Event Schedule
Countdown to 2026
IGNITE Construction Summit
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2026 Event Schedule
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 9
7:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Exclusive Golf Outing
Get ready to hit the green with industry leaders at our exciting exclusive golf outing, where business meets fun! We’re kicking things off with a shotgun start, meaning all teams tee off simultaneously from different holes—so the competition heats up right from the start!
Whether you’re sinking birdies or just here for the camaraderie, this is your chance to make lasting connections in a relaxed, scenic setting.
*The golf outing is an additional $150 per player, and club rentals are not included.
2:00 PM
Registration Opens
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Leading Under Pressure: What FBI Negotiation Teaches Us About Leadership
As companies grow, the pressure on leaders grows with them. Communication becomes more complex, decisions carry greater impact, and the ability to navigate difficult conversations can determine whether teams stay aligned—or begin to fracture.
In this powerful keynote, FBI-trained hostage negotiator Scott Tillema shares leadership lessons from the world of high-stakes crisis negotiation and translates them into practical tools for leaders building and scaling organizations. In hostage situations, negotiators must quickly establish trust, manage emotions, and guide conversations toward resolution—all while operating under intense pressure.
Those same communication principles are essential for leaders navigating rapid growth. Whether you’re managing expanding teams, resolving internal conflict, or aligning people around a shared vision, the ability to communicate with clarity and confidence becomes one of the most important leadership skills you can develop.
Through compelling stories and actionable frameworks, this session reveals how elite negotiators build trust, influence outcomes, and lead through pressure—skills every leader needs when building a company designed to scale.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Communicate clearly and confidently as teams and organizations grow
- Navigate difficult conversations with employees, partners, and clients
- Build trust quickly during periods of change or uncertainty
- Lead with calm and clarity when pressure is high
- Use communication as a leadership tool to align teams and scale successfully
This keynote sets the tone for the IGNITE by reminding leaders that while systems and strategy help companies grow, communication is what holds everything together as they scale.
SPEAKER:
Scott Tillema, Crisis Negotiator, Corporate Trainer, and Professional Keynote Speaker
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Opening Reception
THURSDAY
DECEMBER 10
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Breakfast of Champions
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Workshop: Built to Scale – Why Growth Breaks Weak Foundation
Most construction companies don’t have a sales strategy.
They have bidding activity.
When growth stalls, the common response is predictable:
• Hire another estimator
• Promote a project manager into sales
• Bid more work and hope revenue follows
That approach rarely scales.
In this hands-on working lab, Neal Glatt and Kenny Roy guide contractors through designing a predictable sales engine for 2027—built on the right people, the right activity levels, and the right systems.
This is not a lecture.
It’s an interactive planning session where attendees analyze their 2026 sales performance, identify the real drivers of revenue growth, and build a staffing, prospecting, and execution plan for the year ahead.
Along the way, attendees learn why most contractors hire the wrong people for sales, how to structure a team that consistently creates opportunities, and how to negotiate projects in ways that protect margin and cash flow during expansion.
By the end of the lab, participants walk away with a clear blueprint for building a scalable sales operation—and the metrics required to manage it. Because growth isn’t accidental. It’s engineered.
What You’ll Leave With:
- A defined 2027 sales revenue target and capacity model
- A sales staffing plan that accounts for hiring lead times and ramp-up periods
- Clear prospecting activity targets for each salesperson
- A framework for evaluating sales performance beyond revenue
- The sales competencies contractors actually need
- Key CRM systems and sales KPIs required to scale
- Negotiation strategies that protect margin and improve cash flow
SPEAKERS:
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Networking Break
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Panel: Scaling Smart – The Growing Pains of a Successful Contracting Business
Growth is exciting… until it isn’t. Many contractors dream about scaling their companies — bigger projects, larger crews, new markets. But growth also brings new challenges: hiring the right people, maintaining quality, managing cash flow, and building leadership depth.
In this honest and practical discussion, successful contractors share the real stories behind scaling their businesses. They’ll talk about the mistakes they made, the lessons they learned, and the systems they built to support growth.
This session is designed for contractors who want to grow without losing control of their operations — and without burning out their teams.
Attendees will learn:
- When to say yes (and when to say no) to new work
- The biggest leadership mistakes during rapid growth
- Building systems that support scale
- How to develop leaders inside your organization
PANELISTS:
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Lunch
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Workshop: Scaling Without Starving – Managing Cash During Growth
Growth consumes cash. Payroll rises. Equipment expands. Overhead creeps up.
As companies scale, expenses rise faster than many owners expect. Payroll increases, equipment investments grow, overhead expands, and new projects demand more working capital. Even profitable companies can quickly find themselves in a cash crunch if growth isn’t managed strategically.
In this practical, contractor-focused workshop, Lauren Furtado, The Unconventional CFO, breaks down the financial realities of scaling a business and explains why cash—not revenue—is often the biggest constraint to sustainable growth.
Lauren will walk attendees through the financial systems and decision-making frameworks that help companies expand without putting themselves in a constant cycle of financial stress. Through real-world examples and straightforward financial strategies, leaders will learn how to anticipate cash needs, protect margins, and maintain control of their business as it grows.
Whether you’re hiring additional crews, expanding into new markets, or taking on larger projects, this session will provide the tools you need to grow with confidence—without starving your business of the cash it needs to operate.
Attendees will learn:
- How to build cash flow forecasts that support rapid growth
- The hidden financial traps of expansion that catch many contractors off guard
- Strategies for managing accounts receivable, billing cycles, and project cash flow
- How to evaluate whether a new project will strengthen—or strain—your finances
- When saying no to work is the smartest financial decision you can make
- How to create financial discipline that allows your company to scale sustainably
If your company is growing but cash always feels tight, this session will help you understand why—and what to do about it.
SPEAKERS:
Lauren Furtado, Founder, Founder, Unconventional CFO
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Afternoon Outdoor Networking Social
FRIDAY
DECEMBER 11
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Breakfast of Champions
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
The Next Generation of Leadership in Construction
The future of the industry depends on the next generation of leaders — but developing them requires intentional effort. As experienced leaders begin to transition into advisory roles and younger professionals step into management positions, companies must rethink how they train, mentor, and empower emerging leaders.
This panel brings together contractors from multiple generations to discuss how leadership is evolving in the construction industry. From communication styles to career expectations, this discussion will explore what it takes to build strong leaders for the future.
Attendees will learn
- How to build leadership pipelines
- How to mentor the next generation
- How to keep culture strong during generational transitions
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Networking Break
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Closing Keynote: Scaling Without Losing Your Soul
Growth is the goal for most contractors — but too often companies lose the very culture that made them successful in the first place.
As businesses scale, leaders become more removed from crews, communication breaks down, and the culture that once defined the company begins to fade.
In this powerful closing keynote, leadership expert Colonel Garth Massey shares what it really takes to scale a construction company while protecting the culture that drives performance. Drawing from his experience as a Marine Corps officer, business executive, and leadership consultant, Garth helps organizations develop leaders who can maintain strong teams even as companies grow through his collaborative CommandReady approach.
Attendees will walk away with practical strategies for building leadership at every level of their organization so their companies can grow without losing the people and values that made them successful.
Key Takeaways:
- Why culture is the most important asset in a growing company
- How leadership behaviors shape company culture
- The systems needed to maintain culture during growth
- How to develop leaders who carry the culture forward
SPEAKERS:
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Lunch-to-Go
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