MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | AMANDA NICHOLLS
Posted on Mar. 21, 2024 / Member Spotlight / Subscribe 0
Meet Amanda Nicholls, Event & Development Coordinator at Colliers Engineering & Design and a new member of SMPS New York!
Tell us about yourself!
Hi, my name is Amanda Nicholls and I have had the wonderful opportunity to be an Event & Development Coordinator at Colliers Engineering & Design for close to a year and a half now. I am a mother of a beautifully curious 4 year-old daughter and a sweet but energetic two year-old son. My husband and I just recently bought our first home and are excited to begin this new chapter of our lives together with our family. Making memories, seeking out adventures and experiencing life with genuine compassion is what I am truly proud to say is an acquired lifestyle I am hoping to achieve.
Can you explain what is involved in your day-to-day as an Event & Development Coordinator at Colliers?
As an Event & Development Coordinator, I work within a team of amazing people who help assist with a wide range of requests, from conference registrations all the way through to license renewals. I have the absolute pleasure of working under our Corporate Events Manager and Executive Assistant of the CEO, Michelle Brennan, who leads our team to success. I for one, work predominately on our “Requests for Professional Development,” and assist with creating new/renewing individual and corporate organizational Memberships. Through my daily job function, I communicate with a wide range of the firm’s 2,500 employees, ranging from Administrative Professionals and Engineers to the CEO and other Corporate Executives to secure and process these requests to accommodate the needs of the individual. I take serious pride in my work and in having the opportunity to enroll and assist both emerging and well-established engineers to pursue their professional development and growth.
How is your team structured and how do you work together with others to achieve larger marketing, business development and professional development goals at your company?
The Events & Development Corporate Services Team is made up of 8 of us (including myself), which includes our Corporate Events Manager, Conference Coordinators, Event & Development Coordinators, and Conference Coordinator Assistants. We secure and assist with booth/exhibit spaces, provide marketing materials and swag, help with sponsorships and coordinate with our Marketing Team on branding of our Colliers Engineering & Design name and advertisement production, enroll employees in various exam preparation courses, required recertification or new certification trainings, assist with license renewals, and provide access to subscriptions and publications. We work with all disciplines within our firm including Marketing, Business Development, Project Managers, Architects, Risk Management, Legal, Surveyors, Infrastructure, Civil/Site and Municipal Engineers. Communication within our team and throughout our daily work life is the key to successfully support the common goal of the firm. Without our strong united presence, we would not be capable of achieving the sheer success and continuous knowledge that Colliers Engineering & Design and all its employees have been able to obtain.
How did you get involved in the AEC industry?
Oddly enough, both my father and stepfather work in the engineering field, one for the Long Island Railroad and the other for Construction Engineering and Concrete Inspection. My mom has worked for a large corporate financial firm, within their Risk Management department and as VP within their Corporate Services Team. So, it seems between my paternal guidance it only made sense to wind up here. Prior to starting at Colliers Engineering & Design, I pursued my Psychology Degree after finding a genuine fascination and love for understanding human nature and emotion. I worked as an Event Coordinator at a small family banquet/restaurant under an Event Director, which provided me both a hands on and behind the scenes approach to event sales, marketing tactics and the ability to work with a wide range of people by assisting with their upcoming celebratory events and contracting them to our place of business. This experience piqued my interest in working in an internal corporate service capacity which would later broaden my professional business development journey. When I started at Colliers Engineering & Design, I knew that I was looking to become an essential member of a larger group of people who shared the common goal of marketing, building, driving, and satisfying internal and external clients’ business objectives.
Can you talk about a project or initiative you’re currently working on? What do you like most about it?
I am currently leading multiple Colliers Engineering & Design master membership rosters which include ASCE, ACEC, AISC, SAME, and NAIOP. I work with the individual member/employee within our firm to obtain their qualifications and information, which I then track and coordinate with the organization. This objective has allowed me to become familiar with all types of people, including, engineers in training, regional discipline leaders, division directors, and our president and CEO of the company. I have been able to coordinate and work side by side with people from all walks of life who are interested in individual and corporate professional growth. Leading these projects has allowed me to continuously expand my business development knowledge and ethics to better serve my internal clients’ needs. Also, having the opportunity where I can work with outside vendors/organizations to better promote and market Colliers Engineering & Design and all the amazing people and services we have to offer has truly been an honor and pleasure.
As a new member of SMPS, how did you learn about the organization, and what impacted your decision to join?
As an Event & Development Coordinator, I have a heavy hand in assisting not only the engineers, but our corporate service employees as well. By renewing multiple SMPS memberships, and enrolling multiple marketing representatives, business development leaders, and administrators to both SMPS seminars, sponsorships, and conferences, I have had my fair share of content to review. Through enrollments and registrations, I came across educational, women-empowering offerings that I never knew were out there, let alone provided by a “marketing” organization. The more I had an opportunity to register employees for various conferences and webinars, I started to consider how I and my team could thrive and truly benefit from a membership such as this one. When going through our internal review process, I compiled a list of various webinars that I thought would be a great professional development tool and key competent to our success, such as:
- Sharpen your Speaking Skills and Ease your Anxiety (will help benefit the team when requesting advisement, email/communication etiquette, multitasking)
- Building an Authentic Long- Distance Culture (as our firm continues to expand in many geographic regions, our communication tactics must change per demographic and location, this will help with interoffice collaboration)
- The Truth Behind Professional Services Marketing (will benefit conference marketing perspective, value in pre/post conference evaluations)
- Business Development: Essential Concepts for your Personal & Firm Growth (will benefit Events & Development Team and Corporate Events on Business Development and working with internal clients and effective communications)
What are you hoping to get out of your SMPS membership?
I am hoping to become connected with top-quality education and critical business and career resources, learn business development strategies, and benefit from leadership opportunities, training, and skills to advance my career as well as Colliers Engineering & Design’s business. Lastly, my genuine goal is to boost my skillset and be able to share knowledge provided from my membership to my peers and amplify it in my personal and professional life.
What are some of your interests and hobbies outside of work?
As previously mentioned, I am a wife and mother of two (three counting our puppy). My life is full of fun, inquisitive, loud, and memorable moments I have had the honor of experiencing. I absolutely love live music, the beach, and reading a good book over a hot cup of tea. I have some of the most sincere and true friends and family, that I am grateful for every day. Honestly, through the years I have learned to appreciate the small moments around you, and to live with open arms and gratitude because in an instant everything can change. I can say with genuine enthusiasm, that I am very much looking forward to what the next door in my life will open and to see what’s on the other side. Thank you for taking the time to read my spotlight…maybe we will connect again real soon!
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