Conference Agenda

Join us for the annual Ladies Lunch, a conference tradition bringing together women from across Alaska’s construction industry for an afternoon of connection, conversation, and a little fun. Enjoy lunch while catching up with familiar faces, meeting new ones, and celebrating the women who help keep Alaska building. Whether you’re a longtime attendee or joining us for the first time, pull up a chair—we’d love to have you at the table.

Construction runs on experience, relationships, and getting the job done. As workforce expectations shift and artificial intelligence changes everyday business practices, contractors need practical ways to lead through both transitions. In this interactive three-hour session, Jeff Utecht draws from his book The Next Turn to explore how generational experiences shape communication, work expectations, and leadership from the jobsite to the office.

Participants will learn strategies for attracting and retaining employees, strengthening communication across generations, and transferring knowledge from experienced workers to emerging leaders. The session then explores practical uses of generative AI, including drafting project communications, summarizing documents, developing onboarding materials, and reducing administrative work, with clear guidance on protecting company information and reviewing AI outputs.

Through construction-focused examples, demonstrations, and discussion, participants will leave with actionable ways to build stronger teams and put AI to work while keeping human judgment, craftsmanship, and accountability at the center.

Get the latest on Port MacKenzie’s development priorities, infrastructure needs, and outlook for future growth. This session will explore what’s ahead for the port, how it connects to Alaska’s broader transportation network, and what contractors should know about potential opportunities for industry involvement.

Alaska's construction workforce is aging while skilled labor remains difficult to replace. Many of the health conditions that reduce productivity, increase injury risk, and lead to early retirement, including poor sleep, obesity, metabolic disease, low testosterone, cardiovascular risk factors, and inadequate recovery, are both common and treatable.

This interactive session will examine the science behind these issues, dispel common myths, and provide practical strategies for employees and employers to support healthier, safer, and more productive careers. Participants will leave with actionable tools they can apply personally and within their organizations, regardless of where they receive healthcare.

• Where equipment cost data fragments across your systems
• How to replace estimated usage with actual machine activity
• How to build billing rates that reflect how equipment really runs

Every construction project has defining moments, the point where preparation meets reality and leadership is tested. In confined space rescue, this is known as “breaking the plane,” the moment someone crosses the threshold from the known into the unknown.

During this interactive session, attendees will explore how culture, communication, leadership, and preparation shape outcomes long before an emergency occurs. Using a true case study from Alaska’s North Slope, where an ordinary pipeline crew responded to a plane crash in Atigun Pass and rescued four survivors, participants will examine the decisions, behaviors, and team dynamics that influenced the outcome.

Through facilitated discussion, audience polling, scenario-based exercises, and practical reflection, participants will identify ways to strengthen trust, improve communication, prepare teams for uncertainty, and build resilient organizations capable of performing under pressure.

Rather than focusing on compliance alone, this session challenges attendees to think differently about leadership and safety culture, providing practical tools they can immediately apply to strengthen both people and performance across their organizations.

Construction leaders make difficult personnel decisions every day, often with incomplete information and competing priorities. Through live polling, audience discussion, and real-world construction scenarios, participants will work through five common workforce challenges involving safety, employee misconduct, leave requests, and harassment concerns. Attendees will leave with a practical decision-making framework they can immediately apply in the field.

Since last year's PLA requirement implementation, several court cases and agency directives have altered the landscape, largely in favor of contractors. This discussion will focus on these legal and practical developments.

OTA agreements exist outside the Federal Acquisition Regulation, yet the government increasingly turns to OTAs for its procurement needs. The Department of Defense has begun efforts to use OTAs for construction projects, which requires contractors to understand what an OTA is and is not, and what the use of OTA agreements means for a project.

CMMC 2.0 has been the Department of Defense’s flagship cybersecurity project for several years. It has evolved significantly during that time, and the evolution continues with the recent scaling back of certain requirements. Even with that reduction for some contractors, the CMMC 2.0 requirements still demand close attention and require a significant investment of resources to ensure continued ability to bid on and perform government construction contracts.

High-performing construction teams depend on more than good people. They require clear structure, capable leadership, and the right level of shared accountability.

This workshop helps leaders diagnose what is actually limiting team performance and where to focus first.

Christian Muntean
Vantage Consulting

A period, a delayed response, a thumbs up, or even a simple “K” can mean very different things depending on who’s reading it. This session explores how our digital communication styles can create misunderstandings across generations and what our emails, texts, and messages may be communicating beyond the words themselves. Learn practical strategies for recognizing different communication styles, reducing confusion, and communicating with greater clarity and confidence in today’s workplace.

As America marks its 250th anniversary, join SBA Regional Administrator Kelly Chambers and Regional Advocate Apollo Fuhriman for a practical look at the federal programs, financing opportunities, and regulatory issues affecting Alaska contractors. Learn about recent SBA program changes, expanded access to capital, Made in America initiatives, and the Freedom 250 Small Business Pledge, along with tools contractors can use to address burdensome federal regulations. Chambers and Fuhriman will connect these national efforts directly to Alaska’s construction industry and provide actionable ways AGC members can access SBA resources, raise regulatory concerns, and support continued business growth.

From military installations and major ports to remote communities and critical infrastructure, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is delivering projects across Alaska. This session will provide a statewide look at USACE’s current and upcoming work, highlighting projects moving through planning, design, procurement, and construction. Hear what’s ahead, where opportunities are emerging, and what Alaska contractors need to know to prepare for and compete for USACE work across the state.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is entering a significant period of investment and modernization. This conversation will explore the recapitalization work taking shape at JBER, including upcoming infrastructure needs, project priorities, and what the continued investment in the installation could mean for Alaska’s construction industry. Hear directly from project leaders about what’s ahead, the challenges of delivering complex work in Alaska, and where contractors and industry partners fit into JBER’s long-term plans.

With new aircraft arriving and continued investment in mission readiness, Eielson Air Force Base is preparing for another active year of construction and infrastructure improvements in 2027. This session will provide an inside look at projects on the horizon, the evolving needs created by Eielson’s expanding mission, and what those investments mean for Alaska’s construction industry. Learn what’s coming, where opportunities may exist, and how Alaska contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers can position themselves to take part in the work ahead.

Jason Colquhoun, P.E., Chief, Engineering Flight
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Tanner Jacobs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Session description coming soon.

What opportunities are coming through Western Federal Lands, and how can Alaska contractors better position themselves to pursue them? This session will provide an update from the Federal Highway Administration with a focus on the Western Federal Lands Highway Division, including how upcoming projects are identified, developed, and brought to market. Contractors will gain a better understanding of where to find future opportunities, how and when project information becomes available, and what they should know about the federal contracting process to prepare for and compete for upcoming work in Alaska.

What’s next for Alaska’s transportation infrastructure? Alaska DOT&PF will provide a look at the projects moving toward construction, the priorities shaping the 2027 season and the longer-term work already in the pipeline. With a new state administration taking office, this session will also explore the transportation program and major initiatives awaiting Alaska’s next leadership team, and what contractors should be watching as those projects move from planning to procurement and construction.

What does it mean to build a legacy in Alaska’s construction industry? The Legacy of Leadership Breakfast brings together longtime industry leaders and the next generation of construction professionals for meaningful conversation, shared perspective, and a little wisdom earned along the way. Guided by facilitated roundtable discussions, attendees will reflect on lessons learned, leadership, mentorship, and the experiences that shape a career—and consider what we can learn from one another as the industry moves forward.