Contractors & FMs: Working Through the Challenges of a New Landscape

Learn what is happening in the construction world.  Many issues and opportunities have surfaced over the past three years.  Pandemic, labor shortages, material shortages, quickly escalating prices, sustainability, equity and severe weather swings.  Listen to the people involved in construction everyday tell their stories and offer advice on what Facility professionals can do to guard against these game changers.
Please submit questions in advance to Rose, our Chapter Admin at [email protected].  There will also be time for questions during the program.

Panel Event Recap

• Moderator: Ken Scott, First Vice President, Director Facilities Mgmt, Security & Purchasing
• Panelists:
  • Kevin Breer – Breer Law LLC – construction and real estate attorney
  • Dan Doty – Delta Innovative Services – subcontractor
  • Courtney Kounkel – Monarch Build – general contractor
  • Latasha McCall – LM2 – general contractor
  • Andy Meyer – GastingerWalker - architect
  • Michael Reardon – McCownGordon – general contractor

Questions & discussion topic suggestions

• Construction Economics / Cost Updates & Trends; Material & Labor Availability
  • Can you give some insight into what is going on with market volatility specific to material pricing and labor availability?
• Contracting & Procurement Strategies / Project Delivery Approaches / Why Partner Early
  • What project delivery methods are advantageous to clients and why?
• Current Office Market & Trends – Post-Covid
  • We’ve heard of companies selling buildings and eliminating offices over the past year or so, what trends are you seeing in corporate workspaces as most of the world returns to work?

Our Panelists

Kevin Breer is a member of the Breer Law Firm, LLC, located in Westwood, Kansas.  Breer has focused his legal career on real estate and construction litigation and transactions.  Breer has published dozens of articles on real estate and construction issues, including co-editing the Kansas Bar Association "Construction Law Handbook."  Breer also regularly speaks to attorneys on both real estate and construction topics.   Breer most recently served as President of the Johnson County Bar Association and continues to be heavily involved in the bar.  Breer practices with his wife, Kelli Breer.  They live in Westwood, Kansas with their son Keaton.

Dan Doty with Delta Innovative Services - Dan Doty is the We Care Manager at Delta Innovative Services Inc in Kansas City Kansas a successful woman owned commercial roofing company. In this role, Dan has used his background in the commercial roofing and sheet metal industry to guide owners on the best path to protecting their investments through proactive repair and maintenance. The proactive and resourceful solutions provided by Delta have propelled them to the top of the Kansas City commercial roofing market. Before joining Delta Dan worked for GAF Materials Corp, the world’s largest producer of roofing products as a technical sales rep as well as other construction product roles since 2005. Dan is the current president of the Kansas City chapter of the Construction Specifiers Institute and has worked within the chapter for the last 14 years. When Dan isn’t working he enjoys volunteering and cooking for large groups of people. 

Courtney Kounkel is a construction industry executive and entrepreneur who has founded, grown and successfully sold several companies. Currently she is the Founder + Owner of Monarch Build , a commercial construction company in the Greater Kansas City area.

LaTasha McCall is the president and founder of LM2 Construction & Consulting, LLC, a successful black women-owned construction and consulting company in Kansas City, Missouri. Born and raised in Kansas City, LaTasha has witnessed firsthand the growth of the city into a premier metropolitan area that promotes family values. This deep-rooted tie has allowed her to become one of the most respected and recognized names in the industry.
Before founding LM2 in 2017, LaTasha spent over 20 years working for several A/E/C companies in the Kansas City metropolitan area, where she gained valuable experience in Project Management, Owner Representation, and Business Development. She also had the privilege of being appointed by the Mayor and serving as a planning commissioner for the City of Blue Springs, Missouri from 2012 to 2016. Through her commitment to excellence and dedication to professionalism, LaTasha strives to exceed industry standards by forming strong professional partnerships based on integrity, ingenuity, and reliability—a commitment that makes up the backbone of LM2 Construction & Consulting, LLC.

Andy Meyer, AIA is a partner at GastingerWalker& Architects.  He focuses mainly on projects within the firm’s Work Sector. He leads projects with a calm and cooperative approach. After working on large-scale commercial, hospitality and high-rise office projects for 7 years in Chicago, he has been designing in the financial institution and office realm since joining GastingerWalker& in 2010   

Michael Reardon is a project executive for McCownGordon Construction focused on building the corporate and development markets in Kansas City.  He also leads the firm’s Corporate Interiors Group, a dedicated team solely focused on tenant improvement and interior renovations. With a background in business administration, finance, and construction, his career expands several industries and gives him diverse knowledge of client priorities. He is passionate about guiding clients to make smart and informed decisions to achieve the best construction building experience and largest ROI. Reardon was named a NextGen Leader by the Kansas City Business Journal in 2017 and was among Ingram’s 40 Under 40 in 2016. He is actively involved in the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce, KC Tomorrow’s Civic Council of Greater Kansas City and the Rockhurst High School National Alumni Association.

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