Flagship Event: The Legacy, the Present, and the Future of Custom Construction

Mar 5, 2026 · 6:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

A partner event: SAIT & MRU student groups 🤝 industry!

Our first Flagship of 2026!

Our industry has a common problem: We’ve got a generation of veterans heading for retirement, taking 30+ years of hard-won knowledge out the door with them. On the other side, we have a wave of young people entering the trades, told that construction is the place to be, but lacking a bridge to that experience.

Then there’s the rest of us in the middle—and probably most of you reading this! We’re out here running businesses, watching the experience of our predecessors leave and the shiny new people arrive, wondering what this industry is actually going to look like in 10 or 15 years. To figure this out as a community, we’ll be moderating a panel that brings all these perspectives together:

The Legacy: TRICKY WORDING DISCLAIMER We have the most respect for those that have been doing this the longest. It's a testament to their resilience, innovation, and commitment to the craft! And thus we hope to learn from their legacy. Filling this spot on the panel will be our pal and industry leader LeAnne Bunnell Interiors
The Front Lines: Dawn Lavergne (MKL Design) and Byron, bring the current perspective of running custom residential projects
The Next Gen: Student representatives from Mount Royal’s Interior Design program and SAIT’s Project Management and Architectural Technologist programs.

Why You Should Be There: What does someone in the later stages of their career think about the state of the craft? What are the students seeing that we aren’t? We’re going to host this discussion to figure it out together as a community. Whether you’re a seasoned pro, a business owner, or just starting your first year of school, your voice belongs in this room.

As always, we have several tables worth of BBQ coming out after the presentation!

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6:00. Arrival and social hour

7:00. Presentation

8:00 Food and social hour

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You can reach Stefan at hello@buildersandbrews.ca if you have any questions, or if you would like to get your name out there as a sponsor.