BuildIT was proud to be present at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, IL for the Equity in Infrastructure (EIP) Reception and Pledge Signing events on October 5 and 6, 2026. BuildIT was represented by Oscar Gonzalez, CEO of Gonzalez Associates, LLC, which specializes in Project Development & Delivery, Business Growth Strategy, Client & Stakeholder Engagement, Capture and Pursuit Support. The Equity in Infrastructure events were held in concert with the 2026 APTA Tra

BuildIT, and several of our Founders, were thrilled to be a part of the Women Construction Owners & Executives 2026 Fall Conference held at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort in San Diego. The event drew a national audience of remarkable women construction owners and executives along with representatives from some of the largest general contractors, AEC industry associations and stakeholders. It was an impactful three days of panels focused on legal, human resource, Economic

It’s time to pivot from being a transactional vendor and become a vital strategic partner for California’s major utilities! California's gas, electricity, transmission and water landscape is far too complex for businesses to approach utilities without a comprehensive, long-range business plan in mind. To win scalable work, your business must align with long-term regulatory goals, 10-year Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs), and grid realities. In short – approaching utilities

BuildIT’s ‘Man of Steel’ (a.k.a. Nick Colina/Anco Iron & Construction) was joined by hundreds of general and specialty contractors, public agencies, industry partners and AEC colleagues at the Northern California Construction Inclusion Week event held in Oakland on Wednesday, October 14, 2026. Special thanks to Shawn and Joshua Amores from Amores Mechanical, Christopher Bardales from Webcor, Aiden Knott of Zero RFI, and Sharla Sullivan from the Port of Oakland for taking t

October is an incredibly busy month around the United States as it relates to Construction Inclusion Week (CIW). BuildIT was honored to be a part of the Southern California CIW event held at the Western Bonaventure Hotel in DTLA on Monday, October 12, 2026 hosted by a group of remarkable General Contractors, Public Agencies, and Industry Partners from throughout the Southland. BuildIT was thrilled to host our Golden Pitch program on the ‘mainstage’ during this event which

BuildIT would like to amplify the Construction Collaborative Small Business Access Session hosted by Stanford University, Stanford Health Care, and SLAC at Cardinal Hall in Redwood City on November 11! This in-person event will connect small businesses with people involved in construction, facilities, operations, maintenance, and supplier engagement across three Stanford entities. The day will feature business and opportunity-focused conversations, Q&A, networking over lunch,

BuildIT was proud to be in Columbus, Ohio to attend Latinos in Transit’s (LIT) National Conference September 10 – 13, 2026. This year’s conference marked the organization's 10th anniversary as a national nonprofit under the theme "Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence, Leadership, and Impact.” At their Saturday evening Gala, LIT presented BuildIT with their ‘Impact Through Partnership Award' for our unwavering commitment to the growth and success of their organization. They a

BuildIT resoundingly congratulates Nuria Fernandez on her induction into the 2026 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Hall of Fame. ATPA will induct its 2026 Hall of Fame honorees during the Honors Ceremony on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at its TRANSform Conference and Expo being held in Chicago, Illinois. With more than three decades dedicated to public transportation, Nuria has always championed a powerful truth: public transit is fundamentally about people, a

It will take weeks to digest the discussions that took place at yesterday’s BuildIT NYC Gathering at the Empire State Building, and the business connections made will last a lifetime! As the dust starts to settle, we are grateful for the AEC Industry leaders who joined us to shape the conversations that will ultimately lead us to updating our 20-year business plan so that it meets both the moment and the momentum that we’ve created. A special thank you to those industry

On the eve our New York City 'Gathering' BuildIT is exceptionally pleased to share that Ural Yal, CEO of Shimmick, will kick off the event which is going to be standing room only. Ural Yal is Chief Executive Officer for Shimmick. Mr. Yal brings over 26 years of experience in water and critical infrastructure construction in operations, sales and leadership roles. Throughout his career, Mr. Yal has focused on infrastructure development across the full project lifecycle, fr

The Founders of BuildIT are enormously proud to announce the addition of Polly Trottenberg to our world-class line up of featured speakers, panelists and special guests at our Tuesday, September 15, 2026, NYC ‘Gathering’ at the Empire State Building. Polly Trottenberg was named Dean and Global Distinguished Professor, NYU Wagner on August 1, 2025. From 2021 to 2025, she served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, helping lead the Department during

Dave Ullman is the Deputy Secretary to Governor Kathy Hochul for Transportation in the New York State Executive Chamber, where he's been since 2023 in his current position and previously as an Assistant Secretary for Transportation. In that role, Dave works with State agencies and authorities to advance the Governor's transportation agenda across New York. Prior to joining the Executive Chamber, he served as a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at MTA Construction a

BuildIT continues to announce our featured speakers, panelists and special guests for next week’s NYC ‘Gathering.” We are exceptionally honored to share that Christopher Elmore, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs in NYC, will be a featured panelist providing his expertise in transportation funding and Public Private Partnerships. Christopher joined Goldman Sachs’ Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking Group full time in July 2008. Chris co-heads the PSI Transportation /

It is with immense pride that BuildIT announces that Sara Appleton, Director of the Penn Station Transformation program, is a confirmed speaker at our 9/15/2026 infrastructure and transportation summit at the Empire State Building. This convening of national/international AEC industry leaders will help ‘set the course’ for BuildIT’s 20-year business plan development. Sara Appleton is an urban development and transportation strategist focused on driving complex megaprojects

BuildIT’s drumbeat of industry leaders confirmed to speak at our September 15, 2026 NYC ‘Gathering’ continues with our great colleague and champion, John Rooney. John Rooney is the New York Area Director of Community Impact for Gilbane Building Company, where he works to strengthen small and emerging businesses in the construction industry, connect them to opportunities across Gilbane's project portfolio, and advance the company's workforce development strategy in the regi

Finally! An AEC Industry session focused on what it takes to win contracts with utilities that’s delivered by businesses who have been successful in winning meaningful work. Hear directly from these industry experts on how they are doing and get ‘tips’ on how to increase your chances of winning contracts in the electric, gas, water, and data center sectors! Join us to hear from: Sandra Escalante – Laner Electric Supply - who is now billing nearly $1 million per month with

It is with great pride that BuildIT announces that Madeleine McDonnell will be a featured speaker at our September 15, 2026 ‘Gathering’ in NYC. Madeleine McDonnell serves as the Chief of Strategy and Operations at the Gateway Development Commission (GDC), where she directs strategic initiatives and organizational operations for the historic bi-state agency. In this role, she plays a vital part in delivering the Hudson Tunnel Project, the nation's most critical infrastructure

BuildIT is honored to announce that John T. Hanson, CEO, Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) and President of Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) will be a featured speaker at our September 15, 2026, NYC ‘Gathering.’ This gathering of world-class transportation and infrastructure industry experts will feature meaningful conversations on topics related to project funding, workforce development, and the utilization of Alternative Project Delivery. Mr. Hanson’s comments

BuildIT is honored to announce that Edmund Caulfield will serve as one of our key moderators for our NYC Gathering on September 15, 2026 at the Empire State Building. Edmund’s expertise in transportation and infrastructure is remarkable. Edmund is an experienced attorney and infrastructure advisor. At Telos Advisers, Edmund helps clients evaluate project risks, structure agreements, navigate property and stakeholder issues, and align procurement, funding, operational, and g

BuildIT is immensely proud to announce that John D. Porcari, one of the most prestigious transportation and infrastructure executives in the United States and beyond, will be headlining our September 15, 2026 ‘NYC Gathering’ to be held at the Empire State Building which will lay the groundwork for updates to our 20-year business plan. John is Managing Director for Public Policy & Partnerships at Investcorp Corsair Infrastructure Partners, responsible for creating new invest