From tracking construction projects with award potential to leveraging award wins, this presentation will cover the full lifecycle of the award process and help participants develop winning strategies for every stage. Participants will learn how to:

• Connect proposal/presentation best practices to winning awards strategies
• Conduct interviews with project teams that obtain the information needed to win
• Align business acquisition goals with awards programs/strategies
• Evaluate odds of winning
• Make submittals stand out from the pack
• Understand judging: the do’s and don’ts

Presented by Erin L. Branham & Albert McDonald, AIA

Erin L. Branham

As National Director, Brand and Communications for Balfour Beatty US, Erin provides dynamic leadership for external communications, content strategy, and brand management. Since joining Balfour Beatty in 2011, Erin has won numerous national, regional, and local industry awards. A recognized awards expert, Erin has served as Chair of the Associated Builders and Contractors Carolinas Chapter Excellence in Construction Awards since 2014.

An award-winning writer, Erin is the recipient of a Public Relations Society of America Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation, and her work has been featured in Construction Today and Multifamily Executive Magazine. She has also received the National Council of the Teachers of English Writing Award.

Erin earned her B.A., magna cum laude, and M.A. in English from Wake Forest University. She is actively engaged in her local community as a volunteer for Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region and Teach for America. 

Albert McDonald, AIA

Albert McDonald is a design leader with a broad range of experience, including projects for higher education, commercial, and science and technology. He is valued by clients and design teams for his innovative ideas and design solutions. Active in the Triangle area architecture community, he is currently serving as president-elect of AIA Triangle, is a member of the Raleigh Appearance Commission, and regularly mentors architecture students and interns.

In 2018, Albert was honored with the Emerging Professional Award from AIA North Carolina, which is given in recognition of leadership within the profession by an architect who has been practicing for less than 10 years.

Throughout his career Albert has employed design competitions to sharpen his skills and knowledge, subsequently being recognized regionally, nationally and internationally for his efforts. In recent years, he has focused the educational qualities of design competitions into an initiative within Clark Nexsen called Combustion Chamber. Albert established and leads Combustion Chamber as a vehicle to foster experimentation and investigation in design of the built environment. He holds a Bachelor in Architecture with honors from NC State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from UNC Charlotte.

Please park in the Hearst Tower parking garage.

Lunch will be provided.

This event is sponsored by:

If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Turner at 704.644.4522 or [email protected]

Cancellation/Refund Policy:
Cancellations made 72-hours prior to the event will receive a refund. Due to our commitment with the meeting facility for food and beverage quantities, all other cancellations or no-shows will be invoiced for the full cost of the event.