client events manager.

What trends are you seeing so far this year?

Resilience (regional sustainability) and big data (supercomputers and cloud computing) are new concepts and tools just becoming widely available in the built environment through geographic information systems (GIS) and wireless sensors. Owners can now scan and monitor entire buildings for small changes to see when bigger problems may arise. GIS can let a designer see how much solar access there is at a site and how much it changes when a new high-rise is built and casts new shadows. Models of storm surge identified vulnerable subway stations after Hurricane Sandy, allowing mitigation features to be designed and installed.

What do you do for fun?

I work hard and play hard. I’m an ‘eventress’ at heart who loves to be social. I also love exploring this beautiful city, especially in autumn when all the leaves have turned.