Executive Programs

SMPS University: 2012 Leadership Advancement Program

The second annual class of SMPS University was kicked off on October 18, 2012. The purpose of the program is to give participants critical business management knowledge needed to increase their firm’s profitability, as well as the leadership skills required to establish themselves as leaders, in their firms and in their industries.

SMPS’s national leadership worked with Janet Wagner, Academic Director and Director of the Center for Excellence in Service, and Liz Barron, Senior Director, Custom Programs in the Office of Executive Education at Smith, to design a curriculum especially for marketers and business developers in architecture, engineering, and construction. The program targets AEC professionals who strive to support senior management with essential business skills, guide the strategic direction of their firms, and advance to leadership positions. SMPS University integrates marketing, business development, and service management principles into the strategic plan of the professional services firm, clearly illustrating their crucial roles in the business model of a successful practice.

Session 1 was held in the Executive Education facilities of the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, on October 18-19, 2012. Nineteen professionals from architecture, engineering, and construction firms participated in modules on service marketing strategy, marketing research, social media strategy, and financial management. Topics were taught by professors Michael Faulkender, Joydeep Srivastava, Michael Trusov, and Janet Wagner.

Dinner on the evening of October 18 featured a speech on business intelligence gathering by August Jackson, Associate Director at Ernst & Young and a 2008 graduate of the Smith Executive MBA program. Mr. Jackson discussed the strengths and weaknesses at competing firms, and presented four tools that can be used to analyze firms and the business landscape.

Participants returned to the area for Session 2, which was held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC, on November 15-16, 2012. This session focused on new service development, leadership, and organizational behavior. These modules were taught by professors Yogesh Joshi, P.K. Kannan, and Karen Wouters. Students also presented team-based Action Learning Projects, which focused on topics such as customer lifetime value, service blueprinting, and client surveys.

At lunch on November 15, keynote speaker Steven Shapiro, JD, an adjunct professor with the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation, spoke to career development challenges the AEC industry. and promoted the idea of personal advisory boards. He suggested that individuals

have personal advisory boards, including advisors from various fields and industries. A celebratory dinner, sponsored by SMPS, was held at Finemondo in Washington, D.C. that evening. Upon completing the program, participants received a certificate documenting their mastery of the information and skills covered in the curriculum. They also received credits towards professional services marketer certification.

Please click here to download the schedule for 2012 program

SMPS University: 2011 Leadership Advancement Program

The inaugural class of SMPS University was launched on October 20, 2011. Session 1 was held in the Executive Education facilities of the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, on October 20-21, 2011. The purpose of the program is to give participants critical business management knowledge needed to increase their firm’s profitability, as well as the leadership skills required to establish themselves as leaders, in their firms and in their industries.

SMPS National leadership worked with Janet Wagner, Academic Director and Director of the Center for Excellence in Service, and Greg Hanifee, Assistant Dean of Executive Programs at Smith, to design a curriculum especially for marketers and business developers in architecture, engineering, and construction. The program targets AEC professionals who strive to support senior management with essential business information, guide the strategic direction of their firms, and advance to leadership positions. The program integrates marketing, business development, and service management principles into the strategic plan of the professional services firm, clearly illustrating their crucial roles in the business model of a successful practice.

In Session I, nineteen professionals from architecture, engineering, and construction firms participated in modules on service marketing strategy, service marketing research, service accountability, and financial management. Attendees were marketing directors and business development specialists from firms based in 11 states, some from as far away as California, Washington, Arizona, and Texas. Modules were taught by professors Michael Faulkender, Roland Rust, Joydeep Srivastava, and Janet Wagner.

Dinner on the evening of October 20 featured a speech on the use of social media in business-to-business marketing by Nancy Kaplan, a strategic management consultant who specializes in social media strategy. Ms. Kaplan is an adjunct faculty member in marketing, and a member of the marketing department’s corporate advisory board.

Participants returned to the area for Session 2, which was held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC, on November 17-18, 2011. This session focused on new service development, leadership, and organizational behavior. Upon completing the program, participants received a certificate documenting their mastery of the information and skills covered in the curriculum.

View testimonials from previous students!

• Kenda Salisbury
• Matt Rebro

CES AND CAME-PERU DELIVER GLOBAL PROFESSIONAL LEADERS PROGRAM

The Global Professional Leaders program is a five-day program designed to deliver world-class executive education to leaders of businesses from Central and South America. The program, offered on October 10-14, 2011, introduced the latest thought leadership to Central and South American executives focused on building new markets and stronger, more relevant companies. The program was led by CAME-Peru and is being developed in cooperation with Center for Excellence in Service Faculty Fellows and “International Network of Training Institutions Intermediate Directive”.

Areas of learning and solution approaches included:

• Global Strategy - what the macroeconomic environment means to companies that seek to grow domestically or internationally.
• Marketing Superiority - how can companies differentiate their business in an increasingly competitive world? What 'customer service excellence' means in today's global economy.
• Operational Excellence - Building project management professional skills is a must - how can your company make the next leap to 'operational excellence'? What differentiates the 'good' from the 'great' when it comes to operations?
• Transformational IT - Companies that succeed today define the curve in IT versus playing catch-up. Discover how their business models provide cultures of innovation and change the demand curve through IT disruption.
• Informative Site Visits – join us for visits to local multi-nationals and international organizations to learn current approaches and insights into the global economy.

Attendees received:

• University Certificate from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
• Network of faculty and executives.
• Site visits and interaction with international companies and organizations.
• Classroom learning facilitated by academic and practitioner experts.