Utilizing Technology and AI For Your Business

Blanca Hoffmeier

Blanca Hoffmeier is President and Owner of SWPPP CAL, a storm water pollution prevention company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, Ca. Her professional experience includes many areas of expertise in civil engineering in both the public and private sectors.  She has decades of experience in grading, street design, hydrology, hydraulic studies, land planning and storm water management.  Blanca is a private pilot and certified by the FAA to fly drones commercially.  She was an early adopter of drone technology and retains a fleet of 5 drones each uniquely capable of assisting with topography, archeology studies, agriculture, construction documentation, stormwater inspections and more. 

President and Owner - SWPPP CAL

  • She is currently the President of the Society of Women Engineers, San Buenaventura Section. A Director of the International Erosion Control Association, Western Chapter, a member of the National Association of Women in Construction and the Business Development Association, Inland Empire. Her credentials include: QSD/QSP, CISEC, CPESC, CPSWQ, WPCM, LEED AP BD+C, FAA Private Pilot, sUAS Pilot, as well as being a licensed contractor.

    Blanca has published articles on erosion control and the use of drones. Blanca’s focus on water quality originates from her passion for protecting the future of our lakes, rivers, streams, and oceans and keeping them healthy for our wildlife and our children.

Veredith Keller

Veredith Keller, a Senior Education Specialist at IMAGINiT Technologies, has over 18 years of expertise in Building System Design software. She has worked over a decade in the Autodesk reseller channel and consulted for Architectural and Engineering firms across North America. Veredith is an expert in BIM, implementing it for Architectural, Structural, MEP, and Construction firms. She has provided BIM training in Singapore and presented at seminars in Malaysia, Singapore, the US, and Canada. Veredith also has experience as a designer and CAD manager

Senior Education Specialist - IMAGINiT Technologies

Tifani Grant

Technology Trainer - HMC Architects

HMC Architects’ Technology Trainer Tifani Grant trains and guides the firm’s employee owners to leverage the latest technologies and adopt innovative methodologies to ensure that HMC remains an industry leader in adopting innovative practices. She has played a vital role in the firm’s technology training programs and transformations including standardizing processes and workflows for production and construction administration staff, moving the firm from AutoCAD to Revit, and encouraging the firm’s adoption to remote work.

  • Tifani has more than 20 years of experience in the architecture and construction industry and has worked in construction administration and BIM coordination. She is a member of The Project Management Institute (PMI) and is an Autodesk Certified Professional in Revit Architecture.

    Tifani is a Southern California native and citizen of the Muscogee Nation Native American Tribe. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies from California State University-San Bernardino.

Tom Bethmann

Director - Layton Construction Company

Tom Bethmann is a director for Layton Construction, a $4 billion commercial contractor with proven experience in virtually every market sector including healthcare, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, distribution, education, office, industrial, detention, tenant improvement, and public facilities. In his role he is responsible for preconstruction, client development, and maintenance for the Southern California healthcare division. Tom develops and maintains relationships at all industry levels, including among trade partners and jurisdictional authorities.

  • In his time with Layton Construction, Tom has led the effort to grow Layton’s California’s Healthcare presence, creating new opportunities in emerging markets. Using his past operational experience, he has the ability to think progressively and mitigate a multitude of situational components of construction early on in the pursuit process. This dependability and trust ensure Tom’s clients that he and Layton Construction are reliable builders focused on quality and integrity in their work.

    Tom builds high functioning teams to serve the clients in Layton’s portfolio, delivering the finest healthcare projects. He is responsible for securing contracts with three of the largest healthcare providers in the region in a single year of development and is committed to excellence while doing business with integrity, hard work, honesty, and fairness.

    Tom has been in the industry for over 28 years—the past ten with Layton Construction. Prior to Layton, Tom worked for Swinerton Builders and Camco Pacific Construction. During his tenure, Tom started as a project manager, working his way up to a senior level before transitioning into business development.

    Tom graduated from the University of California at Riverside with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics. He is a father to two boys, ages 20 and 23. Following in his father’s AEC footsteps, Tom’s oldest has recently accepted a position with Layton in Las Vegas after graduating from San Diego State University with a degree Mechanical Engineering. In his free time, Tom enjoys staying active with mountain biking and golf. If you can’t find him on a course, he’s decompressing at his favorite destination in Lake Tahoe with an IPA in hand.

Moderator: Nancy Novak

Chief Innovation Officer - Compass Datacenters

As Chief Innovation Officer for Compass Datacenters, Nancy delivers cutting-edge sustainability technologies and is continuously improving the means and methods Compass uses to deliver sustainable, reliable and mass customizable data centers. In addition to adding value and improving returns on Compass projects, Nancy is an advocate for disrupting the status quo in the construction industry and women’s leadership in all industries. She’s the host of “Extending the Ladder,” a podcast that brings female leaders together to offer insights, advice and inspiration to other professionals.

  • Prior to joining Compass, Nancy held operational leadership positions with top-ranked construction contractors Hensel Phelps and Balfour Beatty. She serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the National Institute of Building Sciences, the World Trade Center Institute and Weston Solutions, a global environmental firm. She is also an executive sponsor for bridging the Digital Divide on the iMasons Advisory Board.