SMPS CT-Lifetime Achievement Award: Cathy DeFrances, Fuss & O’Neill - Associate | Director of Business Development, EnviroScienceWith more than a couple of decades of experience in the industry, Cathy DeFrances has been very successful in forging relationships with prospective clients, as well as other business associates and colleagues.  Her reputation for integrity and honesty, as well as her down-to-earth manner, has been instrumental in her success.  Her personal accomplishments include two-time past president of the Connecticut Society for Marketing Professionals, prior Visionaries committee member for the Construction Institute, the Advisory Board of the ACE Mentor Program and a Programs Committee member for Professional Women in Construction.

DeFrances loves the excitement of working with the myriad of disciplines at Fuss & O’Neill and her passion for excellence comes from collaborating with her remarkable colleagues and mentoring the next generation of emerging professionals. As Associate and Director of Business Development of Fuss & O’Neill EnviroScience, LLC, she strives to be consistent and dependable, while maintaining her strong and sometimes twisted sense of humor. 

SMPSCT Awards - Best Holiday Piece & People’s Choice Award: Kathy Nanowski, CPSM, Fuss & O’Neill - Associate | Director of Marketing and Business Development; SMPS CT Current President

Kathy Nanowski is an associate and director of Marketing & Business Development with Fuss & O’Neill who coaches managers and principals on relationship based selling, project positioning, and winning new business. She has 16 years of marketing and business development experience in the A/E/C industry. Nanowski enjoys Fuss & O’Neill’s multi-discipline portfolio because she feels working with a company that provides most of the services necessary to carry a client’s project from concept to completion is an exciting challenge. 

Throughout her career, she has embraced a client-focused business model. Whether assessing a company’s CRM system or linking sales metrics to client behavior, she continually asks the question: “What is best for the client?” Nanowski leads a team of research, communications, and graphic professionals in providing guidance and support to all of our areas of practice. She understands that marketing and business development have defined yet complementary roles, and is passionate about uniting our brand and outward message to help the firm stay integrated and focused in its business.