Business Analyst / Technical Writer / Marketing Plannning

CHRISTOPHER M. JOHNSON

**** ******** ** **********, ** 12831 919-***-**** ******@*****.***

Education History

COLGATE UNIVERSITY / UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY, Albany, NY

B.A., Organizational Communication (UA), summa cum laude, 1999 (note: Organization Communication

broadly focuses on communication processes in a corporate or otherwise highly structured setting)

Partially complete (as of 2013) studies toward a M.A. in Organizational Communication

Computer Skills

Well versed with all Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, Visio, Outlook, etc.), Adobe Lightroom, Deltek CRM,

and the operation of Windows-based PCs.

Employment History

Senior Technical Writer & Public Relations Specialist

Clough Harbour & Associates LLP (CHA), Albany, NY; March, 2001 to July, 2010

References:

• Ms. Robin Styles-Lopez, Creative Services Director, KSQ Architects, *******-*****@*************.***; (914)

682-3700 (Ms. Styles-Lopez served as Director of Creative Services at CHA during my time with the company)

• Mr. Scott Keating, Communications Manager; CHA; 518-***-****

Clough Harbour & Associates LLP (CHA) is a large engineering and design firm operating throughout the

Eastern United States. While there I served as a lead writer for internal process manuals, executive reports &

communications, industry awards, public relations, marketing collateral, and the preparation/editing of

qualifications packages and proposals. In 2009 I was transferred to NC to lead the company’s Raleigh office

and provide marketing support for their GA, VA, FL, and TX locations.

Staff Writer; Director of Investor Relations / Public Relations

Kendall Asset Partners LLC; August, 2010 to September 2012

References:

• Mr. Russ Wallace, Principal; 919-***-****; ********@********************.***

• Mr. Howard Abell, Principal; 919-***-****; ******@********************.***

Kendall Asset Partners is an acquisition sponsor and operator of multifamily properties in the southern United

States. While there I developed investor documents, SEC compliance documents, created a complete suite of

original marketing collateral, and provided economic/demographic analysis of potential acquisitions.

On-call Grant Writer

AMEC Earth & Environmental; September 2012 to present (as on-call employee for technical writing)

Reference: Mr. Harold Thurston, PG, Senior Project Manager; 919-***-****; ******.********@****.***

AMEC is a multinational supplier of consulting engineering services. I have provided comprehensive grant

writing and research support to AMEC offices in North Carolina. Recent work has included multiple grant

proposals for brownfield assessments on behalf of the company’s municipal clients.

Core Competencies

• Qualifications/Proposal Writing • Public Relations & Brand Development

• Internal Communications • Grant Writing & Technical Writing

• Marketing Planning & Market Research • Speech & Testimony Preparation

• Print & Online Marketing Collateral • Industry Award Nominations

•

Qualifications & Proposal Writing

Prepared qualifications packages for a variety of engineering and design services, turnkey design-build services, and

joint quals packages where CHA would establish a teaming relationship with a firm to explore an emerging market

(these were smaller firms typically lacking marketing staff; I would develop shared quals and new marketing collateral

for their use). Provided proposal preparation support (this often constituted a significant portion of my day) to develop

the introduction, team descriptions, staff bios, qualifications, and background, then coordinate with technical staff for

sections requiring specialized engineering knowledge (such as the specific methodology and budget). Continuously

updated client and project information in the company’s Deltek CRM program, and maintained a library of project

photography for future efforts. In all cases my goal was to assume as much of the preparation burden as possible,

enabling design staff to stay focused on their utilization rates. Working with the company’s Technology Solutions team

(a software development group), I helped develop documentation and for both internal benchmarking and documents

for the end users (typically these were either state transportation agencies or local government planning staff).

Internal Communications

Wrote internal policy memos and all companywide communications at CHA issued from the office of the Chief

Executive Officer, including a monthly newsletter column from the CEO. Wrote and coordinated the design of annual

corporate news pieces distributed to all staff and stakeholders, such as the Strategic Planning Update, Annual Quality

Report, and similar communications. Provided assistance to HR staff when internal communication on a sensitive

topic was required (e.g., death of a staff member, political issues affecting the company, or negative press coverage).

Wrote or co-wrote the monthly company newsletter; solicited and edited (or ghost-wrote, usually) newsletter

contributions from staff around the company.

Marketing Planning & Market Research

Solely responsible for the coordination and publication of a comprehensive Annual Marketing and Business

Development Plan for an 800-employee company (CHA) from 2006-2010. Content included performance

retrospectives, assets and capabilities reviews, market forecasts, and establishment of performance targets (for both

revenue and staff development) for the coming year. Worked closely with executive staff and regional directors to

create actionable plans tailored to local needs across the country. Issued ongoing updates to enable staff to use the plan

as a roadmap for efforts over the year.

Pioneered the creation of a full service, in-house research program for market research and competitive intelligence by

drawing on professional contacts as well as available third party information databases such as D&B, Lexis-Nexis, and

Harris InfoSource. Served as lead provider of market research services for CHA from 2002-2010 conducting research

into the impacts of regulatory changes, impacts of new technology, and market assessments for developing business

opportunities. Worked with company leadership to review and analyze research findings, including travelling to

regional locations to present findings and help lead information gathering and planning sessions. Provided research in

support of Due Diligence efforts to investigate potential acquisitions. Completed over 50 research reports of varying

complexity from narrow assessments of specific business opportunities to the broad analysis of impacts from

upcoming regulatory changes.

At Kendall Asset Partners LLC (2010 to 2012) guided development of marketing plans for 2011 and 2012 and

provided ongoing economic/demographic analysis to guide property acquisition efforts. Efforts also included the

development of a full suite of original marketing collateral (print and online) and various informational packages for

qualified investors.

Print & Online Marketing Collateral

Served as primary author and designer for the creation of hundreds of original brochures and flysheets over the course

of my years with CHA and Kendall. Efforts spanned traditional print as well as online formats (including large sections

of the corporate website at CHA) to better communicate technical capacities and design vision to a non-technical

audience. Commissioned photo shoots for high profile projects and maintained a extensive library of project

photography for marketing purposes.

In 2009, pioneered a new system of marketing collateral and led the subsequent effort to overhaul the company’s

printed literature: the “Kit of Parts” approach consisted of a core brochure along with a wider library of optional

insertable sections that allowed for the rapid creation of custom tailored marketing packages for individual clients.

Public Relations & Brand Development

Maintained media contact lists and coordinated an active press outreach program across 27 offices and eight states.

Worked in conjunction with company executives and clients to develop responses to media inquiries and build positive

coverage. Responsible for efforts to position the company in industry rankings (e.g., New York Construction “Best of

2010”, ACEC Market Leaders lists, etc.) and win recognition in various programs sponsored by trade journals,

professional associations, and local chambers of commerce. Approximately doubled the company’s (CHA) success rate

in achieving positive recognition across these formats. Developed SEC-required investor documents and a full suite of

marketing collateral (for print, online, and “live” investor presentations) for a start-up investment company (Kendall).

Prepared in excess of 100 articles, including “ghost writing” complex technical pieces, submitted to professional

journals/business periodicals to help establish the company as an authority on various issues of concern to the

company’s clients. These articles typically examined the company’s role in a locally prominent public works project

and connected the challenges and solution of that project to the broader issues of the day.

Wrote and maintained mailing lists for three client newsletters (one, at Kendall, was online-only) which were issued

quarterly to existing clients and new prospects. The Industrial Advisor was mailed to 5,000 contacts in manufacturing;

the Community Record was sent to 2,500 contacts in local government. Both newsletters averaged six pages and

featured quality photography and professional layouts.

Prepared advertising copy for print ads, trade show booths, and direct mailings to potential clients; guided graphic

designers in creating layouts for ads, trade show displays, etc. Prepared content for large sections of the company

website during an overhaul to the website (CHA); worked with IT staff to ensure the new layout met marketing needs.

Grant Writing & Technical Writing

Served as author and researcher for grant proposals on behalf clients (at CHA and AMEC) to support various projects

including brownfields assessments, water treatment plant construction, and similar civil works projects. At CHA I

generally served as an assistant author/editor for grant proposals; at AMEC I was assigned to work directly with the

company’s clients to lead the preparation and submission of grant proposals. Recent efforts at AMEC have included

multiple EPA brownfield grants assessment grant proposals for municipalities in North Carolina.

Speech & Testimony preparation

Developed position papers and oral testimony for presentation before government bodies by company executives,

including: New York State Advisory Panel on Transportation Policy for 2025, NYS Senate Finance Committee, NYS

Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and many local-level presentations before city or county government.

Prepared (in close coordination with executive staff) hundreds of staff communications and reports for presentation at

company-wide meetings/events, client meetings, and similar events.

Industry Award Programs

Managed all award program participation at CHA where I successfully boosted the company’s win rate to over 75%

(this includes programs hosted by ACEC, NYSSPE, APWA, and ASLA, as well as various engineering and

construction periodicals). Programs participated in included project-oriented awards as well as staff recognition

programs (e.g., engineer-of-the-year type awards) intended as morale boosters for key staff. Notable accomplishments

included several ACEC Diamond “best in class” industry recognitions. Efforts entailed developing a technical

narrative describing design accomplishments and construction techniques, commissioning project photography,

guiding the work of graphic artists, preparing material for oral presentation, and repurposing all developed material for

ongoing marketing use. Prepared in excess of 75 such submissions for various award programs.

Examples of any items described above that were originally intended for public release are available upon request.

Contact this candidate