Alana Alsop joins McKissack & McKissack as Director of Business Development DMV

Strong relationships like Alsop’s are key to building the multidisciplinary teams that are so important in delivering quality construction projects as the country focuses more on improving infrastructure. Estimates are that some $19 billion of federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act spending is heading to DC, Maryland and Virginia, the region often referred to as the DMV. Much of this spending will go to the most populous Washington-Baltimore region, which overtook Chicago rank as the third largest metropolis in the country.

“We are already active in many infrastructure projects in the DMV, but we plan to significantly expand our work in the region. The barriers to entry into this sector are high, however, especially for companies owned by companies. minorities and women. But getting into this type of work is complex and weighs on large majority companies,” said Deryl McKissack, President and CEO of McKissack. “When I met Alana through her business development efforts for other companies, it was clear to me that she would be a perfect fit for McKissack and give us an edge. She has great contacts and the perfect skills for our purposes.”

Alsop will consolidate current McKissack business relationships and establish new ones

As Director of Business Development for DC, Maryland and Virginia, Alsop will support relationships with the company’s current and new customers, monitor markets and identify emerging trends. She will execute initiatives to increase the visibility of the company’s extensive set of projects as a means of attracting new business.

“I aim to solidify current relationships, develop new ones and take an active role in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in procurement. We want to ensure that women and minorities get a level playing field when it comes to these projects,” Alsop said. said.

She pointed out that McKissack has been a thought leader in the AEC industry, pushing for equity in minority and women-owned businesses. “Deryl has fought hard for her success every day and now she is working to level the playing field and make it fairer for various midsize companies. We are working to get bigger projects and to lead teams as prime contractor, in partnership with other leading like-minded companies.”

Alsop’s in-depth experience covers all aspects of business development

The entrepreneur has worked in “all aspects 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 d.c. However, much of her career has been spent as an entrepreneur. Since 2013, she has owned BoothBid, a consultancy that connects new and emerging businesses with exhibit booths and sponsorships at national trade conferences and similar events. Although convention and conference business has slowed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Alsop said “the experience has shaped who I am today and I will always be an entrepreneur at heart having run my own company for almost a decade”.

Business development work has a lot in common with entrepreneurship, according to Alsop. “You run your own part of the business, set goals and go for it, but with a company like McKissack you have a lot more support and a wider range of services to market,” she said. .

“I have been in all aspects of the business development field from proposals and sponsorships to sales and marketing. It has given me such a wide range of skills and such a depth of knowledge that I have the ability to jump in, make new contacts and turn them into genuine, productive connections,” Alsop said.

Prior to founding her own company, Alsop worked in the AEC industry as a sponsorship manager for Associated Builders and Contractors, the trade group, and as a proposal manager in the construction and engineering section of Pepco Energy Services.

Alsop noted that she was drawn to McKissack because “I met Deryl McKissack at various industry events and admired her business success, fighting spirit and leadership in mentoring others, and especially women, in the industry. She is charting a significant and unique path in the AEC industry, and I hope to follow in her footsteps,” Alsop said.

Alsop, who comes from Massachusettsmoved to Maryland for college and earned her BA in English Language and Literature from Morgan State University and with her Masters in Publication Design from the University of Baltimore. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a member of the Project Management Institute. She describes herself as a “fearless networker” and is an active member of groups such as Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), NAIOP and the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS).

Alsop lives Prince George’s County, Marylandwith her husband, an urban farmer, two daughters and a dog.

About McKissack & McKissack: Founded in 1990, McKissack is a national, women-owned and minority-owned architectural, engineering, program management and construction firm dedicated to providing industry-leading expertise and first-rate services to a wide range of customers in all market sectors. McKissack strives to work with its clients to envision and deliver construction and infrastructure projects that enrich people’s lives and enable communities to thrive. Situated at washington d.c. with offices at Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, dallas, Houston and Los Angeles, 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 companies and the top 100 paying construction management companies in the nation. Learn more at mckinc.com.

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