There's always a lot going on in the world of AEC marketing. The deadlines are real, the pressure can build, and somewhere between all of the submittal requirements, check-in meetings, task lists, and marketing production, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the details and lose sight of the bigger picture. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky sits down with Grace Takehara for a conversation that has nothing to do with proposal strategy and everything to do with the person behind all that...
Jun 3
20 min
Have you ever wondered what it’s actually like to work with Middle of Six? In this episode of The Shortlist, Principals Wendy Simmons and Melissa Richey answer one of the most common questions they hear from AEC firms: “How does this even work?” From the first meet-and-greet conversation to onboarding, discovery sessions, project check-ins, and final deliverables, Wendy and Melissa walk through how MO6 plugs into teams to provide strategic marketing and business development support. And in cl...
May 27
46 min
In this episode of The Short(er) List, we're bringing you the software debate event of the century! Becky welcomes guest and sparring partner Katy Byers for knock-out, drag-out, no holds barred throwdown over the best tool for collecting proposal feedback from technical staff. Katy is team Bluebeam. Becky is not. She is very, very not. What follows is a good-natured and delightfully passionate argument about markups, workflows, and whether Bluebeam is a powerful proposal tool or just a PDF ed...
May 20
16 min
Proposal deadlines have a way of testing even the most seasoned AEC marketers. No matter how carefully a pursuit is planned, you never know when you'll have to defuse a ticking time bomb, minutes before the deadline. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by designers Becky Ellison and Lauren Jane Peterson to discuss the “MacGyver moments” that happen when proposal teams are racing against the clock. From InDesign crashes and corrupt exports to oversized PDFs, emergency pri...
May 13
53 min
No notes. No outline. No edits. No regrets. (Okay, maybe a few regrets.) In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky and Kyle are going live. After deciding on the episode topic approximately four minutes before hitting record, they just ... went for it. The result? An unfiltered, unscripted, and unrehearsed conversation about one of AEC marketing's most quietly complicated relationships: the interplay between graphic designers and content writers. Listen to find out if they pull it off. No ...
May 6
15 min
Strong project management isn’t just for the construction jobsite—it’s a critical skill for every AEC marketer. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Melissa Richey and Lauren Jane Peterson to explore how marketers naturally step into project management roles across proposals, events, and campaigns. From defining scope and managing risk to leading communication and keeping teams aligned, the MO6 team breaks down practical strategies that keep work moving. We also dive i...
Apr 29
41 min
On this episode of The Short(er) List, we're leveraging innovative and collaborative solutions to provide comprehensive expertise that's both strategic and sustainable. And we're passionate about it, too. If that introduction sounds both nonsensical and completely normal, then you're in the right place. Don't worry, we're also guilty. Becky Ellison and Kyle Davis are back to call all of us out, including themselves. From world-class delivery to holistic experience, they're unpacking the words...
Apr 22
23 min
Collaboration is at the heart of how the team at Middle of Six works—and being fully remote means finding tools that keep ideas flowing and groups aligned. In this episode of The Shortlist, MO6ers Kyle Davis and Lauren Jane Peterson share the ins and outs of using Mural, their favorite digital whiteboard platform. From internal brainstorming sessions and design charrettes to client workshops and presentations, Mural serves as a shared workspace where ideas can be captured, organized, and refi...
Apr 15
38 min
Close your eyes. Breathe. Relax your shoulders. The RFP document is only five pages long. The Project Manager won't be on vacation during the interview. The entire team agrees on the deadline for content. There is no page limit. No one cares about margins. This is ASMR for AEC Marketers. In this episode of The Short(er) List, Becky and Katy are whispering reassuring sweet nothings into your headphones with a topic that's both absurd and (oddly?) therapeutic. Your hosts are talking smooth and ...
Apr 8
10 min
Losing a pursuit is never fun but it can be one of the most valuable opportunities for growth. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Melissa Richey and Katy Byers to talk about what it really means to “fail forward” and how to turn losses into smarter strategy. From running more effective debriefs and asking sharper questions to digging into scoring feedback and gut-checking your go/no-go decisions, the team shares practical ways to understand what happened and how to i...
Apr 1
38 min
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