Melissa Schmetzer, CPSM
Since 2018
Active
SMPS Greater Cincinnati member
AEC marketing professional
Melissa drives strategic pursuit planning and proposal management for HDR, one of the nation’s leading employee-owned architecture and engineering firms ranked No. 6 by Engineering News-Record with 14,000+ employees across 200+ offices worldwide. As Strategic Pursuits Proposal Manager, she specializes in capture planning, proposal strategy development, and win-focused pursuit coordination for complex multidisciplinary projects.
Her expertise encompasses transportation infrastructure, healthcare facilities, water resources, environmental services, and civic infrastructure serving both public sector clients and private developers. Melissa brings specialized knowledge in proposal development strategy and technical pursuit management, combining marketing expertise with deep understanding of engineering project delivery.
With 17+ years in AEC industry marketing and project management, she has established herself as a problem-solving specialist who excels at coordinating complex proposals for large-scale infrastructure and facility projects. Her background from Ball State University and comprehensive industry experience enable her to effectively position HDR’s multidisciplinary capabilities across transportation, water, healthcare, and environmental markets serving clients nationwide and internationally.
Melissa demonstrates exceptional professional leadership through her CPSM certification achievement and active educational contributions to SMPS Greater Cincinnati, where she has presented highly regarded proposal strategy training programs that member firms actively implement in their pursuit processes. Her training sessions on proposal strategy and capture planning have been recognized by chapter members as particularly valuable, with teams leveraging her best practices to achieve competitive advantages.
As a recognized thought leader in strategic pursuits methodology, Melissa has contributed to the professional development of AEC marketers throughout the Cincinnati region through educational presentations on PSOE (Psychographic, Strategic, Operational, Emotional) targeting frameworks and win-focused proposal development. Her expertise in capture planning and pursuit strategy helps AEC firms position themselves competitively for complex, high-value infrastructure projects.
Melissa brings 17 years of comprehensive AEC marketing and project management experience to the profession, establishing herself as a go-to resource for proposal strategy excellence. Her work supports HDR’s global operations across healthcare, transportation, water, environmental, and civic infrastructure sectors, where strategic pursuit planning is essential for securing multimillion-dollar design and engineering contracts.
Her combination of proposal management expertise and commitment to sharing knowledge elevates professional standards throughout the Greater Cincinnati AEC marketing community.
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