After the pandemic’s “dry” season of no events, training, or typical gatherings, CFMA Orange County Chapter Director Dan Urias knew it was time to re-engage the Chapter and its members. Fortunately, Dan’s long-time friend, John Welches, has a knack for storytelling and a deep history working with clients in the construction industry.

John, who owns Red Mallard, a local content marketing agency, recently joined CFMA and serves as the Communications Chair for the Orange County Chapter. His career and experience with construction professionals is breathing new life into the Chapter. We sat down with him to learn more about his role.

Gaining strength by getting in sync

Although the members of CFMA bring different financial expertise to the table, they share an urgent need to stay up-to-date on safety, compliance, education, and employment rules affecting their employers. Every insight shared from one member to another comes loaded with fresh rules to track. Failing to keep up can have serious consequences. With demanding jobs and personal lives to balance, where do members look to stay informed?

As the Communications Chair, John steps in to foster an atmosphere of communication and value among the Chapter’s members. “Our goal is to make sure the board of directors, and the members, are in sync,” says John. “We’re upping communication with what’s going on at the board level, and keeping members informed through different channels.” 

This Summer, John and his team came together to launch a few new communication channels for the Chapter. One is the public LinkedIn page, which allows content to be shared more readily to a wider audience. Another is the updated CFMA Orange content hub, where the Chapter shares articles discussing the latest happenings in construction finance. 

An ecosystem of humble experts

As a content marketer, John uses every opportunity to help clients infuse expert content into their digital presence. He’s been helping construction professionals do exactly this for years. Understanding the complexities and pressures of the industry, and reaching people “where they are” in their demanding jobs, is what brings him joy. “Construction finance professionals have to be laser focused on billing and projects. It is a massive undertaking,” he says. “That's the real pleasure of working with people in the construction world. They have an impact on the daily lives of all of us, because they gotta do it well.”

In his role as Communications Chair, John hopes to bring to the table his expertise around building connections between people. “We want to provide thought-leadership articles to the organization to offer another perspective–to allow CFMA members to learn about what’s going on,” he explains. “Through our partnership with CFMA, we get to enter into conversations and relationships with people that know much more than we do. One of Red Mallard’s core values is the idea that we’re humble experts. We’re going to work hard to learn about the industry and foster community through content.”

There’s power in numbers

With most professional associations, everyone is coming from another job, families, and private lives. Everyone who joins an organization like ours is dedicated to what they do. For John, believing in this organization means using every opportunity to ensure “no member is left behind.” 

Among other things, that means finding new strategies to share the latest news about what’s happening in the Chapter with the membership. John is focused on making sure every member hears about opportunities like the yearly Golf Classic, monthly social events, and trainings hosted by the Chapter. 

“We’re providing an enhanced design to current and new materials, like event registration management tools. We get to be that creative muscle that some organizations lack. And because of this, the community among members is strengthened,” he says.

We’re all in it for the long-haul

The Orange County Chapter of CFMA is an incredible community of dedicated, bright construction finance professionals–some of whom have been members for ten, or twenty years. Together, we aspire to grow in our fields, and grow in our relationships with each other.

Visit the Orange County Chapter’s website today to learn more about joining us for a free event. Then, join the conversation on our LinkedIn page. We look forward to networking with you!