SMPS Heartland Regional Conference

Stambaugh Ness is proud to participate in the 2026 SMPS Heartland Regional Conference! Across this immersive three-day event (September 30 – October 2), AEC marketing, business development, and firm leaders will gather at the iconic Hilton Netherland Plaza to reimagine strategies, reinvent processes, and revive growth across the industry.

Throughout the multi-day conference, attendees will have access to high-impact educational tracks, dedicated networking receptions, and industry-leading insights. Be sure to catch Barbara Stiles, FSMPS, CPSM, as she leads two distinct sessions designed to equip technical professionals, marketers, and executive leaders with actionable tools to win more work and preserve vital client intelligence.

Featured Sessions:

What is Marketing & Business Development?

Wednesday, September 30 | 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

Kick off Day 1 of the conference with an interactive, half-day workshop exploring how AEC firms can strengthen business development by equipping technical professionals with the skills, tools, and confidence needed to support firm growth.

Reviving Your Firm’s Institutional Knowledge for the Next Generation

Thursday, October 1 | 9:15 AM — 10:15 AM EDT

With retirements, succession plans, and senior talent moving between firms, critical client and BD knowledge is at risk. It’s time to reimagine how expertise is preserved, reinvent how it’s shared, and revive institutional knowledge before it walks out the door. This session explores how to systematically capture senior staff experience and build an ongoing knowledge transfer program that equips future seller-doers and BD professionals. It provides practical, repeatable strategies to help AEC marketing and business development leaders preserve critical client and seller-doer knowledge.

Connect with Barbara in Cincinnati

Are you attending the multi-day conference? We’d love to connect during the Wednesday Night Welcome Reception, Thursday Conference Celebration, or between sessions.