Member Breakfast - Building in 2036: Understanding the New Construction Industry

Description

By 2036, builders and tradespeople will be competing for a much smaller pool of skilled workers while needing dramatically more people to meet housing, infrastructure, and retrofit demand. At the same time, AI and new materials and technology will change what happens on the job site and the skills every role requires. This breakfast will focus on what local construction businesses should be doing now around hiring pipelines, culture, training, and technology adoption, so they are employers of choice and operationally ready ten years from now. Panelists will offer practical tips any company can start this year: building career paths, modernizing job roles, integrating simple AI tools, and reshaping company culture to attract and retain the next generation of workers.

Our panelists will include:

	Darryl Agee with Perficient
	Megan Atkinson, Ed.S, serves as the Administrator of Career & Technical Education and Business Partnerships for Montgomery County Public Schools. With over two decades of experience in educational leadership, Megan specializes in building strong community partnerships, developing dual-enrollment pathways, and expanding career readiness from preschool through grade twelve. She currently serves as the President-Elect for the Virginia Association of CTE Administrators. Megan is deeply passionate about bridging academic theory with hands-on skills, working alongside educators and industry leaders to prepare students for meaningful careers and lifelong success.
	John Brock has been a custom home builder and designer, building high-end custom homes at Smith Mountain Lake, for over 30 years.  John is also an expert 3D modeler and author of "SketchUp for Builders" and developer of multiple SketchUp Extensions (Estimator for SketchUp, Framer for SketchUp, etc.).  John recently launched SPOTcm.com (Single Point Of Truth in Construction Management), a SaaS platform for builders to manage every aspect of their projects, from hosting their drawing sets (with markups, takeoffs and spaces) and 3D models to full specifications, estimating and AI automations.  John says SPOT is like "Buildertrend and Bluebeam had a baby and it was raised on AI and 3D modeling!"
	Steve Cousins serves as Assistant Vice President of Industry Relations & Curriculum Advocacy at the Home Builders Institute (HBI), where he leads national workforce development, credentialing, and instructor training initiatives that prepare individuals for successful careers in the skilled trades. Throughout his career, Steve has worked with educators, builders, industry associations, and state education agencies across the country to strengthen talent pipelines and expand access to high-quality construction career pathways.
	James Ulmer with Back to Nature Landscaping

This event is open to NRVHBA Member companies and their employees.

Thank you to our sponsor of this event, Ferguson Home!