Session Speakers

Blaine Beckman received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Management from Texas A&M San Antonio with high honors. Blaine began his construction career as a framing carpenter and due to his work ethic and desire to learn, he received promotions through the construction ranks as lead carpenter, foreman, superintendent, project manager, and Vice President. He was recently named President for F.A. Nunnelly General Contractor, a commercial contractor in San Antonio that was established in 1922. Blaine is heavily active in the construction industry as well as in the San Antonio community.  Blaine also prides himself on his involvement with AGC and is active on both the local and national level. Blaine most recently served as President of the AGC Board of Directors for the San Antonio Chapter.  A few notable awards that Blaine has been the recipient of include Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout Award, San Antonio Business Journal 40 under 40, and the AGC Bubba Moeller Award for Outstanding Service.

With more than 30 years of experience untangling complex liability-knots on high profile construction projects across the globe, Chris Brasco is uniquely qualified to protect his clients’ bottom line interests by crafting solutions which appreciate the varied perspectives and issues affecting their projects.  He continues to sharpen his knowledge by lecturing nationally to leading industry groups on the risk-shifting trends and claims pricing developments that inspire breakthrough project solving.  In recognition of his work delivering talks to construction industry trade groups on trend-setting issues, Chris Brasco was recently awarded the Paul F. Phelan Memorial Award by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association on November 6, 2019. He is also a frequent lecturer at national events hosted by the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) and the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International (AACE).  Emblematic ofChris’ difference making skill-set, he was involved with the federal government in negotiating the successful reprocurement of mission-critical projects throughout Afghanistan after the program-wide default of a large government contractor which occurred during the height of U.S. involvement.

Chris Brasco is often engaged by clients to tackle their most challenging problems.  Chris’ experience includes successfully representing owners, contractors and sureties in myriad disputes involving diverse construction projects, from bridges and tunnels to high-rise buildings.  Also a trained mediator, Chris’ experience and personal skills make him an able advocate, ready to quickly grasp the underlying construction and legal issues and offer innovative solutions to meet the needs of the clients he serves.

Chandler Brooks holds an MBA from the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business and a bachelor’s in historic preservation from The Savannah College of Art and Design. With 12 years in the industry, Chandler worked in architecture before moving to general contracting and focused mostly on high-rise adaptive reuse projects in Texas. An avid technologist, he spent his time between projects on operational technology standardization and enablement. At Procore, he spent 4 years managing a team focused on industry engagement through relationship building, connection, and education at the local/regional level in the United States. He now focuses on enhancing the relationships and partnerships he and the Procore brand have built to truly advance the industry through industry partnerships and alliances.

Ron’s practice is focused on all aspects of the construction industry. He has substantial experience representing general contractors, construction managers, subcontractors, prefabricators, modular builders, suppliers, and owners/developers in construction-related matters, including all aspects of construction law, contractual disputes, lien work, bond claims, construction and design defect claims, bid disputes, in litigation and dispute resolution. Ron has litigated cases/issues before all levels of courts in numerous jurisdictions throughout the country, arbitrated disputes nationally, and advocated on behalf of clients using various forms of dispute resolution. He also has broad experience in construction transactional work, drafting and negotiating contract documents for all types of project delivery including, integrated project delivery and other highly collaborative delivery methods, design-bid-build, design build, CM-at-Risk, and other more traditional methods for both public and private projects. Ron routinely counsels his clients on all business aspects of planning, initiating, and completing construction related projects.  Ron is a Member of the AGC of America’s Board of Governors, member of the Building Division Leadership Council, Chair of its Contract Documents Forum, and Chair of its Prefabrication Working Group.

Tom Courtney is currently the EHS Leader for GE Appliances at Appliance Park where he oversees a workforce of over 6000 union and salaried workers making the world’s best appliances. He is a Certified Safety Professional, a Certified Human Performance Practitioner, and a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers since 1993. Formally a Sr. ES&H Analyst at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Tom specializes in integrating Human and Operational Performance (HOP) into daily operations. He has 30 years of experience as an EHS Professional where he has held numerous positions within safety management at the field and corporate level for US and international operations in the construction and facility maintenance industry. He has a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management from the University of Houston.

Randy Fichera leads Barnhill’s Commercial Services Division which specializes in ground-up core and shell office projects, renovation/adaptive reuse projects and “streamline” delivery of fast-track projects including corporate interiors, large complex upfits, mission-critical renovations and life sciences renovations. The Commercial Services work extends throughout all major metropolitan areas of North Carolina, focused primarily in Charlotte and the Triangle.

Bold and energetic, Randy anchors his team with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit. He focuses on delivering projects where being nimble, flexible, and adaptable is essential and has built a team that can hit the ground running, quickly and efficiently. Randy brings wide-ranging experience and has built an impressive portfolio with repeat clients. Randy is an active member of several industry associations including the Carolinas Associated General Contractors, the Carolinas Associated Builders and Contractors, CoreNet and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP). Randy graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in construction management and joined Barnhill’s Building Group in 2006.

As Regional Growth Leader, Craig’s focus is expanding Palmisano’s business across the Southeast. Having spent the last 18 years building his career in construction, most recently as the President of a successful Virginia-based general contractor where he was responsible for more than tripling its annual revenue and expanding its operations into three new markets, Craig has an extensive knowledge base in growing and scaling companies.

A graduate of Virginia Tech’s Building Construction program, Craig is a lifelong learner. He has participated in a variety of leadership training opportunities, regularly serves as a guest lecturer at Virginia Tech, and is an active member of Young President’s Organization, the Construction Industry Network and Lean Construction Institute.

Tim is VP of Industry Strategy at Smartvid.io. He has 20 years of construction industry experience working for regional, national and international general contractors in roles ranging from Field Engineer to Project Director. Tim is passionate about using technology as a tool to improve the way construction projects are delivered and is eager to share his story with others in the industry. Gattie graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelors of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Arizona, California and Utah.

26 Years of experience in construction with Top 5 ENR Contractor.

Project Management Professional / USACE CQM Certification.

Led management, field operations and estimating divisions.

Daily oversight of more than $1 billion of construction.

Notable projects include HPCC-Data Storage Facility, Level 3 National Network, Nike Headquarters, Wafertech Manufacturing Facility.

Steve Hawkins is the Vice President of FDR Safety located in Franklin, TN.  Prior to his work with FDR Steve served as the Assistant Administrator and as Administrator of the Tennessee OSHA program and as the Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor.  He served on the Federal OSHA Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health and as the Chair of the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association.  Steve has over 30 years of experience in the field of safety and health.

Tonya serves as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for RA-LIN and Associates, Inc. a leading construction management firm in Georgia. Her 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.

Steve Jones leads the Industry Insights Research team at Dodge that conducts focused studies globally on how emerging economic, practice and technology trends are transforming the global design and construction industry. In addition to hundreds of speaking engagements around the world and numerous articles in industry publications, he is Executive Editor of Dodge Data & Analytics’ Commercial Construction Index, Civil Quarterly and the SmartMarket Reports series on key industry trends, which are distributed worldwide and frequently cited as authoritative references.

Steve holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Johns Hopkins University. He has a track record of active leadership in many industry initiatives and serves as a judge for numerous industry awards.

Before joining Dodge in 2003, Steve was Vice President of Primavera Systems (now part of Oracle), a global leader in project management software. Prior to that, Steve spent 19 years in creative and management roles with top architectural/engineering firms, most recently as a Principal and Board of Directors member with Burt Hill, one of the largest A/E firms in the US (now merged with Stantec).

Carl McFarland is responsible for developing and leading Kitchell Contractor’s technology and new venture development strategies. He has combined over 25 years of construction operational experience with his desire to deliver a reimagined building experience. Carl’s passion for a well-executed digital strategy is not only enhancing standard business processes through data analytics, robotics and the connected jobsite, but also completely transforming industry business models by leveraging offsite construction and vertically integrated supply chains.

Two years ago, he proposed and helped create Kitchell’s Operations Technology group that includes experienced operations staff with a passion for implementing innovative technology. He is also responsible for providing new venture investment evaluations throughout the organization. One example is the continued market expansion of Kitchell’s investment into one of the leading prefabrication businesses servicing Arizona and California.

Carl has a degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and has delivered several industry presentations with a focus on technology and culture in the construction industry.

Jack Mumma is Construction Contract Administrator at Michigan State University.  Jack is responsible for procurement, accounting, and budget monitoring for almost all major capital construction projects at MSU.  He was also the project executive for implementation of the university’s project management software, and is part of the team that works to improve the process of delivering design and construction to MSU.  A graduate of DePaul College of Law and St. Mary’s of the Barrens, Jack is adjunct faculty to MSU’s School of Planning, Design, and Construction. He also holds the CM-Lean designation from AGC, one of the first owners to earn this distinction.  Jack is a past president and former Board Member of Construction Owners Association of America (COAA), and continues to serve on a number of committees for the organization, including chairing the COAA Peer Review Committee. While president of that organization, he was part of the negotiation of COAA’s entry into ConsensusDOCS. Jack lead MSU’s efforts to implement an Integrated Project Delivery agreement for a $14m food service project, which was the first IPD project at public university. He is a former contracting officer with the Office of Naval Research. Jack is married to Jean, and they have 2 children.

Jeff was Project Director at Oroville, and one of ENR’s 2018 Top 25 Newsmakers as a result of his role at Oroville. He is an SVP at Kiewit.

Either Jeff or Tod Orbus, who took over Project Director role during Oroville’s second season, will join Jon in this presentation.

Dr. Rogers founded Paradyne Consulting Works in 2004. She brings 20 years of unique experience traveling throughout North America providing guidance to numerous Fortune 100 and 500 organizations. She specializes in identifying and solving issues affecting efficiency, productivity and profitability. Dr. Rogers’ book Decide to Profit (SelectBooks New York) is based on her over twelve years of consulting. Dr. Rogers approaches her clients strategically, with an eye towards the management team efficacy, productivity and efficiency of operations, and financial streamlining. She is adept at teaming with senior executives at the highest level or rolling up her sleeves and diving into project or field level operations. Dr. Rogers joined the advisory board for Almita Piling in August 2020. In that capacity she provides guidance in strategy, finance, and growth.

Her client base includes the Who’s Who of Fortune 100 organizations, as well as the Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other large government entities. She has led Paradyne in the areas of project turnaround, operational streamlining, strategic business planning, joint venture partnering, government contracting and management and technical training. Executives find her insightful, candid, operationally savvy, and a highly effective leader. She has earned the nickname “The Fixer” and has worked with many of her clients for more than a decade. Prior to founding Paradyne Consulting Works, Dr. Rogers served in senior leadership roles, for both private and publicly traded companies in engineering, advanced technology, and consulting.

Her experience as an entrepreneur, technologist, and executive from the ground up has given her a unique and broad perspective. Dr. Rogers holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate Group in Ecology, Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. She was appointed to the Ambassador’s Club for the Society of Automotive Engineers, and also served on the National Academy of Science Transportation Research Board. She served as part-time faculty at California State University Channel Islands, where she taught Business Operations. Dr. Rogers has been named “Entrepreneur of the Year” and has been nominated to “Women Making a Difference.”

Mark is a professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the Civil & Architectural Engineering and Construction Management department. He teaches classes in Project Management, Cost Control, Lean Construction, and Leadership. Prior to his work at MSOE, he worked as a general contractor for 40 years. His experience in the construction industry ranged from laborer, superintendent, project engineer, estimator, senior project manager, and vice president. Mark teaches PMDP and CSF courses for AGC Wisconsin and was part of the team that revised the AGC Project Management Development Program. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Madison in Civil and Environmental Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin. He received the Daily Reporter’s Educator of the Year award in 2018 for his work teaching in the construction industry.

Hal’s career includes executive tenures at two large regional firms, at one of the largest global construction firms in the world, and as a member of the executive leadership team of a large national construction company. Hal’s career has been hallmarked by his unique ability to spur revenue and profitability growth wherever his career took him, and in any economic environment. As a result, he has become a noted expert in creating sustained growth strategies in the commercial construction industry.

Over his career, Hal created a unique system that fuels and sustains growth. He founded Equalizer9 to do what he loves everyday – teaching, mentoring, and coaching others on how to take their construction businesses to new heights.

Hal is married to the beautiful and talented Debra. They have 3 children, a new daughter in law, and a very large Newfoundland dog. Hal enjoys golf, duck hunting, and Appalachian trail section hikes. Hal has a degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

John Sebastian joined Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald in 2013 as the managing partner of the firm’s new Chicago office. He focuses his practice primarily in the areas of surety bond, construction and commercial litigation. With an undergraduate degree in Construction Engineering Technology, and a wealth of practice experience in-house and in private practice, he is well equipped to both counsel and protect his construction industry clients in their challenging legal matters.

John has represented sureties, contractors, architects, engineers, design/builders, and trade contractors in payment disputes, design defect claims, delay claims, defective work claims, and contractor, subcontractor and owner bankruptcies. His construction law matters include defective design, delay and disruption, labor productivity analyses, contract interpretation, differing site conditions, and surety bond and mechanics lien claims. John has also handled complex commercial litigation, including fidelity bond claims, common law fraud, breach-of-contract matters and preserving and prosecuting creditors’ claims in bankruptcy.

John counsels and advises clients on contract preparation, administration and termination, mechanics liens, and surety claims and defenses, as well as contractor, subcontractor and owner bankruptcies. He has extensive experience in claim preparation, prosecution and dispute resolution on federal, state, municipal and private contracts. John has significant litigation experience before both federal and state courts as well as the American Arbitration Association on a wide variety of suretyship, construction law, commercial litigation and bankruptcy issues.

John’s background and experience in the construction industry is a unique asset he brings to this practice. His knowledge and understanding of his clients’ business needs and challenges in the construction arena enable him to handle complex matters efficiently from a business perspective.

Bill Sims Jr. is the President of The Bill Sims Company.  Since 1959 The Bill Sims Company has been helping companies improve performance and increase bottom line profits. The Bill Sims Company designs and administers awareness and reward systems using leading indicators in safety, quality and production. Proven methods equip front line supervisors with the tools they need to achieve lasting behavior change. Bill Sims, Jr. is a world renowned Keynote speaker and also conducts Leadership Workshops globally.

Bill‘s first book, entitled Green Beans & Ice Cream—The Remarkable Power of Positive Reinforcement, has garnered rave reviews.  He has built more than 1,000 recognition programs for satisfied clients including Coca Cola, Disney, Marathon Oil, and other major service, manufacturing, construction and shipping companies. Bill speaks worldwide to safety professionals at NSC-National Safety Council, ASSP-American Association of Safety Professionals, ASSP Mid East Chapter, VPPPA, Georgia SHE Conference, AGC-Associated General Contractors of America, Alaska Governor’s Safety Conference, AGA-American Gas Association, RILA-Retail Industry Leaders Association, and many others.

Mr. 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 in excess of $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 has estimated and built many types of projects including: water and waste water treatment plants, hazardous waste remediation projects, landfills, mining infrastructure, roads and streets, highways, bridges, railroad infrastructure, commercial site work, subdivisions, throughout the Western US for private owners and public agencies.   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.

Swartzentruber has had a wide and varied career, serving in positions ranging from Sales Manager to CEO at small business boutiques and multibillion dollar household names. Prior to joining Paradyne Consulting Works, Jon was Vice President of Leadership Development at one of the five largest engineering and construction firms in North America, where for eleven years he led this company’s mission to build an innovative Leadership Development architecture. His efforts resulted in the company being named to Fortune/Aon Hewitt’s Top 25 Companies for Leaders, the only engineering or construction company to be so recognized.

Under Jon’s leadership over this time, while the company more than doubled in size and profitability, he reduced time-to-promote to critical positions by 40% and increased retention of identified High Potentials by 30%.

As a seasoned partnering facilitator, he has led scores of successful client-contractor-engineer partnering programs, including Poseidon Water’s $1B Carlsbad, CA Desalination Plant; multiple DOD projects from Seoul to Corpus Christi; Major League sports stadiums from Miami to Seattle; and the planet’s highest visibility Civil Engineering project of the 21st century – The Oroville Dam Spillways Recovery. His

partnered projects have won prestigious awards including Design Build Institute of America (DBIA)’s Project of the Year and the International Partnering Institute (IPI)’s Diamond Award.

Earlier in his career, Jon founded five successful start-up companies in the construction, residential real estate, e-commerce, and aviation industries.

He has been recognized by the Chief of Staff of the US Army Corps of Engineers as a distinguished speaker, and by IPI as a Senior Partnering Facilitator.

He has built and led highly acclaimed leadership programs for companies as varied as Southern California Edison, Kiewit Construction, and K2 Sports – experiences he brings to Paradyne’s flagship Sixth Factor Academy.

A published playwright, Jon is well known for his comedies chronicling turn of the century life in southeastern Pennsylvania.

He enjoys boating, golfing, and the relentless pursuit of leisure.

Jolsna is Rosendin’s Business Development Manager for Texas and surrounding states. Her responsibilities include establishing and maintaining client relationships, research and analysis of the market place and tracking and maintaining the status of developing opportunities. Jolsna is a University of Texas at Austin Business School and American University Washington College of Law grad and serves as a Board Member of the Rosendin Foundation, the Mayor’s Appointee to the City of Austin Construction Advisory Council, Chair of the City’s Public Safety Civil Service Commission, Secretary/Treasurer of the Austin Convention Enterprises Board and 2019 Luna Business Advocate of the Year and NAWIC Austin 2019 WIC of the Year.

As Vice President of Public Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, Brian Turmail’s role is to develop and oversee all public, member and chapter communications activities for the 27,000-member construction trade association.  He works directly with national, regional, and local media to generate coverage of the construction industry and AGC’s major policy priorities. He is also helping oversee the implementation of the association’s Centennial “Future Focus” plan designed to position the association to help member firms thrive amid the significant technological, process and labor transformations taking place within the industry. He also plays a lead role in getting local, state, and federal officials to act on the measures outlined in the association’s Workforce Development Plan.  And he is a member of the board of directors of AGC Charities Inc, the association’s charitable arm, where he oversees Operation Opening Doors projects that get volunteer contractors to renovate facilities for worthwhile groups, including veterans and members of the disabled community.  Turmail resides in Washington, D.C. where he serves as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner and volunteers with local schools and law enforcement.

Pat Wadors, Chief Talent Officer at Procore, oversees the People team, including Talent Acquisition, and plays a critical role in the company’s focus on employee experience and continued growth. Prior to Procore, Wadors served as Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) at ServiceNow from 2017 to 2020. She was responsible for overseeing global employee resources and talent, helping the company scale from 5,000 to 12,000 employees while building programs to support employees and their families. She previously served as SVP, Global Talent Organization at LinkedIn, where she led a global HR organization. Wadors has also held executive positions at Plantronics, Inc. and Yahoo! She currently serves on the boards of Zenefits, Accolade, Inc., and El Camino Hospital.

James Young is the Senior Director of Congressional Relations for Labor, HR, and Safety for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). In this role, he works directly with members of the U.S. Congress, AGC members and press on a multitude of issues that directly affect the construction industry. Previously, Mr. Young worked for Direct Impact, a grassroots firm in Washington and Democracy Data and Communications which provides a comprehensive array of grassroots and political action solutions. Mr. Young began his career on Capitol Hill working for Congressman Benjamin Gilman (NY).

James holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.