Miranda Agee
“I rarely mull over decisions because it creates a lack of trust within myself.“
WomenWhoBuild, Meet Miranda Agee!
Miranda is the Director of Business Development at SMI Construction, the number one high-end general contractor in New York City. Miranda’s current position could not be a better fit. Prior to SMI Construction, Miranda was an editor, writer, and interior stylist for top publications including Architectural Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Southern Living, Luxe Interiors + Design, Cottages & Gardens, andHospitality Design magazine. In her current role Miranda not only took lead on a full rebranding of SMI Construction, but has also developed a pseudo in-house marketing and public relations department.
Miranda sat down with ArchNative (virtually) to discuss her journey to New York, her career transition from publication to business development, what her day to day looks like, and her advice for women entering the field.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey. What was your first introduction to the field?
I went to journalism school in Wisconsin with the intent of moving to New York City and becoming a magazine editor. I moved to the city in 2009 and landed an entry level position at a design magazine that was in its infancy but also the talk of the town. I remember at an early edit meeting, our editor in chief said, “I am going to make you guys the best design editors in the city.” I had no idea what that meant, and more importantly, what in the hell was a design editor? My goal was to sit in front of feature stories for hours, deconstruct prose, and work with writers! That evolution would happen much later, but this was the time I had to understand what the design market was all about. I was in my early twenties and producing shoots with Jonathan Adler, Charlotte Moss, Vincente Wolf. I interviewed Kelly Wearstler and went to some of the most incredible events.
Looking back, it was wild but it was the absolute only way to learn about design. The best magazine editors in a creative field don’t sit at their desks all day—that’s not how it works. It’s about creating relationships, getting your eyes on new product introductions, scouting projects for editorial, walking trade shows for hours, traveling the world to see how hand-painted wallpaper is made, and listening to interior designers when they wax poetic about their inspiration behind the smallest detail that could become the basis for a cover story. That’s how a design editor is made. We have to train our eyes by trial and error to weed through the not so great stuff to find a diamond in the rough that your reader will relate to. It’s an incredibly authentic way of giving them what they need. And here’s the secret: They can always tell if it’s authentic or not.
Can you tell us a little bit about your current role?
Last October I had coffee with Steve Mark, the CEO of SMI Construction. He gave me a quick overview about what he does and what he thought he wanted from hiring an editor to create a new role in his company. I left thinking: I don’t know what this construction thing is, but I have to work for this man.
He hired me as his Director of Business Development to leverage my relationships in the industry to create a new angle of business. What I didn’t realize at the time was that SMI is the number one high-end general contractor in New York City, which aligned well with my background of working in luxury shelter publications. SMI has been around for more than 40 years and I told my CEO that in order to do what he wanted me to do, he had to rebrand. There was no way around it so that was my first order of business. I wouldn’t say he exactly agreed with me, but he let me do it anyway! I ran lead on a nine month long rebrand that encapsulated everything SMI is and wants to be in the future.
I have also taken on the role of a pseudo in-house marketing and public relations department which yielded us a nice spot in the New York Times in July. Another part of my job has also been to refine our bid process. It all comes down to presentation and understanding the exact formula that allows you to successfully sell your ideas to a client.
“It all comes down to presentation and understanding the exact formula that allows you to successfully sell your ideas to a client. ”
How was the transition from being a writer and managing editor to the director of business development at SMI?
I thought it was going to be quite difficult. I know myself and I usually take a lot longer than acceptable to get used to any kind of change—except, shockingly, it didn’t go that way with my career 180. I have never felt more grounded and I feel that everything I have done previously has led me to this point. I was used to walking onto a project when it was ready to be styled and photographed. Now I walk onto job sites that are broken down to the studs and people are sawing wood with huge machines and painting millwork. I absolutely love it. Overall, I learned early that my CEO doesn’t hold back, and always lets you know what is on his mind for better and for worse which is exactly how I like to operate as well. It helps to know that I had his complete, unwavering confidence from day one. There was no ambiguity about my role and there was a real sense that we were in this together.
What has been your biggest challenge in your career?
Personality management.
What does your usual day look like?
Since our launch in early August, I am focused on maintaining our new brand standards through both large and small-scale outreach. Before quarantine in the city, it was a lot of breakfasts and dinners, hand shaking, and being in the right place at the right time. Now, we have a new initiative as a company coupled with a new way of doing business. Since June, I’ve been out a lot more, meeting for lunches outside, scouting homes for potential projects, and taking prospective clients to some of our completed work. However, I have been on the phone and zoom more than ever before which has its advantages and disadvantages.
What has been your favorite part of your job thus far?
In ten months, I have learned more about the residential construction industry than I have learned about anything else. The only way I was able to garner so much information is because I am not scared to ask questions—ever. That’s part of my background of being a journalist. You have to ask the questions to write a good story, and to understand something on a deeper level.
“The thing is, if you love what you do, you love talking about it to anyone who will listen. ”
I have an insatiable appetite for getting to the core of what I am passionate about. I am also lucky that everyone I work with from my CEO to our PMs and site supers—they all know that this is new for me and I take full advantage of their decades of experience. Everyone has been so patient and will take the time out to answer my call or sit me down and explain how to read architectural drawings. The thing is, if you love what you do, you love talking about it to anyone who will listen.
What is one piece of advice you have for women entering the field?
I just watched the Tony Robbins documentary and something he said really resonated with me: If you’re in your head, you’re dead. I rarely mull over decisions because it creates a lack of trust within myself. It’s definitely a skill that needs to be practiced in order to make it permanent but the advice I would give to women who are not only entering a male-dominated industry like construction for the first time but who are also looking to make a career change is to trust yourself first. Know that you already know the right decision for you. You may be scared, and it may not be the most glamourous option in your mind, but eventually, when you do it enough, that internal monologue of repeated back-and-forth and what ifs goes away and you can really start living the life you were meant to be living.