P2S MARKETING DEPARTMENT
INTERVIEW WITH KEY-ACCOUNT STUDIO LEADER AND SENIOR MARKETING STRATEGIST BRENDA DONNELLY
As the second longest-serving member of the marketing department , Brenda Donnelly has been a helpful and instructive presence at P2S for over a decade . As the Key Account Studio Leader , Brenda leads the neverending task of responding to qualifications requests . Unlike her early years , she has a lot more help these days , having helped to develop almost all the current marketing department staff . We spoke to Brenda to learn more about her past ten years at P2S , her biggest accomplishments and why she ’ s stayed at P2S for so long .
Tell us a little about yourself .
Brenda Donnelly : I ’ m a native Southern Californian , married for 32 years , and have two grown children . My son is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz who works in many aspects of the music business . My daughter now works for California State Parks on a fire crew — she recently graduated from Cal Poly SLO with her degree in Forestry .
When did you start at P2S , Inc ?
BD : I started with P2S in February 2012 and just celebrated by tenth anniversary . Prior to P2S , I worked for a print management company as their Art Director , and before that , a 20-year position with an office products manufacturer as their marketing lead and graphic artist . The AEC industry was a new world to me but interesting to learn .
What are some of the major changes you ’ ve seen at P2S over the last ten years ?
BD : Growth , growth , and growth . When I started , we had 70 employees in one office . We grew the Long Beach office , acquired a healthcare-oriented MEP firm — which added our San Diego office and Healthcare group , and more recently , the addition of our Seattle office and our presence in the Pacific Northwest . Along the way , we opened the Irvine office and have our satellites in LA and San Jose . When the pandemic hit , and we worked from home , we showed our resilience and flexibility — which is a great accomplishment as well .
What do you like most about working at P2S ?
BD : That ’ s easy , the people . I ’ ve worked with our Art Director , Carlo Sese , since day one . He even had to show me how to start my PC since I had only worked on Macs in my career . With ten years of working with such a diverse team , I ’ ve made some great friendships and been mentored by many smart and caring people . I hope that I ’ ve helped others out in the same way .
What is your favorite part of your job ?
BD : Realizing that the work we do in marketing helps to grow our business and win projects — most of which are very important to our communities and the environment .
You ’ re the head of the Key Account Studio . How do you remain effective at responding to a constant stream of qualifications requests ?
BD : Having a bigger team sure helps ! But even when appropriately staffed , the sheer volume of qualifications requests can sometimes become overwhelming . So , we ’ ve developed a process that allows us enough time to respond to every qualified opportunity that comes our way . First , we had to communicate to all project managers that qualifications requests need to be submitted with at least two weeks ’ lead time . I review the new quals requests and outline what is required . I then talk to the marketing team to see what new opportunities they can handle . The trick is to stay ahead of everything , so it doesn ’ t become overwhelming . It ’ s a divide and conquer approach , and I ’ m lucky to work with a great team that ’ s become adept at multi-tasking whatever else they ’ re doing with qualifications .
12 | Q3 / 2022