Platinum Sponsor of the Tampa Build Expo
Tampa Build Expo
January 22-23, 2025
Tampa Convention Center
(West/Central Hall)
Exhibit Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Classes Start at 9:30 a.m. Each Day
Over 250 Exhibitors
Scott Beebe
Founder & Head Coach | Business on Purpose
How Contractor Owners Can 20x’s Their Cash Accounts and Stop Borrowing Time and Money
Wednesday, February 7 |
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
You will hear the true story of how one simple-minded contractor started 2020 thin on cash not realizing what the rest of the year had in store.
Three years later his business is on a sure foot while taking on zero debt. He borrow no money and has no need to ask his vendors, partners, or subs for additional time for payment.
You can run a small or large firm on cash. You can stop the constant calls from creditors wondering when they are going to get their money. You can
stop living from deposit to deposit. You can stop going to bed every night hoping the next receivable will be in the mailbox tomorrow.
In this life-changing talk, Scott Beebe (CEPA) will share real numbers from a simple contractor that will motivate and inspire you to build a business without being dictated by chaos, and placing you in the driver’s seat.
Learning Objectives
- See how using one or two bank accounts in your business is crippling
- Watch real life examples unfold showing the growth of the cash over time...even when a business declines in annual revenue
- Walk away with a simple structure you can implement tomorrow and the roadmap to do so
Target Audience: Homebuilders, Remodelers, Contractors
Thursday, February 8 | 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
In this mindset-shifting talk, Scott Beebe, CEPA, the founder of Business On Purpose will walk you through the difference between a "lifestyle business" and a "value creation" business that allows you both unlock the purpose, people, process, and profit of your business while living with real impact and purpose today and tomorrow.
This talk will catapult you from feeling like your business is a burden and chore, and reframe your business into a massive asset that allows for significant value for you, your family, and many others.
You will leave feeling hopeful about the business you already have instead of dreading what you are afraid your business has become.
Want to sell your business someday? This is the talk you need. Yes, even your business.
Discovery points...
- Learn how much of your net worth is locked away in your business
- Determine the most profitable and least profitable systems in your business
- Realize the number one myth in business related to workforce engagement
- Leave with ONE thing that you can implement tomorrow that will build value to either sell, or continue towards meaningful value growth
Target Audience: Homebuilders, Remodelers, Contractors
Scott will also talk about what the true home of the future will encompass looking forward, covering the newer ideas of lighting, home automation, and architecture.
- Tax strategy and how it can save you thousands of dollars
- Hidden deductions you are missing
- Common red flags in the construction industry
- What the IRS is not telling you
Scott will also talk about what the true home of the future will encompass looking forward, covering the newer ideas of lighting, home automation, and architecture.
Wednesday, February 7 |
1:15 p.m.-2:15p.m.
Thursday, February 8 | 1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
We’re seeing volatile pricing formats, supply chain interruption and rising interest rates. This usually ends in tough economic conditions, resulting in construction industry challenges. Knowing the best way to stay ahead of these changes and keep your business moving forward is difficult. We’ll look at the methods successful contractors use to weather shifting economic conditions.
We’ll cover:
- Increasing your portion of the market pie
- Getting a competitive advantage
- Managing customer expectations
- Structuring your sales effort
- How to balance sales and marketing efforts
You’ll come away from this session with a better understanding of what it will take to grow in both revenue and profitability in these times. Sales is the most important aspect of your business. Everything else simply follows that lead.
Target Audience: Architects, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Builders, and Remodelers
Scott will also talk about what the true home of the future will encompass looking forward, covering the newer ideas of lighting, home automation, and architecture.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
4 Blind Spots Preventing Contractors From Retaining Talent and Growing Profit
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 406
Scott Beebe
Founder & Head Coach | Business on Purpose
Most contractor owners cross their fingers and hope for the best when desiring a solid culture, meaningful profit, and a product that they are proud of. Luck is not a strategy!
This highly engaging education program will reveal four critical blind spots sabotaging the growth of your business and your team. You will leave this presentation with ONE action item to immediately implement into your business that will wishing you had heard this talk ten years ago!
After this presentation you will have clarity on why the younger generation “will not listen” and how you can respond, the leadership “RPM’s for a healthy culture, and the one system that will ensure necessary profit that will fuel culture and growth.
Learning Objectives
- Learn the 3 foundational cornerstones of EVERY contractor business
- Understand the 3 non-negotiables of building and leading a vision-centered team
- Discover how an owner's process leadership directly impacts people, profit, and productivity
- Create a proven plan for predicting your profit
Target Audience: Homebuilders, Remodelers, Contractors
Effective Sales Presentations
9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. | Room 401
Construction professionals excel in building living and working environments, not necessarily doing a sales presentation. Most have never been formally trained in doing a presentation. Being more effective in presenting your bid, quote, product or
service can be the difference in securing the business. You’ll learn specific presenting tips that can make the difference.
- Managing a lunch and learn
- Effective in home presenting
- Controlling a commercial presentation
- Proper use of presentation tools
Sales is the most important aspect of any business, especially construction. Becoming more proficient in how you present to a potential customer can raise not just your revenue numbers but also profitability. The better you are at presenting, the easier the close!
Target Audience: Architects, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Builders, and Remodelers
His DVD series can literally be used as an individual or corporate training program. He's been featured on CNN and in USAToday as well as dozens of media outlets across the country. Tom is extremely entertaining in his approach and well studied in the dynamics that occur in bidding, quoting and developing customer brand loyalty. His high energy approach combined with practical applications can bring results immediately after his seminars.
His corporation, Seal the Deal, is sought after by trade associations, contractors, corporations, suppliers, construction expos and publications regularly. He currently writes for 4 publications, has 20 regular contractor clients and speaks to in excess of 10,000 construction industry individuals a year. Tom turned a Caterpillar rental territory from 2.5Mil to 10Mil in revenue in 18 months while raising margins by 2%! He also trained 325 sales reps for a 750 Mil nationwide equipment firm. In his first sales position at 19 yrs of age he took a 150K contractor sales territory to 2.5Mil in 1 year. His customized training programs hit areas targeted for improvement head on. He knows how to get people to buy and manage a sales effort to success!
Don't Kill your Golden Goose-Lawsuit Protection, Tax Reduction & Estate Planning Strategies to Protect & Perpetuate your Business
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 406
Discover the tools you can use to become invincible to lawsuits, save thousands in taxes, and achieve financial peace of mind. By the end of the presentation you will know how to:
- Protect 100% of your assets from lawsuits. You will learn how to make yourself so unattractive to a plaintiff attorney that they will never pursue a lawsuit against you.
- Save thousands of dollars each year in taxes. You will learn five tax reduction strategies most people fail to utilize, which could save you more than $10,000 each year in taxes.
- Avoid probate and eliminate all estate taxes.
You will be taken through a checklist of items that are important to every estate and business succession plan. You will learn what you should be doing now to prepare for successful business and estate secession.
He has authored and co-authored several articles and books on the subject including The Asset Protection Bible and How to Achieve Financial Peace of Mind through Asset Protection. His career has been credited with helping thousands of people save millions of dollars. Larry Oxenham is a nationally recognized speaker who has trained thousands of professionals at hundreds of conventions, conferences and seminars across the country.
Senior Advisor, American Society for Asset Protection Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
The Secret Gen Z Language: Getting the Next Generation Excited To Work And Lead
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 401
We’ve been led to buy the myth that a “good” custom homebuilding company is more “luck of the draw” and less “intentional sowing and fertilizing”.
This eye-opening educational workshop will help to uncover what the next generation really wants and what elements lead to business health versus disease. You will leave empowered with a tool that you can implement immediately providing a clear roadmap to multi-generational engagement in the custom homebuilding workplace.
After this workshop you will have clarity on the true difference within the generations, how to listen and speak to your team with a compelling language, and what elements are needed for each team member to thrive day to day.
Learning Objectives
- Learn the one action you can take to connect with someone younger than you immediately
- Understand what “mistakes” all new generations are looking to correct…and how to not be offended
- Discover the language of multi-generations so your words are heard
Target Audience: Homebuilders, Remodelers, Contractors
A Contractors, Subcontractor’s & Supplier's Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Paid
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 405
Liens and bond claims are critical elements of a company’s credit and collection process. Unfortunately, due to poor job information, missed deadlines, or the lack of internal processes, even seasoned construction businesses can lose their rights. In this session, Ariela Wagner will share five clear steps that she’s identified in her role as president of SunRay Construction Solutions, that will help you secure your company’s rights. While lien laws vary widely from state-by-state, you’ll leave this session armed with fundamental, proven-in-the-real-world best practices to help you successfully navigate the process of protecting your lien rights, and to ending bad debt.
Target Audience: General Contractors, Suppliers and Subcontractors
Ariela has always loved business. At the age of 6 she launched a thriving operation selling chocolate to her classmates. This secured around $5 in receivables a year.
At the age of 26, Ariela launched a construction software business. This now secures around $10 billion in receivables a year.
Today, Ariela’s business is one of the largest of its kind in the country, and counts some of the top national suppliers as customers. Ariela has been named in the South Florida Business Journal’s “Top-40 Under-40” young entrepreneurs, is a regular speaker at business and construction industry events, and is frequently featured in the industry's leading publications.
Her approach to both business and life is to never stop learning, growing and developing new skills: never stop being the best you can, and helping others to become the best version of themselves.
Outside the world of business, Ariela is a black belt in karate and teaches kids that are getting bullied. She’s also a golf champion and attends regular construction industry scrambles.
Her mantra is: “The impossible just takes longer”.
Turn Google reviews, messaging and social media to revenue
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 407
If you're looking to improve your business' ranking on Google, you've come to the right place. John will share the Birdeye guide on using reviews, messaging and social media to grow your local reputation and SEO. You should expect to take away a page of notes on everything you need to know about attracting, converting and delighting your customers and prospects that interact with your business.
Target Audience: Owners, Management, Soloprenuers, Supporting Staff
Photo-realistic vs. Artificial-looking CGI Renders - How to Spot the Difference?
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 406
CGI Renders have fast become the solution for marketing off-the-plan properties - helping potential buyers visualize what the finished build will look like while the foundations are being laid. The challenge in visualization often lies in presenting an image that accurately represents the end result, in a way that doesn't detract from the overall presentation with cartoony or unrealistic details. From considering the lighting source, angles, textures, materials, and background, to checking the edges and making sure there aren't any unrealistic shadows - an expert eye is vital in presenting professional marketing. In this seminar, we discuss some of the most common problems we see in renders and how to avoid them when marketing your property and help to fetch that higher sale price.
Target Audience: Builders, Real Estate Agents, Developers, Architects
PVC101 – The Benefits & Uses of Cellular PVC - 1.0 AIA Credit
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 404
Upon completion of this course, architects and participants will understand:
- Properties of cellular PVC
- Cellular PVC micro-ingredients
- Key differences between high and low-quality cellular PVC
- Ease of use and adaptability
- Common and unique end-use applications
- Painting, staining, and laminating options
- PVC’s contributions to Sustainability
- Properties of Cellular PVC Trim
- Are all cellular PVC Trims the same?
- Working With PVC
- Uses & Applications
- Residential – Exterior & Interior
- Commercial
- Multi-Family
- Historical Preservation
- Dark paint technology for cellular PVC trim
- New trim surface technology - Film Laminates
- PVC’s contribution to Sustainability
Target Audience: Builders, Contractors and Architects in Commercial and Residential applications.
Converting to Advanced Framing: Learn from Experience - 1.0 AIA Credit
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 408
As energy codes become stricter, builders and designers are seeking options for energy-efficient construction that maintain strength, durability, sustainability and cost-effectiveness. One effective solution is advanced framing, a system of construction framing techniques that optimize material use and increase energy efficiency. The primary purpose for most advanced framing techniques is to eliminate unnecessary framing members, reducing the costs, while simultaneously minimizing thermal bridging and increasing insulation volume in the thermal envelope of the building.
Target Audience: Builders, Contractors and Architects in Commercial and Residential applications
How Google And Chat GPT Can Boost your Online Lead Flow
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 415
Joshua Ramsey
Google has certain expectations of your website. The number one thing Google wants…. Good User Experience (UX).
In this session learn:
- Exactly how to communicate to Google
- How to track what your user experience
- How to use Chat GPT to communicate better
All of this plus get access to a free marketing/Chat GPT tool, complimentary in part from Build Expo and www.JRcmo.com Joshua Ramsey, Fractional CMO.
Not sure what a fractional CMO is? Learn more about a fractional CMO by searching ‘JRcmo fractional CMO’
Wondering if this speaker is worth your time? Hear his podcasts, radio show and online teaching by searching 'Joshua Ramsey Marketing’
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
A Google Certified Partner, Joshua's teaches interactive conferences based on material received from Google. Plus hear real life stories of success and failures that business owners have had. These powerful, interactive conferences are jammed packed with information that Joshua received during weekly meetings with Google. This is information every business owner needs to know.
Before becoming a Google Partner, Joshua was an outsourced CMO for several large U.S. based companies. As a CMO over the last 9 years, Joshua has managed over $2.5 million in AdWords and Digital Marketing Budgets and managed more than 2,800 campaigns. As a Bing Partner and Google Certified Partner, Joshua attends national conferences with some of the other great minds that influence SEO, digital marketing, and social media. Today, Joshua speaks all over the country helping businesses improve every element of their marketing.
Mastering Lien Rights: A Deep Dive into Florida Construction Law
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 413
Raphael Rashkin
Attorney | Florida Construction Liens by Rashkin Law
This lecture on Florida construction lien law provides a comprehensive overview of the legal framework governing construction liens in the state. It covers essential topics such as lien creation, perfection, and enforcement, offering practical insights into navigating complex construction disputes. Participants will gain a deep understanding of lien rights, notices, and deadlines, crucial for contractors, subcontractors, and property owners alike. The lecture delves into recent legal developments, ensuring attendees are up-to-date with the latest regulations. Through real-world examples and case studies, participants will leave equipped with valuable knowledge to handle lien-related challenges effectively.
Target Audience: Contractors
Raphael has extensive experience as a litigator and a transactional lawyer in a wide range of legal practices. Whether his clients are looking for a lawyer to draft legal documents or represent them in court, he specializes working with business owners to develop and execute legal strategies to save both time and money.
Raphael understands the concerns of companies in addressing their legal issues and the anxiety attached to finding legal counsel. Raphael has poised Rashkin Law to act as outside general counsel for companies that can't afford to keep a robust legal department on payroll. Raphael always takes time to explain legal issues in a simple and digestible way for his clients to help alleviate the anxiety of dealing with legal matters.
Raphael is an experienced trial lawyer and able to take cases through verdict when needed - however, his goal is always to find the most cost-effective solution.
A Tampa Bay native, Raphael has also lived and worked in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. He finished his formal schooling as a visiting student at UCLA School of Law while earning his juris doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. Raphael also earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of South Florida.
Sustainable Structures Built with Engineered Wood 1 AIA Credit
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 403
Stephanie Thomas-Rees
As society seeks a more sustainable future, sustainable building construction is becoming more important. This program looks at sustainability in the construction industry and the role of wood construction, specifically, designing with engineered wood products. Participants will learn best practices to improve design, specification and installation of sustainable solutions using engineered wood systems.
Target Audience: Architects, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Builders, and Remodelers
Media Architecture – Creative Technologies for Digital Placemaking and Design of Immersive Experiences
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 402
Arch Nelson
Regional Sales Director – Southeast / Director of Sales – Themed Entertainment Experiences for Nanolumens
Creative technologies, specifically large-format direct-view LED display technology, is utilized by architects Worldwide as a compelling visual medium for the creation of engaging, inspiring, socially connected, and compelling environments. Variations of this technology may be used for indoor or outdoor applications in use cases ranging from small-format signage to building-scale media facades. This presentation gives examples of various applications ranging from digital experiences in corporate briefing centers, flagship retail and education facilities, to video activations of glass curtain walls in mixed-use developments, to iconic large-format public art canvases and immersive sculptural “digital placemaking” installations in transportation hub facilities.
These examples are shown in the context of how they enhance the built environment by creating a sense of place and have a positive impact on the social wellbeing of occupants. This course will also elaborate on how the design of these systems is integrated within the architectural design process through pre-contract and post-contract design development support, how they are physically installed into new or existing construction, and the associated facility impacts, and ongoing support requirements.
Target Audience: Custom Homebuilders, Remodelers, and Trade Contractors
Estimating Direct and Indirect Costs in Construction
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 402
Direct and indirect expenses in construction projects: This presentation takes a quick and comprehensive look at all expenses expected in a typical construction project. We identify direct and indirect expenses and list all types of categories under each type. The presentation makes a brief analysis of labor, materials, equipment, overhead, bonds and insurance, profit, contingency, and other expenses. Knowing and estimating these expenses can make or break the contractor’s business. This presentation is a must for contractors and anyone in the construction industry.
Target Audience: Builders and Contractors
B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering specialized in Construction Management.
Experience: Over 26 years diversified:
- Industrial: private and public sectors, in the U.S. and overseas. Positions occupied include project engineer/manager, cost estimator, planner/scheduler, project controls manager, cost manager, training manager.
- Academic: faculty member / professor, head of department.
- Extensive experience in continuing education and professional training around the world. Topics are mainly technical but also include soft skills.
Author of:
- Construction Project Scheduling and Control (currently 3rd edition)
- How to Estimate with Means Data: Basic Skills for Building Construction (currently 4th edition)
- Many articles; technical and other
- Many presentations in professional conferences such as PMI, AACE International, Primavera Users Conference. Also, a public speaker in many local, regional, and international events.
- An authority on project planning, scheduling, and project control; was part of the PMI team that wrote the first Project Scheduling certification (PMI-SP) exam in 2007.
- An advocate of holistic healthy living and sports.
Automating your Processes with QuickBooks and Apps for Contractors - Level 1
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Room 401
We are living in a time that requires efficiency and organization. Having tons of paperwork and loose ends that take up your time and effort to grow and be more efficient is not the ideal picture. Join my class and learn all about being financially efficient with QuickBooks and the Apps. Learn what is the right QuickBooks for you and the different apps that are available for your builder's business. Learn the solutions that can completely change your perspective about accounting and project management.
Target Audience: Builders and Contractors
Highly accomplished financial professional with a wealth of experience in accounting, tax preparation, and business consulting. I hold a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) degree, as well as an Enrolled Agent (EA) designation, Federally licensed by the Dept of Treasury, which allows me to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
My passion for accounting began early in 1998 where I pursued me education with a single-minded focus on developing my skills and knowledge in the field. While earning my Bachelors and Masters in accountancy, I worked for several years in public accounting, gaining valuable experience in tax preparation, audit, and financial statement preparation. As an EA, I have a deep understanding of the tax code and can navigate complex tax laws and regulations. I am committed to staying up to date on the latest changes to the tax code. In 2010 I opened my accounting practice, Sheridan Accounting and Tax, where I built a reputation for providing outstanding service to my clients. I have a talent for helping identify the areas that need improvement in operations and how to increase profitability and efficiency.
In 2020, I rebranded the company to become Eclipse Accounting and Tax and specialize in construction accounting and tax to include cost segregation. In the beginning of 2023, I solely collaborated Eclipse Accounting Corp with Eclipse Building Corp and Todd Whalen, the owner and my partner, to be their exclusive accounting company handling all the internal operations and financial data for Eclipse Building corp. Together along with our staff’s knowledge of accounting and tax and Todd’s knowledge of commercial building, we provide superior workmanship both in the field and in operations.
CREDENTIALS:
Enrolled Agent (able to represent taxpayers in front of the IRS nationwide), Master's in Accountancy, QuickBooks Certified Proadvisor, Past Certified Profit First Expert, 2021-2023, Professional organizer, accredited member of NAEA (national association of Enrolled Agents), NATP (National association of tax professionals), NAPO (National association of professional organizers), NAPW (National association of Professional women), NAWIC (Nathional Association of Women in Construction)
Specialties: Profit and growth expert specializing in Personal taxation and construction profitability and efficiency. Business professional organizing is a passion of mine.
Tips and tricks in Cost Estimating
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 404
Cost estimating for construction projects is a complicated matter that requires knowledge and expertise. It involves so many aspects that a mistake in one of them can be devastating for the contractor. This seminar will provide a group of valuable tips that will improve the accuracy of the cost estimate. The tips include quantity take-offs, identifying individual items, adding waste allowances, pricing items, adjusting cost for productivity fluctuations, additional charges (such as shipping, delivery, taxes, customs, other fees), custom and special items, estimating overhead and profit, and contingency allowance, and putting the estimate together. Other topics include the impact of location and timing on the price and importance of reading the contract and good documentation.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
- Construction project management consultant, author, public speaker, and trainer.
- S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering, specialized in Construction Management.
- Experience: Over 26 years diversified:
- Industrial: private and public sectors, in the U.S. and overseas. Positions occupied include project engineer / manager, cost estimator, planner / scheduler, project controls manager, cost manager, training manager.
- Academic: faculty member / professor, head of department.
- Extensive experience in continuing education and professional training around the world. Topics are mainly technical but also include soft skills.
- Author of:
- Construction Project Scheduling and Control (currently 3rd edition)
- How to Estimate with Means Data: Basic Skills for Building Construction (currently 4th edition)
- Many articles; technical and other
- Many presentations in professional conferences such as PMI, AACE International, Primavera Users Conference. Also, a public speaker in many local, regional, and international events.
- An authority on project planning, scheduling, and project control; was part of the PMI team that wrote the first Project Scheduling certification (PMI-SP) exam in 2007.
- An advocate of holistic healthy living and sports
How to Work with the City
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 414
Ann McNeill
President | MCO Construction and Services Inc., MCO Consulting, Inc., Constructively Speaking, Inc.
Founder | National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC)
In this lively and highly informative discussion, Ann McNeill, the "Master Builder" explains the steps, skills, and strategies needed for construction contractors to successfully bid on and obtain work with governments.
Ann has worked with all levels of government and specializes in helping small businesses thrive.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
Ann McNeill is the President of MCO Construction and Services Inc., MCO Consulting, Inc., Constructively Speaking, Inc., and Founder of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC) and the International Mastermind Association.
Ann began MCO Construction in 1983 as a trailblazer for Blacks and women in the industry. Since then, MCO has grown into a first-rate company with five offices in Florida and Georgia and over 30 employees. Several projects of note include:
MIA South Terminal Expansion Program, Miami Intermodal Center, Port Miami Terminal V, Philip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Miami Dade Children’s Courthouse, and the Marlins Ball Park to name a few.
Ann is a highly sought after speaker, life coach, and business strategist. Ann is warmly known as the "Master Builder," where she excels in "Building Master Lives."
Leveraging AI in Preconstruction
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 405
Johnny Maghzal
Head of Product Development | Togal.AI
Join us for an insightful and dynamic discussion on the integration and transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the preconstruction industry. Learn how Togal.AI harnesses the power of AI to provide accurate and swift takeoffs, helping you bid with confidence and precision.
Target Audience: Preconstruction leaders, estimators from general contractors and subcontractors including painting, drywall, flooring,
Improved Management Techniques
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 412
Dennis Harrelson
Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)
This workshop covers topics related to professional techniques for managing a company, building employee buy-in and company growth.
Course Objectives: To educate attendees about the need to evaluate their management style, discover techniques and styles that their employees are looking for and can relate to and how to improve upon their style to meet their employees’ expectations. We will discuss the true functions of management, how and what they should be doing and ways to increase their management competence.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
10 Min Marketing Plan to Avoid Marketing Overspending & Headaches. Plus, Where / How to Generate More Leads?
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 415
A Fractional CMO (Joshua Ramsey) is going to spend this time together show you how to deal with the most common frustrations of business owners.
- Stop over-spending on marketing campaigns that don’t work
- Use Technology to streamline your prospect funnels
- Don’t let agencies take advantage of you
PLUS – learn how to build a ‘bullet proof marketing plan’ for yourself that big companies use to stay on top.
If you don’t attend this session, your competitors will!!
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
A Google Certified Partner, Joshua's teaches interactive conferences based on material received from Google. Plus hear real life stories of success and failures that business owners have had. These powerful, interactive conferences are jammed packed with information that Joshua received during weekly meetings with Google. This is information every business owner needs to know.
Before becoming a Google Partner, Joshua was an outsourced CMO for several large U.S. based companies. As a CMO over the last 9 years, Joshua has managed over $2.5 million in AdWords and Digital Marketing Budgets and managed more than 2,800 campaigns. As a Bing Partner and Google Certified Partner, Joshua attends national conferences with some of the other great minds that influence SEO, digital marketing, and social media. Today, Joshua speaks all over the country helping businesses improve every element of their marketing.
Safety Management 101
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 402
Dan Johnson
Managing Partner | SFI Compliance Inc.
This course will go over basis safety management practices to keep the projects safe. Construction companies have some unique challenges and expectations with regards to safety on their projects. Managing the safety for employees and subcontractors adds a degree of uncertainty and risk, especially with the OSHA Multi Employer Worksite Policy. The Safety Management 101 course is designed to address those issues and teach project managers and superintendents tried and true practices for managing safety on their projects.
This course will cover:
Requirements by OSHA for managing safety with employees and subs
Documentation requirements
Best practices to stay safe and compliant
Target Audience: General Contractors, Subcontractors, Builders, and Remodelers
Materials Mgmt / Procurement and Your Pathway to NetZero
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 413
April Moss is a market and retail strategy expert with more than 20 years of experience developing sales teams with some of the largest global companies, including Procter & Gamble and Starbucks. It was at Procter & Gamble where April and Rob met.
Prior to starting her career with P&G, she worked for the Construction Specification Institute in Washington D.C., fueling her interest in real estate development.
Like Rob, April watched her father struggle as a sub-contractor. Those struggles were one of the reasons her father ended his own life when she was nine. Construction has 4-5x more suicides than any other industry. One of April’s passions is to make sure that as DigiBuild works to improve the construction process that it helps to relieve the burden on construction people and their families along the way.
Sophie Papageorge, a Director at ICS, specializes in securing tax incentives for commercial and residential real estate developers and owners. With a family background in construction, Sophie's early exposure to the industry has given her a unique understanding of its challenges and opportunities.
Her expertise lies in building strong client relationships and guiding them from project inception to completion, ensuring they receive maximum federal government incentives for energy-efficient construction. Sophie is not only a technical expert but also a trusted advisor, offering tailored strategies for clients to maximize their financial benefits.
Outside of work, Sophie remains actively engaged in the construction industry, staying updated on trends, and sharing her knowledge with aspiring professionals. Her dedication to industry growth and client success solidifies her as a respected leader in the field of tax incentives for real estate developers and owners
Uncover the secrets to optimizing your purchasing processes and maximizing financial returns. Learn how to efficiently navigate the procurement landscape to secure the best deals, and how to manage rebates effectively to ensure your organization reaps the financial benefits. This course will arm you with innovative approaches that combine fiscal prudence with smart purchasing tactics, positioning your business for success in a competitive market.
Target Audience: Owners, GCs and Subs
QuickBooks Online Made profitable for construction
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 401
Shannon Sheridan
CFO | Eclipse Building Corp.
Easy to Learn Tips and tricks of QBO, how to track retainage, percentage of completion accounting for tax purposes, and more.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
Constructing the Future: Discover ChatGPT and Harness its Power for a Profitable Marketing Future
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 412
Jason Rhoads
In the intersection of artificial intelligence and digital marketing, ChatGPT shines as a game-changer. We'll unpack its profound impact on online marketing, exploring its present utility and future potential to deliver better and more profitable leads.
The presentation will be in four parts:
- Introduction:
- An overview of ChatGPT: OpenAI's language model that's transforming digital interactions.
- Current State of Online Marketing: How traditional practices are being overshadowed by AI capabilities.
- AI Integration in Online Marketing, SEO, and Sales:
- Content Generation: ChatGPT's role in crafting engaging and SEO-optimized content.
- Data Analysis: Gleaning actionable insights from user behavior and feedback.
- User Experiences: Creating personalized user pathways and sales funnels.
- SEO Strategies: AI's role in analyzing search trends and generating SEO-friendly content.
- Future Prospects of AI in Marketing:
- Evolving Capabilities: The ongoing growth and refinement of AI tools like ChatGPT.
- AI in Search Algorithms: How AI might dictate the direction of search marketing.
- Q&A Session: Open floor for attendees to probe deeper, challenge assertions, or seek clarification.
- Introduction:
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
Jason Rhoads is the proud CEO and owner of Rhoads Creative—a data-first, digital-always marketing agency tailored for home consultation and services companies. He began his career specializing in statistics and analytics for financial service companies and moved to digital marketing over ten years ago. Over the last ten years, he has become an expert in all things digital by creating marketing strategies for companies big and small, resulting inunheard-of results (like a 1,127% increase in ROI).
Rhoads Creative, under Jason’s stewardship, has not only delivered the results but has positioned itself at the forefront of digital marketing innovations:
- A proud Google Certified partner
- Trailblazers in geofencing, being among the first ten agencies globally
- Exclusive members of beta testing teams for Hulu and TikTok advertising
- Actively involved in Chat GPT and OpenAI's beta testing
Beyond Rhoads Creative, his involvement in industry associations like NAHB, 55 Plus Council, and various HBAs, along with my representation of over 100 home consultation and service entities, has enriched me with a breadth of insights. This knowledge drives me to deliver tailored, high-impact campaigns consistently.
PVC101 – The Benefits & Uses of Cellular PVC 1 AIA Credit
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 403
Jeff Dahdah
Upon completion of this course, architects and participants will understand:
- Properties of cellular PVC
- Cellular PVC micro-ingredients
- Key differences between high and low-quality cellular PVC
- Ease of use and adaptability
- Common and unique end-use applications
- Painting, staining, and laminating options
- PVC’s contributions to Sustainability
- Properties of Cellular PVC Trim
- Are all cellular PVC Trims the same?
- Working With PVC
- Uses & Applications
- Residential – Exterior & Interior
- Commercial
- Multi-Family
- Historical Preservation
- Dark paint technology for cellular PVC trim
- New trim surface technology - Film Laminates
- PVC’s contribution to Sustainability
Target Audience: Builders, Contractors and Architects in Commercial and Residential applications.
Jeff Dahdah is the Florida Regional Sales Manager for VERSATEX Building Products. His territory spans from Key West to Jacksonville Florida and everything in between. Jeff also serves the Caribbean Islands and helps setup orders for export.
For over eight years, Jeff has grown the territory by developing all aspects of the business, by focusing on distribution and stocking dealer development, he has expanded the business throughout the Florida and Caribbean markets. By raising the awareness and training builders, remodelers and contractors on the benefits found in using PVC products, VERSATEX has been able to provide these craftsmen with beautiful products that also offer their clients the benefit of low maintenance.
Most importantly, Jeff has worked with the architectural community throughout his region to ensure architects and designers have the facts, knowledge, comfort level, and confidence to use valuable cellular PVC products in their designs.
Jeff lives in the sleepy little town of Grant-Valkaria located on the east coast of Central Florida.
Improved Management Techniques
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. |
President | OMNI Financial Services
In this workshop attendees will look in the mirror at their own management style to discover where their weaknesses are, what areas are truly important and how implement a change in themselves that will make an impact on their business. This workshop is about training attendees on how to better manage the daily issues they face within their company.
Course Objectives:
To educate attendees about the need to evaluate their management style, discover techniques and styles that their employees are looking for and can relate to and how to improve upon their style to meet their employees’ expectations. We will discuss the true functions of management, how and what they should be doing and ways to increase their management competence.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
After graduating from college Dennis joined the U.S Army. During his enlistment he served in the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged after his service was complete. Once his military duty was over, Dennis decided to enter the financial services industry. Dennis started his own firm in 1980 specializing in financial advice for businesses and individuals alike. He eventually focused his energy on working with business owners and earned the distinguished Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation from the American College. His passion ultimately led him into the construction field where he has been consulting with contractors for many years on a variety of important business topics. He has become a regular speaker at many state and local construction associations throughout the state and has become an important resource for construction companies of all sizes. Dennis’ expertise lies in his ability to help business owners implement the tools and techniques that they need to succeed and meet the challenges that construction companies are faced with. He helps business owners structure their business so they can improve efficiencies, increase margins, grow profits and maximize the value of their businesses. He now focuses his energy on teaching the owners and management teams of construction companies how to implement the best practices that successful companies are using to prosper in today’s market.
Automating your Processes with QuickBooks and Apps for Contractors - Level 2
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | 401
We are living in a time that requires efficiency and organization. Having tons of paperwork and loose ends that take up your time and effort to grow and be more efficient is not the ideal picture. Join my class and learn all about being financially efficient with QuickBooks and the Apps. Learn what is the right QuickBooks for you and the different apps that are available for your builder's business. Learn the solutions that can completely change your perspective about accounting and project management.
Target Audience: Builders and Contractors
Highly accomplished financial professional with a wealth of experience in accounting, tax preparation, and business consulting. I hold a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) degree, as well as an Enrolled Agent (EA) designation, Federally licensed by the Dept of Treasury, which allows me to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
My passion for accounting began early in 1998 where I pursued me education with a single-minded focus on developing my skills and knowledge in the field. While earning my Bachelors and Masters in accountancy, I worked for several years in public accounting, gaining valuable experience in tax preparation, audit, and financial statement preparation. As an EA, I have a deep understanding of the tax code and can navigate complex tax laws and regulations. I am committed to staying up to date on the latest changes to the tax code. In 2010 I opened my accounting practice, Sheridan Accounting and Tax, where I built a reputation for providing outstanding service to my clients. I have a talent for helping identify the areas that need improvement in operations and how to increase profitability and efficiency.
In 2020, I rebranded the company to become Eclipse Accounting and Tax and specialize in construction accounting and tax to include cost segregation. In the beginning of 2023, I solely collaborated Eclipse Accounting Corp with Eclipse Building Corp and Todd Whalen, the owner and my partner, to be their exclusive accounting company handling all the internal operations and financial data for Eclipse Building corp. Together along with our staff’s knowledge of accounting and tax and Todd’s knowledge of commercial building, we provide superior workmanship both in the field and in operations.
CREDENTIALS:
Enrolled Agent (able to represent taxpayers in front of the IRS nationwide), Master's in Accountancy, QuickBooks Certified Proadvisor, Past Certified Profit First Expert, 2021-2023, Professional organizer, accredited member of NAEA (national association of Enrolled Agents), NATP (National association of tax professionals), NAPO (National association of professional organizers), NAPW (National association of Professional women), NAWIC (Nathional Association of Women in Construction)
Specialties: Profit and growth expert specializing in Personal taxation and construction profitability and efficiency. Business professional organizing is a passion of mine.
Materials Mgmt. & Procurement: Navigating Broken Supply-Chain
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | 406
This session format is a round table discussion that specifically tackles Supply Chain Management and addresses a wide range of topics:
- What are the main material issues affecting projects right now?
- How has Covid impacted Supply Chains?
- What are companies currently doing to manage this process?
- What can they do to manage this process more effectively?
- What stakeholders are being affected and how are they reacting?
- What challenges come with introducing new technology? How to manage?
- What are some of the ROI of Material Management & Procurement software? What about software in general?
- What is an ideal material management & procurement process?
- What is the future Supply Chain outlook?
Target Audience: Architects, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Builders, and Remodelers
April Moss is a market and retail strategy expert with more than 20 years of experience developing sales teams with some of the largest global companies, including Procter & Gamble and Starbucks. It was at Procter & Gamble where April and Rob met. Prior to starting her career with P&G, she worked for the Construction Specification Institute in Washington D.C., fueling her interest in real estate development. Like Rob, Founder/CEO, April watched her father struggle as a sub-contractor. Those struggles were one of the reasons her father ended his own life when she was nine. Construction has 4-5x more suicides than any other industry. One of April’s passions is to make sure that as DigiBuild works to improve the construction process that it helps to relieve the burden on construction people and their families along the way.
Getting Claims Paid: Navigating the Ins and Outs of a Property Insurance Claim
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | 407
Insurance is a necessary aspect to everyday life therefore it is imperative that policyholders and their contractors know the basic ins and outs of navigating a claim upfront rather than after they are denied benefits. An update of the new laws effecting contractors and work they may do for policyholders, will be discussed in detail. Join OLDER LUNDY and Dave Pettinato as they dive into the check list of how to properly tackle Florida property insurance claims and recover what you are owed.
Target Audience: Policyholders, Businessowners, and anyone else who might have to deal with insurance claims whether it be their own residence or their field of work.
David Pettinato joined Older Lundy Koch & Martino in 2021 adding to the firm’s civil litigation practice with an expertise in first- and third- party property insurance disputes. David is an experienced policyholder advocate in both state and federal courts, with practice areas including large property losses, business interruption, insurance coverage, and international insurance disputes. Mr. Pettinato has significant experience in dealing with all types of property damage claims, including hurricane, wind, fire, water damage, sinkhole, weight of snow, and hail claims. He began his insurance litigation career over 20 years ago as insurance defense counsel.
Mr. Pettinato is the former chair for the Insurance Section of The American Association of Justice (AAJ), and held multiple former chairs and vice chairs for the Bad Faith Litigation Group (BFLG) for the AAJ from 2000-2012. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Wiedemann & Waysocki Award, which honors attorneys for their commitment to their profession and support for improving the civil justice system. He has spoken before professional associations and groups such as the Windstorm Insurance Network, AAJ, Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. David continues to apply himself to his relentless pursuit of justice on behalf of his clients.
ELECOCOSOFT - Asta Powerproject – CPM Scheduling Software
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | 405
Powerproject supports more than 100,000 professionals worldwide, providing intuitive CPM scheduling, 4D BIM integration, a mobile app, and resource management features. Powerproject is perfect for construction projects of all sizes, giving you better project management tools and leading to better project outcomes.
Learn how quickly and efficiently you can set up, progress, and report on a project plan using Powerproject. We will set up the project using a Project Template and add additional scope using Task Pools. We will set up the Work Breakdown Structure and then add Tasks using a variety of methods depending on your preferences: type on the activity table, draw on the bar chart, task pools, copy/paste from Excel, import from another scheduling solution. Explore the various methods for linking tasks and assigning code libraries/activity codes. Learn how you can use Powerproject’s “Undo” feature to easily perform “what-if” scenarios and correct mistakes. We will review several strategies for performing Progress Updates and generating presentation-quality reports.
Target Audience: Scheduler, PM, VP of ops, Planners
Zoning and Permitting: Navigating the Zoning Process: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | 402
In this session David will cover the process of zoning and what things to look out for.
Target Audience: Policyholders, Business-owners, and anyone else who might have to deal with insurance claims whether it be their own residence or their field of work.
David B. Singer has over two decades of experience practicing in the areas of real estate, land use and development. He received his B.A. and J.D from the University of Michigan and is admitted to practice law in both Illinois and Florida. Mr. Singer represents clients in matters regarding zoning issues, land use, comprehensive planning, economic incentive eligibility, permitting issues, and issues relating to election law.
Mr. Singer also has a broad practice of working with clients interacting with the government at the local, state and federal levels. He counsels private citizens, corporations and elected officials on their rights as it pertains to governmental actions, orders, investigations, inquiries and hearings. David has extensive knowledge in providing representation for clients in public policy and government affairs, administrative, regulatory and government forums (local and state agencies), political matters and election law. Mr. Singer is admitted to practice in the 11th Circuit, all three U.S. District Courts in Florida, the Northern District of Illinois, as well as all state courts in Illinois and Florida. He is a certified mediator in the state of Florida. He holds an A/V Peer Review Rating from Martindale Hubbell.
Starting your Digital Transformation Journey
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | 403
How Dropbox can change the way you do business.
Target Audience: Builders and Contractors
Shirin Arnold is the Industry Solutions Lead for Construction at Dropbox. Shirin joined Dropbox at the end of 2021 from Autodesk where she held several key positions in sales and product. She was a Technical Solutions Executive for the AEC industry as well as a Group Product Manager driving the BIM 360 Field Management solutions forward. Even though she holds a Master’s in Structural Engineering from Stanford University, she has always leaned towards the construction industry. Her interest in construction led her straight to a boots on the ground position, with a major general contractor as a project engineer where her interest flourished. She has held various product management positions from Credit Suisse to Graphisoft where she has been able to continue to influence the construction industry.
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Building a Predictable Business Culture that Recruits, Hires, and Retains Great Gen Z Talent
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 406
Scott Beebe
Founder & Head Coach | Business on Purpose
“Nobody wants to work anymore!”
That’s the outcry from our modern workplace, and yet we look around and talk with loads of people from younger generations desperate not just for work, but for meaningful work that comes with clarity and predictability.
In the AEC industries clarity is hard to come by and good luck landing in a land of predictability.
In this motivating and mindset-shifting talk Scott Beebe (CEPA) will flip our idea of what a younger generation is looking for and why the AEC industries are the perfect landing spot for young, ambitious, hungry talent to come devote their lives and their work to.
Come ready to think differently and gain insight into a simple and free method that can change the game for the culture and health of your business.
Learning Objectives
- Learn the secret language of Gen Z and what they really want
- Identify the elements of your business that are ripe for new team members to engage with
- Build one simple tool during the workshop that you can implement that afternoon.
Target Audience: Homebuilders, Remodelers, Contractors
Proper Customer Sales Management
9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. | Room 401
Construction professionals often struggle with the nuts and bolts of proper sales techniques. This includes closing new targets, maintaining recurring customers and crafting a complete sales effort. Properly managing customer expectations and satisfaction can cultivate further opportunity. Not doing so can result in low revenue and profitability results.
We’ll cover:
- Why customers commit
- Why your close rate is too low
- Winning projects or orders with peak profitability
- Managing commercial and residential customers
Applying these concepts can bring immediate results in your most critical sales efforts. Effectively reading your customers will result in you being in control of the sales process. Making closing work an easier proposition.
Target Audience: Architects, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Builders, and Remodelers
His DVD series can literally be used as an individual or corporate training program. He's been featured on CNN and in USAToday as well as dozens of media outlets across the country. Tom is extremely entertaining in his approach and well studied in the dynamics that occur in bidding, quoting and developing customer brand loyalty. His high energy approach combined with practical applications can bring results immediately after his seminars.
His corporation, Seal the Deal, is sought after by trade associations, contractors, corporations, suppliers, construction expos and publications regularly. He currently writes for 4 publications, has 20 regular contractor clients and speaks to in excess of 10,000 construction industry individuals a year. Tom turned a Caterpillar rental territory from 2.5Mil to 10Mil in revenue in 18 months while raising margins by 2%! He also trained 325 sales reps for a 750 Mil nationwide equipment firm. In his first sales position at 19 yrs of age he took a 150K contractor sales territory to 2.5Mil in 1 year. His customized training programs hit areas targeted for improvement head on. He knows how to get people to buy and manage a sales effort to success!
Culture Is NOT An Accident: How To Build Your Culture On One Sheet Of Paper
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 401
The culture of your business is a DIRECT RESULT of the ingredients that you allow to enter into the building. Good ingredients equal good culture, and vice versa. Culture is more than ping pong tables and bean bag chairs. Culture is about relationships, connection, and communication.
Culture will determine the joy that we find in running our business. We all want a great culture, and we know we have to work for it…but how? Most strategies include a cross-your-fingers approach.
This fun and surprising workshop will remove the confusion around great culture, and provide you the action and clarity you need to build a culture that you are proud of and that all generations want to be a part of.
Learning Objectives
- Clarify the elements of great culture, and identify distracting elements of bad culture so you can focus on the elements of great culture
- Walk away with a one page visual of building great culture in your business starting tomorrow
- Discover the motivation to stop wasting time and money on team outings and bonus plans that rarely move the needle
Target Audience: Homebuilders, Remodelers, Contractors
How Google And Chat GPT Can Boost your Online Lead Flow
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 415
Joshua Ramsey
Google has certain expectations of your website. The number one thing Google wants…. Good User Experience (UX).
In this session learn:
- Exactly how to communicate to Google
- How to track what your user experience
- How to use Chat GPT to communicate better
All of this plus get access to a free marketing/Chat GPT tool, complimentary in part from Build Expo and www.JRcmo.com Joshua Ramsey, Fractional CMO.
Not sure what a fractional CMO is? Learn more about a fractional CMO by searching ‘JRcmo fractional CMO’
Wondering if this speaker is worth your time? Hear his podcasts, radio show and online teaching by searching 'Joshua Ramsey Marketing’
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
A Google Certified Partner, Joshua's teaches interactive conferences based on material received from Google. Plus hear real life stories of success and failures that business owners have had. These powerful, interactive conferences are jammed packed with information that Joshua received during weekly meetings with Google. This is information every business owner needs to know.
Before becoming a Google Partner, Joshua was an outsourced CMO for several large U.S. based companies. As a CMO over the last 9 years, Joshua has managed over $2.5 million in AdWords and Digital Marketing Budgets and managed more than 2,800 campaigns. As a Bing Partner and Google Certified Partner, Joshua attends national conferences with some of the other great minds that influence SEO, digital marketing, and social media. Today, Joshua speaks all over the country helping businesses improve every element of their marketing.
Mastering Lien Rights: A Deep Dive into Florida Construction Law
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 413
Raphael Rashkin
Attorney | Florida Construction Liens by Rashkin Law
This lecture on Florida construction lien law provides a comprehensive overview of the legal framework governing construction liens in the state. It covers essential topics such as lien creation, perfection, and enforcement, offering practical insights into navigating complex construction disputes. Participants will gain a deep understanding of lien rights, notices, and deadlines, crucial for contractors, subcontractors, and property owners alike. The lecture delves into recent legal developments, ensuring attendees are up-to-date with the latest regulations. Through real-world examples and case studies, participants will leave equipped with valuable knowledge to handle lien-related challenges effectively.
Target Audience: Contractors
Raphael has extensive experience as a litigator and a transactional lawyer in a wide range of legal practices. Whether his clients are looking for a lawyer to draft legal documents or represent them in court, he specializes working with business owners to develop and execute legal strategies to save both time and money.
Raphael understands the concerns of companies in addressing their legal issues and the anxiety attached to finding legal counsel. Raphael has poised Rashkin Law to act as outside general counsel for companies that can't afford to keep a robust legal department on payroll. Raphael always takes time to explain legal issues in a simple and digestible way for his clients to help alleviate the anxiety of dealing with legal matters.
Raphael is an experienced trial lawyer and able to take cases through verdict when needed - however, his goal is always to find the most cost-effective solution.
A Tampa Bay native, Raphael has also lived and worked in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. He finished his formal schooling as a visiting student at UCLA School of Law while earning his juris doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. Raphael also earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of South Florida.
PoE Lighting and Automation - Next Gen Control
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. |
Tyler Andrews
CEO | PoE Texas
Top subject matter experts with experience in designing and constructing Power Over Ethernet intelligent buildings share their best practices and lessons learned. The session will help Builders and Integrators interested in Smart Home and Smart Building Technology gain crucial skills and knowledge essential to delivering intelligent buildings and lighting for developers and owners.
Target Audience: Builders and Integrators interested in Smart Home and Smart Building Technology
Tyler is an influencer for Intelligent Buildings and Power Over Ethernet. He currently leads PoE Texas making technology accessible to facility owners with his unique mix of technical expertise, construction experience, and project management knowledge. He currently hosts the most popular YouTube and Facebook channel and live stream about Power Over Ethernet and Intelligent Buildings, Converge PoE. Tyler speaks and trains about his project management experience and the importance of Power Over Ethernet in the new Intelligent Building.
Engineered Wood: A to Z 1 AIA Credit
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 403
Stephanie Thomas-Rees
With the expanding choice and use of engineered wood products in today’s construction market, it’s more important than ever to understand how to properly select, install and detail engineered wood materials.
This presentation will address the benefits and proper application of engineered wood products, including
plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), glued laminated timber (glulam), I-joists and structural composite
lumber (SCL).
Target Audience: Architects, General Contractors, Subcontractors, Builders, and Remodelers
Construction Schedule Updating: What is my percent complete, anyway?
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 404
Contractors have to update the projects’ schedules periodically. This update is so important not only because it provides the contractor and the owner with an idea of where the project stands at this point, but also because progress payments from the owner to the contractor depend on information in these updates, specifically amount of work performed this period on each activity. This amount of work is usually expressed in percent complete. However, there are many types of percent complete, based on physical estimates (units), cost, time, manhours, or other. It is also important to calculate both baseline and actual percent complete for the activity, in order to determine if work is on, ahead, or behind schedule. This seminar takes a quick look at different types of percent complete, explains them, and discusses what they represent and when to use them.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
- Construction project management consultant, author, public speaker, and trainer.
- S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering, specialized in Construction Management.
- Experience: Over 26 years diversified:
- Industrial: private and public sectors, in the U.S. and overseas. Positions occupied include project engineer / manager, cost estimator, planner / scheduler, project controls manager, cost manager, training manager.
- Academic: faculty member / professor, head of department.
- Extensive experience in continuing education and professional training around the world. Topics are mainly technical but also include soft skills.
- Author of:
- Construction Project Scheduling and Control (currently 3rd edition)
- How to Estimate with Means Data: Basic Skills for Building Construction (currently 4th edition)
- Many articles; technical and other
- Many presentations in professional conferences such as PMI, AACE International, Primavera Users Conference. Also, a public speaker in many local, regional, and international events.
- An authority on project planning, scheduling, and project control; was part of the PMI team that wrote the first Project Scheduling certification (PMI-SP) exam in 2007.
- An advocate of holistic healthy living and sports
Niche to be Rich in Construction
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 414
Ann McNeill
President | MCO Construction and Services Inc., MCO Consulting, Inc., Constructively Speaking, Inc.
Founder | National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC)
Being a general contractor does not mean you should be a general business owner. If you want to have business success, you need to become an expert specialist in your craft.
Join Ann McNeill, the “Master Builder,” as she shares the principles, solutions, and plans needed for your business to excel by drilling down and discovering your niche in construction to find your riches.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
Ann McNeill is the President of MCO Construction and Services Inc., MCO Consulting, Inc., Constructively Speaking, Inc., and Founder of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC) and the International Mastermind Association.
Ann began MCO Construction in 1983 as a trailblazer for Blacks and women in the industry. Since then, MCO has grown into a first-rate company with five offices in Florida and Georgia and over 30 employees. Several projects of note include:
MIA South Terminal Expansion Program, Miami Intermodal Center, Port Miami Terminal V, Philip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, Miami Dade Children’s Courthouse, and the Marlins Ball Park to name a few.
Ann is a highly sought after speaker, life coach, and business strategist. Ann is warmly known as the "Master Builder," where she excels in "Building Master Lives."
Leveraging AI in Preconstruction
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 405
Johnny Maghzal
Head of Product Development | Togal.AI
Join us for an insightful and dynamic discussion on the integration and transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the preconstruction industry. Learn how Togal.AI harnesses the power of AI to provide accurate and swift takeoffs, helping you bid with confidence and precision.
Target Audience: Preconstruction leaders, estimators from general contractors and subcontractors including painting, drywall, flooring,
PVC101 – The Benefits & Uses of Cellular PVC 1 AIA Credit
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 402
Florida Regional Sales Manager | Versatex Building Products
Upon completion of this course, architects and participants will understand:
- Properties of cellular PVC
- Cellular PVC micro-ingredients
- Key differences between high and low-quality cellular PVC
- Ease of use and adaptability
- Common and unique end-use applications
- Painting, staining, and laminating options
- PVC’s contributions to Sustainability
- Properties of Cellular PVC Trim
- Are all cellular PVC Trims the same?
- Working With PVC
- Uses & Applications
- Residential – Exterior & Interior
- Commercial
- Multi-Family
- Historical Preservation
- Dark paint technology for cellular PVC trim
- New trim surface technology - Film Laminates
- PVC’s contribution to Sustainability
Target Audience: Builders, Contractors and Architects in Commercial and Residential applications.
Jeff Dahdah is the Florida Regional Sales Manager for VERSATEX Building Products. His territory spans from Key West to Jacksonville Florida and everything in between. Jeff also serves the Caribbean Islands and helps setup orders for export.
For over eight years, Jeff has grown the territory by developing all aspects of the business, by focusing on distribution and stocking dealer development, he has expanded the business throughout the Florida and Caribbean markets. By raising the awareness and training builders, remodelers and contractors on the benefits found in using PVC products, VERSATEX has been able to provide these craftsmen with beautiful products that also offer their clients the benefit of low maintenance.
Most importantly, Jeff has worked with the architectural community throughout his region to ensure architects and designers have the facts, knowledge, comfort level, and confidence to use valuable cellular PVC products in their designs.
Jeff lives in the sleepy little town of Grant-Valkaria located on the east coast of Central Florida.
Brick-and-Mortar Meets Click-and-Order: Transforming Traditional Building Marketing with E-Commerce Strategies
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 412
Embark on redefining your home building or renovation marketing with e-commerce strategies. This seminar provides the tools and techniques to finally track and measure your marketing program's actual ROI and profitability. Gain insights into effective techniques for optimizing your marketing investments, enhancing ROI, and driving sustainable business growth.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
Jason Rhoads is the proud CEO and owner of Rhoads Creative—a data-first, digital-always marketing agency tailored for home consultation and services companies. He began his career specializing in statistics and analytics for financial service companies and moved to digital marketing over ten years ago. Over the last ten years, he has become an expert in all things digital by creating marketing strategies for companies big and small, resulting inunheard-of results (like a 1,127% increase in ROI).
Rhoads Creative, under Jason’s stewardship, has not only delivered the results but has positioned itself at the forefront of digital marketing innovations:
- A proud Google Certified partner
- Trailblazers in geofencing, being among the first ten agencies globally
- Exclusive members of beta testing teams for Hulu and TikTok advertising
- Actively involved in Chat GPT and OpenAI's beta testing
Beyond Rhoads Creative, his involvement in industry associations like NAHB, 55 Plus Council, and various HBAs, along with my representation of over 100 home consultation and service entities, has enriched me with a breadth of insights. This knowledge drives me to deliver tailored, high-impact campaigns consistently.
Lateral Load Path Basics: Tracing a wind load through a wood-framed structure - 1.0 AIA Credit
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 408
This session outlines the path a wind load takes through a wood-framed structure, as well as the importance of a complete load path and associated construction details. As a result of this session, participants will:
- Understand the complete lateral load path
- Identify common framing errors within this path
- Understand the consequences of an incomplete path
- Discuss and evaluate code requirements for critical details
Target Audience: Builders, Contractors and Architects in Commercial and Residential applications
Productivity Adjustments and its Impact on Cost and Duration
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. | Room 402
Productivity adjustments and its impact on cost and duration. Estimating crew (labor and equipment) productivity is crucial to both the cost and duration of the project. This is why the contractor must make proper adjustments to estimated productivity for each work activity, taking into account all impacting factors such as weather conditions. But adjustments must also be considered with schedule updates because things rarely, if ever, go as planned. This presentation takes a quick look at this process with valuable tips for more accurate cost estimates and schedules.
Target Audience: Builders and Contractors
B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering specialized in Construction Management.
Experience: Over 26 years diversified:
- Industrial: private and public sectors, in the U.S. and overseas. Positions occupied include project engineer/manager, cost estimator, planner/scheduler, project controls manager, cost manager, training manager.
- Academic: faculty member/professor, head of the department.
- Extensive experience in continuing education and professional training around the world. Topics are mainly technical but also include soft skills.
- Construction Project Scheduling and Control (currently 3rd edition)
- How to Estimate with Means Data: Basic Skills for Building Construction (currently 4th edition)
- Many articles; technical and other
- Many presentations in professional conferences such as PMI, AACE International, Primavera Users Conference. Also, a public speaker in many local, regional, and international events.
- An authority on project planning, scheduling, and project control; was part of the PMI team that wrote the first Project Scheduling certification (PMI-SP) exam in 2007.
- An advocate of holistic healthy living and sports
10 Minute Marketing Strategy Plan
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. |
A fractional CMO that ranks on page one in your city for the term, "Fractional CMO __(add your city name here)___" is coming to teach and tell you exactly how to rank on page one and also give you a 10 min action plan that will propel your business forward exponentially.
Get your own 10 minute action plan that will drastically improve your marketing. Then stay for the round table of other businesses similar to your industry on what they are doing and how they can improve through new techniques taught by Joshua Ramsey.
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
A Google Certified Partner, Joshua's teaches interactive conferences based on material received from Google. Plus hear real life stories of success and failures that business owners have had. These powerful, interactive conferences are jammed packed with information that Joshua received during weekly meetings with Google. This is information every business owner needs to know.
Before becoming a Google Partner, Joshua was an outsourced CMO for several large U.S. based companies. As a CMO over the last 9 years, Joshua has managed over $2.5 million in AdWords and Digital Marketing Budgets and managed more than 2,800 campaigns. As a Bing Partner and Google Certified Partner, Joshua attends national conferences with some of the other great minds that influence SEO, digital marketing, and social media. Today, Joshua speaks all over the country helping businesses improve every element of their marketing.
Embracing AI…because there’s an App for that
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 401
Shannon Sheridan
CFO | Eclipse Building Corp.
Creating and implementing your tech stack to propel your profits and stand out from your competition
Target Audience: All building and construction professionals
Materials Mgmt / Procurement and Your Pathway to NetZero
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. | Room 413
April Moss is a market and retail strategy expert with more than 20 years of experience developing sales teams with some of the largest global companies, including Procter & Gamble and Starbucks. It was at Procter & Gamble where April and Rob met.
Prior to starting her career with P&G, she worked for the Construction Specification Institute in Washington D.C., fueling her interest in real estate development.
Like Rob, April watched her father struggle as a sub-contractor. Those struggles were one of the reasons her father ended his own life when she was nine. Construction has 4-5x more suicides than any other industry. One of April’s passions is to make sure that as DigiBuild works to improve the construction process that it helps to relieve the burden on construction people and their families along the way.
Sophie Papageorge, a Director at ICS, specializes in securing tax incentives for commercial and residential real estate developers and owners. With a family background in construction, Sophie's early exposure to the industry has given her a unique understanding of its challenges and opportunities.
Her expertise lies in building strong client relationships and guiding them from project inception to completion, ensuring they receive maximum federal government incentives for energy-efficient construction. Sophie is not only a technical expert but also a trusted advisor, offering tailored strategies for clients to maximize their financial benefits.
Outside of work, Sophie remains actively engaged in the construction industry, staying updated on trends, and sharing her knowledge with aspiring professionals. Her dedication to industry growth and client success solidifies her as a respected leader in the field of tax incentives for real estate developers and owners
Uncover the secrets to optimizing your purchasing processes and maximizing financial returns. Learn how to efficiently navigate the procurement landscape to secure the best deals, and how to manage rebates effectively to ensure your organization reaps the financial benefits. This course will arm you with innovative approaches that combine fiscal prudence with smart purchasing tactics, positioning your business for success in a competitive market.
Target Audience: Owners, GCs and Subs