This interactive discussion will focus on eight specific contract clauses that every contractor should have in its construction contract in order to protect itself as best as possible from regularly occurring risks. With each of the different clauses, the speakers will ask the audience members how they handle these risks in their contracts, and then provide specific strategies that offer better protection for their companies. 

• Identify eight critical contract provisions requiring your detailed attention
• Understand the risks posed upon your company by each of these provisions 
• Discuss alternative clauses that can provide more legal protection than your contract currently provides 
• Identify negotiation strategies that can assist in turning one-sided clauses into acceptable risks 
• Learn how your construction industry peers handle these eight construction risks

The world is becoming more connected every day. The "Internet of things" has infiltrated our personal lives significantly over the last few years and continues to advance forward. From summoning a vehicle with our phone to controlling a thermostat with machine learning, our personal lives are more connected than ever before. Come see how this future is also coming to life on construction sites. 

Come see how a construction Superintendent can conduct their jobsite Orchestra all from a mobile device into reality. Come experience the connected jobsite.

• Introduction to the integration of map-based project information and visualization
• Understanding the power of having all of your design information in geolocated map layers
• Observe a leaner and more efficient process to manage a project
• Familiarize with various geolocated applications and hardware integrations
• Identify the insights of the future connected jobsite that will soon be available

Through a dynamic two-fold approach, participants will learn how mentoring is a key component of modern leadership and how to maintain the balance between meeting strategic objectives and implementing tactical components. They will learn how to create a mentoring program that facilitates learning among team members, enables trust, inspires development, and aides in the identification of participants 

• Key components to designing a successful mentoring program – what are the components that lead to engagement and profitability 
• Explore various models of mentor programs including whether to keep it in-house or allow the engagement of others throughout the industry 
• Learn how mentoring advances corporate initiatives through the development of both the mentor and mentee 
• Learn how programs can successfully shift the culture of your company

An accurate WIP schedule is the cornerstone of effective revenue reporting for any contractor – but it is only as good as the data that creates it. Having well estimated and consistently updated cost to complete information is key – but is often easier said than done. 

If managed properly, the WIP schedule can be used far beyond revenue recognition and serve as a key component in cash flow projections and project performance management. 

• Examine the impacts of well-managed estimated costs to complete on a WIP schedule 
• Explore strategies for keeping estimated costs to complete/cost projections updated in a timely and accurate manner 
• Provide tools for extrapolating the data from the WIP schedule into cash flow projections 
• Identify other ways that the WIP schedule can be used to indicate project performance issues

This session will provide an overall tax update and potential structuring options that construction companies can make to reduce their overall tax burden. The session will further explore IRS examination risks and high profile issues taken on tax returns. Finally, the session will address any proposed or recent legislation as it relates to tax reform. 

• Current tax update/new case laws that can affect you 
• Overall strategies for reducing your tax burden 
• Tax deferral tactics 
• How to avoid an audit and how to prepare should one occur 
• What are the triggers for the IRS in selecting exams

In today’s world, especially in construction, competition for candidates makes hiring more difficult and complex. With the estimated cost of a bad hire at over 30% of salary, no hire at all may be better than the wrong hire. If you invest time and energy in interviewing, you deserve to maximize your investment and improve your hiring quality and retention. This session will offer real-life strategies and stories to achieve better hiring. 

• Understand the motivation issues behind job changes 
• Learn which motivations for changing jobs are acceptable, and which are not 
• Identify the red flags you can see up front, to save interview time and money 
• Learn a specific interview technique to get accurate compensation information 
• Walk away with steps to improve your offer acceptance rate

Workers' comp costs are the single largest component of most contractors' risk management budgets, yet many are not proactively managing this cost. Further, contractors, and sometimes their insurance advisors, are unaware of potential gaps in coverage that arise when contractors perform certain types of work or take on projects in new states. 

This session will provide 10 tips for solidifying your workers' comp insurance program, taking advantage of available discounts, and ensuring accurate premiums. 

• Learn how to avoid the most common gaps in workers' comp and employers' liability insurance coverage 
• Learn how to reduce workers' comp costs by proactively ensuring correct classifications and verifying payroll limitations and available discounts are applied 
• Learn how to actively manage your experience modifier 
• Learn how to avoid becoming the de facto employer of subcontractors’ employees for workers' comp purposes

No CPE was offered for the Ignite Sessions

Discuss the most common mistakes made in the tax return preparation, planning, and implementation. This interactive presentation will increase awareness of the most up-to-date tax strategies and opportunities available to construction accounting professionals. 

• Learn about mistakes that can result in larger federal and state tax liabilities 
• Discuss planning opportunities that are often overlooked 
• Review current income tax rulings and tax law changes related to construction industry compliance and planning

No CPE was offered for the Ignite Sessions

Confessions of a construction industry recruiter: What are your competitors doing that effectively "recruiter-proofs" their employees? 

Mark DeVerges has dedicated his career to serving the construction industry in helping firms hire the candidates of their dreams . . . but there are some companies that have little need for hiring recruiters, or whose employees are unwilling to even listen to a tempting scenario. This presentation will help unpack these tactile secrets of retention and recruiting. 

• Discover current best practices for recruiting • Minimize cash outlays by instilling more productive internal recruiting strategies 
• Better pair-up operations and HR 
• Current best practices in retention 
• Maximize employee engagement (engage the family) 
• Eliminate exit interviews as being the means for company course correction 
• When cultures of recruiting and retention are combined, the net result is a platinum succession plan 
• How to plan for succession well

No CPE was offered for the Ignite Sessions

The concept of "work/life balance" is a buzz-worthy topic for many professionals, but is it attainable? Or, are there other, more achievable ways of looking at setting priorities depending on your season of life? 

This session will take a fresh look at ways to fit it all in – and stay sane while doing it. We'll identify how the concept of "balance" looks different depending on generation and phase of life. 

• Define work/life balance and look at some of the many ways of examining this 
• Identify some of the pitfalls in attempting to achieve the mythical "balanced life" 
• Discuss where the different generations are at now professionally and personally, and how the concept of "balance" will look different to each 
• Provide alternate ways of defining "balance" in an effort to relieve societal pressure and set more realistic goals