Buildit

BuildIT would like to amplify the Construction Collaborative Small Business Access Session hosted by Stanford University, Stanford Health Care, and SLAC at Cardinal Hall in Redwood City on November 11!

This in-person event will connect small businesses with people involved in construction, facilities, operations, maintenance, and supplier engagement across three Stanford entities. The day will feature business and opportunity-focused conversations, Q&A, networking over lunch, and small-group discussions with stakeholders—all designed to create meaningful connections and help businesses better understand how to engage with our organizations.

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Cardinal Hall, 505 Broadway, Redwood City
Registration: $40, including lunch. Doors open at 9:10 a.m.

Register by 10.30.26 @ https://bit.ly/4dnhlOR

Columbus, Ohio, Latinos In Transit - LIT and Buildit – a winning combination!

BuildIT was proud to be in Columbus, Ohio to attend Latinos in Transit’s (LIT) National Conference September 10 – 13, 2026. This year’s conference marked the organization's 10th anniversary as a national nonprofit under the theme "Celebrating 10 Years of Excellence, Leadership, and Impact.”

At their Saturday evening Gala, LIT presented BuildIT with their "Impact Through Partnership Award" for our unwavering commitment to the growth and success of their organization. They also highlighted our collaboration which has helped strengthen our mission, expand their impact and empower the next generation of transit leaders.

It has been BuildIT’s sincere honor to collaborate with LIT over these past six years. Their national organization is a constant source of inspiration. Their focus on advancing professional growth, leadership development, networking, and technical training within the public transportation sector is a national model of workforce development.

Our gratitude to the leadership and staff of LIT for this amazing honor: President: Eugenio Bonet, Vice President: Megan Perrero, Treasurer: Rosa Medina-Cristobal, Secretary: Anthony Valdiosera, Executive Director: Christina Villarreal, Program Administrator: Fernanda Uribe and Directors Lina Aragon, Dietter Aragon, Monica Tellez-Fowler, Jerry Bustamante, Jose Hernandez, Niorka "Nio" Mendez, Juan Higuera, Christian Londono, Maria Cristina Hallner, Canek Aguirre, Braian Morales-Galves, Tony Mercado and Ivan Rodriguez

Buildit resoundingly congratulates Nuria Fernandez on her induction into the 2026 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Hall of Fame. ATPA will induct its 2026 Hall of Fame honorees during the Honors Ceremony on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at its TRANSform Conference and Expo being held in Chicago, Illinois.

With more than three decades dedicated to public transportation, Nuria has always championed a powerful truth: public transit is fundamentally about people, and it matters. The buses, trains, ferries, and infrastructure we build are vital because they connect lives, create opportunities, and strengthen communities.

Under the leadership of Nuria Fernandez, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors voted unanimously to include LGBT-owned businesses into their procurement and diversity programs on May 5, 2016. This landmark decision established the expanded Business Diversity Program (BDP) and it marked a historic milestone as the first time a government transportation agency in the United States codified the inclusion of LGBT enterprises into its formal procurement policies. There were no goals associated with this program. Rather, it was an invitation for LGBT/Allied businesses to actively engage in the VTA’s competitive bidding process based on the firm’s experience, qualifications and capacity.

Please join all of us at BuildIT in celebrating Nuria and congratulating all of this year's fellow Hall of Fame inductees and APTA award recipients on their incredible achievements.

&E

It will take weeks to digest the discussions that took place at yesterday’s Buildit NYC Gathering at the Empire State Building, and the business connections made will last a lifetime!

As the dust starts to settle, we are grateful for the AEC Industry leaders who joined us to shape the conversations that will ultimately lead us to updating our 20-year business plan so that it meets both the moment and the momentum that we’ve created.

A special thank you to those industry ‘super stars’ who joined us that are featured in this graphic:

Polly Trottenberg, Dean NYU Wagner
Greg Kelly, CEO, STV
Dave Ulman Deputy Secretary for Transportation/New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s Office
Felicia Alexander, Telos Advisers and former Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment at the Federal Transit Administration

And to the 10,213 LGBT/Allied Entrepreneurs, Professionals, Tradespeople throughout the AEC industry around the world – we are grateful to be engaged with you on a weekly basis! Onward and upward… together as an industry!

Thank you, Engineering News-Record and Telos Advisers for your remarkable collaboration and partnership.

On the eve our New York City 'Gathering' BuildIT is exceptionally pleased to share that Ural Yal, CEO of Shimmick Corporation, will kick off the event which is going to be standing room only.

Ural Yal is Chief Executive Officer for Shimmick. Mr. Yal brings over 26 years of experience in water and critical infrastructure construction in operations, sales and leadership roles.

Throughout his career, Mr. Yal has focused on infrastructure development across the full project lifecycle, from concept to operations. His expertise spans design, construction, permitting, contracts, right-of-way, and commissioning. He has managed project and business unit P&Ls, developed business strategies, and led multi-billion-dollar business development efforts.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Yal progressed from Field Engineer and Scheduler to Project and Area Manager, developing deep expertise in the California market. From 2017 to 2024, he held various senior roles at Construction, most recently as Executive Vice President, where he led market expansion across North America and adoption of collaborative project delivery methods. He specializes in infrastructure solutions incorporating climate resiliency, clean water supply, autonomous transportation, energy transition, and AI technologies, while engaging in regulatory framework development.

Full NYC The Gathering event details: https://lnkd.in/gU3pMZwX

The Founders of BuildIT are enormously proud to announce the addition of Polly Trottenberg to our world-class line up of featured speakers, panelists and special guests at our Tuesday, September 15, 2026, NYC ‘Gathering’ at the Empire State Building.

Polly Trottenberg was named Dean and Global Distinguished Professor, NYU Wagner on August 1, 2025.

From 2021 to 2025, she served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, helping lead the Department during a historic period of federal investment in the nation’s transportation infrastructure. She also served as Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Prior to USDOT, Trottenberg served for seven years as New York City Transportation Commissioner, leading one of the nation’s largest municipal transportation agencies through a period of significant growth, innovation, and the challenges of COVID-19. She also led New York City’s Vision Zero initiative, the first comprehensive effort of its kind in the United States to reduce roadway fatalities.

Earlier in her career, Trottenberg served as Assistant Secretary and Under Secretary for Transportation Policy at USDOT, spent 12 years on Capitol Hill, and worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She has also held leadership roles with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Northeast Corridor Commission, Union Station Development Commission, and TRANSCOM.

Full NYC The Gathering event details: https://www.build-it.world/the-gathering-nyc-2026

Buildit welcomes Dave Ullman, New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s Deputy Secretary of Transportation, to our NYC Gathering on September 15, 2026.

Dave Ullman is the Deputy Secretary to Governor Kathy Hochul for Transportation in the New York State Executive Chamber, where he's been since 2023 in his current position and previously as an Assistant Secretary for Transportation. In that role, Dave works with State agencies and authorities to advance the Governor's transportation agenda across New York. Prior to joining the Executive Chamber, he served as a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at MTA Construction and Development and practiced as an infrastructure project development and finance attorney at Shearman & Sterling LLP. Dave earned his B.A. from Amherst College; a M.P.P. from the Harvard Kennedy School; and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Full NYC The Gathering event details: https://www.build-it.world/the-gathering-nyc-2026

Buildit continues to announce our featured speakers, panelists and special guests for next week’s NYC ‘Gathering.” We are exceptionally honored to share that Christopher Elmore, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs in NYC, will be a featured panelist providing his expertise in transportation funding and Public Private Partnerships.

Christopher joined Goldman Sachs’ Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking Group full time in July 2008. Chris co-heads the PSI Transportation / P3 group, focusing on P3 financing and advisory efforts as well as US municipal / governmental transportation financing. He has significant experience working on over $14 billion of P3 and advisory transactions for RCO, Transurban Chesapeake, New York MTA / Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, JetBlue JFK T6-7, the Chicago Transit Authority, Denver RTD Eagle P3 Project, US-36 Phase 2 Managed Lanes, Seagirt Marine Terminal, and Port of Oakland Outer Harbor Terminal, among others. Chris has worked on senior managed transportation and project finance transactions for: Grand Parkway, San Joaquin Hills and Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, , San Francisco 49ers, Capital Beltway, Denver RTD, New York MTA / Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, Dulles Toll Road, Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Amtrak, Lehigh County Authority, Houston Metro, Mid-Bay Bridge Authority, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, and Denver International Airport, among others. To date Chris has worked on over $22.5 billion of senior managed financings for transportation projects.

Christopher formerly served on the steering committee and currently sits on the MD roundtable supporting the Americas LGBTQ+ Network at Goldman Sachs.

Christopher graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Mathematical and Computational Sciences.

Full NYC The Gathering event details: https://www.build-it.world/the-gathering-nyc-2026

It is with immense pride that Buildit announces that Sara Appleton, Director of the Penn Station Transformation program, is a confirmed speaker at our 9/15/2026 infrastructure and transportation summit at the Empire State Building. This convening of national/international AEC industry leaders will help ‘set the course’ for BuildIT’s 20-year business plan development.

Sara Appleton is an urban development and transportation strategist focused on driving complex megaprojects and public programs that enhance quality of life across the New York metropolitan area. Sara currently leads Amtrak’s multibillion-dollar Penn Station Transformation program, a landmark initiative to modernize the historic transportation hub and revitalize the surrounding neighborhood. Prior to Amtrak, Sara led consultant teams at McKinsey & Company, advising senior government leaders on strategic planning, financial management, and operational efficiency. Sara has also led development initiatives at the NYC Economic Development Corporation and was appointed by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer to serve as a Board Member on Manhattan Community Board 4, using her position to advocate for quality-of-life improvements along Manhattan’s West Side. Sara earned her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and B.A. from Georgetown University. A native New Yorker, she lives in Manhattan with her husband and daughter.

Full NYC The Gathering event details: https://www.build-it.world/the-gathering-nyc-2026