Synergy’s 2025 Construction Forum took place July 21-23 in San Jose, CA, bringing together 40 field leaders, project managers, VDC professionals, and construction executives from across the country. Over three days, attendees tackled real-world challenges, explored the latest in BIM and prefab, and shared ideas for improving project performance and field-office alignment.
Getting Aligned from the Start
The forum kicked off with a session led by Shaabini Alford from Maxim Consulting Group, who challenged attendees to think differently about how they align their field and office teams. Her message centered around trust, communication, and creating clarity around expectations. She also shared practical tools for forecasting labor and tracking productivity, encouraging members to keep things simple and consistent.
The Power of Peer Conversations
After hearing from Shaabini, members sat down with their peers for open discussions about what’s working in their companies, and what’s not. They covered everything from succession planning to warehouse organization and tech adoption. As always, the Power of Peers session reminded members that sometimes the best ideas come from someone in your shoes, in another market, trying to solve the same problems.
Digging into Prefab and Visiting Western Allied
Tuesday morning started with a discussion on prefabrication. Members shared where they’re seeing success, like hanger and copper prefab, and where challenges still exist, especially with field buy-in and adapting to project changes. That afternoon, members traveled to Union City for a tour of Western Allied Mechanical. The WAM team opened their doors to showcase their prefab operations, planning processes, and how they’ve connected their field and office teams.
BIM Insights from the Field and Office
After the shop tour, the group came back together for a panel on BIM with members from Atomatic, Raven Mechanical, Oahu, Warwick Mechanical Group, and Nashville Machine Company. They talked about when and how they start modeling, how they earn field trust, and the pitfalls of getting started too late. The panelists also shared how they’re training their teams, outsourcing BIM, and using lessons from completed projects to improve future ones.
Tools and Technology to Improve Project Visibility
Wednesday focused on tools that members are using to improve visibility into manpower, labor burn, and project progress. From Excel forecasting to Rivet dashboards and OpenSpace jobsite scans, members shared how they’re using data to make better decisions and plan ahead. Small group discussions gave members a chance to see what others are tracking and what tech they’re testing out.
AI in Construction: Proceed with Caution
The forum closed with a conversation on artificial intelligence. Members shared how they’ve used ChatGPT to review contracts, write professional emails, and brainstorm ideas, but all agreed that AI is only helpful when paired with human judgment. Whether testing out Copilot or training AI to write code, the group emphasized the importance of editing, protecting sensitive data, and checking sources.
Three Days of Learning and Connection
Throughout the forum, members reflected on the value of being surrounded by people who “get it.” From rookies to veterans, everyone had a seat at the table, and no topic was off limits.
As Jade Cacpal from Oahu Plumbing and Air Conditioning shared, “The best part of the 2025 Construction Forum was being able to attend and have everyone open their arms like you’re part of a family.”
Want to learn more about Synergy’s upcoming events?
Visit synergysolutiongroup.com/events to explore upcoming training forums and peer group opportunities.
