Activating Curiosity™ Guests
Ali Salman
Ali Salman is a seasoned investor, entrepreneur, and operator building transformative companies across legaltech, franchising, and industrialized construction. As an active partner in Lawtiq.com, founder of Global Franchise Brokers, and CEO of Workspace Modular, Ali’s work sits at the intersection of innovation, scale, and real-world problem solving.
Andrea Janzen
Andrea is a Certified Executive Coach with an MBA, the host of the Ambition
Theory Podcast, a Forbes contributor and a top-rated speaker. She is
passionate about coaching women in construction to develop themselves,
set leadership goals and get results. Since 2018, Andrea has coached and
trained over 1,000 construction professionals. Before becoming a coach,
Andrea was a marketing leader that worked on some of the world's
best-known brands.
Angelo Suntres
Angelo is a seasoned operations leader, speaker and author with a passion for improving the construction industry at the intersection of strategy and people. With a career spanning leadership roles throughout construction, Angelo brings a unique and refreshing perspective on the future of the industry, reflected in his social media following of over 200,000 construction professionals.
Angelo is also the author of “Human Side of Construction” and “Rebuild Construction” where he shares…
Brian Skripac
A Bachelor of Science in Architecture graduate from The Ohio State University, he guides how VDC delivers maximum value within design-build’s “whole team” approach. A digital construction innovator for 20 years, he defines how people, processes, and technology unite to transform collaborative project delivery. He also leads best practices for integrating BIM-enabled technologies and digital tools that enhance team performance and deliver lifecycle value across the built environment. An indus…
Brian Turmail
Brian Turmail is Vice President of Public Affairs and Workforce at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), where he leads communications, marketing, member engagement, market insights, and grassroots advocacy for the association’s 27,000 members. He also supports AGC’s workforce development efforts, including career and technical education advocacy, immigration reform, national recruiting campaigns, and the annual National Construction Industry HR & Workforce Development Con…
Jessica Krause
Jessica’s passion for the construction industry stems from its place in her childhood, growing up in the family sheet metal business. Her career began in public accounting before she eventually became CFO for a Commercial Electrical Contractor based in Kansas City. While in that position, she realized the need for a specialized accounting firm within construction, one that understood the industry’s complexities, processes, and people. From that discovery, Jessica founded her firm, New Lyfe A…
Kristin Kautz
A nationally recognized expert in AI strategy and digital transformation for the AEC industry, Kristin helps firms move beyond hype to practical implementation.
A Fellow of SMPS (FSMPS) and Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM), she works at the intersection of technology, strategy, and industry leadership.
She specializes in AI education, change management, and strategic implementation through her AI First Steps framework. Her Minds & Machines symposiums, AI IQ…
Kristin Slavin
Conifer Advising is a mass timber consultancy dedicated to driving systemic change in the real estate, design, and construction industries by making mass timber the default choice for developers and architects. The firm is led by Kristin Slavin, a seasoned expert with over a decade of experience across the entire mass timber lifecycle, including development, architecture, construction, and prefabricated manufacturing. Conifer Advising is founded on the principle that sharing experience, know…
Laura Steinbrink
Laura has been leading teams to discover and implement sustainability goals since 2008. She led Emerald’s growth to an internationally sought-after partner to clients and their architects and project teams. Laura excels at facilitating eco-charrettes and strategy sessions that align the client's business and financial objectives with their corporate sustainability strategy or for building projects. She excels at leveraging embedded expertise on teams to create actionable solutions. Her …
Mandy McGill
A Global Capital & Built Environment Strategist, tracking how money, talent, and technology flow through the built world—from skyscrapers and mixed-use developments to the workplaces and communities they shape. She bridges industries that rarely connect: corporate real estate, development, construction, private capital, and emerging tech.
With over a decade advising Fortune 500 real estate teams, developers, contractors, and family offices, she translates insider trends into stra…