These two gems in our ever-growing and evolving Real Estate Industry bring years of experience, funny stories and both offer an honest, collaborative environment in whatever they are leading for the Great American Living Awards committees. From planning, to orchestrating, to dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s necessary to get this annual awards event off the ground and organized; Laurie and Julie are leaders and appreciated for all they do.
Laurie Matthews founded LM Marketing with the goal of creating a unique kind of agency – one that combines the resources of a large agency with the advantages of a sophisticated, boutique agency. She comes to the agency world from the client side – having worked with builders and developers, as well as advertising agencies in the Washington metropolitan market. She brings over 15 years of executive leadership experience, and is adept at real estate market analysis, branding and positioning.
Laurie began her career with Charles E. Smith Companies (now Archstone-Smith) before moving on to leadership positions with other prominent development companies – to include Trafalgar House/South Riding, Lansdowne Development Group and Van Metre Companies. On the agency side, she provides a full spectrum of marketing and advertising services including digital, social media, direct mail, media placement and planning, follow-up programs, public relations, and event planning and execution.
Laurie is a true Washingtonian – born and raised. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in Marketing/Communications and is a member of Northern Virginia Builders Industry Association (NVBIA) and Women in Real Estate Marketing (WIRM). When she’s not bringing marketing concepts to life for her clients, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son. Laurie enjoys running, traveling, experiencing new restaurants and reading.
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Julie Miner Dillon is a senior level marketing professional with nearly 30 years of diversified Real Estate experience. Currently, she is Vice President of Marketing for Miller and Smith at One Loudoun, a 365- acre award winning community in the Washington D.C. area. She is responsible for the development and execution of all marketing efforts including branding, advertising and public relations.
Julie was previously the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Eakin/Youngentob Associates (EYA). As a member of EYA’s Executive Team, Ms. Dillon was responsible for managing one of the most successful sales teams in the region while overseeing all marketing efforts. She was recognized with the Marketing Director of the Year Award for the local Washington Metropolitan Sales and Marketing Council as well as the Silver Award for the National Sales and Marketing Council.
Additionally, she has played roles such as Chairperson for the Sales Achievement Committee and Program Committee for the Major Achievement in Marketing Excellence (MAME) Awards and is the current chairperson for the 2015 GALA Awards.
A true Hokie at heart, Julie received a BS in Business Management from Virginia Tech and completed the Leadership Development Program at The University of Maryland National Leadership Institute. She is an active member of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), NAIOP, ULI, Women in Real Estate Marketing and a prior Board member for the Washington Metropolitan Sales and Marketing Council. She currently lives in Fairfax, Virginia with her daughter Kathryn and their black lab Gabby.
Tips For Creating A Winning Entry
The Great American Living Awards are now accepting entries. This is your chance to be recognized among the Washington market’s best in new home construction design, sales, and marketing. The early bird deadline is tomorrow, May 6 at 5pm.
Here are some tips to consider that will help you prepare a winning entry for the 2016 Great American Living Awards:
Choose Your Category Wisely: Research and review all of the potential categories, eligibility criteria and entry requirements. Start planning early and ensure that what you want to enter meets all the criteria and requirements for your selected category and subcategory.
Know Your Audience: The judges who evaluate all entries are professionals who work in various parts of the new home construction industry–such as, sales leaders, architects, land planners, interior designers and marketing/advertising professionals. While everyone works in the same industry, not everyone has the same knowledge base. Keep your content professional and concise to ensure a clear understanding from everyone on the judging committee.
Write Clear & Compelling Project Statements: Articulate the story about your entry through concise sentence structure and descriptive details. Convey your challenges and strategies in a way that is relatable for others in the industry who may not be familiar with your line of work. Show your entry to a colleague or two from another department to see what they think. If their interest is peaked, you are more likely to spark interest from the judges. Also, always avoid using consumer-facing language. Remember your judging audience!
Ensure You Have Top Notch Photography: Every category requires photography to be submitted, and these images impact how your entry is received by the judges. When evaluating your photography, consider these things:
If you don’t have photography or are looking to upgrade your photography, there are many talented photographers in the new home construction industry. You can get great photography without breaking your budget.
When preparing your images, follow the photo requirements. Files should be 7″ wide by 5.25″ tall at a resolution of 72 or 96 DPI, no larger than 10MB. The file formats that are accepted are JPG, GIF and PNG. Please avoid using special characters in your file names, and the “dot” or “period” should only be used preceding the three digit file extension (for example: ImageName.JPG). Also, don’t forget to submit your photo release forms!
Don’t Rush or Procrastinate: Waiting until the final entry deadline on May 27 will create stress and pressure. Plan ahead and get started early. Use your resources and get help from your team members who can collaborate on your entries. If you have questions, Dora and Laurie are happy to help in any way.