Speaker Interview: Mike Hopple, VDC Manager, Trident Construction

What are you personally speaking about at this year’s conference, and why does it matter right now?

I’m presenting on “Connecting BIM/VDC Coordination with the Construction Schedule to Improve Field Readiness on Mid-Size Projects” along with my colleague, Paul Geier. As Trident Construction’s VDC Manager, I am continually balancing available BIM resources against project schedules and priorities. Because our BIM program is still relatively new, many of our project teams have varying levels of experience and familiarity with BIM coordination workflows. Over the past several years, Paul and I have experimented with different approaches to determine what works best for different project types, teams, and schedules.

Our presentation will highlight both the challenges we have encountered and the successes we have achieved while integrating BIM/VDC efforts with construction planning. Rather than focusing on highly advanced workflows used by the nation’s largest contractors, we will share practical, real-world examples from projects with more modest budgets, staffing levels, and technical sophistication. We hope these lessons learned resonate with attendees by demonstrating how including BIM milestones within project schedules can improve field readiness and planning.

What are you most looking forward to discussing or learning from at this year’s conference?

This conference falls outside my primary area of expertise, which is exactly why I am excited to attend. I look forward to expanding my overall knowledge of construction scheduling and learning from industry experts who are leading the conversation in this space.

More specifically, I believe AI-based progress tracking and schedule validation tools will become increasingly mainstream in our industry. I am interested in learning more about how these technologies are being implemented, the lessons organizations have learned during adoption, and where they are delivering the greatest value. I also hope to gain insights into how these tools could be applied to our work at Trident.