Construction conference addresses next decade of industry leadership, action, and solutions

CINCINNATI — “10 Years of the Owners Voice | Unveiling the Next Decade of Industry Leadership and Action” is the theme and focus of the 10th Annual National Conference of Construction Owners, being held at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 8-10, 2010.

Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) members spend an estimated $200 billion annually on construction services. CURT is an association of leading owners and other organizations in the United States dedicated to the promotion of cost-effective construction methods.

“Even in a tough economy, the construction industry leads the way in employment and as an economic growth opportunity,” said Mike Conley, CURT president and engineering and design competency leader for DuPont, who will be a key speaker during the opening session of the conference. “The industry is at a critical point; we must not only be vigilant about ensuring shareholder value, but we must simultaneously plan forward to be ready for an economic rebound. The CURT National Conference has been designed to help owners accomplish exactly that, and has been purposefully designed as a ‘must attend event’ for all construction industry leaders, accordingly.”

Given the vital role that the construction industry has to play at this point in America’s history, the 2010 CURT conference has carefully orchestrated a wide range of keynote and panel presentations by some of the key names in the industry today. The focused charge behind all presentations is to provide practical solutions for construction users in today’s economy. Examples include:

• Nido Qubein, president of High Point University and renowned business speaker, who will offer “A Challenge for the Next Decade of Leadership and Action.”
• John Landgraf, president of Global Pharmaceuticals Operations at Abbott, will speak about “Where to Build, When to Build, and How to Build.”
• Crisis managers from Abbott, Intel Corporation, HCA Healthcare, and the U.S. Department of State will discuss “Preplanning for Catastrophic Failures.”
• Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated Builders and Contractors, will help attendees understand why “It’s All About The Economy.”
• Mark Bridger, senior consultant at FMI Corp., will present empirical evidence in “Rising From The Ashes Of Recent Economic Woes” of how owner decisions in this economy are directly impacting the immediate and long-term future of the construction industry.
• Tom Hannigan, president of Zachry Nuclear Inc., will give insight from the contractor perspective as “A Contractor Looks at the Future of Our Industry.”
• “International Construction: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities” will be examined by a panel discussion consisting of CURT’s International Committee.
• Bruce Beck, director of Global Facilities at Eli Lilly, and Chris Ramsey, co-founder and executive vice president of LATISTA Technologies, will present “Construction Quality: The Key to Successful Capital Project Delivery."
• Sessions throughout the conference will focus on a range of key industry issues, including legal matters, integrated technology solutions, workforce planning, BIM optimization, and scheduling solutions. Speakers include attorneys and construction experts from EMCOR Group Inc., Crowell & Moring LLP, FMI Corp., Turner Construction Co., KBR, Jacobs, and the GSA.

Additionally, on the evening of Nov. 9, during its annual awards dinner and ceremony, CURT will present its coveted awards for Safety, Workforce Development, and Innovations in the construction industry, for which it has become synonymous.

“This year’s conference for construction owners will allow attendees to build relationships and share best practices and workable solutions that they can use this very minute, as well as enable them to prepare to prosper in the post-recession economy and beyond,” Conley said.

For more information, visit www.curt.org.