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ON THE MOVE BOEING BOARD ELECTS CAROLINE KENNEDY AS NEW DIRECTOR The Boeing board of directors has elected Caroline Kennedy as a new member. Kennedy, 59, served as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017 and is an author and attorney. “Ambassador Kennedy brings to the Boeing board professional, diplomatic, and global perspectives that are highly valued in our rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive global business environment,” said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing chairman, president, and CEO. “Her diversity of experience and accompanying insights will broaden and strengthen our board in its deliberative and oversight roles for the company.” In addition to her international experience and diplomatic service, Kennedy is an accomplished writer and editor who co- authored two books on U.S. constitutional law and edited various historical and literary titles. Having worked in public education in New York City, she has been a vocal advocate and leader on a range of education issues important to businesses, including increased

STEM education for women. She also has held high-level positions on several prominent nonprofit boards. Kennedy earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and holds a B.A. from Radcliffe College, Harvard University. She will serve on the Boeing board’s audit and finance committees. CARMINE BOREA, P.E., APPOINTED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FINLEY Engineering Group (Best Firm #5 Structural for 2017), a bridge design and construction engineering firm, has vested bridge engineer Carmine Borea with the additional position and responsibilities of business development manager. This key leadership position gives Borea significant responsibility for the firm’s growth. Borea’s nine years of bridge design and construction engineering experience includes projects in the U.S. and abroad, giving him a solid feel for the different ways in which business is done around the world. During his two years with FINLEY, Borea has participated in and led a variety of business development activities, including preparing

proposals and price estimates, building and maintaining client-firm relationships, and coordinating between the technical and business aspects of bridge design. In this new senior management role, Borea will be leading the selection of projects for pursuit; development of alliances and relationships with business partners, subconsultants, and potential clients; and identification of project improvements for contractors. His technical knowledge will enable him to address project technical requirements with owners and clients in the earliest stages of project pursuit. “We are excited about Carmine’s assuming responsibility to FINLEY’s business development activities,” said FINLEY’s president, Craig Finley, P.E. “He has a unique combination of technical abilities, construction experience, and that all-important trait of never meeting a stranger.” Carmine has a B.S. in environmental engineering and an M.S. in civil engineering, with a specialization in structural and geotechnical engineering, from the Universitá di Napoli “Federico II.”

❚ ❚ Did it contribute positively toward achieving the desired goals? ❚ ❚ Was it consistent with the strategic direction of the firm? ❚ ❚ Did it improve on past marketing efforts? (internal bench- marking) ❚ ❚ Did it perform better than similar efforts from other firms? (external benchmarking) It takes a village and a lot of patience to finally get a great piece of brisket on the table (sorry vegan friends). Every step in the process is valuable and should be studied to improve, or at the very least, maintain consistency, but without losing focus on the simplest fact – that it worked and that it was delicious! Do not lose your mind (and time) with too many ROI specifics because it will turn into quicksand swallowing you whole. Get in front of the issue. Present the results of your marketing efforts before that executive asks for the ROI analysis at the Monday meeting. Did it work? Why? Learn, modify, and move on. JAVIER SUAREZ is the central marketing and sales support manager with Geosyntec Consultants. Contact him at jsuarez@geosyntec.com. “Do not lose your mind (and time) with too many ROI specifics because it will turn into quicksand swallowing you whole. Get in front of the issue. Present the results of your marketing efforts before that executive asks for the ROI analysis at the Monday meeting.”

JAVIER SUAREZ, from page 3

2)People (are strange when you’re a stranger). Procurement is a committee game and as such, multiple “sellers” need to have multiple touches with multiple “buyers.” How do you allocate each touch and track it to a specific result? How do you apply weight factors to different crucial results, such as establishing a contact from a potential client; extending your network within an existing client; getting invited to an invitation-only bid; winning a project in a specific region; or growing your revenue from an existing client by X percent? 3)Changes (ch-ch-ch-changes). External factors play an im- portant role in the outcome of a pursuit, program, or cam- paign – economic trends, shifting C-suite executives, natural disasters, socio-political issues, etc. How do you accurately attribute the success or failure of a marketing initiative based solely on controllable factors? “Using traditional ROI metrics clouds the true value that marketing brings to the table. Avoid falling prey to ROI, one of the most ‘beloved’ buzzwords in the AEC industry.” 4)Stuck (in the middle with you). Some firms go down the rabbit hole and inadvertently steer marketing departments’ efforts into working for the ROI instead of laboring toward ef- fectively contributing to successful business outcomes. At the end of the day, do you want to define success by ROI metrics or by business growth? At the risk of oversimplifying the issue, you should measure the ROI on a marketing effort by answering these questions:

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 9, 2017, ISSUE 1219

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