AGENDA

11:30am - 12:30pm

12:30pm - 4:45pm

Presented by:

• Tony Stagliano

• Jim McGettigan

• Kimberly Hullfish

Session Overview:

In this eight-hour instructional program, find out what you should know and learn before sitting for the Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) exam. This course provides an overview of the industry domains listed in Financial Management and Accounting for the Construction Industry (“The Book”), the primary certification resource for CCIFPs.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify topic areas that comprise “The Book” for CCIFPs

• Recognize the most important topics, concepts, calculations, and practices that a CCIFP should know

• Benchmark your own level of knowledge against that of a CCIFP

• Target your study efforts in critical areas to broaden and deepen your mastery of these topics

Level: Intermediate

4.0 CPE Credits in TBD

Location: TBD

7:00am - 8:00am

8:10am - 8:30am

8:30am - 9:30am

Presented by: Kirk Lippold

Session Overview:

In a rapidly evolving world, leadership is the defining difference between success and failure. The privilege—and burden—of leadership demands a level of accountability that many aspire to, but few truly embody. Drawing on his experience commanding the USS Cole during a devastating terrorist attack, Commander Kirk Lippold reveals how integrity became the foundation for a diverse, empowered culture where individuals took ownership—not just of their roles, but of the mission itself. In the crucible of crisis, that shared accountability proved decisive.

Lippold translates this extraordinary experience into his Pillars of Leadership—practical, battle-tested principles that drive performance, trust, and resilience in any organization. More than a story of survival, this keynote is a blueprint for leaders who must inspire  ownership, lead decisively under pressure, and build teams that rise to the moment when it matters most

Learning Objectives:

• Demand honesty of yourself and expect no less from those around you

• Act in the now but always think for the future

• Lead by example; learn from your mistakes and don't fear them -- they often make the best teaching points

• Know how to trust and Invest; create an atmosphere that promotes learning; respect is earned and given

• Gain professional competence; know your area of responsibility cold.  Be precise and focused on what you say

1.0 CPE Credits in TBD

Location: TBD

9:30am - 9:45am

Breakout A
9:45am - 10:45am

Presented by: Thomas Tripodianos

Session Overview:

Material prices, labor costs, and procurement lead times can change dramatically between bid day, contract award, and actual purchase. Yet many contractors discover too late that their bids and contracts assign those risks inconsistently—or provide time relief without any right to recover added costs.

This practical, contract-focused session will examine how contractors, subcontractors, and specialty contractors can identify, price, allocate, and document escalation risk. Attendees will evaluate escalation clauses, force majeure provisions, bid qualifications, allowances and contingencies, and the differing risk profiles of lump-sum, GMP, and cost-plus agreements. The session will also address flow-down concerns, early procurement, notice requirements, mitigation, and claim documentation. Interactive examples will demonstrate how these provisions operate in actual project scenarios, with particular attention to public and private contracting considerations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and distinguish the principal escalation-related risks affecting construction bids and contracts, including price, availability, schedule, and proof of entitlement.

• Evaluate how lump-sum, GMP, cost-plus, allowance, and contingency structures allocate escalation risk among project participants.

• Analyze and negotiate escalation provisions addressing covered inputs, baselines, triggering events, price indices or actual costs, thresholds, caps, downward adjustments, schedule relief, notice, mitigation, and supporting documentation.

• Develop bid qualifications and subcontract flow-down protections that align supplier quotations and procurement assumptions with the contractor’s obligations to the owner.

• Apply effective notice and claim-preservation practices while recognizing significant differences in public-contract requirements across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

1.0 CPE Credit in TBD

Location: TBD

Breakout B
9:45am - 10:45am

Presented by: Karen Falkier, Falkier Advisory

Session Overview:

In an industry defined by tight margins, complex projects, and high stakes decisions, the greatest risks to a construction business are rarely the ones on the balance sheet. They show up in communication breakdowns, leadership blind spots, decisions made under pressure, and cultures that fail to develop the next generation of leaders.

In this session, executive coach Karen Falkler introduces the Falkler Formula, a practical framework built on four pillars, Body, Mind, Voice, and Impact, that construction financial leaders can apply immediately to strengthen how they lead, communicate, and build lasting value. Drawing on her clinical background in human performance and years of executive coaching experience, Karen challenges attendees to think beyond quarterly results and consider the legacy they are creating through their people, their decisions, and their example.

This is not a lecture. It is an activating experience designed to leave every leader in the room clearer, more grounded, and ready to lead differently starting that day.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the four pillars of the Falkler Formula, Body, Mind, Voice, and Impact, and apply them as a practical framework for sustainable leadership.

• Recognize how unmanaged stress and physical depletion show up as leadership blind spots and communication breakdowns under pressure.

• Apply techniques to regulate mind and body first, improving clarity and decision making before high stakes conversations.

• Strengthen communication practices that build trust and alignment across project teams in high pressure construction environments.

• Develop a personal leadership legacy mindset that connects daily decisions to long term enterprise value and the next generation of leaders.

1.0 CPE Credit in TBD

Location: TBD

Breakout C
11:00am - 12:00pm

Presented by: Imran S. Mohluddin, Schneider Downs Capital

Session Overview:

What should you do if someone unexpectedly offers to buy your company? This session provides construction business owners with a practical framework for evaluating unsolicited acquisition offers, avoiding costly mistakes, and maximizing strategic options. Learn how to assess readiness, protect value, and maintain control of the process, whether you decide to sell or remain independent.

Learning Objectives:

• Assess your company's readiness for an acquisition inquiry.

• Avoid the most common mistakes made when responding to buyer interest.

• Learn how to maintain leverage and control during early discussions.

• Understand the critical deal terms that influence transaction value.

• Develop a framework for evaluating whether to sell, partner, or remain independent.

1.0 CPE Credit in TBD

Location: TBD

Breakout D
11:00am - 12:00pm

Presented by: Carl N. Kriebel, Scheinder Downs

Session Overview:

What do Construction Industry leadership teams need to know (and do) as artificial intelligence reshapes fraud, ransomware, supply chain risks on the jobsite and in the back office.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the threat:  Recognizing AI enabled threat vectors (6 of them) that are most active against construction firms today.

• Understand the exposure:  Explain why the construction project economics, tight schedules and layered subcontractor networks make the industry an attractive target.

• Learn from real incidents:  Connect the inherent threats with document cases and the impact encountered by the victims.

• Leave with a plan:  Walk away with a 30/60/90 day prioritized plan and roadmap to improve your risk posture and reduce your exposure. 

1.0 CPE Credit in TBD

Location: TBD

12:00pm - 1:30pm

12:30pm - 4:45pm

Presented by:

• Tony Stagliano

• Jim McGettigan

• Kimberly Hullfish

Session Overview:

In this eight-hour instructional program, find out what you should know and learn before sitting for the Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional (CCIFP) exam. This course provides an overview of the industry domains listed in Financial Management and Accounting for the Construction Industry (“The Book”), the primary certification resource for CCIFPs.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify topic areas that comprise “The Book” for CCIFPs

• Recognize the most important topics, concepts, calculations, and practices that a CCIFP should know

• Benchmark your own level of knowledge against that of a CCIFP

• Target your study efforts in critical areas to broaden and deepen your mastery of these topics

Level: Intermediate

4.0 CPE Credits in TBD

Location: TBD

Breakout F
1:30pm - 2:50pm

Presented by: Ashley Lex, Aprio

Session Overview:

CMMC requirements are increasingly becoming a consideration for contractors and subcontractors supporting Department of War projects, but understanding whether they apply to your organization isn't always straightforward. This session will simplify CMMC requirements, and discuss how to determine if it applies to your business, what FCI and CUI is, how your contract and the information you handle drive your requirements, and the business risks of waiting too long to prepare. Attendees will leave with practical questions to ask internally and a clearer understanding of what their next steps should be.

Learning Objectives:

• Determine if CMMC will apply to your organization & what level may be required

• Understand the risks of non-compliance

• How CMMC will impact your organization

• Identify practical next steps toward CMMC readiness

1.5 CPE Credits in TBD

Location: TBD

Breakout G
1:30pm - 2:50pm

Moderator:  Matt Manzo, Ecotech Hydro Excavation

Session Overview:

Turning a percentage of WIP into a Cash Flow. This session will discuss job level cash flow, indirect method of cash flow, combining the remaining backlog into cash flow, and other methods of creating cash flows from job cost, accounts receivable and disbursements.

Learning Objectives:

• Translate WIP schedule data into cash flow projections — Understand the mechanics of converting percentage-of-completion figures into a usable job-level cash flow forecast.

• Apply the indirect method to construction cash flow analysis — Learn how to build cash flow statements using the indirect method, starting from net income and adjusting for non-cash items and working capital changes specific to construction accounting.

• Incorporate backlog into cash flow forecasting — Gain techniques for layering remaining contract backlog into future cash flow projections to improve forward-looking liquidity planning.

• Connect job cost, AR, and disbursement data to cash flow outcomes — Identify how job cost reports, accounts receivable aging, and disbursement schedules feed into a comprehensive cash flow picture at both the job and company level.

• Strengthen collaboration between operations and accounting to improve cash visibility — Recognize how cross-functional partnership between field/operations teams and accounting can improve the accuracy and timeliness of cash flow forecasting.

1.5 CPE Credits in TBD

2:50pm - 3:05pm

Breakout H
3:05pm - 4:30pm

Presented by: Rachel Banton

Session Overview:

Winning a job in a new state should be a win, not a compliance scramble. This session walks finance and payroll teams through what actually has to happen the first time a contractor's crew crosses into unfamiliar territory: registering the entity, opening the right tax accounts, and sorting out which taxes belong to the employer and which belong to the employee. The session also covers certified payroll and prevailing wage mechanics, and closes with a real-world case study of a company running payroll from one state while its crew works in another, including where reciprocity agreements do and don't apply.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the moment a new-state job creates a payroll registration obligation, before the first paycheck is issued

• Distinguish employer-paid obligations (unemployment insurance, workers' comp) from employee-withheld taxes, and identify which state each is owed to

• Walk through the registration sequence for a new jurisdiction: foreign qualification, state withholding, unemployment insurance, and workers' comp

• Apply Davis-Bacon and state prevailing wage rules to determine when certified payroll applies, and adapt reporting practices for an unfamiliar state

• Evaluate a remote/cross-border payroll scenario (payroll administered in one state, work performed in another) to determine correct withholding and registration steps, including when reciprocity agreements do or don't apply

1.5 CPE Credit in Business Law

Location:

Breakout I
3:05pm - 4:30pm

Presented by:

• Matt Burke

• Justin Leisure, Travelers

• Abby Weinburg, Travelers

Session Overview:

Benchmarking is more than comparing numbers—it’s a powerful tool for understanding financial performance, identifying opportunities for improvement, and strengthening your organization’s position with sureties. This session will explore key financial metrics and ratios used in benchmarking and demonstrate how comparative analysis can provide valuable insights for both internal decision-making and external stakeholders. XXXLearn how to leverage quantifiable, reliable benchmarking data to strengthen your bond program and present a more compelling financial story to your surety. Plus, see CFMA’s Benchmarker tool live in action and learn how to use available industry data to create your own benchmarking analysis.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the concept of benchmarking, the key metrics and ratios used for the comparative analysis, and the usefulness of benchmarking to both internal and external users of the financial statements

• Learn how benchmarking can be utilized to maximize bond support when presented properly with the use of quantifiable, reliable data

• See the CFMA Benchmarker tool live in action to demonstrate how the data available through CFMA can be used to generate your own benchmarking analysis

1.5 CPE Credits in TBD

Location: TBD

7:00am - 8:00pm

8:00am - 8:20am

8:20am - 9:20am

Presented by: Jay Gubrud

Session Overview:

Success isn’t just about results—it’s about meaning, connection, and impact. Getting the Good is an energizing, transformative experience that empowers you to uncover what’s best in yourself, in others, and in your organization. Through a powerful blend of mindset, action, and emotional intelligence, this program shows you how to elevate your performance while fostering a culture of positivity and purpose.

When you start looking for the good, you don’t just feel better—you perform better, lead better, and live more fully.

Learning Objectives:

• Reconnect you to your job and your industry.

• Cultivate joy, motivation, creativity, and resillience.

• Strengthen relationships, deepen empathy, and provide emotional intelligence

• Enable purpose-drive decisions and confident communication.

1.0 CPE Credit in TBD

Location: TBD

Breakout J
9:30am - 10:45am

Presented by: Marshall Minoux, Travelers

Session Overview:

Every year, construction company owners gather in confidential peer groups to evaluate each other's businesses from the outside in. Their peers review operations, they interview employees, and they complete a structured SWOT analysis. Then they deliver their findings directly to the ownership team.

The result is a kind of intelligence that does not exist anywhere else in the industry: an independent, peer-generated picture of how a construction company actually operates now how leaders think it operates.

Performance Construction Advisors facilitates this process for more than 240 contractors across 30-plus peer groups. This session draws on aggregated, fully anonymized findings from 111 of those evaluations conducted in 2024 and 2025 to present themes that surface consistently across the groups.

For construction CFOs and Controllers, it is not what contractors report on surveys. It is what their peers and their own employees said about them when no one was managing the message. And because the patterns precede the financial consequences, they function as early warning signals that CFOs rarely have access to until the numbers already reflect the problem.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the operational themes currently surfacing across construction peer groups

• Apply an early warning framework that connects operational patterns to financial performance

• Distinguish between owner self-assessment and peer and employee assessment, and use that gap productively

1.5 CPE Credits in TBD

Location: TBD

Breakout K
9:30am - 10:45am

Presented by:

• Kimberly Hullfish

• Sarah Dolan

Session Overview:

Financial data is everywhere but understanding what it means and communicating it effectively remains one of the biggest challenges facing construction finance professionals today. While organizations invest significant time in producing financial statements, dashboards, forecasts, and KPIs, the true value lies in transforming that information into insights that drive action.

This roundtable will explore how finance leaders can move beyond simply reporting numbers and instead tell the story behind the data. Whether communicating with project managers, operations teams, executives, owners, or external stakeholders, the ability to translate financial information into meaningful business decisions has become an increasingly important skill.

Through facilitated discussion and peer-to-peer sharing, attendees will explore how organizations are using financial reporting to improve accountability, strengthen collaboration between operations and accounting, and provide leadership with the information needed to make strategic decisions. Participants will have the opportunity to share challenges, successes, and practical approaches that have helped make financial information more impactful within their organizations.

The discussion will also examine how technology, dashboards, visualization tools, and emerging AI solutions are changing the way financial information is analyzed, presented, and understood. As reporting capabilities continue to evolve, finance professionals must balance data availability with clear communication and actionable insights.

Learning Objectives:

• Translate financial data, reports, and KPIs into clear, actionable insights for both financial and non-financial stakeholders.

• Identify effective approaches for using financial reporting to improve accountability, collaboration, and decision-making across finance and operations.

• Evaluate dashboards, data visualization, and emerging AI tools to enhance the analysis and communication of financial information.

• Apply peer-shared strategies and best practices to improve the impact, clarity, and relevance of financial information within their organizations.

Location: TBD

10:45am - 11:00am

11:00am - 12:00pm

Presented by:

• Rhonda Huisman, First Rule, Harkins

• Patrick Hennessy, First Rule, Harkins

Session Overview:

Construction finance professionals are sitting on one of the biggest productivity opportunities in their careers — and most haven't unlocked it yet. In this session, First Rule Co-Founder Rhonda Huismann and Harkins Construction CTO Patrick Hennessy cut through the noise to show you exactly how AI tools translate into real gains in your finance function and beyond.  

Using real-world examples and case studies, a framework for building AI into construction organization systematically, and the confidence to know what to trust — and what to verify.

Learning Objectives:

• Write prompts that get real results — using a practical framework applied directly to construction finance and operations tasks

• Go beyond the prompt to automation — learn how construction teams are building AI workflows using tools like Claude Projects, Microsoft Copilot, and AI Skills that run consistently without starting from scratch every time and how you can adopt these systems in your organization.

• Understanding when purpose-built construction tools outperform general AI, learning when to buy vs. build.

• Implement AI responsibly — with a clear governance framework for what to review, what to trust, and how to protect sensitive data.

1.0 CPE Credits in TBD

Location: TBD

12:20pm