More than 50 members of The Unified Group gathered in Portland, Oregon, for the 2024 Construction Forum, held Oct. 2-5 at the Hilton Portland Downtown. The forum offered Unified Group members an opportunity to share best practices on topics ranging from managing project expectations to prefab strategies, use of AI and more.

“I had great discussions with my team. We wound up having a ton of things in common to brainstorm about, and it was nice hearing perspectives from people in multiple roles/companies,” said Jen Clark of General Sheet Metal. 

Jon Castro of B&I Contractors kicked off the forum with a panel discussing estimating and assembling bids. After this panel, General Sheet Metal team members gave an overview of their operation, then attendees boarded a bus for a tour of their Clackamas facility. The tour highlighted six stations, including Project Operations, Virtual Design Group and Webduct, Duct Fabrication, Business Development and Estimating, Logistics and Tool Management, and Aluminum Composite Materials/Architectural Sheet Metal.

Chris Cullum of Cullum Mechanical Construction said General Sheet Metal was a “very well-managed company that has invested well in equipment, technology and people development — a first-class operation!”

The second day of the forum featured panels on the use of AI, processes for managing project expectations and change order best practices. The final day’s meetings wrapped up with a panel on culture and team building. Members took part in a discussion on merging the gap from field to office and implementing culture changes. Several show-and-shares on prefab strategies were the highlight of the last day.

“It was great to have a show and tell and be able to see things put into action. Visualization was key,” said Ashley Duncan of General Sheet Metal.

The forum concluded with a breakout, where members discussed estimating, project management and inventory management. 

“I learned how much we all face similar issues but overcome them in different ways,” said Mike Keenan of VHV Company. “It seems that over the few years I’ve been attending, the group is collectively leaning into each other very well. It’s always great to see the progress from year to year.”

Members of The Unified Group left the 2024 Construction Forum with a host of innovative ideas and key connections. 

Upcoming forums include the Annual Meeting and Owners’ Forum, Service Management, and BIM/Prefab. If you’re interested in learning more about attending a meeting or becoming a member of The Unified Group, contact Janet Kelleher at KelleherJ@TheUnifiedGroup.com.