Houston Build Expo 2026 | Keynotes & Seminars

You will hear the true story of how one simple-minded contractor started 2020 thin on cash not realizing what the rest of the year had in store.

Three years later his business is on a sure foot while taking on zero debt. He borrowed no money and has no need to ask his vendors, partners, or subs for additional time for payment.

You can run a small or large firm on cash. You can stop the constant calls from creditors wondering when they are going to get their money. You can stop living from deposit to deposit. You can stop going to bed every night hoping the next receivable will be in the mailbox tomorrow.

In this life-changing talk, Scott Beebe (CEPA) will share real numbers from a simple contractor that will motivate and inspire you to build a business without being dictated by chaos, and placing you in the driver's seat.

Learning Objectives

1. See how using one or two bank accounts in your business is crippling

2. Watch real life examples unfold showing the growth of the cash over time...even when a business declines in annual revenue

3. Walk away with a simple structure you can implement tomorrow and the roadmap to do so

4. Confront the 4 major roadblocks keeping you from retaining the cash you have already received

Customers often focus on the lowest bid they receive. Contractors spend more time getting as low a number as possible as opposed to making a good profit on projects. Contractors are capable of winning work but struggle in securing a reasonable profit on their projects. The result is focusing on bidding and quoting as opposed to full customer engagement to drive higher profits. There are very effective methods to increase margins within a solid sales effort. These methods will be presented and examples of their success related. Contractors and suppliers alike will benefit from this detailed information.

Think cash flow only comes with more sales or more stress? Think again. In this no-fluff, high-impact session, we'll walk you through five powerful strategies to increase your cash flow without spending a single extra dollar. These are field-tested, proven tactics used by successful contractors across the country-and they're just waiting for you to implement. Get ready to plug the leaks, find the hidden money, and gain the clarity your business (and life) need.

Structure of the Talk:

1. Plug the Profit Leaks (Process Fixes)

Message: More sales won't fix bad systems.

Strategy: Identify and fix broken estimating, job costing, and contract practices.

Zero Cost Win: Implement a simple pricing and job costing system using existing tools like spreadsheets or free templates.

2. Subdivide Bank Accounts (Profit First Light)

Message: You don't have as much money as you think.

Strategy: Break one big account into multiple purposeful accounts (e.g., taxes, operating, profit).

Zero Cost Win: Just ask your current bank to open a few new accounts-it costs nothing.

3. Cancel the Cash Vampires (Unseen Recurring Expenses)

Message: Small leaks sink big ships.

Strategy: Audit and eliminate or renegotiate subscriptions, software licenses, and services.

Zero Cost Win: Use your existing bookkeeping reports to spot the leaks-then cancel or consolidate.

4. Weekly Cash Balance Tracking

Message: What gets tracked gets managed.

Strategy: Start tracking weekly balances and rolling averages manually.

Zero Cost Win: Use a free Google Sheet and review it for 10 minutes every Friday.

5. Implement a Project Start Sheet

Message: Plan your cash flow, don't guess it.

Strategy: Forecast incoming revenue by job, by week or month.

Zero Cost Win: Map it on a simple spreadsheet-you already have the data.

In this class we will layout how to determine what associations to join, how to work them and get business from your involvement. The single greatest way to find grouped customers and network contacts is right in your backyard association! Work them to the fullest and you'll never make a cold call again!

https://www.tomwoodcocksealthedeal.com

Currently, according to Gemini, 77% of users are using AI search tools to research businesses that offer the services that they need or want.   

Companies, like yours, are running into two problems.  

1. They don’t ever get found in the AI search tools (Gemini, ChatGPT and others) 

2. When they DO get visitors to the website, they don’t convert the visitors into leads 

 It is time you hear exactly how to implement yourself strategies to solve these two problems.  Learn how to do it yourself or hear how to find the right agency to help you execute the strategies.  Learn more about this speaker and how he educates people – NOT PITCH – by going to www.JRcmo.com or finding him on Social Media. 

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 This session provides a comparative analysis of key construction materials and methods, examining strength, structural performance, cost, sustainability, durability, and maintenance. Attendees will explore how each option affects project speed, design flexibility, and long-term outcomes, including the role of digital fabrication. Learn how to evaluate materials strategically to optimize performance, efficiency, and overall project value. 

Tired of losing good jobs to "bad" (over priced) financing? In this fast, fun, and practical session, we'll show you how to use the Figure Loan to help your customers say "yes" faster - and to bigger projects. Whether you're a remodeler, roofer, painter, or jack-of-all-trades, this talk will break down how you can grow your revenue without adding a single dollar of dealer fees.

We'll keep it simple and real. You'll walk away with:

• Why traditional financing doesn't always work (and what to do instead)

• How to present Figure's 100% digital Loan in plain English

• What to say when customers say, "We need to think about it..."

• Real-life examples of contractors using this tool to close more deals

• How to get started in less time than it takes to eat a burrito

This session is for residential contractors who want to make more money without being a finance expert. No jargon. No fluff. Just tools you can use right away.

Cyberattacks hit over half of construction firms each year, causing costly delays and lost contracts. With CMMC 2.0 requirements taking effect January 1, 2027, contractors handling CUI must prepare now. This session explains the CMMC framework, key security controls, and practical steps to reach compliance efficiently—helping your company reduce risk, protect projects, and stay competitive in federal and private bids.

Join Daniel as he shares his journey from swinging a hammer to managing $70M in builds. Learn the common challenges builders face when scaling and the proven systems, strategies, and technologies that streamline operations, improve communication, and protect profit margins. Includes a real case study on how JACK App helps builders scale successfully.

In this lively and highly informative discussion, Ann McNeill, the "Master Builder" explains the steps, skills, and strategies needed for construction contractors to successfully bid on and obtain work with governments.

Ann has worked with all levels of government and specializes in helping small businesses thrive.

From one market to many. Why scaling into new markets is the next step, how to do it right, and when to make the jump!

Most businesses don’t fail to grow because of a lack of opportunity — they stall because the owner becomes the bottleneck. Expanding into a second market exposes every weakness in leadership, systems, and decision-making. This session breaks down what it actually takes to grow into new markets without chaos, burnout, or losing control. Attendees will learn how to prepare their business for expansion, what must be centralized versus local, how to put the right leader in place, and why tools like AI and virtual assistance only work when the operating model is designed correctly. This is a practical, no-fluff conversation for owners who want to scale intentionally — not accidentally.

Cost estimating is one of the most important tasks for any contractor, as these estimates represent a prediction of a future occurrence with so many uncertainties. Being too conservative will reduce the chance of winning a contract, while being too liberal will reduce profitability and may even lead to a loss. Failing to pay attention to certain items can make a big difference in the estimate accuracy.

While no one is perfect, the contractor can follow a few tips to optimize the estimate; minimizing risks and uncertainties and maximizing profit. This seminar takes a chronological tour from project inception to completion, providing valuable tips that tend to reduce risks and uncertainties and draw the contractor’s attention to issues that optimize the estimate and maximize profit.

This class is an overview of how contractors can utilize the QuickBooks functionality to facilitate job costing, payroll, receivables and the overall benefits of either the online or desktop applications

Why do some subcontractors consistently win bids while others struggle - even with competitive pricing? It's often not about cost, but about clarity, consistency, and speed. In this session, we'll unpack proven strategies based on insights from over 40,000 estimating jobs completed across all major trades.

You'll learn how to identify high-probability jobs, avoid common bid-killing mistakes, and improve your estimating workflow to stand out with general contractors. Whether you're a concrete, drywall, flooring, or sitework subcontractor - this session will give you practical, actionable steps to increase your hit rate and grow your business.

What You'll Learn:

• How to choose the right jobs to bid (and skip the time-wasters).

• Why most bids fail - and how to fix it.

• Practical ways to speed up estimating without losing accuracy.

• Tips to build long-term trust with GCs and estimators.

• Tools and workflows used by top-performing subcontractors.

It is paramount that contractors realize that the most important aspect of their business is sales. Without them you have nothing. Yet, the amount of attention given to sales by most contractors is minimal. This results in low profits and the ups and downs of revenue. It doesn’t matter how good your marketing is or how efficiently you run your business if you’re not closing deals. We’ll get you closing more projects at higher profits.

What if you could hire a world-class assistant-one that never sleeps, never forgets, and never burns out? Now you can. In this groundbreaking talk, we'll show you how to build a simple, fully customized AI agent that can think like you, speak like you, and help run your business with precision. No coding required. This is not the future-it's now, and it's built for contractors.

This session explores today's challenges in construction estimating-time demands, inaccuracies, outdated pricing, and labor shortages-and how AI can solve them. Paul will demonstrate frontier models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for material calculations, document review, and visual analysis. Learn practical applications, see AI-driven takeoffs in action, and discover the future of purpose-built construction AI.

There are 5 steps in finding the right agency.  The steps are simple but understanding where agencies will let you down… that is the bigger issue.

Consumers have something called the “Confidence Gap”.  This is the gap of knowledge between where they start their search and where you are as the business offering the product or service. 

Agencies don’t understand how to help consumers overcome their own objections… therefore they have a hard time living up to your expectations. 

Learn how to reframe your expectations – in return getting better production from your marketing team or agency.

(pssst…. I know you might be thinking that this could be a pitch… I am an educator, not hype man.  Want a sneak peek?  Look at my social media – www.JRcmo.com social media.)

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Ready to secure a lucrative future by selling your business for top dollar? Join us for a powerful session that reveals the secrets to maximizing your company's valuation. Learn how to identify and address factors that may be dragging your value down, and discover actionable strategies to enhance your business's worth. Whether you're planning for a future sale or strengthening your retirement plan, this talk provides the essential tools and insights to ensure you get the best possible price. Don't miss this opportunity to unlock your business's full potential and retire with confidence.

This session reveals how hidden back-office bottlenecks quietly drain contractor profits—from slow AR and messy documentation to weak scheduling and client communication. Learn the five core systems that protect margins, why hiring more admins no longer works, and how top contractors use global talent, smarter workflows, and modern processes to scale efficiently and sustainably.

This class is an overview of how contractors can utilize the QuickBooks functionality to facilitate job costing, payroll, receivables and the overall benefits of either the online or desktop applications

An introductory class explaining "no-bid" pathways in federal contracting, with definitions, eligibility, where they appear, and compliance basics. Participants will learn how relationships and market research factor in, and where to find authoritative rules and examples to capture government contracts.

First 10 minutes we will Dive into 

• Social Media Lead generation strategies. How it's been done and where it's going. 
• Google organic and paid creative lead generation 
• ChatGPT - the online results digital land rush 

Chief Marketing Officer educating business executives the newest and greatest strategies going into 2026. 

See a short video on what to expect at this session. Www.jrcmo.com/buildexpo/SEO

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This class empowers construction entrepreneurs with essential tools to build, grow, and sustain a successful business. Learn industry best practices, project management, marketing, and client relationship strategies. Gain actionable insights and practical skills to thirve in the competitive construction industry. 

This session will include information on the advantages of registering with the Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL) to receive potential bid invitations. It will include how to apply for the CMBL, identify relevant highway districts where products/services are delivered and how to locate and search the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) Commodity Book. This session will also provide an introduction of the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) and the Vendor Performance Tracking System (VPTS).

What if you could exit your business without selling your soul, sacrificing your income, or staying tethered to the chaos you built? In this talk, we'll walk through how to design your business with the end in mind-so that when it's time to step away (whether for good or just for a season), your income doesn't disappear with your presence. Learn the essential processes, mindset shifts, and structural moves that empower owners to work on the business-even when they're no longer in it.

This is not about a fantasy sale. It's about building a business so well-structured, documented, and people-powered that someone else can run it, while you still benefit from it.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the "Sellable Without Selling" Strategy Learn how to structure your business so that it can run without you-making it functionally sellable, even if you never plan to sell.

2. Build Your Business Like a Franchise, Even If It Isn't One Discover how to use the Master Process Roadmap to document every key system so your business becomes process-driven, not personality-dependent.

3. Develop Income Streams That Don't Rely on Your Daily Involvement Explore methods to generate ongoing income from your business post-exit-through strategic ownership roles, profit-sharing, advisory agreements, or licensing your processes.

4. Shift from Hero to Architect: Transitioning Out Without Chaos Learn the mindset and team leadership shifts required to step out of the day-to-day while leaving the business in capable hands-and avoid falling into the "earn-out" trap.

The federal government awards over $150 billion in construction contracts each year, yet many set-aside opportunities go unclaimed by eligible firms. This session breaks down 2025–2026 spending trends across 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, and other certification programs, revealing where the biggest awards are happening and which certifications are delivering results for small, minority-, women-, and veteran-owned contractors.

A candid, practitioner-led panel on real-world AI in construction and government contracting: what's changing in workflows, compliance, bidding, and client expectations. Leaders share wins, stumbles, and practical guardrails so small and midsized firms can evaluate where AI fits-today and in the next 12 months.

Good marketing is meaningless if you don’t know how to close leads. Contractors spend significant dollars on marketing to produce leads. It’s necessary to use all the vehicles in regard to social media, A.I., web and e-newsletter marketing to gain leads. We’ll teach you how to raise your close rate and improve your ROI on that marketing investment. Marketing is NOT sales but can effectively lead to sales if leads are worked properly. Find out how.

Contractor schedules shape project planning, cash flow, procurement, and resource management—but CPM schedules often rely on assumptions that can create risk. This session offers practical tips for building and maintaining accurate, optimized schedules from day one through execution. Learn how to strengthen forecasting, improve reliability, and use your schedule as a powerful tool for project control and performance.

This class is an overview of how contractors can utilize the QuickBooks functionality to facilitate job costing, payroll, receivables and the overall benefits of either the online or desktop applications.

The Contractor's Guide to Operational Excellence

Are inefficiencies in the field draining your profit and leaving you chained to the jobsite? In this practical and eye-opening session, you'll discover how growth-minded contractors are scaling their businesses-even while managing from the front seat of the truck.

We'll walk through the most common bottlenecks that keep owners stuck: miscommunication between crews and the office, receipts and job costs lost in the shuffle, outdated scheduling, and decisions that still run through the owner.

You'll see how to:

Streamline communication between field and office so tasks never fall through the cracks.

Structure your team and workflows so the business runs smoothly without constant babysitting.

Use mobile-friendly systems to simplify job costing, scheduling, and invoicing-right from the field.

Build repeatable processes that ensure quality, consistency, and profitability on every project.

By the end, you'll understand the ripple effect of operational excellence-not just on your margins, but on your ability to step out of day-to-day firefighting, deliver a better client experience, and finally run the business instead of it running you.

Your business can only grow as far as you do. This masterclass challenges owners to recognize personal growth as the foundation of sustainable success. Learn how leadership development, discipline, and intentional self-improvement directly impact business results. Explore practical frameworks that align health, wealth, and relationships—so you build not just a bigger company, but a stronger, more balanced life and lasting impact.

This session explores today's challenges in construction estimating-time demands, inaccuracies, outdated pricing, and labor shortages-and how AI can solve them. Paul will demonstrate frontier models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for material calculations, document review, and visual analysis. Learn practical applications, see AI-driven takeoffs in action, and discover the future of purpose-built construction AI.

This class is an overview of how contractors can utilize the QuickBooks functionality to facilitate job costing, payroll, receivables and the overall benefits of either the online or desktop applications.