An accomplished executive and entrepreneur with deep experience in the AEC industry, Alsop will expand McKissack’s portfolio in the District, Maryland AND Virginia
WASHINGTON, January 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — McKissack & McKissack, one of the leading black-owned and women-owned architecture, engineering and construction firms, announced today that Alana Alsop will lead the firm’s business development for District of ColumbiaMaryland and Virginia. Alsop has more than 15 years of business development and marketing experience in the AEC industry and a proven track record of connecting with business leaders to develop new relationships and productive working partnerships to accelerate pipeline performance.
Alana Alsop
Strong relationships like Alsop’s are key to building the multidisciplinary teams that are so important in delivering quality construction projects as the country increases its focus on improving infrastructure. Estimates are that some 19 billion dollars in federal spending from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is directed toward DC, Maryland and Virginia—the region often referred to as the DMV. Most of these expenses will go to the population Washington-Baltimore the region, which has come out Chicago to rank as the country’s third largest metropolis.
“We are already active in many infrastructure projects in the DMV, but we plan to significantly expand our work in this area. The barriers to entry in this sector are high, however, especially for minority- and women-owned businesses. But breaking into this this type of work is complex and weighted towards companies with a large majority”, he said Deryl McKissack, president and CEO of McKissack. “When I met Alana through her business development efforts for other firms, it was clear to me that she would be a great fit for McKissack and give us an edge. She has excellent contacts and the perfect skillset for the needs ours.”
Alsop will strengthen McKissack’s current business relationships and build new ones
As director of business development for DC, Maryland AND Virginia, Alsop will support the firm’s current and new client relationships, monitor markets and identify emerging trends. She will execute initiatives to increase the visibility of the company’s broad portfolio of projects as a way to bring in new business.
“I aim to strengthen current relationships, develop new relationships and be an active player in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in relation to procurement. We want to ensure that women and minorities have a level playing field when it comes to for these projects,” Alsop said.
She noted that McKissack has been a thought leader in the AEC industry, promoting equity for minority- and women-owned businesses. “Deryl has fought every day for her success and now she’s working to level the playing field and make it more equal for different medium-sized businesses. We’re working to get bigger shares of projects and led teams as the prime contractor, in partnership with other top-tier like-minded companies.”
Alsop’s deep experience covers every aspect of business development
The entrepreneur has worked in “every aspect of business development” in the AEC industry
Prior to joining McKissack, Alsop was director of marketing and business development for David M. Schwarz Architects in Washington DC However, most of her career has been as an entrepreneur. Since 2013, she has owned BoothBid, a consulting company that connects new and emerging businesses with exhibit booths and sponsorships at national trade conferences and similar events. Although the convention and conference business slowed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Alsop said “the experience shaped who I am today and I will always be an entrepreneur at heart after running my own business for nearly a decade.”
Business development work has a lot in common with entrepreneurship, according to Alsop. “You run your part of the company, set goals and go for it — but with a firm like McKissack, you have a lot more support and a wider range of services to market,” she said.
“I’ve been in every aspect of the business development field, from proposals and sponsorships to sales and marketing. It’s given me such a broad range of skills and such an important depth of knowledge that I have the ability to jump in, make new contacts and turn them into authentic and productive connections,” Alsop said.
Prior to founding her company, Alsop worked in the AEC industry as director of sponsorship for Associated Builders and Contractors, the trade group, and as a proposal manager in the construction and engineering division of Pepco Energy Services.
Alsop noted that she was drawn to work for McKissack because “I met Deryl McKissack at various industry events and admired her success in business, her fighting spirit and her leadership in mentoring others, and especially women, in the industry. She is forging a meaningful and unique path in the AEC industry and I hope to follow in her footsteps,” said Alsop.
Alsop, who is from Massachusettsmoved to Maryland for college and graduated with a BA in English Language and Literature from Morgan State University and with her MA in Publishing Design from University of Baltimore. She is a certified project management professional (PMP) and is a member of the Project Management Institute. She describes herself as a “fearless networker” and is an active member of groups including Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), NAIOP and the Society for Professional Marketing Services (SMPS).
Alsop lives in Prince George’s County, Marylandwith her husband, who is an urban farmer, two daughters and a dog.
About McKissack & McKissack: Founded in 1990, McKissack is a national, women- and minority-owned architecture, engineering, program and construction management firm dedicated to providing industry-leading expertise and best-in-class service to a diverse client base. in all market sectors. McKissack strives to work with clients to envision and deliver construction and infrastructure projects that enrich people’s lives and empower communities to thrive. Based on Washington DC with offices in Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston AND The angels, McKissack’s three service areas are architecture and interiors, program and construction management, and infrastructure. It is ranked by Engineering News-Record among the Top 50 Program Management Firms and Top 100 Paying Construction Management Firms in the nation. Learn more at mckinc.com.
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