Construction is a big business - topping $1 trillion nationwide in 2005 - but it is also a very local business. While professionals need to learn about and discuss the trends, most will not board a plane to attend a conference across the country. Nor should they have to.
Yet, Doyle noted, the process of talking to firms one at a time was "very inefficient." So about a year ago he decided to start his own business, Construction Events Inc. in Pleasanton, and stage a regional building conference that local contractors, subcontractors, architects, developers and suppliers could attend.
"Construction is a $1 trillion industry, but it's not run by a handful of companies. It's all driven locally," he said. "In the Bay Area, there's more than 100,000 companies in the building and construction industry."
Construction 2006 and Green Construction 2006 is scheduled for April 12 and 13 at the San Jose Convention Center.
Doyle said he decided to make green construction part of the conference because the sustainability movement has become so mainstream.
"I have found that at a state level, sustainability is a theme that runs through state guidelines, and it's also at the local government level," he said. "Pleasanton has someone in charge of green building, and more cities are focusing on it."
In other words, green isn't a flash in the pan, nor a movement run by environmentalists.
"If you're going to be in construction in the future, this is something you need to understand and embrace. And contractors need their subs to understand it and implement it," Doyle said.
One of the keynote speakers, Ray Anderson, head of the Atlanta flooring materials firm Interface Inc., was on the verge of bankruptcy when he discovered green building. It turned his company around, and today it is a $1 billion firm.
"This is not just building sustainably," Doyle said. "But Ray's message is how to change the focus of your business to be a better corporate citizen, better social citizen and better environmental citizen. And if you do, look what happens."
As housing construction begins to cool, the time is right, Doyle says, for construction businesses to differentiate themselves from others in the industry. Plus, they will learn that building green saves money and results in a better product. So many builders don't believe they will get a sufficient return on their investment, other than the satisfaction of "doing good."
"We will show how you can build sustainably and be more cost efficient," he said.
Construction Events will offer about 140 exhibitors and 80 sessions over the two days and has room for more than 3,000 attendees.
http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2006/03/27/focus2.html
