2026 AGENDA

7:00am - 8:00am

Location: Westin Lobby Restaurant & Ballroom Foyer

8:00am - 8:10am

Location: ABCD Ballroom

8:10am - 9:00am

David Davlin

Session Overview:

Success can be defined in its simplest form as making life better for someone else. Whether it comes in creating a better product, helping to relieve someone’s stress or pain, bringing someone laughter or joy or helping someone get more out of their life, success is always about serving.

This being the case, the key to success in any business lies not only in the development of great products and services, but more importantly in the development of great people. In this insightful presentation, Dave Davlin shares three essential ingredients for developing a purpose-driven mentality to achieve a fulfilling career and balanced life.

This presentation is an hour of interaction, humor and audience participation mixed with a powerful message. It is a roller coaster ride of emotion that will find the audience engaged in hilarious laughter one moment and brought to tears the next. The audience will be challenged to make the most of every moment in order to develop themselves personally and professionally while creating value and making a difference in the lives of others.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how personal vision and sense of purpose can support professional growth and workplace performance.

• Describe behaviors that create positive and memorable experiences for coworkers, customers, and other stakeholders.

• Apply a service-focused approach to daily interactions in order to create value and support personal and professional success.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Personal Development

Level: Basic

9:05am - 9:55am

Tobin Paxton - MITER

Session Overview:

Contractors win or lose on the strength of their people. The way you recruit, onboard, and develop employees directly shapes retention, productivity, and ultimately profitability. Onboarding is the most important “loyalty test” a new hire will ever take, and it’s also the first chance to communicate your company’s mission and vision. From training and benefits to the everyday tools employees use, experience is either a driver of loyalty or a source of frustration. This session will show why employee experience isn’t just an HR initiative — it’s a financial strategy that pays measurable dividends.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify why clearly communicating company mission and vision is important to onboarding, retention, and employee engagement.

• Evaluate how investments in onboarding, training, development, and benefits can affect retention, productivity, and employee experience.

• Assess the financial impact of treating employee experience as a strategic business priority.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Personnel/Human Resources

Level: Basic

9:05am - 9:55am

Nyasha Harmony Gutsa - BILLY

Session Overview:

Construction contracts are written to transfer risk, but in practice that risk is often enforced—or uncovered—by finance teams at the point of payment. In the Southeastern United States, where construction is driven by rapid growth, labor volatility, and weather-related risk, gaps between contract language, insurance coverage, surety requirements, and accounting workflows can expose firms to uninsured losses, delayed payments, audit findings, and disputes.

This session examines how modern construction finance teams across the Southeast are becoming the final control point for risk transfer. Attendees will learn how insurance requirements, endorsements, and bonds interact with contract terms, where breakdowns commonly occur between legal intent and operational execution, and how accounting systems are increasingly used to support “safe-to-pay” decisions.

The discussion focuses on practical, field-tested approaches finance leaders can use to reduce risk, improve coordination with legal, risk, and operations teams, and strengthen internal controls—without slowing down project delivery or vendor payments.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify where risk transfer commonly breaks down between contracts, insurance, bonding, and accounting workflows in Southeastern construction firms.

• Evaluate how finance teams can use payment controls to enforce compliance without disrupting operations.

• Recognize regional risk factors, including catastrophic exposure, labor mobility, and surety complexity, that affect safe-to-pay decisions.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Specialized Knowledge (or Business Law if contract/legal emphasis dominates)

Level: Intermediate

9:55am - 10:15am

Location: Ballroom Foyer

10:15am - 11:05am

Panel -CFMA National & Jay Snyder Moderator

Panelists:  Al Clark, Partner | Dana Johns, Carter Concrete | Adam Oblath, Anterra Technology

Session Overview:

In the construction industry, success depends on strong alignment between the field and the financials—and Work-In-Progress (WIP) reporting sits right at that intersection. This panel will unpack how WIP functions as a vital bridge between operations and finance, empowering construction professionals to stay on top of project performance, profitability, and risk in real time.
Geared toward financial leaders and construction company owners leading in this space, the discussion will highlight how clear, confident command of WIP reporting can enhance strategic decision-making, strengthen internal collaboration, and elevate your voice at the table.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how Work-in-Progress reporting connects field operations and financial management in construction.

• Analyze WIP insights to monitor project performance, profitability, and risk in real time.

• Identify ways WIP reporting can strengthen collaboration between operations and finance teams and support strategic decision-making.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Accounting

Level: Basic

10:15am - 11:05am

Billy Robinson - Brown Edwards

Session Overview:

Effective equipment and fleet management is essential for controlling operating costs, reducing downtime, and improving organizational performance. This session explores practical strategies for capturing true ownership costs, optimizing life-cycle decisions, leveraging data for proactive maintenance and replacement decisions, and implementing policies that strengthen accountability. Attendees will gain actionable insights that can be immediately applied to improve fleet reliability, budgeting accuracy, and overall cost efficiency.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and calculate key equipment and fleet total-cost-of-ownership drivers, including acquisition, leasing, maintenance, utilization, fuel, technology, and disposal costs.

• Apply preventive maintenance and asset life-cycle planning practices to reduce downtime and extend asset life.

• Evaluate cost-control strategies such as fleet standardization, telematics, right-sizing, policy development, and operator accountability.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Management Services

Level: Basic

11:10am - 12:00pm

Paul Evans

Session Overview:

Comprehensive framework for preparing business owners to exit successfully and at maximum value. Based on the SMART Exit methodology (Strategy, Market, Attract, Resolve, Transaction), participants will examine why most businesses fail to sell, the key drivers that increase enterprise value, and the common deal-killers that derail transactions. The program emphasizes proactive preparation, financial clarity, risk mitigation, and structured transaction management to help advisors guide clients through successful exits while avoiding value erosion and post-sale regret.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and evaluate the five components of the SMART framework and explain how early strategic planning affects valuation and deal success.

• Analyze key value drivers and risk factors, including EBITDA normalization, customer concentration, owner dependence, and recurring revenue, to assess sale readiness.

• Differentiate between valuation and market assessment and apply market-based insights to improve positioning, buyer selection, and transaction outcomes.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Finance

Level: Intermediate

11:10am - 12:00pm

Jim Gallagher

Session Overview:

Construction thought leader, James Gallagher, P.E., F.ASC, will speak about disputes in construction and strategies for resolving them effectively. His talk will cover some of the latest dispute trends, as well as some little-known traps many companies overlook that may put them at greater risk for disputes. Gallagher will cover some new innovations in the industry such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), artificial intelligence (AI), game theory and others, and their potential to increase or decrease dispute risk. He will also review the post-pandemic resolution environment and how dispute resolution is evolving. This talk will be most valuable for owners, developers, architects, engineers, builders and other top executives in construction-related businesses.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify current construction dispute trends and post-pandemic dispute resolution considerations.

• Evaluate how innovations such as BIM, artificial intelligence, and game theory may increase or decrease construction dispute risk.

• Recognize common overlooked dispute traps and identify strategies construction organizations can use to reduce litigation risk.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Business Law

Level: Basic

12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location: Westin Lobby Restaurant & Ballroom Foyer

1:00pm - 1:50pm

Ellari Kerner - WIPFLI

Session Overview:

Construction firms are collecting more data than ever, but many are still struggling to translate that information into measurable results. Dashboards and AI tools promise smarter decision-making, yet without the right foundation, those investments often stall out or fail to deliver the expected ROI.

This session bridges the gap between strategy and execution. We’ll explore how leading contractors are turning data into insights, insights into action, and action into financial value while avoiding the most common pitfalls that derail data initiatives. You’ll learn practical ways to build a usable data foundation, visualize what truly drives performance, and leverage AI to accelerate outcomes.

Whether you’re just beginning your data journey or looking to move beyond static reports, this session offers a clear roadmap for turning construction data into a competitive advantage.

Learning Objectives:

• Map the lifecycle from data to insight to action and identify where construction organizations commonly get stuck.

• Identify the foundational data, visualization, and process elements needed to connect field, finance, and leadership teams.

• Evaluate high-value use cases for data visualization, AI, and automation that can support ROI and sustained adoption.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Information Technology

Level: Basic

1:00pm - 1:50pm

Heather Parbst - CLA

Session Overview:

Succession isn’t just a financial event—it’s a complex process that impacts operations, culture, and long-term business value. Internal leaders like CFOs and controllers play a critical role in preparing organizations for smooth and successful ownership changes. This session explores the non-financial factors that can derail succession, introduces the Four Pillars of Readiness—Personal, Financial, Business, and Family—and dives into the Business pillar where internal leaders have the greatest influence.

Participants will learn practical strategies to reduce owner dependency, strengthen leadership continuity, and build trust across teams and stakeholders. We’ll also tackle one of the toughest challenges: engaging resistant owners in succession conversations. Through actionable tools and real-world examples, attendees will leave equipped to protect enterprise value and support sustainable growth during ownership transitions.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify non-financial factors that can derail ownership succession and describe ways to mitigate them.

• Analyze the key readiness areas owners and leaders should address to support a successful succession process.

• Apply strategies to reduce owner dependency, build team trust, engage resistant owners, and protect enterprise value.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Business Management & Organization

Level: Basic

1:55pm - 2:45pm

Panel Discussion: RAMP

Panelists: Ryan Rademann, Wipfli | Blake Howard, United Infrastructure Group (UIG) | Teddy, Ramp | Ilana Slutsky, Ramp

Session Overview:

Artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded across construction and accounting technology: from estimating and preconstruction tools to spend management, accounts payable, and financial analysis. While these tools promise efficiency and consistency, they also introduce new considerations related to controls, data integrity, and professional judgment.

This panel brings together leaders from construction and accounting technology to discuss how AI is being applied in practice today. Rather than focusing on emerging technology for its own sake, the session examines how AI is changing the day-to-day experience of accounting work, what risks CPAs should be mindful of, and how to evaluate AI-enabled tools across the full construction finance stack.

Learning Objectives:

• Distinguish between rules-based automation, assistive AI, and more autonomous agentic workflows in accounting.

• Assess the implications of AI-enabled tools on audit trails, internal controls, and compliance.

• Develop criteria for evaluating AI solutions across estimating, accounting, and financial operations.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Accounting

Level: Intermediate

1:55pm - 2:45pm

Gary Gray

Session Overview:

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) are often viewed as a niche exit strategy, but for construction companies, they can be a powerful tool to optimize shareholder value, manage risk, and strengthen workforce alignment. This session reframes ESOPs through the lens of the CFO and CHRO, focusing on how they function as a capital strategy rather than simply a benefits program.

Attendees will explore how ESOPs compare to traditional exit alternatives such as private equity and management buyouts, with a focus on after-tax proceeds, control, and long-term enterprise value. The session will break down the financial mechanics of an ESOP transaction including valuation, leverage, cash flow, and future repurchase obligations, while addressing common misconceptions around complexity and risk.

In addition, we will examine the unique considerations for construction companies, including bonding capacity, surety relationships, and balance sheet impact. From a human capital perspective, the session will highlight how employee ownership can improve retention, productivity, and leadership continuity in a labor-constrained environment.

The goal is to provide finance and HR leaders with a practical framework to evaluate whether an ESOP aligns with their company’s strategic, financial, and cultural objectives.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate ESOPs as a capital strategy by comparing their impact on shareholder value, tax efficiency, and control relative to private equity and other exit alternatives.

• Analyze the financial and risk implications of an ESOP transaction, including capital structure, cash flow requirements, repurchase obligations, and bonding/surety considerations specific to construction companies.

• Assess the workforce and organizational impact of employee ownership, including its effects on retention, productivity, and succession planning in construction businesses.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Finance

Level: Intermediate

2:45pm - 3:05pm
Location: Ballroom Foyer

3:05pm - 3:55pm

Cy Sturdivant and Kathryn Schneider - FORVIS MAZARS

Session Overview:

Cyber threats are no longer just an IT issue - they pose a direct risk to cash flow, project continuity, and financial trust within construction organizations. This session helps construction finance professionals understand how modern cyberattacks such as business email compromise, ransomware, phishing, and AI-enabled deepfake scams are executed by "thinking like a hacker". Attendees will walk away with practical insights to identify vulnerabilities, reduce human-driven risk, and strengthen their organization's cyber defense posture before financial damage occurs.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize common cyberattack tactics affecting construction companies, including phishing, executive impersonation, ransomware, and AI-enabled deepfake fraud targeting financial transactions.

• Analyze how attackers exploit human behavior and process gaps within finance and operations teams.

• Apply finance-led defensive strategies such as strengthened approval controls, employee awareness, and response planning to reduce financial and operational exposure.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Information Technology

Level: Basic

3:05pm - 3:55pm

Bradley Taylor - FRAZIER DEETER

Session Overview:

CMMC can feel like "IT stuff", but it affects how you win and keep DoW work. This session breaks down the most common barriers construction companies face; what counts as CUI and how we know what systems are in scope.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify what CMMC is and how it can affect construction companies that pursue or perform federal work.

• Distinguish between FCI and CUI and determine which information systems, people, and subcontractors may be in scope.

• Apply a practical, non-technical approach to reduce CMMC barriers, including scoping decisions, subcontractor flow-downs, and basic policy or process changes.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Information Technology

Level: Basic

4:00pm - 4:15pm

Location: ABCD Ballroom

4:15pm - 5:15pm

David Kidder

Session Overview:

The world outside your business is moving faster than the systems within it can adapt. Local market dynamics and geopolitical shift andinfluence our decisions without warning. AI is changing what's possible and what's expected, before most teams have figured out where to start. Labor is difficult to secure andincentivized to findat every level. Margins are thinner. Schedules are tighter. And the playbooks that got your company here were built for a world that doesn't exist anymore. Construction and manufacturing have always been businesses where you earn and grow on merit and trust it every day.But the pace of change has outrun the way most organizations plan, decide, and grow. What worked for twenty years can expire in twenty weeks. The leaders who win from here will be the ones who see it first, adapt fastest, and build teams that can move together when the ground shifts. David S. Kidder is a four-time exited founder, two-time New York Times bestselling author,angel investor in over 150 startups, and one of the most trusted voices in the worldon igniting resilient growth inside enterprises. He has spent more than twenty years in the rooms where the hardest decisions get made —building system based companies, advising Fortune 500 leadership teams, and helping organizations find the truth before it finds them. His keynote is built on lived experience, not theory. He speaks the way a builder thinks: direct, practical, and focused on what actually works. In this keynote, David shares proven mindsets and AI-native systems that leaders can put to work immediately —not someday, not after a six-month rollout, but now.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify market, geopolitical, labor, margin, schedule, and technology pressures that can affect organizational growth and resilience.

• Apply a structured discipline for evaluating strategic initiatives and aligning organizational priorities.

• Evaluate assumptions, hidden risks, and evidence needed to determine whether high-stakes initiatives remain on course.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.5 if all 75 minutes are instructional; otherwise 1.0 with 50 instructional minutes documented CPE in Personal Development or Business Management & Organization

Level: Basic

7:00am - 8:00am

Location: ABCD Ballroom

8:00am - 9:00am

Anthony Huey

Session Overview:

There are immense powers in this country that are neither elected by the people nor regulated in any way. They have the ability to take down governments, ruin companies and control the very way you think. In this thought-provoking keynote you’ll be taken inside both traditional and social media during the country’s most recent events and learn how the old adage ‘what people perceive, is what they believe’ has never more true. Discover how today’s world is being shaped by an insidious force and the role you play in protecting our democracy.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how traditional and social media can influence public perception, business reputation, and decision-making.

• Distinguish credible information from misinformation by evaluating story sources, trigger words, and manipulation tactics.

• Apply practical questions and strategies to help protect a business, team, or family from misinformation-related risk.

Location: ABCD Ballroom
Intro by: Ramp

1.0 CPE in Communications and Marketing (only if tied to business/reputation/decision-making)

Level: Basic

9:05am - 9:55am

Eliot Wagonheim and Rhonda Huismann - FIRST RULE

Session Overview:

Every construction professional knows that experience, intuition, and a healthy dose of common sense can mean the difference between spectacular success and abject failure…for both a project and a company.

Where, then, does artificial intelligence fit in? Is it reliable? Does it replace people? Is it the key to scalability or does it merely serve to provide a false sense of security?

And if there is a place for AI, how can it be safely and wisely implemented?

Few topics divide and fascinate the construction community as much as the use of artificial intelligence in what is an industry that literally serves as a monument to human collaboration.

In this session, Eliot Wagonheim and Rhonda Huismann will provide an overview of the possibilities and pitfalls of AI contract review technology, what to look for, what to expect, and how to stay on top of one of the most intriguing, frustrating, challenging, and captivating issues of 2026.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the current capabilities and limitations of AI tools used for construction contract review.

• Evaluate company-specific decision points for determining whether, when, and how to implement an AI contract review solution.

• Identify policy guardrails and implementation practices that preserve institutional knowledge while using AI effectively.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Business Law

Level: Basic

9:05am - 9:55am

Patrick Sullivan - ADAPTIVE

Session Overview:

The most dangerous phrase in construction finance is "I think we’re 75% complete." For decades, the WIP report has relied on manual entries and gut feelings from the field, often leading to late-stage profit fade that takes the executive team by surprise. But what if your WIP could "talk" to your project data?

In this interactive session, we will demonstrate how Large Language Models (LLMs) can now ingest "unstructured" operational data to sense-check what your financials say is the % complete vs. what the operational data says (plus more). Attendees will learn how to identify discrepancies between field data and financial data weeks before they hit the P&L.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how AI can map and reconcile financial and operational data sources used in WIP reporting.

• Develop a framework for predictive profit-fade alerts within an existing accounting workflow.

• Evaluate how AI tools can increase confidence in WIP reporting and reduce reliance on manual inputs.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Accounting (or Information Technology if AI/data architecture is primary)

Level: Intermediate

9:55am - 10:15am

Location: Ballroom Foyer

10:15am - 11:05am

James Lundy Jr - CBIZ/Marcum LLP

Session Overview:

Tricks and Traps Construction Companies and their tax advisors need to know

Learning Objectives:

• Identify construction tax best practices that may affect tax planning, compliance, and advisory decisions.

• Apply current tax law updates to common construction company and tax advisor scenarios.

• Evaluate recent tax law and litigation developments for their potential impact on the construction industry.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Taxes

Level: Basic

10:15am - 11:05am

Chris Kaspar, CFO,Rudolph Libbe Group & Ben Turner, Enterprise Sales Director,Earlytrade

Session Overview:

When Rudolph Libbe Group, a multi-disciplinary construction and facility services firm ranked No. 76 on ENR's Top 400 Contractors list, launched a structured early payment program in 2024, they weren't starting from scratch. They were starting from a clear financial thesis: that existing working capital, deployed strategically through a dynamic discounting platform, could generate meaningful recurring returns while strengthening relationships across a complex, multi-state subcontractor supply chain. Eighteen months in, the program has generated substantial savings, with momentum building steadily into 2026. Platform coverage spans the majority of RLG's eligible open AP, and the company has set a goal of $1M in annual savings - backed by a growing project pipeline across industrial, manufacturing, and commercial sectors. In this session, Chris Kaspar walks CFMA members through the financial and operational decisions behind RLG's program, including what the data has revealed about subcontractor behavior, where the real growth opportunity is concentrated, and what it takes to move a program from promising to performing at scale.

The session will cover:

The financial thesis — how RLG evaluated dynamic discounting as a working capital strategy, what the expected return profile looked like at launch versus what the data shows today, and how the CFO frames program performance internally

What the data reveals about sub behavior — why strong platform coverage doesn't automatically translate to high participation rates, what subcontractor concentration risk looks like in practice, and what it means for program strategy

The compliance variable — how RLG manages invoice eligibility through internal compliance processes, and how early payment is being used as a tangible incentive to drive subcontractor compliance behavior

Growth strategy in practice — how RLG is using its project pipeline to expand program participation, including early engagement with new subs at project kickoff and leveraging internal project management relationships to accelerate adoption

What scaling actually requires — the operational and behavioral changes needed to move a program from early results toward meaningful annual savings targets, and what other large GCs can learn from RLG's approach

Learning Objectives:

• Distinguish between early payment program coverage and program performance by identifying subcontractor behavioral and compliance variables that determine actual results.

• Apply a concentration risk framework to evaluate how invoice volume distribution across a subcontractor base affects program yield.

• Develop a post-launch growth strategy for a dynamic discounting program using project pipeline timing, project manager alignment, and compliance incentive structures.

Location: Jr. Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Finance

Level: Intermediate

11:10am - 12:00pm

David Hern

Session Overview:

Understanding what your construction business is truly worth is no longer a “nice to know”—it’s a strategic necessity. Whether you're planning for a future sale, evaluating a buyout, pursuing bonding or financing, or simply benchmarking performance, valuation plays a critical role in decision-making for contractors. In this session, I’ll break down the fundamentals of business valuation through the lens of the construction industry—where risk, backlog quality, project mix, and leadership depth all materially impact value. We’ll move beyond textbook definitions and focus on how valuations actually work in real-world contractor transactions. Attendees will gain insight into the primary valuation methodologies and how they are applied (and adjusted) for contractors, including the importance of normalized earnings, working capital dynamics, and the role of WIP and backlog in driving value. We’ll also discuss key value drivers and detractors specific to construction businesses—such as customer concentration, bonding capacity, project type, and reliance on key owners. Most importantly, we’ll connect valuation to actionable strategy—what contractors can do today to increase enterprise value and better position themselves for future liquidity events, internal transitions, or capital raises. If you’ve ever wondered what drives your company’s value—or how buyers and lenders really look at your business—this session will give you a practical, insider’s perspective.

CPE Learning Objectives

• Identify the primary valuation methodologies used in contractor business valuations and how they are adapted for construction-specific financial and operational characteristics.

• Analyze key value drivers and risk factors in construction companies, including backlog quality, customer concentration, bonding capacity, and project mix.

• Apply practical strategies to improve a contractor valuation by adjusting financial reporting, normalizing earnings, and addressing common valuation discounts.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Finance

Level: Basic

12:00pm - 12:10pm

Location: Ballroom Foyer

12:10pm - 1:00pm

Dr. Roger Tutterow

Session Overview:

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze how supply chain constraints, labor market dislocations, and inflationary pressures may affect economic prosperity and construction business conditions.

• Evaluate how Federal Reserve policy, interest rates, trade policy, and regulatory or tax changes may affect construction financing and corporate performance.

• Identify how demographic trends and post-pandemic behavior changes may affect labor markets, real estate markets, commerce, and demand for real assets.

Location: ABCD Ballroom

1.0 CPE in Economics

Level: Basic or Intermediate based on presenter/content depth

1:00pm - 1:15pm

Location: ABCD Ballroom