Executive: Tim Asimos, Chief Marketing Officer
Company: Timmons Group
Industry: Civil engineering, environmental services, and geospatial technology
Company Snapshot: An ENR 125 engineering and geospatial technology firm with over 20 offices across the U.S.
Format: CMO Journeys Interview
In This Article
- Why It Matters
- Their Path, in Short
- Big Themes From the Conversation
- How They Choose the Right Agency Partners
- What Stood Out
- The Inside Scoop
Why It Matters
Tim Asimos has been on both sides of the agency relationship. He started in advertising, helped build a digital practice at an agency serving AEC clients, and later ran growth at a customer-experience software company built for the AEC world. Now he’s Chief Marketing Officer at Timmons Group in a brand new role. For agencies, he’s clear about what earns credibility and what gets tuned out.
His Path, in Short
Tim’s path begins with advertising. He studied it, interned at an agency, then went to work in media.
From there, his path took him into marketing management at Timmons Group, where he says he “cut [his] teeth” in the AEC industry. In professional services, you’re often selling something intangible—expertise, trust, and the confidence that a team can deliver.
Digital marketing pulled him back to the agency side. The agency already had a few AEC clients, and Tim and the team leaned into that: they “put [their] heads together,” built a digital marketing practice, and developed deeper niche expertise in the AEC industry.
After more than a decade at the agency, he shifted into technology as head of growth for a SaaS platform focused on customer experience management software for AEC firms. And then he returned to Timmons Group again, stepping into a newly created CMO role that asks him to transform marketing and business development into a modern, sophisticated, high-performing, strategically aligned growth engine.
Big Themes From the Conversation
Tim talks openly about patience. He admits he has “ideas and thoughts,” but he also emphasizes the need to “get your bearings” before making big moves.
He also rejects the idea that professional services marketing is exempt from fundamentals. He’s heard the argument that AEC, legal, and similar industries are “really different.” His response is simple: “Marketing is marketing.” Brand still matters. Customer experience still matters. The work just has to be applied thoughtfully to what you’re selling.
Another theme is “practice what you preach.” He points out that some agencies do strong marketing work for clients but neglect their own presence. If you advise clients to invest in content marketing and demand generation, he believes you should hold yourself to the same standard.
He also describes a leadership lesson he learned early from a manager who invested in him—someone who saw potential and gave him advice and input, even without being asked. He connects that to a core belief: good leaders invest in people. When talented people move on, it can hurt, but you still have to be happy for them.
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How They Choose the Right Agency Partners
When I asked Tim how he finds agency partners, he started with the honest answer: Google. If there’s a need and he doesn’t already have the right firm in mind, he searches.
He also trusts market-earned respect. He notes that the agencies he respected most as competitors—sometimes even an “arch nemesis”—can become strong partners once you’re no longer competing.
Tim pays attention to what rises in his network, too. He follows a mix of sources and notices what gets reshared by peers. He also mentions being involved with SMPS, which he describes as an American Marketing Association–style community for the AEC industry.
Thought leadership only works on him when it’s useful. He says thought leadership and content marketing “should absolutely be a tool”—not only for awareness, but also for ongoing client engagement. He’s skeptical of empty claims of expertise.
Awards can help, with a caveat. Tim says awards matter most when they reflect wins for clients. He prefers when “the client is the hero.” If the client won, he says, “We won,” too.
Then there’s outreach. He gets approached through email and LinkedIn, like everyone does. He notes that “snail mail” can stand out more than the inbox. But he’s quick to call out lazy automation. He describes being pitched by a “niche-focused” manufacturing agency—and his response is blunt: “We are not a manufacturing firm.” For him, that mismatch signals the sender didn’t do the work.
So what should agencies do? His advice: “lead with adding value.” He doesn’t respond well to generic, unsolicited “here’s what we do” pitches. What stands out is help—something of value that shows you understand the business before you ask for time.
And he closes with a reminder that should change how agencies think about focus: most agencies aren’t trying to win a thousand clients. You can afford to be targeted, narrow, and relevant.
What Stood Out
The most revealing detail is how often Tim returns to patience. He has ambition, but he’s intentional about slowing down long enough to understand what’s real first.
The other standout is his consistency. Whether he’s talking about leadership, content, awards, or outreach, his filter stays the same—make the client the hero, and bring value before you bring a pitch.
Inside Scoop
This article focuses on the journey, the leadership philosophy, and how this CMO works with agency partners. To access the exclusive analysis, including priorities, initiatives, and opportunities, become a Next Big Win Pro member
