At our June 4, 2026 Founders Day Gala Dinner & Awards Program, BuildIT recognized an extraordinary member of our LGBTQ community, Greg Sarris, who is not only an educator, philanthropist and grass-roots community advocate – but he is also the Chairman of the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria. We also acknowledged and celebrated the Graton Rancheria community which is a federation of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo groups recognized as a tribe by the US Congress. As Ch

82 Sponsors 52 weeks of planning 7 Extraordinary Honorees 3,157 hours of volunteer time logged 4 Major Event Segments and over 1,200 attendees for Founders Day 2026 9,697 Associates, Stakeholders and Industry Leaders from around the world engaged, on a weekly basis, with BuildIT! The words “thank you” can’t begin to capture the essence of how our Board of Directors, Founders and Partners from around the globe feel about the AEC industry’s embrace of BuildIT’s mission and vi

It was a glorious, and stunningly balmy, evening along the San Francisco Bay on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, when 12 AEC Industry Organizations and hundreds of professionals, contractors, program and construction managers gathered to recognize the extraordinary contributions and accomplishments of CMAA President Andrea S. Rutledge, CAE. In the worlds of Scott Seltz, Publisher of ENR: “For years, Andrea has been a tireless advocate for construction managers and for the professi

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 4, 2026, at the iconic TJPA Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco, BuildIT will proudly recognize and celebrate the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP), a transformative national initiative aimed at reshaping public contracting by increasing the number, size, and proportion of contracting opportunities awarded to Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs), including firms owned by minorities, women, and veterans. EIP’s visionary founders r

BuildIT’s Founders Day 2026 events taking place June 3 and 4 in San Francisco will establish a new milestone for the AEC Industry when it comes to uplifting LGBT & Allied businesses, professionals, tradespeople, elected officials, public agency executives and industry influencers. It will be two days of events celebrating remarkable stories of achievement, advocacy and expanding our influence around the world. Our 2026 Founders Day theme is THRIVE! In the coming days and we

BuildIT is profoundly honored with its collaboration with Webcor which began in June 2020 when we launched our efforts across the West Coast, North America and Globally. Webcor’s history within the context of BuildIT began in September 2013 as the first contractor in the United States to produce an outreach event for a public works project (the $2.1B Phase One of the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco which will eventually be the northern terminus of the Cali

BuildIT was honored to be a Presenting Partner at ENR FutureTech 2026 Conference held from May 4–6 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square—an energizing gathering of leaders shaping the future of the AEC industry. 
 As a Presenting Partner, BuildIT was especially excited to be part of the conversations driving innovation forward. A big thank you to Scott Seltz, ENR Publisher, and ENR Editor-in-Chief Scott Blair for convening such a dynamic program of speakers and roundtables

BuildIT was honored to join our partners at Turner Construction, Flatiron/Dragados and the North Coast States Carpenters Union in Seattle on Wednesday, April 29th to discuss workforce development, training programs and the billions of dollars of infrastructure development taking place in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest (PNW). For several years BuildIT has been partners with the Northern California Carpenters Union under the leadership of Jay Bradshaw, Cesar Sanch

BuildIT is proud to highlight one of our most remarkable champions, advocates, connectors, and construction industry utilization experts on the ‘eve’ of his recognition by the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH). Mick Penn serves as the Northern California Regional Director of Community Relations for Swinerton, where he drives workforce development, small, diverse, veteran, and LGBT business engagement, and strategic community partnerships across the

On Wednesday April 22, 2026, BuildIT joined AGC of California to make the case for AB 1885 to the Assembly Government Organization Committee.Ural Yal, CEO of Shimmick Construction, and Paul Pendergast, president of BuildIT testified, in the California State Capital in Sacramento, in support of the AGC-sponsored State Contract Retention Reform Act, explaining in concrete terms what retention withholding costs California contractors: working capital tied up for years, financing

BuildIT was honored to join our colleagues at the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) NorCal Chapter and American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Bay Bridge Chapter in the production of Owners’ Night 2026! The event, with 262 attendees, was held at the offices of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and featured keynote remarks from Andy Fremier who is MTC’s Executive Director. The event also featured 17 public agencies from across th

Since launching in 2022, BuildIT Founders Day has been shaped by partners who show up not just as sponsors, but as active contributors to the community. Jacobs has been one of those partners from the very beginning. In 2023, Jacobs team member Vigor Lam stepped in to lead backstage operations to bring the program to life, while Chief Legal Officer Joanne Caruso and former Executive Vice President and Corporate Secretary Justin Johnson joined as a featured speaker. In 2024,

Up, Up and Away… A virtual “fireside chat” with Harry Barrett, Jr., A.A.E. Executive Director of Aviation at the Palm Springs International Airport as he prepares to “take flight” for his new assignment as Assistant Director of the Sacramento County Department of Airports. Friday, April 24, 2026 8:00 am to 8:45 am Via Zoom RSVP here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/P3zbBMxaTPu1b10QT1jq2w Conversation points of interest in this informal discussion will include:

Join ACEC CA Bay Bridge Chapter, BuildIT, and CMAA Northern California Chapter for Owners' Night 2026 on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Offices in San Francisco.
 Over 20 public agency owners from transportation, water resources, education, and infrastructure will be on-hand to discuss their CIP Programs. Previous years have had over 300 attendees to this must attend event for business development professionals, executive leaders,

BuildIT wishes to amplify the invitation from our Partners at Turner Construction and AECOM as they continue to build the momentum, and infrastructure, for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games Join us the planning group for “Building the 2028 Summer Games’ which is a dynamic event focused on small and local business engagement and procurement opportunities in construction and infrastructure.

The event will feature a panel of industry experts discussing the 2028 Summer

BuildIT was honored to be the Opening Night Sponsor of the 2026 Western Winter Workshop (WWW) Conference held at the Meritage Resort in Napa, CA. Over 350 people attended the reception including senior executives from public agencies such as Sound Transit , Los Angeles World Airports, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Caltrans, Denver International Airport, Port of Long Beach, LA Metro, High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority, and Metrolink to name bu

BuildIT is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of the ACEC Bay Bridge Chapter’s special event taking place on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at the Marine’s Memorial Club in San Francisco. This in-person event will feature the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s Portal Director, Alfonso Rodriguez, who will provide information regarding the latest TJPA Capital Program Update with a specific focus on the $7.5 Billion Portal Program. The Portal is the critical ‘missing link’ between the P

BuildIT invites you to join us for the Earl E. Gales Jr. and Sr. Memorial Golf Classic! Get ready to tee off for the most anticipated event of the year – the 4th Annual EEG Jr & Sr Golf Tournament! We're thrilled to invite you to a day filled with excitement, camaraderie, and, of course, some unforgettable golf action. Date: Friday, April 17 th , 2026 Location: Lakewood County Club, Lakewood, CA Tee-off Time: 1:00 PM - Shotgun Best Ball Scramble This year promises to be b

BuildIT wishes to amplify the message, and invitation, from our partners at Hensel Phelps regarding their upcoming webinar focused on the new DBE Reevaluation processes that are rolling out across the United States Wednesday, April 1, 2026 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM (Pacific) Register today: https://files.hpcceastdiv.com/lite/form?formKey=YZGNRD0AXL0HB6A43X917CNDRGFU5ZMU&clientId=997 Learn more about the session The new DBE Interim Final Rule (IFR) has significantly changed how “

BuildIT hand-curated 55 top leaders from throughout the United States for its National Strategic Planning Session on Utility Engagement and Data Center Development, held on February 26, 2026, at the InterContinental Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Grounded in the success of our Planning Sessions held in November 2025 in Jackson Hole, WY, yesterday’s discussions focused on: How leading utility and private sector executives are turning unprecedented challenges into competit