Session Speakers

Mr. Anderson began his career working for a Bridge Contractor in the Midwest. For seventeen years he was employed by the Department of Transportation; holding various positions including fifteen years as a lead safety and employee development instructor. With 24 years of experience in construction, Mr. Anderson came on board with AGCMO as safety consultant. Soon after he was tasked to lead AGCMO’s Suicide Awareness & Prevention in Construction Program. His passion and personal experience with Mental Health and Suicide Awareness runs deep; with his leadership the program has spread nationwide. Having a background from working alongside and leading “boots on the ground” employees, to employee and leadership development; along with safety training. Mr. Anderson brings real world knowledge and experience to the industry.

Danette Beck is the Head of Industry Verticals and National Construction Practice Leader at USI Insurance Services. Danette is an experienced National Industry leader with a demonstrated history of working in the construction insurance industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Enterprise Risk Management, Analytical Skills, Team Building, and Construction, Danette provides guidance and direction on risk management and insurance issues for construction industry clients. Danette is a strong operations professional with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) focused in Risk Management and Insurance from University of Georgia – Terry College of Business.

Blaine Beckman received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Management from Texas A&M San Antonio with high honors and was inducted as an honorary member of Sigma Alpha Pi (The National Society of Leadership and Success). Blaine began his construction career as a framing carpenter before working his way through the construction ranks as lead carpenter, foreman, superintendent, project manager, Vice President and is currently the President for F.A. Nunnelly General Contractor, a commercial contractor in San Antonio that was established in 1922. Currently, he serves as a member of the National Business Development Forum Steering Committee and prior to his involvement with the BD Forum he had the pleasure of working through the chairs and serving as President of the AGC Board of Directors for the San Antonio Chapter.

Todd Bressler is a construction lawyer who has been in-house and general counsel for several privately held construction companies. Todd has provided counsel to the operations and corporate teams of his companies with responsibilities including the evaluation of proposed delivery methods and procurement procedures to assist in connection with potential projects, as well as the negotiation and preparation of project documentation including owner agreements, subcontracts, purchase orders, professional service agreements, joint venture agreements, construction guaranties, and required lender documents. In addition, Todd manages outside litigation counsel with respect to construction, real estate, regulatory and employment-related claims, as well as advising the team regarding terminations, leaves of absence, and coordinates and conducts internal investigations to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. One of Todd’s critical roles is providing consultation for corporate risk management evaluating contract language and insurance programs to appropriately manage the varying levels of uncertainty and risk for his company.

Tonya’s focus is on expanding relationships and partnerships to help build structures that build communities. She has worked in the construction industry since 2005. Tonya is an active member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Atlanta Chapter and serves on the board of directors for the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, the Douglas County Education Foundation and University of West Georgia Foundation.

Alberici

Robins & Morton

Bay Tank & Boilderworks, dba BT Metals, Inc., is a family owned fully-certified and professional fabrication and metal sales business. Founded by J. Chris Lovfald after WWII to meet the structural needs of the lumber and fishing industries. BT Metals has provided quality service to the Humboldt County area for over sixty years. BT Metals recently expanded into the Metal Sales arena and serves as the only metal distributor in Eureka California. Bay Tank is now supplying metal to five separate markets, Energy, Construction, Defense, Transportation and Marine. Under the leadership of Lee Cunningham BT Metals has expanded to service the entire west coast and the nation. The goal of our metal sales division is to be the diversity supplier for all things metal. BT Metals is certified as a Small Business Enterprise, Woman Business Enterprise, HUBZone, CPUC Woman Owned Business, New York Port Authority and VTA. Ms. Cunningham has served in various leadership roles in the construction industry, including on the Cal Trans/SBA Committee, High Speed Rail Committee, and President of Women Construction Owners & Executives and is a proud supporter of diversity and inclusion in the construction industry.

Nora Degnan started in 2004 as a project estimator/project manager at Thorne Associates, Inc., a large drywall, acoustic ceiling, plaster, and carpentry specialty contractor in Chicago. Since then, she became a vice president and part owner alongside her dad, uncle, and cousin. In addition to her leadership roles in the office, Nora is involved on the board level in various local and national organizations including Chicagoland Associated General Contractors (CAGC), Chicago Building Congress (CBC), Midwest Wall and Ceilings Contractors (MWCC), and Mid-America Regional Bargaining Association (MARBA). She is also a proud member of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Chicago Metro #325 Chapter and Professional Women in Construction (PWC) Chicago.

Joe is responsible for improving the safety, production, and quality of field operations via Linbeck’s Lean Operating System. He has a unique passion for Lean implementation, continuous improvement, and a ruthless pursuit of waste elimination within Linbeck’s projects, teams, and overall organization. Joe is also the Co-Author to The Lean Builder, a business fable written for field leaders and last planners.

With more than 20 years in the communications arena, Lisa’s experience includes spearheading internal and external communications via a balance of online and offline channels, engaging clients & members, driving awareness, and analyzing efforts through qualitative and quantitative methods. Lisa’s role at AGC MA is to increase engagement with member CM’s, GC’s, Subcontractors, and Service Providers by implementing and overseeing innovating new communications and social media strategies & tools. She oversees multiple committees and their respective programming including; Building Women in Construction (BWiC) and the public relations and marketing efforts of all Chapter news, events, programs, and activities. Lisa holds a BS in Visual Communications/Business & Marketing from the University of Phoenix and an MS in International Marketing from Boston University. She currently sits on the SMPS (Society for Marketing Professional Services) Board of Directors Boston Chapter as Vice President and serves as an Advisory Committee Member with the AGC of America Business Development Forum Steering Committee, the Policy Group for Tradeswomen Issues (PGTI) and the Greater Boston American Apprenticeship Initiative.

Provides strategic leadership and direction in construction innovation via the implementation of business process ecosystems, technology, unique insurance solutions, and enhanced customer service initiatives across all lines of business. Dedicated to supporting AXA XL’s construction customers’ innovation efforts and technological maturity, and by extension, advancing the construction industry to new heights in this fourth industrial revolution. Thought-leader, ambassador, and spokesperson for AXA XL, authoring articles and presenting at industry events and educational organizations.

Rick Khan is responsible for helping the company continue to find new and smarter ways to advance the construction industry. Rick has spent the past 26 years in the business of helping people through innovation, with the last 16 years dedicated to the construction industry. He is an internationally recognized AEC industry thought leader, keynote speaker, and self-proclaimed technology nerd whose leadership blends passion, integrity, and trust with a constant focus on safety.

Mandi is a Central Washington University alum of the safety and health management program and currently serves as the director of safety for AGC of Washington. She also has a bachelor’s degree in foreign language and teaches Spanish for supervisors in the construction industry. She recently earned her master’s degree in Safety & Health Management and published a thesis and employer best practice guide on mental health interventions in construction. Mandi has worked in AGC’s safety department for 20 years, helping members with safety programs, training, doing safety team inspections, working on legislative/regulatory issues pertaining to safety, and serving on various safety committees. Mandi currently serves as the co-chair of the AGC of America Chapter Safety Leadership committee. Mandi enjoys spending time camping and traveling with her family, including her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old triplets. Mandi was the only safety professional selected by Construction Business Owner for the 2019 class of top 20 Outstanding women in construction from 200 nominees and was featured in their November 2019 issue.

Jennifer Lacy has been with Robins & Morton for 17 years and is responsible for the continued advancement of Robins & Morton’s Building Forward approach, based on Lean philosophies. She has spoken at multiple Lean Congress events as well as regional LCI Community of Practice Events and is active on Lean committees and organizations.

Jim Lynch leads Autodesk’s efforts to create and deliver products and services that accelerate the construction industry’s transformation from analog-based processes to digital workflows. Jim manages all aspects of business operations within Autodesk Construction Solutions, including product design and development, marketing, sales, and customer success. Jim and his team are focused on delivering innovative, cloud-based solutions to help the global construction industry reduce risk and increase margins using Autodesk construction products. Previously, Jim served as the company’s vice president of the Construction Product Group. In his 20+ year tenure at Autodesk, Jim has held several key leadership roles in AEC product development, product management, and marketing efforts. He was a key contributor in scaling Revit into one of Autodesk’s flagship products and establishing BIM as an industry standard.

Steve Malany first become interested in construction management while completing his architecture studies at the University of Idaho. From there, he went on to earn a degree in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon state University in 1990, and soon joined P&C construction. He was quickly impressed with just how accessible members of the previous ownership group were, along with the firm’s overall team approach. Since becoming part owner in 2005, Steve has done his share to maintain and enhance P&C’s inclusive nature in how we work together to manage and complete large-scale construction projects throughout the state.

Starting the company in 2008 and working from his own dining room table, Martin has grown Atlas Marketing to include two offices with key leadership in vital areas. Built on the company philosophy of listen, engage, connect he is hard at work developing and managing the culture at Atlas to be collaborative, exciting, and effective. Martin also encourages his team to experiment with latest ideas and challenge the status quo, which ensures the Atlas culture will thrive.

Mr. Perlberg is on the ABA Forum on the Construction Law Steering Committee for the Contract Documents, the Executive Committee for the National Construction Dispute Resolution Committee (NCDRC) of the Arbitration Association of America (AAA), and the Advisory Board for Construction SuperConference Board. Previously, he served as General Counsel for the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).

Brenda Radmacher focuses her practice on construction law, working as a counselor, litigator, and noted speaker on issues involving land owners, developers, general contractors, and design professionals. She has a multi-faceted practice handling litigation and providing advice and transactional counsel to her construction-industry clients. Brenda has experience advising clients on risk management best practices, drafting critical documents, contracts, and procedures, and effectively resolving disputes. With 25 years of experience working with construction contractors, construction managers, design professionals, developers, and owners, Brenda’s practice emphasizes resolving complex construction disputes through negotiation, mediation, and when necessary, arbitration and litigation, on projects in California, nationwide, and internationally.

As a graduate of Slippery Rock University in Environmental Health and Safety Management with more than 12-years of industry experience, Seth sits on the board of Chesapeake Regional Safety Council in Baltimore MD. He holds his CHST and CSP through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. 2018 National Safety Council Rising Star Recipient.

Murphy Company

Lindsey Rem provides leadership for the continued development and alignment of an innovative technology and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) strategy throughout the Family of Companies. She is also responsible for identifying new business models to ensure the long-term relevancy of the core business. Lindsey began her more than twenty-year career with Barton Malow working on projects in the field before becoming a part of the SAP Implementation team where she learned to effectively deploy technology across the company. Her strong passion for leveraging technology to increase project performance led her to establish a cohesive VDC and technology strategy across the company to increase Barton Malow’s competitive advantage. Lindsey obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Law, Letters, and Society from the University of Chicago, where she was part of the varsity soccer team.

Wayne has authored four books about business families the latest of which is Our Family Business Crisis and How It Made Us Stronger. Wayne has appeared on the Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, “BusinessWeek: WEEKEND” and on the Retirement Living Network. Wayne is a Wall Street Journal Expert Panelist, has written hundreds of articles for various magazines and trade publications and has produced an acclaimed blog for over 15 years. Wayne has also been honored as a Fellow of the Family Firm Institute.

Jeff Sample has devoted the past 20+ years to transforming companies. Jeff optimizes companies throughout the construction industry by designing solutions, optimizing strategic advantages, and breaking down information silos. His passion for outdoor adventure and Ironman competitions garnered him the moniker “The Ironman of IT.” As Industry Evangelist for Join, Jeff promotes collaboration and the transformation of preconstruction to help project teams reach their potential. His depth of IT experience in various industries and his passion for continuous improvement have made Jeff a popular speaker and vocal thought leader in construction, spending much of his time educating on multiple topics to better the industry.

Shannon Sapp first joined the company in 1996 after graduating from Auburn University in 1994 with a Building Construction degree. Shannon has been engaged in all facets of Merit projects including medical facilities, schools, historic renovations, churches, condominiums, and retail office buildings.
As president of the firm, Shannon focuses his attention on the overall operations of the organization including finances, human resources, and administration. Merit currently has almost 70 employees.

He is also engaged in project management and was the lead on ProvisionCARES Center for Proton Therapy centers in Knoxville, Franklin, Tennessee, and Orlando, Florida, all of which are cutting-edge healthcare facilities. Professionally, Shannon is actively involved with the Associated General Contractors of America, AGC Education and Research Foundation as well as the local Knoxville AGC Chapter. He has served as AGC Chapter President.

Bert Somers has over 25 years of experience in construction. He is currently the Contracting Manager of the Western US for Ferrovial Agroman managing a procurement pipeline of Design Build and P3 projects more than $4 Billion dollars of construction. His areas of responsibility include Business Development, including building joint ventures, client engagement and interaction, and procuring work. He has previously worked as a Foreman, Project Engineer, Project Manager, Estimator, Estimating Manager, and Director of Special Projects and Business Development for small and large contractors. Mr. Somers holds the PMP designation, has also held a California Contractors “B” Classification license and has worked in various positions including chief estimator and construction manager for commercial, residential, and multi-family building construction. He has served on the State Board of the AGC of California. He has a Bachelor’s of Business Administration with a Major in Insurance, Real Estate and Risk Management and an additional Major in Marketing.

Simeon been in the construction industry over 30 years and has managed diversity programs over 21 years. In his current role as Vice President, Mr. Terry oversees the companies Diversity and Inclusion program both internally and externally. This includes overseeing the cultural competency education, diversity compliance, affirmative action, recruiting/hiring, mentoring and business procurement diversity. Previously, Mr. Terry has held the position of Director of Diversity and Diversity Program Manager for Austin Commercial over his 22-year career with the company. In the Mentoring Program, Mr. Terry oversees for Austin, over 450 firms have graduated in the program and over $3.5 Billion has been spent with those firms.

As Skiles Group’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Keyan is responsible for driving corporate growth and guiding the company’s strategic direction while maintaining a dual focus on client service and nurturing a progressive company culture. With an emphasis on technological advancement, continuous improvement, and innovation in construction, Keyan shepherds the firm’s commitment to improving project delivery processes via Lean Construction and Lean project planning initiatives. Keyan is the co-author of the Shingo Publication Award winning book, The Lean Builder: A Builder’s Guide to Applying Lean Tools in the Field, which simplifies and clearly articulates the benefits of seven primary Lean concepts, and delivers them in a highly-relatable, immediately-applicable, and field-friendly manner.
Keyan also holds a patent for an award-winning crisis management communication and emergency response tool called Smart Safety where he serves as Chairman.

Todd’s project experience includes healthcare, commercial, residential, and non-profit. Todd has served in the construction industry for over seven years after graduating from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science. He has spent most of his career serving his clients in North Texas and is responsible for managing all aspects and phases of a project from start to finish and consults with clients and architects to assure overall client and team satisfaction.