JEAN R. VALENCE is President of Blackridge, Ltd., a firm that provides management and marketing counsel to owners of design and construction firms. She is also Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Boston Architectural Center, a faculty member of the CES Firm Leadership Summits of the American Institute of Architects, and the 2001 recipient of the national Marketing Achievement Award presented by the Society for Marketing Professional Services. She is an expert in corporate strategy development, marketing, client satisfaction assessment, and human resources matters.