SMPS recognizes Dana Burkes with highest honor

The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) has recognized Dana Birkes, vice president and chief marketing officer with Flintco LLC, with the 2012 Weld  Coxe Marketing Achievement Award.

The Marketing Achievement Award (MAA) is the highest individual honor bestowed by SMPS, saluting industry professionals for exemplary achievements and contributions to the field of professional services marketing in the design and building industry, the association said in a news release. "The award criterion requires that nominees demonstrate significant accomplishments in at least three of five categories: education, professional leadership, innovative programs, marketing communications, and research. Birkes’ career encapsulates consistent and exemplary achievements across these categories."

Birkes is known by her colleagues as an exceptional role model and a champion of professional development for marketers and business developer, the SMPS announcement said. Through her A/E/C leadership roles, speaking and writing, civic engagement, and professional management and mentoring experience, she inspires and leads others to advance their careers and companies.

A few of Birkes’ professional accomplishments in her 25-year career:

• At Flintco, Birkes is an inspirational and transformational leader for the company’s marketing, business development, and public relations. She was integral in the successful transition of the company from a regional, hard-bid sales organization to a primarily qualifications-based firm with a national focus. The success of the transition is evident in Flintco’s 300% revenue growth, and it is more than doubling past hit rates on negotiated work.
• A past president of SMPS National, Birkes also has served the Society as a member and chair of many committees including conference chair, national secretary/treasurer, and a national board member. She is currently incoming president of the SMPS Foundation Board of Trustees. Birkes was founding president of SMPS Utah and served on the SMPS Dallas/Fort Worth Board of Directors. As SMPS National president, she spearheaded the development of a research-based dashboard identifying the status of key health metrics for the organization still in use today.
• Birkes has distinguished herself as a Fellow of SMPS and recently was one of nine professionals inducted into the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Her professional and community leadership led to her recognition as one of 50 Women of the Year in the state of Oklahoma by the Journal Record. Birkes is one of 20 executives on the national executive board of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and one of six on the national board of the Associated Builders and Contractors Service Corporation. Locally, she served on the boards of PRSA and the American Institute of Architects Eastern Oklahoma (three terms). 
• Birkes has received 30 awards for marketing communications in a wide variety of categories. This includes seven SMPS National Marketing Communications Awards and 14 state awards. She also has won nine first-place American Advertising Federation awards and been recognized by PRSA with its highest award, the Silver Link, for the marketing campaign that successfully took a company public on the New York Stock Exchange.
• As AGC’s national liaison, Birkes co-led with FMI the development of primary research of more than 300 construction companies related to marketing and business development practices in the built environment.
• She has co-authored three books and written articles for several publications and professional journals. Birkes has served as a speaker at national, regional, and local venues for SMPS, AIA, AGC, PRSA, and McGraw-Hill. She also has provided leadership for industry publications including Construction Executive magazine (national operations board), Texas Architect (editorial advisory committee), A/E Marketing Journal (contributing editor), and Marketer (national editorial committee chair).

Birkes received the award during the SMPS Awards Gala on July 12 in San Francisco, held in conjunction with Build Business, the SMPS National Conference. Birkes is the 22^nd recipient of the award, renamed last year to honor marketing pioneer and past MAA honoree Weld Cox, Hon. AIA, FSMPS.