BIOGRAPHY

Frances C. Gretes
Founder and Principal
Frances C. Gretes, founder and principal of GRETES RESEARCH SERVICES, has earned a national reputation as an experienced professional and ranks among the pioneers providing strategic research for architects. Her successful career includes more than 20 years of providing business intelligence and new business marketing services to global architectural firms, media corporations, and a variety of professional services firms.

For the prominent New York-based firm of Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Fran has launched major initiatives for developing business in new markets across the U.S., China, India and other countries and has introduced strategies that have helped raise the profiles of the partners. As former Director of New Business for the internationally recognized firm of Rafael Viñoly Architects, Fran oversaw new business, media, and research operations for the 170-person staff. She identified and evaluated more than 500 new business prospects worldwide; and developed strategies that helped the firm enter new markets and win U.S. and international projects with a total construction value of more than $2 billion. The firm received more than 3,000 mentions in the worldwide media during her tenure from 2002-2006.

For global A/E firm, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Fran established and managed an information center for 13 years in New York City where she conducted research in support of the firm's business development efforts and design process. She filled a similar role, 1973-1976, for the international architect/developer, John Portman.

A frequent guest speaker on strategic gathering of business intelligence, Fran has published many articles and a book which became a heavily-used reference worldwide, The Directory of International Periodicals and Newsletters on the Built Environment. Her training as a research librarian and experiences as a senior researcher for NBC News and Fortune honed her research skills and understanding of the media, amplifying her value in competitive research and media placement. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and holds a Master of Librarianship from Emory University. She is active in several professional organizations including the Association of Independent Information Professionals, Society for Marketing Professional Services, and the Marketing Committee of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Selected Publications

Series on market research for the A/E industry. ArchnewsNow, 2009.

"New business research for A/E/C rainmakers." Online Magazine, November/December 2007.

"Strategic research for proposals and presentations." A/E Rainmaker, December 2006.

"Effective research tactics for publicity." A/E Rainmaker, November 2006.

"Research tactics for new business." A/E Rainmaker, October 2006.

"Finding Greek business on the Internet," Online, November/December 2001.

Directory of International Periodicals and Newsletters on the Built Environment. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1986, 1992.

Series on finding Greek information on the Web. The Greek American, 1997-98.

Series of bibliographies on architecture published by Vance Bibliographies (Monticello, IL), 1984-88.

"Byzantine tradition carried on in Norwalk, Connecticut," Anglican and Episcopal History, Dec. 1987.

"Computers: Need information? You can get a lot with online retrieval services," Architectural Record, March 1984.