SMPS Long Island

Long Island’s premier forum for education and networking that creates community, facilitates business, and inspires professionals marketing for the built environment



       
Board of Directors  
       
 

Gilbert Brindley. P.E. CPSM
President

Gil Brindley is President of Benjamin Brindley & Sons, an engineering and construction management firm that specializes in meeting the needs of the insurance industry. Mr. Brindley is in partnership with his brother and father who perform engineering investigations, build construction estimates for insurance losses and manage restoration and rebuild construction projects. In his 25-year career in the AEC industry, he obtained an MBA from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH and is a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has been a member of SMPS since 2000, belonging to four different chapters and serving as Membership Chair, Programs Chair, President, Education Chair and National Business Development Institute Chair.

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Liz O’Rourke Kupcha, CPSM
Immediate Past President
In 2010, Liz established Kupcha Marketing Services, a certified M/W/DBE firm that provides marketing consulting in the areas of proposal management, presentation preparation & coaching, media relations, event planning, community relations and training. Prior to starting her firm, Liz spent 15 years as a marketer for various A/E/C firms. Liz joined SMPS in 1997 and has been involved on committees for the New York and Central Florida chapters and served on the National Education and Marketing Communications Awards committees. She has participated as a panelist for various industry-related presentations including Zweig White and the Fair Media Council. She has written articles on social media, business development and networking for Building Long Island magazine and the SMPS Marketer. Liz has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from C. W. Post and has taken MBA-level courses at Iona College.

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Mary-Ellen Cocchi
President Elect

Mary-Ellen Cocchi is the Marketing Director for Lizardos Engineering Associates P.C., a mechanical and electrical consulting engineering firm headquartered in Mineola. She has shaped and directed the firm's marketing efforts since joining Lizardos in 1988, thus creating a marketing department, where none had previously existed. Over the years, she has developed internal and external marketing communications and she works closely with the principals coordinating marketing initiatives and developing programs and activities. She has been a member of SMPS since 1990, originally active with the New York City Chapter, where she was responsible for program registrations before the function was outsourced. Later she joined the Long Island Chapter and served on the Communications Committee prior to joining the Programs Committee. Mary-Ellen earned her Bachelor’s in business/marketing from Adelphi University, and began her career in advertising for the California-based Sunset Magazine.
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Anita R. Garrahan, A.V.P.
Director of Communications
Anita Garrahan is the Marketing Director at GPI - Greenman-Pedersen, Inc., an ENR Top 100 consulting engineering, and construction services firm that specializes in the innovative planning, design and construction of transportation systems, infrastructure and buildings. She has been with GPI for many years, starting in business development for the firm’s aerial photography and mapping division, then managing the firm’s corporate marketing department, and currently serving as marketing director for the firm’s Babylon, NY office. Anita has attended Suffolk Community and Dowling Colleges. She has been an SMPS member for many years.

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Corrine Ozcan
Director of Education
Corrine Ozcan is the Marketing Manager at P.W. Grosser Consulting (PWGC), an Environmental Consulting and Engineering firm headquartered on Long Island in Bohemia, NY with branch offices in Manhattan, NY; Syracuse, NY and Seattle, WA.   Since joining PWGC in 2004, Ms. Ozcan’s broad based background has allowed her to develop quickly into a marketing manager that the firm’s principals have come to depend on.  Working alongside of the firm’s principals, she is responsible for the development and implementation of focused marketing efforts that includes but is not limited to proposal coordination and preparation; development of collateral marketing materials; web site; database development & maintenance; public relations; social media; and identity branding.  In addition, Ms. Ozcan also assists with the contract administration of several municipal and federal contracts the firm holds.  She has been a member of the SPMS Long Island Chapter since 2010 and is also a committee member of Canstruction Long Island, Inc.  Corrine received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Stony Brook University. 

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Christine M. Cesaria
Treasurer
Christine Cesaria is the NY Area Marketing Manager at VHB, an engineering, environmental, and planning firm with 21 offices nationwide. Ms. Cesaria was one of the original founders of the SMPS LI New York Chapter affiliate more than a decade ago. Since joining VHB in 2008, she has once again become an active SMPS member and Long Island Board Member. Previous to this year, Ms. Cesaria served as the Director of Sponsorship for Long Island and as Co-Chair of the Programs Committee. Ms. Cesaria has a M.S. in Information Science from Long Island University and a B.A. in English from SUNY Stony Brook. She is also Chairperson of the St. Mary School Board in East Islip, NY.

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Sara Stevens
Secretary
Sara is Business Development Coordinator for Bohler Engineering, a civil and consulting engineering firm with thirteen offices along the eastern United States.  In coordination with senior leadership, Sara implements strategic marketing initiatives corporately.  Locally, she develops internal and external marketing and communication materials.  She also provides market research and major event planning support for business development. Since 2009, Sara has taken an active role in SMPS; she has served on both local and national committees, including the Long Island chapter’s Programs Committee and National’s Career Path Task Force.  She has also served as the Long Island chapter’s Membership Chairperson. Sara graduated from James Madison University with a B.A. in English.  Prior to joining Bohler Engineering, Sara worked in marketing and business development roles for a real estate developer and government defense contractor. 

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James T. Powers, AIA
Mentorship Director
Jim is the Director of Operations and Business Development, Bohler Engineering and has over 30 years experience in the construction industry. Jim’s diversification ranges from heading Chase Manhattan Bank’s architectural department, managing his own design/build firm, Wall Street Collaborative, founding the companies Franchise Consulting Services and JT Powers Development and heading the business development efforts for professional firms Envision Architects, CSArch and Bohler Engineering. Jim’s career as allowed him to experience the A/E/C field from every seat around the table which has allowed him to relate to all stakeholders, build consensus and develop business in the best interest of all parties. Jim is involved in many professional organizations including AIA, USGBC, CMA, The Retail Network, Corenet, SCUP, ULI and ICSC to name a few. His philanthropic endeavors include being the President of the Townwide Fund of Huntington, Trustee of the Heckscher Museum, AOH, President of the Crab Meadow Golf Club and many others. Appropriately, Jim heads the newly-formed Mentorship Program for SMPS-LI.

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Mission

The mission of the Long Island Chapter of The Society for Marketing Professional Services is to be the premier forum for education and networking that creates community, facilitates business, and inspires professionals marketing for the built environment.

 

 
Thanks to our Corporate Sponsors for 2011-2012!:

Benefactors:

  

Sponsors:

To become a sponsor or benefactor of SMPS LI contact Gil Brindley at 631-473-6868

 

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