2025’s top construction conferences

Construction Dive rounds up the industry conferences, expos and meetings on tap this year.

Updated Jan. 29, 2025

Top construction-related podcasts

The AEC industry boasts a vast offering of informative, on-demand programs. Here are some to add to your playlist.

Updated March 27, 2025

Backlog hits nearly 2-year high despite tariff worries

Contractors’ expectations for their profit margins grew, but the gains in infrastructure building backlog were erased.

House committee advances bill with ‘big three’ business tax relief

The bill advanced Wednesday by the House Ways and Means Committee would extend some business-friendly tax cuts from President Donald Trump’s first term.  

Jacobs remains ‘well positioned’ amid economic uncertainty

CEO Bob Pragada said the impact of White House changes has been minimal and tariffs have provided the firm with consulting and advisory work.

How new construction execs can set themselves up to succeed

Emerging leaders must be flexible in the face of change while also speaking up for what they need, writes consultant Matt Verderamo.

Foreign job seeker interest in US jobs has plummeted, Indeed says

“This drop could have real economic consequences, especially for sectors like healthcare and construction that depend heavily on immigrant labor,” according to the report.

Stanley Black & Decker raises prices to mitigate tariff impacts

The company is also making supply chain moves to become more compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement and reduce its manufacturing footprint in China.

For AI, data is king: FutureTech presenters

Even as a litany of artificial intelligence-based offerings floods the market, experts say their outputs are only as good as the data they crunch.

Skanska downgrades US construction outlook

CEO Anders Danielsson said in an earnings call that customers have taken longer to decide to invest amid economic uncertainty, but its pipeline remains strong.

Updated May 13, 2025

$500M Kelso Solar Project breaks ground in Missouri

Renewables developer Arevon Energy is supplying Meta with its 430-megawatt project in Scott County.

Chicago builder expands modular pipeline

Z Modular, the offsite construction arm of steel pipe and tube manufacturer Zekelman Industries, tapped new leadership to support the growth push.

Burns & McDonnell opens new office in San Antonio

The move expands the Missouri-based contractor’s presence in the Lone Star State and will enable it to meet growing demand for infrastructure.

Tutor Perini turns a profit on growing backlog

The Los Angeles-based contractor reported a record pipeline of work, raised its outlook for the first time in company history and expressed confidence in the face of tariffs.

DOT awards $3.2B to 180 projects

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Biden administration left the Transportation Department with 3,200 unobligated grants.

Data centers, but little else, prop up construction planning

The Dodge Momentum Index rose 0.9% in April as tariffs and policy uncertainty kept many owners and developers on the sidelines.

Balfour Beatty kicks off $385M Miami hotel project

The U.S. arm of the London-based builder will deliver a 17-story hotel with 800 guest rooms, convention and meeting space and ground floor retail areas.

PPG to build $380M North Carolina manufacturing facility

The new Shelby plant will produce the paint manufacturer’s complete line of aerospace coatings and sealants.

M&A activity cools amid instability: WSP

CEO Alexandre L’Heureux nonetheless sees a strong year ahead for North America, he said in a Q1 earnings call.

IRA’s fate unclear as Republicans look to finance megabill

The Inflation Reduction Act is a likely target in a plan to cut $2 trillion in spending, but certain provisions have been benefiting red districts.

Why Trump’s tariffs alone aren’t enough

Manufacturing projects are complex. Levies aimed at bringing these builds back to the U.S. need to be paired with broader initiatives, writes one construction executive. 

‘Safety belongs to everyone’: What construction leaders value most

Executives from companies such as Jacobs, Clayco and Shawmut detail overlooked areas for improving jobsite safety.

The Fatal 5? Balfour Beatty highlights risk of live traffic.

The contractor has added speeding vehicles to the well-known “Fatal Four” list and is taking steps to mitigate the danger.

Tariffs trigger pauses on some retail, industrial real estate deals

It’s too soon to know exactly how tariffs will impact commercial real estate. But some cracks are emerging in the U.S. retail and industrial sectors, CBRE’s Whitley Collins says.

Granite JV plays it safe at Sacramento’s American River Bridge rehab

The California-based team has taken a 20/20/20 approach, pausing their work every 20 minutes to perform a 20-second scan of the area 20 feet around them.