2011 Fall Conference Program Descriptions

Session - November 3

MAKING A WHOLE BRAIN CONNECTION
IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD BE ATTENDING—

• Want to raise your shortlist interview hit rate?
• Want to draw the best out of everyone on your team?
• Want to connect more successfully with your clients?

This highly interactive workshop will teach you the foundation of Whole Brain® Thinking and how it applies to communication so you can start communicating with your whole brain to increase your professional effectiveness. 

 

THE WORKSHOP IS DESIGNED FOR—

• Company leaders
• Project Managers
• Superintendents
• Business Developers and Marketing Staff

 

YOU WILL “TAKE HOME” FROM THE WORKSHOP—

• An understanding of how you prefer to process information
• The discovery of how other people prefer to process information
• An understand of the benefits of thinking in your own style
• The ability to recognize and appreciate the cognitive diversity in your firm
• How to craft a message that speaks directly to your targeted audience

Applying Whole Brain® Thinking to your growing business will help you capitalize on your talent, connect with your prospects, and satisfy your clients.  This will be worth your while!  This will be a fun workshop!  Your registration fee will be refunded if in the end you feel you feel you got “zero” out of the workshop!

Presented by Carol Doscher & Jen Hebblethwaite from Graceworks, Inc.

Carol Doscher, President & CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer), is doing exactly what she’s called to do and loves doing it!  Since founding Graceworks in 1995, she’s trained thousands of corporate professionals globally to become more successful presenters, leaders and all-around communicators.

Jen Hebblethwaite, Champion of All Things Grace, is stationed in the Atlanta office. Jen is an experienced corporate trainer.  She’s spent 10 years as a Teaching Artist for a Tony Award-winning theatre and has taught everything from playwriting to MBA Leadership/Communication on an undergraduate and graduate level.

Sessions - November 4

Breakfast Session

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND BUILDING A STRONGER FUTURE THROUGH ECONOMIC GROWTH
Presented by Ken Simonson, Chief Economist, AGC of America

Concurrent Sessions

WHY DEVELOP AN ETHICS POLICY AND CULTURE FOR YOUR FIRM?
What do we mean by “business ethics” and why is it important?  Why do we need an ethics policy?  OK-we have a policy-so now how do we really incorporate it into our “culture” of who we are?  This session will use a case study approach to help you plan, implement and make an ethics policy part of your business culture.  How do you put into words what you mean, followed by how do you communicate the meaning to employees in a way that engages them to have the same understanding.  Of course, if you do Federal contracting you are required to have a policy.  However, more and more project qualifications will require the firm to have an ethics policy in place.  This is a session that should be of interest to everyone. Presenter: Jim Dale, Continuum Worldwide

OSHA UPDATE & PANEL DISCUSSION OF CURRENT ISSUES
Recently, OSHA has had more regulatory and administrative changes than it has experienced in quite some time.  This session will feature a panel presentation and roundtable discussion of several of those recent changes.  The panel will feature Chris Bockmann, addressing lead and asbestos issues; Matt Fegenbush, fielding concerns with the new crane rigging & signaling requirements; and Michael Downey will handle the topic of the local emphasis program and any other general OSHA issues.  Casey Lenners and Josh Weekly, co-chairmen of the Safety and Health Committee will moderate the panel.

BUY AMERICAN & RECOVERY ACT REQUIREMENTS AND ISSUES
In 2011 it seems that just about everyone in the commercial building industry will encounter at least partial amount of federal funding for a project.  Most likely the federal dollars are coming from “recovery act” and along with that comes new rules of contracting; including the Buy American requirements.   This presentation will include a little history on Buy American; the Buy American requirements for ARRA funded projects; Buy American documentation and waivers; along with a few “best practices” and “what to watch out for” in this provision.  Monica Freeman, Woods & Aitken LLP Attorney, will present this session and will be glad to address all other questions you might bring along to the session.

WHAT DO ACCIDENTS REALLY COST AND IMPORTANCE OF A BACK-TO-WORK PROGRAM
The cost of preventing work-related injuries and illnesses is usually far less expensive than dealing with the aftermath of an injury/sickness event.  Research indicates that as illnesses and injuries decline so do health care costs and workers compensation costs, along with the cost of OSHA citations.  This session will take a look at the direct and indirect expense of illness and injury at the workplace.  One way to manage related costs is to implement effective return to work policies.  These policies will have a direct impact on reducing your Experience Mod and Workers’ Compensation costs.  Return to work policies help employees return to their normal work duties sooner and continue to be productive during their recover time.  Ron Petit, Harry A. Koch Co. and Mike Keenan, Grace/Mayer Insurance will present all the details to implement a successful back-to-work program for your company.

SWPPP/STORMWATER/EPA UPDATE: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO ME TODAY AND TOMORROW ON THE JOBSITE
The underlying theme of this session is “what do I need to do differently today at my jobsite than what I have been doing?"  This session will address that question to enable you to determine what recent federal and state changes really mean to your way of operating.  The emphasis will be on the effect of regulations and changes at the municipal level.  The discussion will include new areas of concern in audits and regulations; best practices for implementation; and a look at what might be in the pipeline for future changes.  Tom Wells, Sr., Stormwater Management Specialist-Lamp, Rynearson & Assoc. will be the presenter for this session.

FIT FOR WORK AND THE AGING WORKFORCE
Whether you are in you 30s, 40s, 50s you have experienced the random aches and pains that plaque us periodically when we jump out of bed, hop out of the truck, or crawl off the golf course.  It is easy to blame it on something exciting; something sports related; or something we martyred our way through yesterday!  Really?  Really it could just be the fact that our bodies are tired, overworked, overstressed and yes, really getting older.  (Yes, even you 30-year olds!!)  Dustin Reinbold, occupational therapist from Madonna TherapyPlus and Karen Rehm, wellness coach from Madonna Fit for Work will lead this session to discuss the aging workforce and how to develop a “fit for work” program in your company.