
The Relationship Business: Turning Connections into Clients
<< All Events
The Relationship Business: Turning Connections into Clients
$15, AIA Member // $20, General // $10, Students
BUY TICKETSMany business leaders and owners (whether they offer a service or a product) understand that at the end of the day, they are in the relationship business, and their company's success is built on practical, strategic and personal connections.
What does being in the relationship business mean to AEC architecture and design firms, and construction companies, particularly when it comes to business development?
Hear from a cross-section of architecture, design and construction industry business development leaders on how they turn connections into clients, and leads into projects. The panel will share what works for them and lessons they have learned when it comes to getting work in the short-term and building a pipeline for the long-term.
Moderator
Elisabeth Sporer, AIA, LEED AP, CIC, A+D Business Strategist and SO | arch Founder
Elisabeth Sporer works with CEOs, founders and leadership teams to build successful A+D firms through an integral approach that combines business strategy consulting with leadership coaching. Based in Northern California, she has presented at major AIA chapters in the region, including AIA Los Angles, AIA SF, AIA East Bay and AIA Central Valley, on topics like A+D business strategy, financial and practice management, ownership transition, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and international practice. She holds a Master of Science in Advanced Architecture Design from Columbia University in The City of New York and a Master of Architecture and a Bachelor of Architecture, both from TU Berlin.
Panelists

Julie Satterwhite is the VP of Marketing and Business Development for Quezada Architecture, a woman- and minority-owned business. A seasoned professional in the AEC industry, Julie participates in shaping QA’s overall strategy and leads marketing and business development initiatives. Throughout her marketing and leadership career, staff and clients have benefited from her creative ideas, passion, and effective strategic planning and execution. She is a relationship builder with a natural ability to develop trust at all levels of an organization. She holds a Master of Education in Leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in both Communications and International Studies from the University of Washington. Julie is involved in various professional organizations including CoreNet Northern California, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), and Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Jessica Rafferty leads business development for Environmental and Lighting Design firm, Atelier Ten. Working in the AEC industry for the past 16 years, she has worn many hats from contract administrator, marketing coordinator to her current role managing business development and marketing. Jessica believes strongly that the key to winning new projects is delivering excellent work as the company reputation can make or break new relationships. She works closely with staff from all levels of the company to understand the latest sustainability opportunities and challenges and connects the dots between leadership and potential clients.

Learning Objectives (1.5 LU)
- Identify the top factors in creating a healthy business development culture and utilize various ways to interact with clients to grow a relationship from social media to face to face meetings
- Explore strategies to build your core business development team, define your ideal clients, and integrate regular business development activities into day-to-day operations.
- Develop a “future-proof” business development plan with appropriate paths to expand services, markets or sectors.
- Consider the key performance metrics (KPIs) to measure and how to build accountability into your business development culture.
This program is hosted by AIASF in collaboration with AIASF's Professional Practice Knowledge Community.
Details
- Date:
- Thursday, January 23, 2025
- Time:
-
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm PST
- Event Categories:
- AIASF Event, Featured, In-Person, Knowledge Community, Panel Discussion
Venue
- Center for Architecture + Design
-
140 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94104 United States + Google Map
Organizer
- AIA San Francisco
- Phone:
- 415-874-2620
- Email:
- info@archive.aiasf.org
- View Organizer Website