Los Angeles 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.

The most expensive person on most contracting job sites is the owner — and they don't even know it. When the owner is the only one who knows how to make decisions, approve scopes, answer client questions, and solve field problems, the business has a ceiling it can never break through. In this keynote, you'll see live AI examples of how contractor owners across the country are removing themselves as the bottleneck — without losing control, without losing quality, and without adding headcount. This is not theory. You will watch it work.
 Learning Objectives:
 
 

1.     Identify the exact operational chokepoints where owner dependency is silently capping growth — and learn why adding employees without removing yourself as the bottleneck only accelerates chaos.

2.     See live AI examples of how contractor owners are documenting, delegating, and deploying their own decision-making standards into AI systems — so the business runs on their thinking, not their presence.

3.     Leave with a clear first step for building an AI-powered operating layer inside your own contracting business — starting with the one system that is costing you the most time every single week.

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!

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Discover how to use ChatGPT effectively to reduce marketing costs and generate better leads. Learn the prompts that improve AI visibility, strengthen your website’s credibility, eliminate ineffective marketing messages, and identify hidden opportunities using Search Console. Leave with practical strategies you can implement immediately to attract more qualified customers.

Think cybercriminals only target tech companies and banks? Think again. Construction firms are now prime targets for wire transfer fraud, ransomware, and data theft that can instantly freeze your bank accounts, halt your active job sites, and destroy your reputation. Even worse—if you are aiming for lucrative government contracts, failing to meet strict federal cybersecurity rules will get you disqualified instantly.

In this fast-paced, non-technical session, we strip away the confusing IT jargon. We give you a practical, real-world blueprint to protect your hard-earned profits and keep your operations moving.

What you will learn:

• The #1 Construction Scam: How hackers trick office teams into sending massive wire transfers to fake material vendors—and how to stop it.
• Stopping the Job Site Freeze: How to prevent ransomware from locking your digital blueprints, bidding software, and payroll systems.
• The Federal Gatekeeper: Why passing basic cyber security protocols is now mandatory to win and keep government set-asides and GSA contracts.
• Zero-Cost Field Habits: Three simple security practices your project managers and subcontractors must start today on the job site.
•  

Stop leaving your business vulnerable to a digital shutdown. Join us to secure your active projects so you can focus on building.

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.

Most contractor owners are either ignoring AI entirely or buying expensive tools that deliver almost nothing — because they're putting ornaments on a tree that doesn't exist yet. In this hands-on workshop, you'll watch a live AI estimating agent run real scope packages in real time — and learn exactly why it works, how it was built, and how to build your own version for your contracting business. No coding. No tech background required. Just a documented process, a $20/month tool, and the right build order.
 Learning Objectives:
 
 

1.     Identify which of the three types of AI your business is currently using — and why only one of them creates a real competitive advantage for contractor owners.

2.     Apply the 10/80/10 Rule to your estimating workflow so AI does the heavy lifting while you stay in control of quality and approval.

3.     Walk away with a blueprint for building your own AI estimating agent — trained on your scope language, your trade packages, and your fixed-cost protection standards.

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.

Is your financial house in order? Discover the tools construction company owners can use to strengthen lawsuit protection, reduce tax exposure, and build long-term financial security in a high-risk industry.

1) Learn how to manage common construction risks including job site injuries, property damage, subcontractor liability, contract disputes, and employee claims- and how proper business structure can help protect both business and personal assets.

2) Explore proven tax reduction strategies many contractors overlook, helping potentially save thousands each year through better entity structure, deductions, and planning.

3) Understand how to avoid probate, reduce estate taxes, and prepare for a smooth business transition using a clear succession planning checklist designed to protect your company and provide continuity for employees and family.

Lawsuit Protection 

·        Common sources of lawsuits in the construction industry, including job site injuries, subcontractor negligence, defective work claims, and contract disputes- and how to proactively reduce exposure.

·        How construction company owners can structure their business to help protect personal and professional assets from litigation.

·        Strategies to help protect the business when facing judgments that exceed insurance coverage or fall outside policy exclusions. 

·        Common asset protection mistakes construction owners make with entities, contracts, and insurance coordination and how to avoid them.

·        How to reduce vicarious liability for employees, subcontractors, and third-party vendors on job sites.

Tax Reduction and Estate Planning 

·        Five key tax reduction strategies construction company owners can use to potentially reduce income taxes by up to 40% annually.

·        Strategies to minimize or eliminate capital gains tax when selling a construction business, equipment-heavy assets, or investment property holdings.

·        What construction company owners should be doing now to prepare for a successful business succession or transfer of ownership.

·        Techniques to avoid probate and reduce estate taxes, helping ensure assets pass efficiently to heirs.

·        How to properly use corporations, LLCs, trusts, wills, and family limited partnerships in a construction business structure.

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

In the ultra-competitive Los Angeles luxury market, flawless craftsmanship isn’t enough—your brand drives your margins. This session introduces the Iconic Status framework used by top builders to elevate perception, build instant trust, and reduce price sensitivity. Learn how to audit key brand touchpoints, transition from commodity to authority, and create a high-end client journey that wins premium projects consistently.

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.

How to put AI to work in your business this week. The mindset shift (treat it like an employee, not a search bar), how to set up a workspace with roles and your real company docs, a simple prompt framework, and two starter plays: reviewing sub bids in 90 seconds and drafting a scope of work in two minutes. Everyone leaves with something they can run Monday.

Course outline:

1. Mapping the end-to-end customer journey to eliminate bottlenecks

2. Implementing standardized digital workflows for scheduling, budgeting, and change orders

3. Turning project data into marketing assets that generate referrals and new leads

4. Action-ready tools and templates attendees can deploy immediately

This session helps subcontractors strengthen their bidding process and improve win rates. Learn key steps for preparing accurate bids, estimating costs, identifying the right opportunities, and presenting competitive proposals. Attendees will gain practical strategies to streamline their approach, bid more professionally, and increase their chances of securing profitable construction projects.

Understand the essentials of Workers’ Compensation and how it impacts your business. This session breaks down classifications, independent contractor rules, and audit processes to help contractors avoid costly mistakes. Learn the ins and outs of this mandatory insurance, protect your company from liability, and ensure compliance while managing coverage efficiently and confidently.

Got MICS? - Does your HR Dept. have your MICS (Mental Health In Construction Services) covered?? Do you have support systems in place for your A-Teams?? Get coverage..Stay In Compliance. Join QCN and grab your FREE wellness gift along with " Quick-Tips " on site today!

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.

Prevailing wage mistakes can cost contractors tens of thousands in penalties and trigger audits or debarment. In this session, Mike Brown of eBacon shares the most common compliance pitfalls and practical strategies to avoid them. Learn how to manage DIR and Davis-Bacon requirements, calculate fringe benefits correctly, streamline certified payroll, and protect your bottom line on public works projects.

Learn how to fix the two biggest marketing leaks costing contractors revenue: poor website engagement and slow lead follow-up. Discover how AI can improve website performance, automate personalized responses, re-engage lost prospects, and increase close rates. Build a smarter marketing system that converts more leads without increasing your advertising budget.

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.

This session helps subcontractors strengthen their bidding process and improve win rates. Learn key steps for preparing accurate bids, estimating costs, identifying the right opportunities, and presenting competitive proposals. Attendees will gain practical strategies to streamline their approach, bid more professionally, and increase their chances of securing profitable construction projects.

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. 

Learn how to build a marketing system that consistently generates qualified leads. Discover the five channels every contractor should understand—Google Ads, Meta, retargeting, SEO, and AI search optimization—and how each supports business growth. Gain practical strategies for allocating your marketing budget, improving ROI, and creating a predictable pipeline of new opportunities.

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.

"Nobody wants to work anymore" has been said for over 100 years — and it has never once been the real problem. The real problem is that contractor owners are trying to grow a culture without a recipe, hiring without a process, and leading without a playbook. In this workshop, you'll learn how to build the cultural ingredients that make people want to work for you — and how AI is now being deployed to find, screen, onboard, and retain the talent your competitors can't keep.
 Learning Objectives:
 
 

1.     Understand why culture is not luck, not ping pong tables, and not a generational problem — it is a direct result of the ingredients you intentionally put into your business, and how to start controlling those ingredients immediately.

2.     Build a repeatable, AI-assisted hiring and onboarding process that runs even when you're buried in jobs — so your best candidates don't disappear while you're putting out fires.

3.     Deploy the culture calendar framework to create a predictable, communication-rich environment that makes the next generation of workers not just show up — but stay.

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.

Is your financial house in order? Discover the tools construction company owners can use to strengthen lawsuit protection, reduce tax exposure, and build long-term financial security in a high-risk industry.

1) Learn how to manage common construction risks including job site injuries, property damage, subcontractor liability, contract disputes, and employee claims- and how proper business structure can help protect both business and personal assets.

2) Explore proven tax reduction strategies many contractors overlook, helping potentially save thousands each year through better entity structure, deductions, and planning.

3) Understand how to avoid probate, reduce estate taxes, and prepare for a smooth business transition using a clear succession planning checklist designed to protect your company and provide continuity for employees and family.

Lawsuit Protection 

·        Common sources of lawsuits in the construction industry, including job site injuries, subcontractor negligence, defective work claims, and contract disputes- and how to proactively reduce exposure.

·        How construction company owners can structure their business to help protect personal and professional assets from litigation.

·        Strategies to help protect the business when facing judgments that exceed insurance coverage or fall outside policy exclusions. 

·        Common asset protection mistakes construction owners make with entities, contracts, and insurance coordination and how to avoid them.

·        How to reduce vicarious liability for employees, subcontractors, and third-party vendors on job sites.

Tax Reduction and Estate Planning 

·        Five key tax reduction strategies construction company owners can use to potentially reduce income taxes by up to 40% annually.

·        Strategies to minimize or eliminate capital gains tax when selling a construction business, equipment-heavy assets, or investment property holdings.

·        What construction company owners should be doing now to prepare for a successful business succession or transfer of ownership.

·        Techniques to avoid probate and reduce estate taxes, helping ensure assets pass efficiently to heirs.

·        How to properly use corporations, LLCs, trusts, wills, and family limited partnerships in a construction business structure.

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.

How to use federal programs to fast-track your revenue and legally bypass the bidding wars

Want to stop fighting over low-margin local bids and break into high-paying federal construction contracts? The U.S. Federal Government is the world's largest buyer of construction services, and by law, billions of dollars are locked away exclusively for firms utilizing specific federal programs.

If you aren’t aggressively leveraging certifications like 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, and VOSB, you are leaving massive, guaranteed revenue on the table for your competitors. Even better—programs like Joint Ventures and the SBA Mentor-Protégé agreement allow you to team up with larger contractors to win massive federal projects you couldn't qualify for alone.

In this high-impact session, we strip away the complex government bureaucracy and give you the exact roadmap to position your construction firm for elite federal status.

What you will learn:

• The Big Three Catalysts: How to get positioned on the GSA Schedule, capture emergency FEMA funding, and leverage the 8(a) program for sole-source (no-bid) contracts.
• The Teaming Secret Weapon: How to legally use Joint Ventures and the Mentor-Protégé program to bid on massive federal projects using a larger partner's past performance.
• The Target Demographics: How to stack HUBZone, Veteran-Owned (VOSB), and Women-Owned (WOSB) status to eliminate 95% of your competition.
• The Fatal Compliance Trap: The #1 reason construction firms lose their federal certifications mid-project—and how to bulletproof your business against audit failures.

Stop guessing at government paperwork. Come learn the step-by-step framework to unlock a steady stream of highly profitable, recession-proof federal work.

In today's rapidly evolving commercial construction landscape, integrating smart design and technology is key to optimizing efficiency, sustainability, and long-term functionality. In this session, Blima Ehrentreu will explore the latest innovations in smart building technology, AI-powered design strategies, and data-driven decision-making. Attendees will gain real-world insights from TDG's experience in large-scale commercial projects and learn how these advancements are reshaping the industry.

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 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.