Construction Industry Conference (CIC)

Michele Daugherty

Michele Daugherty is the President/CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors, Central Florida Chapter. Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national construction association representing more than 22,000 members nationwide. Michele helps members develop their people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically, and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which they work and live.

Michele has spent the past two decades focused on creating career & advancement pathways for others. Prior to leading ABC Central Florida, she spent 17 years as the President/CEO of the ABC Northern California and Nevada Chapters. Under her leadership ABC has continued to grow as a workforce development leader expanding state and federally approved Apprenticeship and Craft Training programs across the country.  Michele is committed to educating the current and future workforce and values the importance of educating today’s youth on the benefits of careers in construction.

Michele is a certified Master Trainer for the National Center for Construction Education and Research. She was formerly the Director of the University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Advising Center and was appointed for multiple terms to the State of Nevada Apprenticeship Council. Fun fact - Michele got her start working in a Gold Mine. Michele resides in Orlando with her husband of 18 years and is the proud mother of two boys Seventeen and Eleven. One of Michele’s favorite sayings is, “I put on my boots and broke concrete to break the glass ceiling!”

Rachel Glickman

Recognizing the need for timely and effective HR solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, Rachel founded Cultura HR in 2020. She leads her team in providing expert HR consulting to clients across the US on a broad range of topics such as HR Audits, Recruitment, Talent Management, Employee Relations, HR Operations, Training, Communication, Compensation, Benefit Planning, and Project Management. Rachel’s 25+ years of providing HR services across multiple industries such as Private Equity, eCommerce, Technology, Pharmaceutical, Medical, Dental, Life Sciences, Hospitality, Retail, Apparel, Manufacturing, and for profit and not-for-profit, contribute to Cultura HR being industry agnostic and the perfect HR F.I.T. for any business. (Fractional, immediate and timely). Originally from the UK, Rachel is now settled in South Florida.

George Rosen

George W. Rosen, CM&AP, CEPA, VBA, CBI, co-founded Contango Investments in 2005 to help owners build stronger, more transferable companies, prepare for exit, and select buyers whose capital, terms, timing, and intentions align with their goals. His work improves business value while protecting owner legacy, employees, customer relationships, and the owner’s next chapter. He is committed to preserving businesses that support economic mobility and the American dream of small-business ownership. George began his career in business brokerage in 1993, representing Main Street business owners, and moved upmarket in 1997 to help develop an M&A division. There, he learned to evaluate transactions through the lenses of sellers, strategic and financial buyers, capital providers, and lenders. Aligning those perspectives creates stronger transitions and better outcomes.

Erikhans Kok

Erikhans Kok is a Senior Partner in McKinsey’s Houston Office. He is the global co-leader of McKinsey’s Capital Excellence practice. He has deep expertise in optimizing capital project portfolios as well as developing and delivering mega capital projects. He advises clients on capital productivity, operations, and strategy and leads large company-wide transformations to significantly improve his clients’ performance.

Emilio Miyares

Emilio J. Miyares, CPA, CCIFP, is a construction-focused certified public accountant with more than 25 years of leadership experience in public accounting. As Managing Partner and Construction Practice Leader of Miyares Group, L.L.C., he advises contractors, subcontractors, developers, and construction-related businesses on accounting, tax planning, financial reporting, and strategic growth. His expertise includes job costing, Work-in-Progress reporting, percentage-of-completion accounting, contractor tax compliance, cash flow management, bonding support, internal controls, and profitability analysis. He holds a Master of Taxation from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Accounting from Florida International University. Emilio is a CPA licensed in Florida and a Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional. He is active in industry organizations, including CFMA, the Latin Builders Association, and AGC.

Christopher Hayes

Chris Hayes represents developers, homebuilders, and investors in the acquisition, development, and sale of real property in Florida and California. He has overseen numerous complex acquisitions and dispositions. As part of his transactional practice, Chris also represents clients in retail and office space leasing.

Additionally, Chris works with investors and owners in acquiring and selling small and mid-market sized businesses, having worked on over 65 auto and motorcycle dealership transactions, and multiple other non-automotive asset and equity transfers. His experience and responsiveness is invaluable in managing complex due diligence investigations, serving as borrower's counsel in project financing when applicable, and getting deals closed.

With significant experience in a wide range of real estate, corporate and M&A matters, Chris structures and negotiates turnkey complex business and real estate transactions for his clients. Chris also proudly devotes much of his time, talent and treasure serving on the boards for the Central Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Dave's House, Inc., and the Family of Friends, Inc. (the latter two of which help with housing for people who suffer from mental illness in Central Florida).  

Trey Tate

Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Construction Law, Trey Tate focuses his practice on both contract preparation and negotiation and complex construction litigation. His work with complex construction litigation has a special emphasis on delay claims, construction defect claims, payment disputes, lien and bond claims, and bid protests for his construction clients. 

He handles construction contract negotiation and preparation on projects of all scale and type, from single family luxury homes and multifamily projects to horizontal and vertical projects, including the "Medical City" and "Towncenter" projects at Lake Nona. Trey handled the original design and construction and multi-party project agreements to commence Medical City, including the Sanford-Burnham deal, and has advised Tavistock Development Company on the design and construction of numerous projects in the Lake Nona area including the recently completed USTA complex and Lake Nona Towncenter, which is currently under construction. Having negotiated the contracts for billions of dollars worth of projects, he is adept at advising clients on all aspects of contract negotiation and drafting, including numerous different delivery methods, and regularly advises clients on myriad issues that arise in active construction projects on a daily basis to help keep projects running smoothly and out of litigation.

For claims that cannot be resolved short of litigation, Trey has experience litigating construction claims, having tried numerous cases all the way through a final verdict in both court and arbitration proceedings. Those claims include a wide variety of construction claims including payment, delay, and lien disputes to non-construction claims in the landlord-tenant and general business settings. 

As a former Deputy District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles, Trey tried nearly 30 cases to jury verdict along with conducting numerous bench trials. During his time as Deputy District Attorney, he spent nearly every day in court, conducting hundreds of hearings and questioning thousands of witnesses. With a caseload of over 3,000 cases per year, he developed strong negotiating skills, which he currently uses to achieve success for his clients during mediations and settlement conferences.

Brett Ragland

Brett grew up in Central Florida, where he attended Lake Brantley High School. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Rollins College and later completed his MBA at the Rollins Crummer Graduate School of Business.

He began his surety career in the Orlando branch of Travelers Insurance Company, where he developed his foundation in the surety industry. Over the years, he navigated multiple insurance company mergers before joining CNA Surety, where he rose to the position of Vice President and Branch Manager. In that role, Brett managed one of the largest and most profitable branches within CNA's national network of more than 40 offices.

In 2002, Brett transitioned to the agency side of the business, where he was able to work more directly with clients and focus on long-term relationships. Since then, he has built his career around providing strategic surety solutions and long-term guidance to contractors across the region.

Brett and his wife Lisa have been residents of Oviedo for 35+ years and have two sons, Tyler and Tanner, both of whom work at the agency.

Daniel Levine

Dan is a Miami-native who practiced public accounting, private accounting and management consulting from 1989 to 2002. Since 2002, Dan has led several enterprises focused on land development, home building, residential construction contracting and property management. Dan is a Certified General Contractor and a Certified Public Accountant. Dan earned his Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and his Master degree in Accounting from Florida International University. Dan is an avid musician and a common sight in the South Florida music scene.