Cultivating
Leaders
Values
Solutions
Impact

Sheraton Grand Sacramento
Friday & Saturday | March 3-4, 2023

Vanir will be hosting a two-day, in-person Project Management/Construction Management (PMCM) training conference for all technical employees. This event will provide an opportunity to learn about various topics relevant to our industry and profession.

Please note that March 3 will be open to clients, guests and Vanir technical employees. March 4 will be dedicated to Vanir technical employees only.

Mission Statement

To cultivate leaders who embrace our core values, provide the best solutions for our clients and make the greatest impact on the projects and communities we serve.

Core Values

  • Collaboration: We build robust teams that combine expertise and ingenuity to drive success.
  • Innovation: We promote a culture that embraces new ideas and technologies.
  • Safety: We integrate safety into everything we do.
  • Leadership: We develop leaders who inspire others to reach beyond.
  • Inclusion: We embrace diversity as a source of strength, creativity and success.
  • Integrity: We are committed to the highest level of ethics.
  • Philanthropy: We strive to impact our communities in a meaningful way.
    Nothing showcases this commitment more than The Dominguez Dream 501(c)(3) public nonprofit organization. Founded by our Chairwoman and CEO Dorene C. Dominguez in honor of her late father H. Frank Dominguez, the nonprofit empowers children in underserved communities and transforms their lives.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Cassi Chandler

Motivational Leadership Expert

FBI's First Black, Female Assistant Director/Special Agent

Cassandra “Cassi” Chandler is an innovator, strategist, investigator and leader who has broken barriers, led diverse teams and built cultures of motivational leadership and inclusivity at some of the world’s most important organizations, including Bank of America and the FBI. In a career that has included many “firsts” across the U.S. government and financial services industries, she served as the FBI’s first black, female assistant director/special agent, as well as the Bureau’s first female national spokesperson and director of public and community affairs. The founder, president and CEO of Vigeo Alliance – a leadership and talent risk management partner helping organizations elevate their cultures through diversity and inclusion – Chandler is dedicated to helping organizations position themselves for success by building more diverse and inclusive cultures that thrive.

Chandler’s groundbreaking accomplishments have been recognized through numerous awards, including the Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive under President George W. Bush, the National Center for Women & Policing’s “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” Award and the Norfolk NAACP Trailblazer Award. She earned her B.A. from Louisiana State University, where she serves on the board of the alumni association, and her J.D. from Loyola University School of Law, where she is a member of the board of trustees.

OWNER's PANEL

Pella McCormick

Director, Facilities Services

Judicial Council of California

Frank Camarda

Chief Operations Officer

San Juan Unified School District

Charles Higueras, FAIA

Acting Director of Project Management

San Francisco Public Works

Sohail Shaikh, CCM

Associate Director, FPCM/PMB

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Day One

Friday, March 3, 2023

Clients, Guests and Vanir Employees

Leadership vs. Management: Driving Projects to Success
Vanir: Masood Mesbah, Chief Operating Officer, and Craig Fulton, Project Director

This course includes a discussion of Leadership vs. Management, including Project Leadership vs. Project Management, their differences, and how they must be used in different scenarios to achieve a successful project. Discussion of how project managers can become project leaders. Discussions on how to improve management skills and also become better leaders.

Vanir: Ben Sabati, Vice President and Director of Cost Management Services, and Tony Shinali, Chief Estimator

This session will discuss the components of the construction market – labor, materials, equipment, contractor markup and others. The discussion will include the impact of COVID-19 and the aftermath on the construction market. The course will conclude with a discussion of forecasting the construction market trends for the near future and long term.

Alternative Project Deliveries: Selection, Implementation and Community Outreach
Chris Kuennen, Vanir Quality Program Manager, and Margot VanSwearingen, Skanska USA Sr. Project Manager

This course will provide an overview of project delivery methods, best practices for selecting the “right” delivery method for a project and strategies for communicating delivery method benefits and stewardship of public funds for stakeholder and bond voter education.

Developing Your Super Power: The Five Habits of High-Performance Business Teams
Synergy Executive Education

What Is Your Superpower? As a leader, it’s the ability to win the hearts and minds of your team and direct their efforts towards success. How do you do this? You help your team create superpower habits that bring out the strengths of each team member. What’s the secret sauce? The secret sauce is the five habits of high-performance business teams. In this workshop, you will learn how to:

  • Build trust – the key to ownership and speed
  • Foster R.M.A. – the right mental attitude
  • Make it fun – Fun is serious business
  • Be a first giver – Give first and watch the magic happen
  • Be a synergist – Focus everyone on a shared destiny
Foundations for Safety Leadership
Vanir: Karen Meistas, Safety Manager

The Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training module provides project managers, directors, construction managers and engineers with the skills and knowledge they need to become safety leaders on their job sites. This highly interactive module covers the costs of ineffective safety leadership, as well as the benefits of effective safety leadership. Most importantly, it teaches students about five critical leadership skills they can use on the jobs to more effectively communicate and work among crew members, clients and coworkers and how doing so leads to a stronger safety culture.

Project Budget Management: Introduction to Program and Project Budget Development and Management
Vanir: Stan Ng, Senior Project Manager, and Santiago Harris, Deputy Project Director

This course will provide an introduction for project and construction managers in the development and management of program level and project budgets. The course will provide example budget structures including typical categories and rough orders of values (an interactive exercise will be utilized during this portion of the course). We will also look at an example cost to complete a report and walk through its use as a management tool.

Best Practices on Design-Build Delivery
Vanir: Lance Durfee, Senior Project Director, and Mike Meredith, Vice President – Director of Design-Build Programs and Services

This course discusses the evolution of design-build as the preferred procurement method. The lessons learned and best practices of lean design-build delivery and the many nuances to consider from criteria through procurement, design and construction. Interactive presentation tailored to Vanir program managers, construction managers and project engineers who are new to lean or design-build delivery or the experienced design-build project manager wanting another perspective.

The Art of Successful Negotiating in a Pressure Cooker World
Synergy Executive Education

The quality of negotiation determines the difference between success and failure. Inexperienced negotiators often overlook the importance of planning, preparation and attention to detail. This primarily results in less than satisfactory outcomes.
Everything in business is about negotiation. We negotiate sales, purchases, production and employment contracts to achieve a beneficial outcome. Good negotiators are extremely valuable to any organization as they can positively transition through internal and external conflicts and crucial situations that would otherwise have dire financial consequences.

Round Table Discussion: Building a Symphony of Operational Excellence
Synergy Executive Education

Do you want your team to be in sync? In a great band, when skilled musicians are in sync in a magical peak experience of sound creation, it pulses out and grabs us emotionally, connecting on a level that moves us to experience joy, exhilaration and sadness and leaves us feeling good. In a symphony, all the musicians come to work willingly and play from the same sheet of music. This demonstrates human collaboration at its finest, and you can accomplish this in your business and with your team. Building a symphony of operational excellence is highly effective when certain mindsets and behaviors are practiced daily – just like a band or sports team.

Day Two

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Vanir Employees ONLY

Professional Licensing & Certifications
Vanir: Rafael Martin, Director of Technical Services, and Masood Mesbah, Chief Operating Officer

I’ve graduated and have my degree…why should I get a professional certification or license? Which one should I get? Will I have time to study, and how will Vanir support me in obtaining the certification or license? All great questions. Join this course to get the answers.

Building a Culture of Business Development: Why Should You Care?
Vanir: Bob Fletcher, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Onallee Elsberry-Crabtree, Director of Business Development – Northern California, Michelle Parker, Business Development Manager – Central California, and Stephanie Sweeny, Director of Business Development – Southern California

In today’s challenging business environment, firms profit from making business development an ongoing process requiring the commitment of the entire organization. Begin to understand why this matters to Vanir and why it should matter to all Vanir employees. This workshop will help everyone make the most of critical business development activities and provide insight on a complex, yet simple subject, of how to accomplish more and win more projects. Everyone will walk away with a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the business development process with a simple understanding of the numerous activities associated in the business development cycle. Understand what resources are available to everyone and how best to take advantage of them.

Understanding and Reporting Data
Vanir: Richard Dominguez, Assistant Project Manager

This course includes looking at what makes for good data and how properly formatted data can produce advanced interactive reporting. Examples will include Excel Pivot tables, charts and Power BI, among other tips and tricks to supercharge your data and reporting processes.

The Cycle of Leadership
Synergy Executive Education

Do you want to be a highly effective manager and lead with enthusiasm? There is a distinct difference between management and leadership. In management, you manage things (cash flow, schedules and systems), but for high-performance teamwork, you must learn how to lead and synergize a team. A successful executive has mastered both management and leadership abilities. Good leaders believe that fear in the workplace is counterproductive and that people motivated by fear do not give their best efforts. But the desire for motivation grows, increases productivity and reduces staff turnover. People love to work for a good leader who challenges and inspires them in an atmosphere of support and respect.

Risk Management: Vanir Best Practices and CMAA Alignment
Vanir: Chris Kuennen, Quality Program Manager, and Steven Solka, Senior Project Director

This course will provide an overview of risk identification and mitigation strategies over the lifecycle of a project. It will also identify the updated Vanir procedures guidelines, tools and templates aligned with CMAA Standards of Practice.

Leadership: Career Development
Vanir: Dan Ferst, Senior Vice President and Bay Area Manager, and Esmeralda Peña, Vice President of Human Resources

This course is intended for project directors and senior project and construction managers. This course focuses on employee development and engagement. What does a career path look like at Vanir, and how can an employee gain the experience needed for upward mobility?

Carbon: Over and Out
Glumac: Ante Vulin, Senior Sustainability Strategist, and Neil Steiner, Managing Director, Mechanical/Energy

Policy, technology and market trends are pushing the built environment to a huge transition away from fossil fuels. Glumac will present on data-driven strategies to help projects and owners navigate these hurdles successfully and emerge as winners in the clean energy transition.

The “WOW” Factor: Bring the “WOW” Factor Into Your Business and Earn Client Loyalty for Life
Synergy Executive Education

In business, individuals and executives embrace service as a value and build long-term loyal clients who become advocates and raving fans. This results in brand development, increased referrals, sales and profitability. You will learn:

  • How to deliver world-class customer experiences
  • How to make the buying experience magical
  • How to give and receive “WOW” experiences
  • How to build love and loyalty for your brand
  • How to earn respect and appreciation
  • How to develop your charisma
Pencils Down: Planning and Design Management in Theory and Practice
Vanir: Jennifer Frost, Vice President, and Robert Coffey, Project Director

This course will provide an overview of the functions and goals of project management during the planning and design phases of a project. The discussion will include examples of tools and standard processes used in managing planning and design, including identifying stakeholders, facilitating project development, developing project scopes and budgets and guidelines for creating the preliminary master schedule and decision matrix. Numerous lessons learned will be shared and an open discussion is encouraged.

The Seller-Doer Model: “What Do You Do for Fun?”
Vanir: Tom Tracy, Executive Director of Transportation, and Roy Magdaleno, Senior Project Director

Being a seller-doer is not performing “marketing.” It is primarily about cultivating relationships with existing and prospective clients, as well as colleagues. In this session, you will hear some best practices and lessons learned about fostering the types of relationships that can be both personally and professionally rewarding.

Taking Charge of Your Personal Finances
Vanir: Robb Hagestad, Chief Financial Officer

This course introduces non-financial professionals to the tenets of personal financial planning concepts for effectively understanding their own finances. We will cover a basic understanding of:

  • Budgeting and cash flow
  • Investments (fixed income, stocks, mutual funds, etc.)
  • Insurance
  • Long-term planning (retirement, education, etc.)
  • Taxation
  • Employment benefits
  • Other areas necessary to understand the finances of everyday life
The Ultimate Competitive Advantage: Imagine, Believe and Achieve!
Synergy Executive Education

If you can dream it and build it, they will come! Imagination is the source of possibility and the foundation of probability. It is the playground of potential, where the seeds of greatness are sown and the power of belief begins. Every day we draw great inspiration from the heroes of imagination who come from every walk of life: the Wright Brothers, Albert Einstein, Harriet Tubman, Nicola Tesla, Cesar Chavez; more recently, we have Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Malala Yousafzai, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and of course our very own Dorene C. Dominguez. Visualizing the future and setting up plans to make it a reality is a powerful tool. Visionary leaders inspire their employees with uplifting dream pictures which ignite one of the true keys to motivation: the possibility and probability of achieving the extraordinary…together! A vision translates into reality through clearly defined and well-measured transformational goals. Many people have wishes and hopes, but these are not goals. A worthy vision requires the belief of its achievement and a structured goal plan.

Registration is open through February 1

Registration is by invitation only and space is limited

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