Control Your Attention, Control Your Life: Attention Management is the Skill You Need Now

Presented by Maura Thomas

Saturday, 9:00-10:00 am
Catalina Ballroom

Maura Thomas will join us to present her proprietary Empowered Productivity™ System which has been embraced by clients from local small businesses to Fortune 500 companies and the federal government. She’s ranked in the Top 10 Time Management Professionals in the World and was named a Top Leadership Speaker by Inc. Magazine and a Top Performing Speaker by Vistage International. She’s also a TEDx Speaker and the author of six best-selling books.

Too many busy professionals are:

• Buried in email and clutter
• Pulled in several directions at once
• Wasting too much time looking for information
• Failing to get desired results in planned timespans
• Unable to disconnect from work
• Feeling distracted, disorganized, discouraged

This keynote will help you discover how to manage your attention and walk away with insights into pitfalls of traditional productivity methods and shift to using proven techniques and strategies to conquer distractions, leveraging technology to your benefit. The result is lower stress levels, improved clarity and a profound sense of accomplishment each day.

An Industry Update

McKay Daniels

NRCA CEO
Saturday, 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Catalina Ballroom

Join us for an insightful exploration of the current state and future trajectory of the roofing industry. McKay Daniels will delve into the latest trends, challenges, and innovations that are impacting the roofing contractor.

McKay Daniels started as NRCA’s CEO in June 2022 after having served as NRCA’s chief operations officer from 2018-22.

Daniels came to NRCA with more than 20 years of experience in nonprofits, government and the private sector.

Daniels has held a variety of leadership and consulting positions throughout his career, including executive director of statewide political organizations in California and Nevada, working for two U.S. senators, and other state and federal elected officials. Immediately prior to joining NRCA, Daniels was chief of staff for two members of Congress.

He and his wife, Rebecca, met during their business administration studies at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and have three children.

Construction Outlook: What’s in the Mix for ’26?

Ken Simonson

Chief Economist, Associated General Contractors of America
Sunday, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Catalina Ballroom

Contractors endured a host of challenges in 2025 from abrupt and drastic changes in immigration enforcement, tariffs, federal funding, regulations, and more. Will 2026 produce more certainty and opportunity? Or are the policy upheavals going to bite even harder as the year progresses?

Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, will provide results from AGC’s 2026 Outlook Survey and his own insights.

Ken Simonson has been chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the leading trade association for the construction industry, since 2001. He provides insight into the economy and what it implies for construction and related industries through frequent media interviews, presentations and the Data DIGest, his weekly e-newsletter that goes to more than 20,000 subscribers.

Ken has more than 40 years of experience analyzing, advocating and communicating about economic and tax issues.

He currently serves as liaison to the Census Bureau’s Construction Data Modernization Working Group. He is a Fellow and past president of the National Association for Business Economics, and he is co-director of the Tax Economists Forum, a professional meeting group he co-founded in 1982.

Ken has a BA in economics from the University of Chicago, and an MA in economics from Northwestern University.

The View from Washington D.C.

Deniz Mustafa

Senior Director, Infrastructure Finance, The Associated General Contractors of America
Sunday, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Catalina Ballroom

Deniz Mustafa will provide insight into what to expect from the 119th Congress and the current Administration. This briefing translates what’s happening on Capitol Hill and inside federal agencies into what they mean for your plants, products, and plans. We’ll cover the latest on tariffs and trade actions (and how they ripple through material costs and supply chains), tax changes that affect capital investment and pass-throughs, workforce-related policies, federal procurement shifts, and other regulatory and funding moves that can change market demand.

Deniz Mustafa is the Senior Director of Infrastructure Finance at the Associated General Contractors of America. In this role, he advocates for contractors on issues including infrastructure investment, procurement, and tax policy.

Prior to joining AGC, Deniz worked for construction companies specializing in commercial and multi-family buildings and gained valuable experience both on the field and in the office. He grew up in Dallas, TX and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Texas A&M University.