Susan Allen Evans has been the business development associate for Auld & White Constructors for seven months.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
Business development. “My primary responsibility is getting out there and meeting and greeting to bring in new clients. My goal is to bring in as many repeat clients as I can.”
WHAT DOES AULD & WHITE DO?
It is a construction, construction management and general contracting firm. “We do anything except residential and condominiums. We do office buildings, tenant renovations, banking institutions, churches and schools. Mayo Clinic and Gate Petroleum are two of our biggest clients.”
HOW DOES SHE GET CLIENTS?
“Many different ways. When it’s the banks, we deal with their real estate division. We do a lot of significant one-time user deals where the client is really only going to build one building for five years, but it’s going to be a large facility. We usually find the leads through Cornerstone or word of mouth. We get a lot of business from people saying our name. Eighty-two percent of our business is repeat business.”
BEFORE AULD & WHITE?
She was the assistant marketing manager at HDR, Inc. an engineering firm. “I’ve been in sales and marketing for 15 years. Before HDR, I was with another engineering firm and before that I was a mortgage loan officer.”
WHY MAKE A MOVE TO AULD & WHITE?
“This is my way of being in front of the client, there I was behind the scenes. Now I get to be in front of the client and build a relationship with the client.”
HOW DID YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU NOW?
“Well, I grew up in a hotel. My father is a hotel manager and my first job was at seven years old. I would get 10 cents for every maintenance problem I found. That whole experience made me oriented toward customer service. My whole train of thought since birth has been towards customer service which leads to sales and marketing.” Evans’ previous experience as a loan officer gave her insight into customers and how they want to be treated. “When someone is building a substantial project, they want to feel like they are the only person you have. You really have to focus on that client. My forte is client analysis and strategic planning for the company.”
COLLEGE
Evans has a bachelor’s degree in business management and economics from Rhodes College.
BEST ADVICE FROM A CO-WORKER?
“Ed White gave me some very good advice yesterday. I’m very analytical and advice to me was to give myself an opportunity to take a moment and tell people I’ll get back to them. He also said when you start to get anxious about something not going the right way, visualize it all the way through to the end.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Never take yourself too seriously. Be willing to compromise and know when to laugh at yourself.”
PET PEEVES?
“Lying.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Commercial Real Estate Women of Jacksonville, Sales and Marketing Professional Society, Cornerstone and Blueprint for Prosperity.
ALL IN THE FAMILY?
Evans’ husband, Jeff, is a leasing and marketing representative for Pattillo Construction. “We talk about work a lot. He is my best friend. As far as my career goes, he has been nothing but a help. He has lived here all his life and knows so many of the people that I deal with. His company sticks with a certain product and we are all over the board. So, if someone comes to him and has a job that is not in his realm of the world, he calls me. And if I hear of someone looking for a certain square footage of whatever I send them his way. We have a great time talking about work.”
HOMETOWN
Marco Island. She moved to Jacksonville in 1995.
RESIDES
Beauclerc.
PERSONAL SIDE?
She has been married to Jeff for one year. Together they have two children, Cherish, 20 and Carter, 6. When she is not working, Evans enjoys doing crafts and reading. “I make jewelry, cards, dolls and whatever else.” Two of her favorite books are “Atlas Shrugged,” by Ayn Rand and “Conversations with God,” by Neale Donald Walsch. She has belonged to a book club for five years and most recently, they read “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” by Audrey Niffenegger. A movie she saw recently and would recommend is “The Wedding Crashers.” “It was hysterical.” When relaxing at home, she and her husband enjoy watching “Law and Order.” When dining out, she prefers Bistro Aix.
-by Michele Newbern Gillis