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Marketing operations runs in my blood — literally

I'm a third-generation AEC industry worker. My dad and grandfather both built careers in construction, and I still have cousins in the industry today. I didn't choose AEC so much as grow up inside it — so when I eventually found my way into marketing, it made sense that I'd end up back in this world, just approaching it from a different angle.

I'm Julie Huval, FSMPS, CPSM — owner of Marketing Operations Advisor, and for over 20 years, an AEC marketing and business development leader.

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How I found marketing operations

My career didn't start in marketing operations — it started in the trenches of AEC business development. I've worked as an HR representative at an engineering research organization, a business development assistant at a civil engineering firm, a marketing coordinator managing RFQ and RFP responses at an engineering firm, and a marketing director running concurrent BD programs across an architecture firm and a joint venture.

Somewhere along the way, I noticed a pattern: I wasn't just good at doing marketing — I loved building the systems, processes, and people infrastructure that made marketing actually work. When I asked myself what I genuinely enjoyed doing every single day, the honest answer wasn't campaigns or creative. It was operations — the structure underneath the strategy.

Owning a revenue number

(which almost never happens in AEC)

That realization crystallized during my 12 years leading marketing at a construction technology company, where I served as Head of Marketing and a member of the leadership team.

I owned a revenue number. In AEC, that's still rare for a marketing leader — most marketing functions are measured on activity, not outcomes. But when you're accountable for revenue, you approach the entire function differently: what you invest in, what you cut, what you report on, how you talk to leadership.

Over my tenure, our marketing efforts sourced 46% of the company's annual revenue and contributed to 26% year-over-year growth. I built and led a fully remote team of seven across content, communications, events, and digital strategy — and I learned firsthand what it actually takes to connect marketing activity to business results, not just claim the connection exists.

That experience is the foundation of everything I do now as a consultant.

Why I went independent

In 2024, I launched Marketing Operations Advisor to bring that same discipline — systems, process, accountability, revenue-connected thinking — to more AEC firms than I could ever reach from inside a single company. Most AEC firms don't have a dedicated marketing operations function at all; marketing and BD often run on instinct, spreadsheets, and whoever's been there longest. I help firms build the infrastructure that turns that into something measurable, repeatable, and tied to actual growth.

 

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Credentials and industry involvement

  • FSMPS (Fellow) and CPSM (Certified Professional Services Marketer), Society for Marketing Professional Services
  • Past Chapter President, SMPS Dallas (now SMPS North Texas)
  • MBA, The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Certificate in Professional Services Leadership, University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
  • BA in Journalism & Environmental Studies, Baylor University
  • Recognized with SMPS Dallas's Marketing Hall of Fame, Presenter of the Year, and Pacesetter awards

I speak regularly at industry conferences — including the ACEC Annual Convention, Amplify AEC, DBIA, and TEXO — on marketing operations, business growth strategy, and technology in the built environment.

Vlogs

 

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When is Tech Implementation Complete

Tech implementation can make or break the tool your company just purchased.

Good implementation =...

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https://marketingopsadvisor.com/hubfs/Why%20Your%20Firms%20Org%20Chart%20is%20Fighting%20Your%20Marketing%20Goals.png
Why Your Firm's Org Chart is Fighting Your Marketing Goals

For the people who decide the infrastructure of a firm, why did you make that choice?

A lot of...

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https://marketingopsadvisor.com/hubfs/Thinking%20Beyond%20Tactics%20is%20a%20Major%20Skill.png
Thinking Beyond Tactics is a Major Skill

Early in my career I was asked to think strategically about a complex issue the company was facing.

read more