Adam Kilbourne, CPSM
Since 2020
Active
SMPS Northeast Ohio member
AEC marketing professional
Adam leads business administration and strategic operations as President of Tec Inc. Engineering & Design, a specialized MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) consulting firm founded in 1983 that designs building systems for higher education, research laboratories, and healthcare facilities throughout the United States. In his principal-level role, he provides executive oversight for marketing, finance, human resources, information technology, and business strategy across three regional offices in Eastlake (Cleveland), Columbus, and Pittsburgh, supporting a talented team of engineers licensed in over 30 states serving clients nationwide.
His expertise spans business administration leadership, marketing strategy development, brand identity management, technology innovation, and corporate culture development for professional services firms. Adam brings specialized knowledge in small-firm marketing operations, having spent his entire 26-year tenure at Tec Inc. building marketing capabilities from a one-person department with limited budget into comprehensive business development and communications systems that support the firm’s geographic expansion and market diversification.
With over two decades of professional services marketing experience combined with business leadership responsibilities, he has built a distinguished career path from IT management through marketing director roles to president and principal ownership. His comprehensive background includes developing Tec Inc.’s digital presence, social media strategy, proposal systems, and brand positioning while maintaining hands-on involvement in technology management, graphic design, and marketing operations that demonstrate the versatility required of marketing professionals at smaller AEC firms.
Adam demonstrates exceptional professional leadership through his CPSM certification, SMPS Fellowship (awarded 2016), and current service as Secretary-Treasurer on the SMPS National Board of Directors (2023-2025 term), one of the highest governance positions in the Society for Marketing Professional Services. His national board service provides strategic oversight for SMPS’s mission of advancing professional services marketing excellence across 7,000+ members and 50+ chapters throughout North America.
His sustained commitment to SMPS Northeast Ohio spans over 15 years of chapter leadership including multiple board positions, programming initiatives, and strategic guidance. Adam earned recognition as the first inductee into the SMPS Northeast Ohio Hall of Fame, honoring his transformative contributions to chapter growth, professional development programming, and member engagement. He currently serves as Chapter Liaison on the 2024-2025 SMPS NEO board, maintaining his connection to regional leadership while fulfilling national responsibilities.
As a sought-after conference presenter, Adam has delivered over 20 presentations at regional and national AEC industry conferences covering topics including time management (“Time or Priority | You Have More Time Than You Think”), working with personality types (“Whose Shoes Are You Looking At? Working with Introverts”), photography basics, social media strategy, and technology tools for marketing professionals. His presentations combine practical expertise with engaging delivery that colleagues describe as informative and immediately applicable.
Adam co-authored the influential SMPS Foundation White Paper “The Client’s Use of Social Media and Social Networking” (2011) alongside Holly Bolton, FSMPS, CPSM and Dana Lancour, FSMPS, CPSM, providing foundational research that helped AEC firms understand client digital behavior patterns and develop effective social media strategies. This white paper remains a referenced resource for understanding client engagement in social platforms.
His thought leadership contributions include published articles in professional journals covering library lighting design (“IES RP-4-13 Recommended Practice for Library Lighting”), technical writing (“Getting Started on Twitter”), marketing technology resources (“Tech Tools – A Software Reference Guide for SMPS Chapters”), project profiles (“Project Profile: Cleveland Botanical Gardens – Putting a Regional Jewel in a New Light”), and merger and acquisition guidance for smaller firms, demonstrating breadth across technical design, marketing strategy, and business development topics.
Adam earned the Distinguished Sales and Marketing Award (DSMA) in 2015, recognizing excellence in professional services marketing across the AEC industry. His personal specialties include brand identity, graphic design, technology innovation, photography, and time management—skills he applies both at Tec Inc. and in service to the broader AEC marketing profession through volunteer teaching and mentoring.
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