president's Message

Thirty years ago, three women got together and formed the Utah chapter of SMPS. Stephanie Craft, Marianne Cook Jenks, and Dana French saw the importance and need for a network in their industry and took the initiative to create one. These three were joined by Fran Pruyn and Keri Hammond later that year and the five of them created the foundation of what is now a membership of over 125 marketing professionals and a community of people invested in each other’s success.

SMPS Utah has grown with the national organization and offers many valuable benefits to our members: education workshops for all levels of marketer and business developer, client panel discussions, certification study groups, and charitable events are just a few. But more importantly, SMPS Utah offers a huge group of people who provide advice, guidance, support, and friendship. Our community is based on AEC marketing and business development, but the relationships that are formed go beyond that. Whether you are one of our five founding members, or someone who just joined this year, I hope that you have found and grown the same relationships that I have found in my time in the organization. I have said it before – I would not be where I am in my career without the help of mentors I found through SMPS Utah. But what I am most grateful for are the friends I have made that I will keep with me long after our jobs are over.

It has been quite a year. I knew our chapter’s 30th year would be memorable – but I thought it would be because of the new and engaging things we had planned for you. I would never have guessed that it would include a pandemic, an earthquake, and civil unrest. I hope that you find comfort in knowing you have the SMPS Utah community to rely on through good and bad. We’re here to help you with challenges in your current job, helping you find new jobs, and guidance with how to do things better. But we’re also here as friends to help you through a tough day with a simple conversation, a funny story, advice – whatever you need. This is quite a storm we’re having. I hope you are all hanging in there, that you and your families are healthy and safe, and that throughout it all, you’re able to find some bits of peace and happiness.

Thank you,
Stephanie Ray
SMPS Utah President