7 questions with AEC marketing expert, Andrea Gray
Sep 10, 2026
2 min
Andrea Gray never planned on a career in AEC marketing.
An admin role at a mechanical, plumbing, and electrical (MEP) engineering firm, arranged through a family friend, turned into eleven years across two firms and a path from admin support into full marketing and business development leadership.
Based in the Southwest US, Andrea sits on the SMPS New Mexico Board as Membership Director.
At OpenAsset, Andrea works with product, engineering, and AI teams to teach Shred the bid-writing nuances specific to architecture, engineering, and construction. She partners closely with Rachelle Ray, OpenAsset’s Head of AEC Marketing Innovation, bringing their combined proposal expertise to shape how Shred learns.
We sat down with Andrea to hear how a first RFP with zero training set her career in motion, what engineers taught her about translating technical detail for the rest of us, and why she believes AI should help marketers shine rather than replace them.
1. How did you find your way into AEC marketing, and what kept you here?
A family friend connected me to an admin role at an MEP engineering firm. I had zero industry experience. Two weeks in, I was handed my first RFP with no idea what an RFP even was. I nearly walked away, but my boss talked me through it.
I leaned into webinars, articles, and Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) New Mexico to catch up. I ended up staying eleven years across two firms, growing from admin into full marketing and business development leadership.
2. You spent time at Testudo Engineering. What did working inside an engineering firm teach you about marketing?
Working with MEP engineers taught me the real value of subconsultants on a design team. I’d track new RFPs, then reach out to architects to understand who they liked teaming with and what projects excited them, matching the right MEP partner to the right pursuit.
Engineers think in details, so I learned to spot the technical nuances that mattered and translate them into language non-engineers could actually understand.
3. You’re on the SMPS New Mexico Board as Membership Director. What does that community mean to you?
SMPS NM is where a lot of my growth as a marketer happened. Early on I learned that SMPS members aren’t competitors. They are fellow marketers navigating the same pressures and looking for better ways to do their jobs, just like me.
I found real encouragement and understanding in the community. Serving as Membership Director lets me pay that forward, helping others find the same support system and friendships that shaped my own career.
4. Your role at OpenAsset involves teaching Shred the nuances of bid writing. What does that actually mean in practice?
I break down RFPs and proposals piece by piece, translating industry nuances for our product, engineering, and AI teams, showing how it all connects: RFP to proposal, prime to subconsultant, client scope to firm strategy, to name a few.
I bridge understanding across architecture, engineering, and construction, explaining what matters now versus later in a project. I speak a bit of both languages, so the team can take that understanding and pre-train the AI.
Unlike generic AI models where you start from scratch, Shred arrives already taught with industry knowledge, ready to help the marketer create something amazing.
5. What do you think most AI tools get wrong about proposals, and what does getting it right look like?
A lot of AI tools try to cut the marketer out entirely, and that’s backwards. AI is only a tool. Instead of digging through folders for that one narrative you nailed last year or the perfect project photo, AI can find those for you.
AI as a helper to the marketer lessens the chaos, and then the marketer gets to shine, showcasing their firm’s true abilities.
We get it wrong when we put the AI first.
The people should always come first.
6. What trends are you seeing right now across AEC marketing and bids teams in your region?
Two things at once: firms are stepping out of old habits and leaning into AI as the industry moves faster than ever, but I’m also seeing a return to basics, marketers letting AI handle the busywork so they can focus back on strategy.
New Mexico tends to move a bit behind other regions, which actually works in our favor. We get to learn from what’s already worked elsewhere.
7. What does life outside the built environment look like for you?
Outside of work, life revolves around my kids, who are growing up way too fast, and mentally preparing for the empty-nest chapter ahead. You’ll usually find me with a good book and a cup of tea or coffee.
I’m also branching into new hobbies, including trying to turn my notoriously brown thumb into something resembling a green one. Gardening is the next challenge.
Caroline Caneva has spent over twenty years inside the architecture, design, and construction industry — working alongside the practitioners, understanding the pressures, and building the kind of marketing that moves things forward in this sector. Her career spans marketing and growth leadership at some of Australasia’s most recognised design practices, including a full rebrand across eleven studios at Plus Studio. Seven years at the Design Institute of Australia gave her a sector-wide view of the professional community, and her contribution to Australian design was awarded with an Honorary Fellowship (FDIA hon).
Caroline’s experience now informs her work as a speaker, writer, and advocate for how technology and AI can practically transform the way built environment firms market themselves and win work.
