Construction Users Roundtable
Construction Users Roundtable is a not-for-profit association representing nearly $200 billion in annual capital spending, dedicated to advancing owner leadership in construction.
AUDIENCE: 350 Corporate directors of construction and engineering, researchers, academics 80% male, avg. 20 yrs experience
LOCATION: Marriott Rivercenter — San Antonio, Texas
CHALLENGE: At a conference themed Construction in a VUCA World, CURT needed a closing keynote that could synthesize three days of technical content into a compelling call-to-action around agility, safety, and people-first project leadership.
CARA BROOKINS’ SOLUTION:
60-minute closing keynote: “Rise & Resilience”
Early-morning technician rehearsal (Grand Ballroom)
Worked with Greg Palmer on custom analogies linking project controls to personal decision-making under volatility
Construction megaprojects face volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity on a daily basis. CURT’s 2023 National Conference tackled those challenges head-on with panels on AI site-scheduling, modularization, and workforce shortages. As the finale, Cara Brookins reframed VUCA through the lens of human resilience.
Using her “Blueprint to Breakthrough” model built around the story of building a two-story house from the ground up with her four children, Cara walked seasoned directors through steps for cultivating project cultures that thrive under changing conditions. She illustrated how clear vision, iterative milestones, and psychological safety mirror the precision of engineered structures.
Attendees left describing the session as “the human bookend to our technical deep dives,” and showed a jump in confidence around leading mixed-discipline teams, making the keynote a strategic success for both content and culture.
