The Construction Management Competition provides competing university and college teams an opportunity to experience a real-world construction project with unique characteristics and issues. Participating teams assemble a general contracting firm that represents their school and ABC student chapter in the competition.
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The Association Excellence Awards luncheon recognizes and celebrates chapter achievement in membership growth and retention, STEP participation and other major accomplishments for 2023.*National board members, proxies and chapter presidents receive a complimentary ticket to this event, which is the official lunch for the national board meeting. Other convention attendees interested in attending this pre-convention event must purchase a ticket during the registration process.
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Join us for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and 90 minutes of food, fun and networking with more than 75 exhibitors. Visit with the exhibitors and register for multiple giveaways throughout the hall. Returning this year—the puppy playpen! Stop by Wednesday and Thursday during Exhibit Hall hours and play with local shelter dogs, all available for adoption.
What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Leadership expert Ryan Leak, CEO of the Ryan Leak Group, will show you how chasing failure is all about having a vision for a dream, a goal, a mission and knowing that the road will be paved with failure, but still proceeding with conviction and passion. His deep domain expertise in empowering leaders to reclaim a new self-awareness will ensure you come away with a blueprint for success! Also happening during this session, celebrate the Construction Workforce Awards winners—the Craft Instructor, Craft Professional and Young Professional of the Year—and meet the 2024 Chair of the ABC National Board of Directors.
Slip on your flip-flops, grab a margarita and join us for a laid-back opening night celebration on the Coquina Lawn! Party the night away under the stars listening to your favorite beach tunes and mix with attendees while enjoying coastal cuisine and more. See you in the ’ville—it’s five o’clock somewhere!
ABC presents the National Craft Championships annually to highlight the achievements of the people who represent the future of the construction industry. Craft trainees and apprentices travel from across the country to demonstrate their superior skills, training and safe work practices and compete for top honors in their chosen craft. For training sponsors, employers and ABC chapters, the NCC demonstrates a staunch commitment to the career paths the construction industry offers.
9:15–10 a.m.Building a Psychologically Safe Environment: A Proactive Approach to Workforce and Workplace Mental Health Speaker: Kabri Lehrman-Schmid, Project Leader, Hensel Phelps Explore proactive strategies crucial for fostering mental well-being in the workplace while discovering practical approaches to cultivate an inclusive culture that prioritizes mental health, enabling teams to thrive and perform at their best. Gain valuable insights and tools to create a supportive environment that empowers individuals and enhances overall workforce resilience.
9:15–10 a.m.Leading Operational Excellence—Examining the Drivers of Successful Project Leadership Speaker: Gregg Schoppman, Principal and Florida Consulting Manager, FMI Discover tips to develop sound lean, efficient processes and to raise your competitiveness and maintain a sustainable advantage tomorrow, regardless of uncertainty. Project leadership is essential to set the right direction, align resources and ultimately motivate teams of talented people to be successful. Enhance your operations by creating an integrated approach that is consistent, sustainable and replicable long term.
9:15–10 a.m.Managing Risk: Crisis Communications Presenter: Jennifer Miller, Managing Partner, Rockford Gray Discover the two biggest mistakes organizations make in a crisis and how to avoid them. Participate in a hands-on exercise to determine the first steps to take during an incident and create your own First Hour Response Checklist. Understand how to manage media inquiries, including buying time, anticipating responses, finding the right words besides “no comment” and the importance of mitigating the impact of cell phones, surveillance cameras and drones.
10:15–11 a.m.The State of the Construction Technology and How AI Is Shaping the Future Moderator: Chris Durso, Editor in Chief, Construction Executive Magazine Panelists: Matthew Abeles, VP Construction Technology and Innovation, Associated Builders and Contractors; Ajoy Bhattacharya, Director Technology Strategist, Microsoft; Hamzah Shanbari, Director of Innovation, Dysruptek (a Haskell Venture) Discover the artificial intelligence technologies shaping the industry’s future and gain deeper insights to better understand what AI is and how it is used. Learn strategies for selecting technologies and best practices for adoption and implementation. Hear why contractors of all sizes are investing in AI when building top projects, as well as what the leading tech firms are accomplishing with AI and forecasts for the future.
10:15–11 a.m.Casinos and Car Dealers-Leveraging Data to Provide the Correct KPI’s for Strategic Leadership Speaker: Gregg Schoppman, Principal and Florida Consulting Manager, FMI Construction organizations must transform themselves to think strategically and incorporate such elements as seasonality, customer proclivities, environmental factors, supply chain variability and even crew productivity in how they price work and position themselves in the market. Examine the role of data-driven strategy and best-of-class firms through practical construction examples and case studies. Understand the types of KPIs that firms could utilize and how this could influence short- and long-term decision-making and overall strategic success.
10:15–11 a.m.Getting Real About Workforce Development—Creative Strategies for Success Moderator: Ronell Peters, Senior Vice President, TDIndustries Panelists: Jeff Albert, Chief Operating Officer, ABC Empire State; Theresa Cravey, Director of Education, ABC Texas Gulf Coast; Alicia Martin, President, ABC Illinois Gain unique perspectives from chapter staff as they share successful workforce development initiatives making a difference in their regions. Hear from panelists as they provide an inside look at programs such as the ABC Community Builders Program and SkillBridge, celebrating signing days and more. Moderated by an ABC member contractor, this informative session will inspire you to implement new ideas to drive results.
Cheer on the teams! At the end of the day’s competition, a short list of teams will be selected to move on to the next round. All convention attendees are invited and encouraged to stop by to see the teams at work during competition day. You also won't want to miss the final presentations showcasing the top teams!
11:15 a.m.–12 p.m.How to Build a Culture of High Performing Teams in Construction Speakers: Yasmeen Tonnos, Industry Culture Strategist, Procore Technologies Find out how a focus on people and cultural transformation drives change and positions construction as an industry of choice for prospective employees. Your company culture is successful when it empowers people and drives business results. Explore the strategies that not only revolutionize your business but also empower your workforce. Learn how to construct an industry-leading culture that cultivates employee engagement, solves business challenges and drives results in your organization.
11:15 a.m.–12 p.m.Building Tomorrow: What Matters to the Client? Moderator: Kevin Sell, CVO, United Group Services Panelists: Bryan Emde, Executive Director, AdventHealth’s Office of Design and Construction;Rory Salimbene, Chief Facilities Officer, Orange County Public Schools; Chad Tinetti, Vice President Construction Operating Assets, Tavistock Development Co. Gain unique insights into upcoming project trends and developments over the next decade as seasoned owner representatives come together for an engaging panel discussion. Explore firsthand experiences and perspectives on contractor selection strategies, best practices for win-win relationships, project execution strategies and innovations and anticipated challenges, and an outlook on the industry's future landscape. In this session you will glean invaluable foresight and strategies directly from the clients steering the projects.
11:15 a.m.–12 p.m.Grief: A Hidden Safety Risk Speaker: Jennifer L. Landon, Vice President of Education and Workforce Development, ABC New Hampshire/Vermont Delve into the staggering impact of grief on American businesses, costing $225.8 billion annually, and explore risk mitigation strategies. Learn to identify the causes of grief, understand its effects on our mental and physical well-being and discover supportive measures for those experiencing grief, often masked as performance issues or “presenteeism.” Participants will uncover ways to navigate conversations around loss sensitively, offering alternative phrases of condolence.
The 34th Annual National Excellence in Construction Awards Gala celebrates the best in merit shop construction, honoring the most outstanding construction projects and contractors of the year for their remarkable achievements in leadership, safety, innovation and inclusion, diversity and merit.
Kevin Brown will entertain and inspire you to reach beyond the ordinary and embrace the extraordinary. Today Is Your Legacy picks up where The Hero Effect leaves off and teaches how heroes lead, live and influence the world around them in powerful ways. In this fast-paced session, Brown shares all-new stories infused with humor, inspiration and self-reflection that elevate performance and results. Dive into how great leaders create a legacy by design and not by default and learn the six legacy questions that define the ultimate influence of high-performance leaders. Discover how to create a legacy of building people and a culture that stands the test of time.
10-10:45 a.m.Bridging the Gap: Leading Across Generations Speaker: Lisa Walden, Co-Founder, Good Company Consulting Join an enlightening discussion led by an esteemed, award-winning business that offers invaluable tools and insights for managers navigating leadership roles. Delve into the intricacies of managing up, down and across generations and how this award-winning ABC member navigates having multiple generations in the workplace.
10-10:45 a.m.Taking a SWOT at AI Moderator: Patrick Scarpati, Director Construction Technology and Innovation, Associated Builders and Contractors Panelists: Bradford Kelley, Labor and Employment Attorney and AI Practice Lead, Littler; Josh Kanner, Senior Director Product Strategy and Construction Cloud Leader, Oracle; Manu Venugopal, Senior Manager Product Management and AI/ML, Autodesk To implement artificial intelligence successfully, you need to be aware of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats these tools pose to firms. Learn from industry leaders in AI, construction and the legal arena about the future of AI and the endless opportunities it is bringing to the world, and how those opportunities translate to contractors of all sizes. Then, enhance your understanding of the legal cautions you should take when implementing this technology.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Has the Federal Reserve achieved a successful soft landing? Alternatively, could a combination of geopolitical conflict, a presidential election, increasing consumer debt levels and persistently high interest rates be setting the stage for an economic downturn in 2024? Determining whether 2024 will be a positive year remains challenging, but one certainty is that it will be an interesting one. Dr. Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors, will provide a comprehensive analysis of key factors influencing economic outcomes encompassing interest rates, global conflict, wage dynamics, business confidence and demographics. It will then turn toward a forecast for the coming year, highlighting the major risks that economic stakeholders will likely encounter.
The Good, the Bad and the UglyHas the Federal Reserve achieved a successful soft landing? Alternatively, could a combination of geopolitical conflict, a presidential election, increasing consumer debt levels and persistently high interest rates be setting the stage for an economic downturn in 2024? Determining whether 2024 will be a positive year remains challenging, but one certainty is that it will be an interesting one. Dr. Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors, will provide a comprehensive analysis of key factors influencing economic outcomes encompassing interest rates, global conflict, wage dynamics, business confidence and demographics. It will then turn toward a forecast for the coming year, highlighting the major risks that economic stakeholders will likely encounter.
Watch dreams come true at the Careers in Construction Awards, where the winners of the Construction Management Competition and National Craft Championships take center stage for a celebration you won’t soon forget. Honor the best in merit shop construction during this high-energy event.
Get ready for ABC to turn 75 in 2025! It’s a sure bet it will be a full house as ABC welcomes back the electric Milwaukee Tool Shed Band! Get a sneak peek at ABC Convention 2025 and live it up under the neon lights—Viva Las Convention!
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