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KEYNOTE: Alex Weber
American Ninja Warrior Host and Competitor
With his contagious energy and actionable System, ALEX WEBER immediately impacts audiences and ignites record-breaking achievements!
Alex is an Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, Champion Coach, Acclaimed Author, TV Host for NBC, and competitor on American Ninja Warrior. Alex is also the only person ever to Host and Compete on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior! Alex helps you lead beyond changes, overcome challenges, and unlock new levels of achievement!
Alex connects so well with audiences because of his genuine openness about the challenges, self-doubt, and uncertainty that we all face, and most of all, how you can overcome it! As a professional entertainer, US Lacrosse Coach of the Year, and acclaimed Author, Alex is highly sought after for his unique ability to engage, empower, and transform audiences. Alex has positively inspired over 5.5 million people worldwide, and worked with major companies like Fidelity, Apple, Walmart, LinkedIn, Amazon, RE/MAX, The Los Angeles Lakers, Stanford Business and many more!
With his inspiring stories, captivating energy, and actionable takeaways, Alex empowers you to lead beyond changes and conquer challenges, so you can accomplish your biggest goals!
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KEYNOTE: Dr. Jermaine Davis
Keynote Speaker & Leadership Coach, AGC of Minnesota
Dr. Jermaine M. Davis helps leaders build high-performing teams, strengthen workplace culture, and boost employee engagement using his popular 3 C’s framework, Communication, Cooperation, and Collaboration: so, people can achieve results without stressing out, rusting out, or burning out.
An award-winning Professor of Communication and Leadership with a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Dr. Jermaine blends research and academic insight with real-world leadership experience from working in sales, marketing, and management with Fortune 500 companies. His practical approach helps leaders strengthen trust, navigate change, improve team performance, and create environments where people can thrive.
As a Hall-of-Fame speaker, Dr. Jermaine is known for his authentic energy and signature Edutainment style: where education meets entertainment. He is the author of 10 books and the nationally published white paper, Dump Your Slump: Turning Setbacks into Strategic Comebacks. Dr. Jermaine has worked with organizations including Best Buy, Microsoft, the FBI, and West Point Military Academy. When he’s not teaching or speaking, he’s cheering at his son Zion’s football games or enjoying his grandmother’s famous homemade mac and cheese.
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Cal Beyer
Sr. Director, SAFE Workplaces, SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic)
Cal Beyer, CWP is Sr. Director of SAFE Workplaces for national nonprofit SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic). He has 35 years of experience as a safety, risk management and wellness professional. He serves on the Executive & Steering Committees of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and the Lived Experience Advisory Committee for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. He helped catalyze the formation of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention in 2016. He is a 2025 inductee of the National Academy of Construction for this work to address the intersection of substance use, suicide and overdose in the industry. Cal is a frequent speaker at industry events and a regular contributor to various industry publications.
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Susan Brower
Demographer, State of Minnesota
Susan Brower is the Minnesota State Demographer and directs the MN State Demographic Center. Susan became the State Demographer in February 2012. In that capacity, she travels the state talking with Minnesotans about the new social and economic realities that are brought about by recent demographic shifts. Susan's work applies an understanding of demographic trends to changes in a range of areas including the state's economy and workforce, education, health, immigration and rural population changes.
Susan joined the State Demographic Center after working as a researcher on the Minnesota Compass project at Wilder Research in St. Paul. Prior to that, she worked at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan.
Susan earned her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Michigan, specializing in demography and family sociology. She also holds a master's degree in public policy from Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
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Alex Etchen
Vice President, Government Relations, Associated General Contractors of America
Alex Etchen is the Vice President of Construction Advocacy and Risk Management at the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America. In this role, Alex leads all AGC’s advocacy efforts with Congress, federal agencies, and the courts. Before being named Vice President of Construction Advocacy and Risk Management, he served as the Senior Director for Infrastructure Advancement at AGC. Prior to joining AGC, Alex served as Associate Administrator for Highway Policy and External Affairs for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). He also worked in Congress for nearly seven years; first for a Member of Congress from Idaho and then on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Originally from Ligonier, Pa., Alex earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Business Administration from the Johns Hopkins University.
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Erick Garcia Luna
Regional Outreach Director, Federal Reserve Board
Erick Garcia Luna is a regional outreach director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. His responsibilities include tracking, analyzing, and reporting on several aspects of the economy of the Fed's Ninth District. Erick is a co-author of the Beige Book and has published articles on inflation, business conditions, and labor. His work has been featured in local and national media, including Marketplace and Bloomberg TV.
Prior to joining the Minneapolis Fed, Erick held a variety of roles in the U.S. Senate, the City of Minneapolis, and the University of Minnesota. His academic credentials include coursework in economics and political science from the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico City, and a degree in economics from the University of Minnesota.
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Kevin Hogan
Corporate Safety Director, Knutson Construction
Kevin Hogan serves as Corporate Safety Director at Knutson Construction where he leads the organization’s safety and risk-reduction strategies. He is focused on advancing a people-first culture built around trust, accountability, and the prevention of serious injuries and fatalities. Kevin works closely with operational leaders and project teams to turn safety and quality strategy into practical, consistent execution in the field. His leadership approach centers on continuous improvement, meaningful engagement, and focusing resources on the risks that matter most.
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Charryse Johnson, Ph.D.
Chief Clinical Officer, Cadre
Dr. Charryse Johnson is Chief Clinical Officer of Cadre, an award-winning author, nationally recognized mental health professional, and developer of The Cadre Way. She brings more than two decades of clinical expertise to advancing mental health, human performance, and well-being in organizations and communities.
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Peyton Kringlie
Vice President, Corporate Strategy, L.S. Black Constructors
Peyton Kringlie is Vice President of Corporate Strategy at L.S. Black Constructors, a Saint Paul general contractor serving federal and commercial clients, where he leads corporate services across finance, HR, and technology. He has spent ten years in construction with a background that blends finance, systems, and operations, and the last year putting AI agents to work inside the company's ERP, Estimating, Project Management, and email workflows, to recruiting and year end audit prep. He is active in the Twin Cities construction technology community, including the Construction Progress Coalition's new Twin Cities group. One piece of advice that stuck with him: you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.
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Yolanda McIntosh
Director of Organizational Wellbeing & Culture, AGC of Minnesota
A Leader in Construction Mental Health, Yolanda McIntosh is the Director of Organizational Wellbeing and Culture for the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota. In her role, Yolanda leads efforts to create more intentional and inclusive initiatives, helping member contractors build equitable business cultures and provide greater opportunities for diverse populations in the building and highway construction industry. Beyond her cultural inclusive work, Yolanda is a prominent leader in the construction mental health movement, heading up the VitalCog in Construction suicide prevention training and awareness program for the region. Yolanda has become a national champion in suicide prevention within the construction industry. Her powerful message, “People like me don’t want to die; we just want the mental pain, turmoil, and anguish in our heads to STOP!” resonates deeply, inspiring change and raising awareness about mental health in construction.
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Drew Moldenhauer
Owner/Master Instructor, Blue Ethos Specialized Training
Drew Moldenhauer is the co-founder of Blue Ethos Specialized Training and brings 18 years of law enforcement experience to his work in training, education, and leadership development.
Throughout his career, Drew served in key roles including use of force instructor, field training officer, and Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) instructor, and Active Shooter Instructor. In addition to his law enforcement career, Drew serves as an Assistant Professor at Metro State University and is an adjunct instructor at several other colleges, teaching the next generation of criminal justice professionals. He is also the author of How Smart Police Officers Use Situational Awareness to Improve Safety. As co-owner of Blue Ethos Specialized Training, Drew works to deliver training programs for organizations across the United States. His work focuses on strengthening active threat preparedness, situational awareness, de-escalation, and empowering organizations to build safer, more resilient teams.
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Mike Schechter
General Counsel/Director of Labor Relations, AGC of Minnesota
Mike Schechter is the director of labor relations and general counsel for AGC MN, where he facilitates negotiations with the basic trades on collective bargaining agreements, helps contractors with questions or concerns, and manages the disputes board to resolve differences with the unions.
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Brett Smith
Global Safety Director, Gardner Builders
Brett Smith is Global Safety Director at Gardner Builders and a co-founding member of the Construction Mental Health + Suicide Prevention Alliance. With 19 years in environmental, health, and safety leadership, he champions a safety culture that treats mental health as seriously as physical safety, and is a certified QPR and Mental Health First Aid instructor.
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Clinton Steingraber
Fractional CIO, Thriveon
Clinton Steingraber is a Fractional CIO at Thriveon, a managed IT and cybersecurity firm and AGC of Minnesota partner specializing in the construction industry. He serves as an embedded technology executive for a portfolio of construction clients, leading strategy, infrastructure planning, and compliance. Clinton helps owners and finance leaders assess and reduce security risk in plain business terms, from proactive hardening to cyber insurance readiness.
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Jen Veralle
TEDx Speaker and Founder, Mindful Drinking Movement
Jen Veralle is an advocate for and creator of healthy social experiences that decentralize alcohol. Founder of Mindful Drinking Movement, TEDx Speaker, and Cadre leading voice, she addresses alcohol's impact in corporate spaces through talks and facilitated conversations.
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Rich Webb
Owner/Master Instructor, Blue Ethos Specialized Training
Rich Webb is the co-founder of Blue Ethos Specialized Training and brings nearly two decades of frontline law-enforcement experience into his work today. Throughout his career, Rich served in high-responsibility roles including patrol sergeant, mobile field force leader, field training officer and certified hostage crisis negotiator. In 2014, Rich was awarded the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Medal of Honor for his actions during a life-threatening officer involved shooting on the steps of a daycare. In 2020, Rich led his department Mobile Field Force team during the Minneapolis civil unrest, operating in an environment defined by uncertainty, high emotion, and rapidly evolving threats. Now retired from law enforcement, Rich works full-time leading Blue Ethos Specialized Training, where he has trained organizations across the United States. His work focuses on strengthening active threat preparedness, situational awareness, improving communication under stress, and building safer, more resilient teams.
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Laura Ziegler
Director of Highway/Heavy & Government Affairs, AGC of Minnesota
Laura Ziegler joined AGC of MN in 2018 and serves as the Director of Highway/Heavy & Government Affairs. Laura's role includes being the principal staff resource for managing and directing AGC's legislative policy and regulatory agenda. She represents the construction industry at the Minnesota Legislature and with state agencies, as well as the federal government and Congress. She has a passion for the three P’s: policy, puns, and not the Packers.
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