SMPS hosted our annual Holiday Luncheon on Tuesday, December 9 at Carmelo's. The event involved extended networking time, and allowed our chapter to reflect on what a great year 2014 has been! 

During the event, we also honored our chapter Communications Awards Winners. These awards are held every year to acknowledge the great work our members have done for their firms. This year's contest was judged by Heather Ladage (ABJ), Rachel Clemens (Creative Suitcase), Jeffrey Richard (ACC), Dinita Caldwell (Texas Facilities Commission) and Deborah Toodle (Texas Facilities Commission.) 

Big thanks to our judges and congrats to our winners!

Brochure: American Campus Communities
Holiday Piece: RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture
External Newsletter: Encotech
Website: Page
Promotional Campaign: Page

If one of the things on your holiday wish list is a couple of quiet days at the office to clear off your desk, you're not alone! One pile that is looming over many of us is the stack of business cards gathered from networking events. Check out the list below for some business card information capture options for your PC, smartphone or tablet:

Worldcard Pro - $150
The WorldCard pro can scan two-sided documents and is compatible with both Macs and PCs. It's said to be one of the most compact and lightweight devices out there, plugs into computers with a USB cord, so you don't have to worry about replacing batteries.

Xerox Travel Scanner - $140
The Xerox Travel Scanner also scans double-sided and can translate 120 different languages. The Travel Scanner is only compatible with PCs. It connects to both Microsoft Outlook and Office.

CardScan 800C - From $200
The DYMO CardScan 800C is a palm-sized scanner that imports your contacts directly into Outlook (PC only). In addition to scanning, it's software allows you to drag and drop contact info from emails and web pages.

Fujitsu ScanSnap S1100 - $170
This business card scanner can scan an exact image of your cards and has text recognition software. It is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems. While larger than some of its competitors, it's said to still fit comfortably in a purse or laptop bag.

APPS FOR YOUR MOBILE DEVICES

ABBYY Business Card Reader
Business Card Reader
CamCard
Presto BizCard
WorldCard Mobile

We are happy to announce that we will be hosting another wine and cheese tasting event at Antonelli's! This is a great way to learn about delicious wines and cheeses and network with your AEC colleagues!

The wine tasting will take place on January 28, and registration will first open to members in January, then open up to non-members if there are still spots remaining. Save the date so you don't miss your chance to participate in this very popular event!

Big thanks to our event sponsor Miller Blueprint!

Registrations for the Southern Regional Conference in January are almost sold out, so don't wait! Sign up here!

The SMPS Austin Board is working hard on updating the chapter website! We expect to have the update complete early in 2015, so keep a look out for a totally revamped web presence. 

Joy Rouches
Journeyman Construction, Inc.

Leonardo Docanto
Walter P. Moore

Mike Lackey
Lackey de Carvajal CX

Molly Hall
Spire Consulting Group, LLC

Kelly Hogan is now the marketing manager for Structura.

Priscilla Iden is now the manager of business development at Kitchell.