2020 Women in RE: Alicia Koledin, AKcelerate

Name: Alicia Koledin, Assoc. AIA

Title: Founding Principal

Company Name: AKcelerate 

List up to three associations or organizations that you are presently a member of:

• AIA,
• Society for Marketing Professional Services,
• Pleasant Village Community Garden.

What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of?
I did a marketing audit for a large engineering firm, interviewing its leaders and marketing staff in their three main regional offices. I compiled my findings and recommendations in a report that will help leaders make better marketing decisions moving forward. Those kinds of long-term efforts are extremely rewarding to me, because of the potential impact. If I can make their processes more efficient, while improving multiple people’s experiences working in or with marketing, it’s a real win-win!

What is one characteristic that you believe every woman in business should possess?
Resiliency. Without a doubt, the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses has taught me that even the best prepared people are sometimes caught off guard. And they’re often less agile, preferring the straight path to the winding one. But either way, without resiliency, without the ability to find a way to fight and bounce back, we’re inert. We’re paralyzed. So much is still up in the air right now, and a full recovery from this crisis is far down the road. But if you accept that these bumps are just part of the journey, you’ll be likely to recover faster. 

What was your favorite job and what did you learn from it?
My truly favorite job was one of my first! As a reporter for my college newspaper, I learned so many valuable lessons: how to communicate more effectively (both in person and in writing), how to establish a trusted rapport with complete strangers, and how to react quickly to current events. I also learned the value of diversity and how to maintain a community of colleagues from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. 20+ years later, I still use all of these skills every single day in building both professional and personal relationships.