Kate Andersen Brower

Kate Andersen Brower will offer an unprecedented glimpse into the lives of America’s first families and the people behind the scenes who have helped run the White House. Combining incredible first-person anecdotes from hundreds of hours of interviews with residence staffers–most speaking publicly for the first time–coupled with archival research and candid conversations with three former first ladies and the children of four presidents, Brower will tell the spellbinding stories of the service staff at the White House and the famous families they serve.

Rorke T. Denver

Commander Rorke T. Denver has lived an action-filled life, so far. From running every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs including advanced sniper and hand-to-hand fighting; to leading special-forces missions in the Middle East and other international hot spots; to starring in the hit film Act of Valor,  based on true SEAL adventures; and even writing a New York Times bestseller about his personal life story, Denver’s life can be summed up in one word: “survival.”

Andy Grammer

Pop singer Andy Grammer’scheerful approach to life combined with his happy, positive lyrics will make a winning combination for a high-spirited ending for SMACNA’s annual convention.

Boaz Rauchwerger

Boaz Rauchwerger is an internationally-known speaker, trainer, consultant, and author. Born in Israel, Boaz' family immigrated to the U.S. when he was nine years old. He's been a newscaster, a newspaper publisher, an advertising executive, a network television producer, and a CEO. He is the Speaker of the Year for Vistage International, the world's largest organization of CEO's. Boaz has spoken for such companies as American Airlines, Xerox, and Toyota.

Bob Langdon

Bob Langdon, author of Managing Your Business for Profit, has been assisting business owners in achieving their sales and financial goals for over 25 years. Gaining comprehensive business skills working for PricewaterhouseCoopers and serving as the general manager for a rapidly expanding wholesale distribution company, enables Bob to understand the problems of the entrepreneur. Speaking numerous times in the Sheet Metal Industry the past fifteen years enables Bob to understand the challenges and opportunities that we face.    

Daniel Gibbons

Daniel Gibbons is a leader in Simpson Gumpertz & Heger’s roofing and waterproofing practice group. He has experience investigating and designing commercial, institutional, and residential buildings for waterproofing issues including roofs, plaza areas, below-grade spaces, and exterior walls.

Michael McLin

Michael McLin is the Managing Director at Maxim Consulting Group responsible for leading the business and guiding the strategic direction. Michael works with construction related firms of all sizes to evaluate business practices and assist with management challenges.

Ralph Natale

Ralph Natale’s 30 years of experience includes ten years working in the industrial/steel-making market and 20 years as safety director of McKamish Inc, a full service SMACNA mechanical contractor in Pittsburgh.  At McKamish, he developed a safety culture that lowered the company lost time incident rate (LTIR) from 4.16 to 0.0, and a recordable incident rate (RIR) from 8.78 to 0.83. 

Donovan Seeber

Leading ACCO’s "Best in Class” Safety program, Donovan Seeber continues to drive continuous improvement in the construction industry with over 18 years of safety leadership experience investing in multiple fields covering commercial construction, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and public safety. 

Rebecca Lieb

Rebecca Lieb is a strategic advisor, research analyst, keynote speaker, author, and columnist. Her areas of specialization are digital marketing and media, with a concentration in content strategy, content marketing and converged media. 

Dominic Caminiti

Dominic Caminiti is the director of loss control and workforce development for University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors Inc. in Tempe Arizona.

Tom Piscitelli

Tom Piscitelli has over 45 years of experience in HVAC sales, sales management, marketing, and consulting. He particularly enjoys bringing cutting edge training approaches to the HVAC industry.

Ronald J. Eagar

Ronald J. Eagar is the chief operating officer at Grassi & Co. and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.  He has appeared to standing-room only crowds in past SMACNA conventions and has a completely new list of recently enacted tax provisions to boost members’ bottom lines this year and in coming years.

Tom Schleifer

Thomas C. Schleifer Ph.D. joined the construction industry at age 16 and brings more than 40 years of contracting and consulting experience to his presentation. He has Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science degrees in construction management from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D., also in construction management, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dr. Schleifer’s experience includes serving as foreman, field superintendent, project manager, and vice president of a construction company which he owned with his brother.

Robert Shearer

Robert Shearer is the President of KBD Technic, in Cincinnati, Ohio, a consulting engineering firm that specializes in the design, testing, and troubleshooting of industrial ventilation systems.

Dale Price

Dale Price is the president of M&P Air Components Inc., in Southern California, and specializes in providing value-added equipment, technical support and training for industrial plant ventilation and process air handling applications. 

Jean M. Twenge

Jean M. Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 140 scientific publications and six books, the latest of which is iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

Carol Vernon

Carol Vernon is a certified executive coach, trainer, and facilitator with more than 20 years of experience working as a senior leader in the corporate and association arenas. Her focus since 2006 has been on helping leaders, with a strong focus on women leaders, fine-tune communication skills and leadership presence.

Brian Lines

Brian Lines, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas. He specializes in organizational change and development for design and construction companies. Brian also leverages his expertise in alternative contracting methods to coach contractors on strategies to increase their hit rates when pursuing new business.

G. Edward Gibson, Ph.D.

Edd Gibson joined Arizona State University and the Del E. Webb School of Construction in August 2009 as its program chairman. He is Professor and Sunstate Chair of Construction Management and Engineering and in March 2011 he became director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. He played a strategic role along with Dr. Mounir El Asmar in organizing and assembling the New Horizons Foundation’s Contractor Library.

Mounir El Asmar

Dr. El Asmar is the co-director of the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations at Arizona State University. He has successfully conducted research for diverse public and private organizations internationally, including the New Horizons Foundation.

Jake Smithwick

Jake Smithwick, Ph.D., is a professor at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. His research focuses on improving organizational performance and optimizing project delivery within business services, facility management, and the broader built environment. His industry experience includes work on a variety of projects, and six years in the US Air Force.

Edward DeLisle

Edward DeLisle is an expert in federal contracting, construction law, construction litigation, and small business procurement, and litigation. He has drafted and negotiated construction contracts, teaming agreements, and joint venture agreements for subcontractors, contractors, developers, and owners. He has litigated, arbitrated, and mediated complex construction and procurement cases and has testified before congressional subcommittees. Ed is a frequent lecturer and author on issues of concern to the construction and federal contracting industries.