It’s About People

At the cross-section of architecture, planning and creative ideation, Dreyfuss + Blackford is changing and growing.  The year of 2022 is monumental as we celebrate our firm’s 72nd anniversary, CEO John Webre’s retirement, and further engagement of a collaborative, team-based leadership model in both Sacramento and San Francisco. John led the firm through more than 30 years of relationship-building success and his shoes are not easy to fill but the pursuit of exceptional work will continue with a focus on building extraordinary teams…it’s about people.

As we wrap up our Principal blogs, it seems fitting to close out this series by highlighting our support engine – Business Development and Marketing, guided by Andrea Beard and Shawn Barba. Together, they work to bring a balance of relationship-building and the art of conveying the message of what D+B stands for. They are proving to be a dynamic duo that supports the organization from all sides of the business. In addition to being hard-working and reliable individuals, they are also both navigating life as full-time working mothers to young children.

Andrea (left) recently joined D+B as Director of Business Development supporting both San Francisco and Sacramento. She brings 15+ years of experience in marketing and business development in architecture and construction and is ideally suited to build the team relationships in all our markets of Higher Education, Healthcare, Civic and Infrastructure. Her role is externally and future focused, generating the connections that bring our expertise together with great teams and extraordinary clients.

Recently promoted to Marketing Director, Shawn leads our marketing department, working with Andrea and leadership in strategic planning across the firm’s core markets. Her strength lies in pulling together our thoughtful, sometimes verbose, ideas into coherent messaging – making sure we are aligned with the client’s goals and visions. With 12 years of experience in the AEC industry and Shawn’s growth at D+B over the last five years, she brings continuity and steady leadership that delivers success to our pursuits.

Marketing and business development are but a part of what it takes to practice architecture, yet it is critical for navigating us to where we want to be. We are honored to be in the company of such talented and supportive individuals, Andrea and Shawn, two standouts of our team that connect us with the people that can develop the projects needed to change our world for the better.