Aaron Unterreiner | PND Engineers, Inc.
In this month’s member spotlight, Aaron Unterreiner takes time out of his busy day to chat with SMPS. Aaron, who works for PND Engineers Inc. as its marketing manager, shares the rewards of his job and the benefits of being an SMPS member..
Q: How did you find your way to the AEC industry and your current firm?
A: This is my first turn in the AEC industry after spending nearly 20 years in journalism, specifically in newspapers, as a sportswriter, sports editor, news editor, general copyeditor, copywriter, and page designer. I moved to Alaska in the autumn of 2018, then responded to a marketing coordinator vacancy at PND Engineers, Inc. I’ll celebrate my five-year anniversary at PND next fall (October 2023).
Q: What is your favorite part of the job?
A: One of my favorite parts of this job is aggregating articulate and competitive proposals for our firm. I enjoy the process—reading a request for proposals/qualifications, understanding the client’s project, outlining our response, then designing a creative approach that thoughtfully markets our experience and expertise to best suit the client’s needs. From outline to deadline, I find the proposal process a strange brew of copyediting, copywriting, page-designing, and storytelling that well suits my creative and editorial skillsets. It’s intoxicating, and it’s particularly rewarding when that process results in a win-win situation for the client and our company.
Q: What has been your most meaningful project?
A: I created a ~300-page historical perspective to celebrate PND’s 40th anniversary in 2019. I was relatively new to the company, so I was taking a deep dive into our archives to get a good feel for what this company has accomplished since it was established in 1979. Turns out, it’s quite a lot. The book included an origin story titled “On a Fishing Boat at Sea,” which showcased interviews with the company’s founders and documented PND’s roots in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The book, which also featured a founders timeline and two unique company timelines, continues to serve the company as a comprehensive resource of PND’s history.
Q: What are your challenges?
A: As a marketing creative whose team is comprised of less than 1% of its majority engineering workforce, one of my biggest challenges has been learning to speak the A/E/C language as well as the nuances of communicating with a myriad of A/E/C professionals.
Q: What was a pivotal point in your career?
A: I can point to three seminal moments in my professional career, all requiring leaps of faith. The first was moving from my college town in Springfield, Missouri, to Durango, Colorado, without a full-time job in hand. That blank slate turned into a formative 11-year career at The Durango Herald, where I banked a wealth of experience in the communications industry. The next was leaving the comfort, rank, and stability of that position for another unknown future in Davis, California. That turned into three years of professional experience at The Sacramento Bee, the flagship newspaper of The McClatchy Company, a nationwide publishing conglomerate. Following that tune, I moved to Alaska without a job in hand and limited opportunities for career continuity. So, I expanded my search. I consider myself fortunate for pivoting into a marketing career in the AEC industry, and I’m grateful for landing at a company that not only features a rich history in the State of Alaska but one that’s also left an indelible mark on the AEC industry at large.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is about to enter the marketing or business development field?
A: Lean into your experience(s), all of it. The thought of transitioning careers, even when it’s within the same industry, is uncomfortable. I had no idea if my previous experience would transfer to marketing, but it turns out I use my journalism background daily in my new role as a marketer. The inquisitive nature inherent in editors and writers can be a valuable tool for marketers, as well. Take an interest in what you do. Take pride in what you do. The quality of your work will show in the results, and success will follow.
Q: What’s on your bucket list?
A: Traveling. Here, there, everywhere. Seeing the world with my partner.
Q: How do you spend your time outside of work?
A: I play recreational softball in the summer and soccer in the winter. I enjoy camping, exploring, hiking, and skiing with my partner and our dog, including spending as much time as humanly possible canoeing as many Alaska rivers as I can find.
Q: What’s the best and worst part of the pandemic for you?
A: As it relates to the job? Teleworking. Personally, I enjoy working from the comforts of my own home ─ the quiet, the productivity, the solitude, and the time saved on the commute. But there is no substitute equal to face-to-face human interaction. You can be an excellent communicator, yet relationships will always suffer without the interpersonal subtleties of reading your coworkers’ body language, eye contact, and facial expressions.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you?
A: I oversee a marketing department with just two full-time marketing coordinators at a firm with more than 100 employees across nine offices. So, proposals are the name of the game. If we’re not actively working on a proposal, then I’m actively searching online for our company’s next project. On the rare occasions when I’m not working on proposals, then I’m typically looking for original content to create for our social medium (LinkedIn) and website that helps tell PND’s story and shine a spotlight on the innovative engineers and engineering solutions that dot this company’s long and impressive history.
Q: Why is SMPS important to you?
A: We live in the present to create a better future, which is only possible by learning from the mistakes and successes of our past. SMPS exists because of that past, present, and future. I’m new to marketing, so I respect the years of cumulative professional experience that SMPS represents. It’s comforting to know there’s a society of experienced marketers out there that is working hard to protect and support my professional interests.
Q: What do you look forward to most in a post-COVID world?
A: Live music.
Q: Who inspires you?
A: My partner. My family. My friends. My community.
Q: Who would you choose to switch places with for a day?
A: The starting centerfielder of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Q: Would you rather attend a sporting event, concert, or neither?
A: That depends on the game and the show. I prefer playing sports to watching them, but I’d rather attend a St. Louis Cardinals or St. Louis Blues game than go to a concert. I do love good live music, though.
Q: Who do you consider a role model?
A: My parents.
Q: Guilty pleasure: What can you not live without?
A: My annual seasonal rotation of fantasy sports.
