Presenter: Dr. Anirban Basu, ABC Chief Economist

Has the Federal Reserve successfully engineered a soft landing? Or is the confluence of geopolitical conflict, a presidential election, rising consumer debt levels and still high-interest rates conspiring to produce an economic downturn in 2024? This presentation will supply an in-depth analysis of major factors shaping economic outcomes, including 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.

Moderator: Aaron Vorwerk, Egnyte
Panelists: James L. Oertling, Travelers; Christopher Thompson, Federal Bureau of Investigation

As the construction industry increasingly adopts digital technologies for project management, design and operations, the urgency for heightened cybersecurity awareness has never been greater. Cybersecurity experts, construction industry leaders and technology innovators will shed light on the importance of cybersecurity awareness and the practical steps needed to safeguard digital assets and sensitive information.

Moderator: Kevin Sell, United Group Services
Panelists: Michael Barker, Hensel Phelps; Tim Elmore, Alkermes; Kevin Riggleman, United Group Services; Dr. Kenneth Sullivan, Arizona State University

Visual management plays a significant role in any successful endeavor by utilizing visual cues and tools to enhance performance communication. Visual management boards are utilized to display critical metrics, key performance indicators and actions in a clear, simple and visual manner. Employee ownership in meeting these goals is driven by engaging them in topics such as safety, quality and delivery on commitments.

Moderator: Barbara Wagner, Clark Construction
Panelists: Dan Cook, University of Texas at Austin; Karen Mooney, MD Anderson Cancer Center; Josh Shaw, Smithsonian Institute; Cassidy Welch, BASF

Find out how to structure procurement models and contracts to attract the top talent in a busy construction market and discover strategies to incentivize the project teams to be collaborative, transparent and committed to a project's success. While gaining insight to how financing strategies play a role, learn best practices in distributing risk to those members who are most equipped for controlling or mitigating those risks and learn more about effective processes and governance strategies to build consensus and facilitate timely decisions. Then, gain deeper insights into supply chain strategies and innovations including supply bundling and project award bundling.

Facilitator: Mike Bellaman, ABC National
Table Topic Leaders: Pete Dumont, AG&P and PrairieDog Venture Partners; John Hinson, Marek; Ed Luckenbach, Universal Industrial Gases; Tim Mongeau, ABC National

The construction industry workforce shortage is real, with factors such as the aging workforce, the lack of vocational high schools, immigration reform stagnation, negative career perception and inflation. Understand the industry impact and what construction users and contractors must invest and do to attract and retain the best talent in the industry to work on their projects. Participants will workshop breakthrough ideas on how the construction industry can collectively solve this chronic workforce shortage.

Moderator: Pete Dumont, AG&P and PrairieDog Venture Partners
Panelists: James C. Ellis, Ellisian; Jeffrey A. Mullins, Taft Law; Anne Ramsey, P&G; Pascal Ray, Blu Clarity

Shareholders, boards of directors and society in general are now demanding that essentially all companies, including those in the construction industry, become more sustainable and environmentally responsible. This panel will explore environmental, social and governance trends, discuss how companies are adapting and present new technologies that can help ABC members measure and report reliably on scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. We also will discuss issues relative to sustainability and governance and how the construction industry can benefit from a stronger focus in these areas.

Facilitator: Matt Abeles, ABC National
Thought Leaders: Josh Kanner, Oracle; James McGehee, Littler; Thai Nguyen, Hensel Phelps

Join a panel of subject matter experts, ranging from technology companies to contractors, who are utilizing artificial intelligence in their business workflow. Created for all-size contractors, attendees will learn about the basics of AI along with beneficial use cases through interactive group breakouts.