DBIA’s largest event of the year –– the Design-Build Conference & Expo –– is just a couple weeks away. From November 1 through 3, industry peers, experts and leaders will come together in National Harbor, Maryland, to share their expertise, connect with one another and look at what’s ahead for design-build and the industry at large. 

This event provides unparalleled access to meet decision makers and offers something to all members of a project team, including Owners, general contractors, architects, engineers, attorneys and finance professionals. With all those areas represented, we wanted to find out what brings attendees back year after year, so we asked a handful of repeat conference-goers what they look forward to most about the Design-Build Conference & Expo.

Christine Angleton, LEED AP, DBIA

Design-Build Manager, Clark Construction Group, LLC

Christine Angleton has been involved in DBIA’s Mid-Atlantic Region since 2014 when she received her DBIA certification. She served as the Awards Chair for the region from 2015 to 2021 before taking on Membership and Sponsorship. Angleton is a Design-Build Manager with Clark Construction Group, LLC, and has attended the Design-Build Conference & Expo since 2015. 

“Attending the Annual Conference allows for the continuation of learning and growing based on feedback and collaboration and networking. Design-build is not stagnant; it’s a field where individuals collaborate to achieve design excellence in innovative design solutions. I look forward each year to meeting more people in the design-build community who share the same passion for this project delivery method and the solutions we develop.”

Andrew Carlson, AIA, DBIA

Chief, Plans and Construction Branch, Oklahoma Army National Guard

Andrew Carlson has attended the Design-Build Conference and Expo nearly every year since 2005. He has also served on the conference planning committee and spoken at the event, most recently in 2019 on the power of competitive innovation. Additionally, Carlson is a member of the DBIA Best Practices Subcommittee, where he was instrumental in developing the recently updated Best Practices Primer. Carlson is a strong believer in design-build and how best practices can support its success.

“It’s always been my intent to make our agency a public owner of choice so that the best design-build teams nationwide will pursue our projects. Active participation in DBIA, plus embracing Design-Build Done Right Best practices, will help you achieve your goals. You can learn a lot about both at the Design-Build Conference & Expo.”

Scott Martin, PE, LEED AP, DBIA

Project Director, Design-Build Market Leader, Walter P. Moore

Going into his fourth Design-Build Conference & Expo, Scott Martin is a DBIA Certified Professional who works as a Project Director and Design-Build Market Leader for Walter P. Moore. Martin makes a point to engage with DBIA year-round, from the Design-Build Conference & Expo to the Federal Symposium, webinars and other events where he can learn more about Design-Build Done Right® and share how Best Practices help in his work. 

“When done right, design-build can be a more collaborative and successful method of delivering a project and not just a different contracting method between design and build teams. To achieve this I think it’s imperative that all project team members from Owners to builders, designers, architects and engineers understand the shift in mindset and best practices needed. The most effective way to learn these lessons is by doing it together with others in the industry, including many of my clients at the annual and federal conferences.”

Holly Stone, PE

President, Stone Security Engineering, PC

Holly Stone will be with DBIA at the Design-Build Conference & Expo for the second time, and she is deeply involved in the organization in a variety of ways, including attending the Federal Symposium, speaking at several events, serving as a guest on the Design-Build Delivers podcast and sharing her perspective in a webinar. As President of Stone Security Engineering, Stone is a specialty consultant whose work occupies a niche in the built environment, one that provides depth to DBIA’s work. She is a member of the Design Professionals’ Advisory and Engagement Committee and part of the team working on an update to the DBIA Design Excellence Position Statement.

“As a small (micro) company, it’s hard to find the time to do research on upcoming opportunities, the different possible design-build teaming partners and general best practices regarding design-build. The Design-Build Conference & Expo is a great place to get information on all those items in one place in a short period of time.  Also, it is an opportunity to talk to the larger firms and let them know some of the challenges associated with being a small business on a design-build project (such as insurance limits, length of time from invoice submission to payment) and get feedback on ways to better navigate those challenges. And on the ‘woo woo’ side of things, it is a great place to get excited about the team-based approach of design-build – that is one of the joys of design-build, and it’s great to be able to celebrate it with likeminded people and companies.”

Ron Wilson

Chief Engineer and Vice President of Engineering, Rosendin

Ron Wilson is a nine-year veteran of the Design-Build Conference & Expo and has been dedicated to DBIA for the last 15 years from both the construction and engineering sides. With Rosendin, Wilson’s work involves improving and advancing Rosendin’s design-build delivery model and aligning the preconstruction process to deliver the most efficient project design and delivery to the Owner. He has more than three decades of experience in the construction and engineering fields in a variety of project delivery methods, and he’s worked with major media and technology companies as well as in the government and public sectors to bring large, complex projects to reality.

“It’s particularly important for specialty contractors to attend the Design-Build Conference & Expo for several reasons. First, it provides a great learning opportunity for those trades that want to understand Design Build Done Right® and where our role is within it. Second, it provides a great forum to exchange ideas with other specialty trades and design-build contractors. Third, it’s a tremendous networking opportunity to meet Owners, design-build contractors and other specialty contractors.”