LCI Congress Warmup Presentations

Presentation 1: 
Create Training That Builds Skills and Delivers Value

Effective training doesn’t just share information, it builds confidence, capability, and long-term value. In this interactive session, Brian Melcher (Field Verified) and Robert Fernandez (Core Construction) share how they created and continuously improve training for builders, architects, and field leaders. You’ll see examples, experience-proven tools, and walk away ready to build your own purpose-driven training, whether for technical skills, leadership, or anything in between.

Attendees will learn how to:
•    Design impactful training—even when starting from scratch
•    Align training content with measurable performance outcomes
•    Use feedback to continuously improve training programs
•    Support Lean culture through purpose-led skill development


PRESENTERS:
Robert Fernandez, Lean Specialist, CORE Construction
Robert Fernandez is a Lean Specialist at CORE Construction, a Construction Manager-at-Risk, Design-Build, General Contracting, Program Management, and Job Order Contractor company with over 1,200 employees providing annual revenue in excess of $1.5 billion. He is also a core member of the Arizona LCI COP. His expertise as a Lean Practitioner has brought substantial cost saving and industry leading safety achievements. By facilitating Kaizen events, he inspires the team to take ownership in their work and initiate the changes needed to meet the company's strategic goals.

Brian Melcher, CEO, Field Verified
Brian Melcher is CEO of Field Verified, the nation’s only Lean-focused enclosure testing and consulting firm. He leads the Enclosure Management training course taught to builders across the country and also teaches a graduate-level version he authored at ASU. With 30 years of experience, Brian has helped shape how the Field Verified team delivers testing on thousands of projects. His team applies Lean principles to deliver testing faster, more effectively, and with greater value to builders.

Presentation 2:
Lean Forward to Go Fast

This presentation examines how Lean delivery principles were applied to accelerate project success when speed to market was the primary objective. Faced with an urgent need to add hospital beds due to overcrowding in the ICU, the owner recognized that traditional approaches would not meet the required timeline. By embracing Lean methodology, the project team redefined success by focusing on delivering high-quality outcomes in the shortest possible time. Key strategies involved setting clear, value-driven goals, assembling a highly collaborative and accountable project team, and utilizing process innovation to eliminate waste and enhance efficiency. Lean tools such as value stream mapping, concurrent design and construction, standardized designs, and continuous feedback loops were leveraged to compress timelines and meet the pressing need for additional ICU capacity. This case study showcases how Lean principles can be effectively utilized to achieve speed to market without compromising quality or cost, offering valuable insights for similar high-priority projects.

PRESENTERS:
Jenna Undlin, Associate, Cuningham Group Architecture
Jenna Undlin is a Project Manager within the Healthcare sector at Cuningham. She is recognized for her collaborative approach—working closely with engineers, vendor partners, and clinical teams—and for leveraging live Revit modeling to guide decision-making, reduce revisions, and deliver highly functional, future-ready spaces. Jenna is driven by a passion for guiding projects from concept through completion, always prioritizing user needs throughout design and construction.

Kyle Allan, Project Executive, DPR Construction
Kyle Allan is a Project Executive within the Healthcare Group at DPR Construction located in the Phoenix, AZ office. With a vast range of experience in the construction industry, Kyle has focused primarily on technically complex projects with a specialization in healthcare and medical facilities. Outside of work, Kyle and his wife Charlotte have a Daughter, Edith (10) and son, Beau (7). He enjoys spending time with his family at the ice rink where he watches his daughter figure skate and helps coach his son’s hockey team.

Tracy Lauer, Project Executive, Cuningham Group Architecture
(Bio coming soon!)

Kasey Kaeser, Regional Lean Champion, Whiting-Turner Contracting Co.
Kasey Kaeser is a Superintendent with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in the Los Angeles Office, with 2 decades of construction experience all at Whiting-Turner. Kasey has a diverse portfolio of construction projects ranging from Large Retail Centers, Medical Offices, Entertainment, Warehouse and Student Housing. Kasey’s first LCI congress was in Forth Worth in 2019 and was invited to be the West Coast Lean Leader for Whiting-Turner in 2021. Outside of work, Kasey and is wife Amy have two sons Hunter (9) and Jackson (6) and love to spend time camping in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California or at the beach in Southern California.

Aaron Zeligman, Sr. Project Executive, Banner Health
Aaron Zeligman is a Sr. Project Executive in Facility Services for Banner Health. He leads a team that oversees development, design, and construction of Inpatient & Ambulatory Healthcare facilities primarily in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. This has included large scale IPD campus expansions, new Medical Office Buildings, and annual renewal of equipment & infrastructure. His background in construction and passion for improving the healing environment has led to an adoption of lean practices in a challenging time for healthcare.

Parking is available onsite in parking lot in front of the building.

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