Under 40 Executive Summit // Speakers

Located in Austin, Texas, Risinger Homes builds custom homes designed by architects. Matt Risinger started the company in 2005 after first working with a national builder for seven years, then rehabbing homes with mold issues in Portland, Ore. That experience caused him to develop his interest in Building Science. Today his company has 19 employees and Risinger has become nationally known for his expertise in Building Science for hot, humid climates. He is the author of several articles on Building Science and Fine Craftsmanship for building trade publications and has accumulated a large following for his blog and YouTube videos.

Presentation: Differentiating Through Building Science

Andrew Davis is a best-selling author and internationally acclaimed marketing speaker. His 20-year career has taken him from local television to The Today Show. He worked for The Muppets in New York and wrote for Charles Kuralt. He co-founded, built, and sold a digital marketing agency. His team’s marketing successes for tiny start-ups and Fortune 500 brands turned him into one of the most influential marketers in the world. Today, he’s on a mission to change the way marketers market and publishers publish. His latest book, Town, Inc., hit the shelves in the spring of 2015 to rave reviews.

Presentation: The Loyalty Loop

David Baker FAIA LEED AP founded San Francisco-based David Baker Architects in 1982. With a focus on sustainable affordable housing, the firm has come to be known for combining social concern with a signature design character. A leader in the affordable housing sphere, DBA has designed and built more than 8,000 affordable units in the San Francisco Bay Area and has received more than 250 local and national architectural design awards, including two ULI Global Awards for Excellence. In 2014 David was honored by the Non-Profit Housing Association as a Visionary Leader in Design and by Livable City as a Livability Innovator in Architecture and Urbanism. Born and raised in a passive-solar rammed-earth house in Arizona of his father’s design, David has held a lifelong interest in architecture, design, sustainable building, and the DIY ethic.

His most recent projects are Zero Cottage—San Francisco’s first net-plus Passive House certified home—and StoreFrontLab.org, an interactive exploration of the storefront as a place of community, creativity, and local industry.

Josh Anderson is owner of Element | Design Build, a custom home builder in the Southern Nevada marketplace. Cutting his teeth in the Las Vegas boom economy left Josh feeling that there had to be more to building homes than turning out production houses one after another. He wanted to create something unique and turned this desire into a business model that delivers a homeowner experience that surpasses expectation. He has done this for his own customers for several years now, but took it a step farther by taking on the construction of the New American Home for the NAHB’s International Builders’ Show – not once, but twice.

Presentation: Lessons Learned from Building The New American Home

As Co-President and Principal of Frankel Building Group, Scott Frankel concentrates his efforts in the areas of construction, operations, marketing, and overall client experience. Under Scott’s leadership, Frankel Building Group has committed to building every new home to the USGBC LEED for Homes Certified Standards. He has made great strides in changing the public perception regarding green building and spearheaded FBG’s campaign to present the “value-added” benefits of green technology and the efficient use of energy and sustainable resources in building custom homes. Scott, a Graduate Master Builder and a Master Certified Green Professional, was the first Master Certified Green Professional in Texas and the second in the country. Scott has served on the Greater Houston Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council Board of Directors, and as an alternate statewide director for the Texas Association of Builders.

Presentation: A Business Transformed: Success in Marketing and Branding Strategies

For over ten years, Jen Barkan has been helping Hampton Roads' new home communities grow and flourish. In her role as Rose & Womble Realty Company's New Homes Specialist, Jen's mission is to help every potential homebuyer find the new home of their dreams. From a low maintenance condominium to a completely custom-built home, Jen works with buyers to find the new home community that fits their lifestyle. Community involvement also runs deep in Jen. She supports the Norfolk SPCA, a no-kill shelter with her Ask Jen Live 'Pup of the Week' program. Each week, she visits a Rose & Womble New Home Community and brings along a dog from the Norfolk SPCA. With sponsorship from builder clients, Jen has rescued and helped to have over a dozen dogs adopted this year. Jen was recently named the 2016 Online Sales Consultant of the Year by the NAHB’s National Sales and Marketing Council.

Presentation: Success in Sales

Jeff Shore has been training and coaching real estate sales professionals and leaders for over three decades. He is the founder of Shore Consulting, specializing in sales strategies for many of the largest real estate firms in the U.S. and Canada. His innovative, research-driven and real-world approach is more than just another sales technique; it’s a fundamental shift in how to approach the sales process that transforms the way we make connections and creates meaningful, lasting change. A Fellow of the National Speakers Association’s exclusive Million Dollar Roundtable, Jeff is a highly sought after keynote speaker who inspires audiences across the globe to change their mindset and change the world. He is the author of four real estate sales training books and his work has been featured by NBC News, Fox Small Business, Success Magazine, Inc., Entrepreneur, and a host of other leading publications.

Presentation: Breaking the Mold of the Traditional Builder

Denise Dersin is the editorial director of Scranton Gillette Horizon’s Professional Builder, Custom Builder, ProBuilder.com, and CustomBuilderOnline.com, B2B publications and websites that provide business management information for the housing industry. An award-winning writer and editor for more than 25 years, Dersin previously served as editor in chief of Builder magazine and editor of Time Life Books. While at Time Life, she edited, wrote, or researched more than 50 volumes for four of the company’s best-selling series of books.

Tony Mancini is the SGC Horizon Building Group Director-Principal and has launched numerous events and platforms for the residential and commercial construction industry. Prior to founding SGC Horizon, Mancini spent 12 years at Reed Business Information in leadership roles within the residential and commercial markets, including group director for Reed Construction Media, and publisher of Professional Builder and Professional Remodeler. He began his career at CertainTeed Corporation and also served as associate publisher for Sweet’s International at McGraw-Hill.