Houston Construction Trends + Innovations

Acho Azuike manages DC Partners' real estate development and investment activities including compliance with all EB-5 Program requirements. Mr. Azuike has over 12 years of experience in the real estate industry with experiences ranging from real estate finance to real estate development. He graduated from The University of Texas with BA in Economics and received his MBA from Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business.

Tadd Tellepsen is CEO of Tellepsen Corporation, a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business founded in Houston in 1909, and is a leading pre- construction and construction services firm with a full- time employee base of around 2,300. Tellepsen is involved in the delivery of Commercial, Petrochemical and Power & Energy distribution complexes. The company is widely recognized for leadership in pre- construction, virtual construction, scheduling, cost control, safety and quality. Over the past 109 years, Tellepsen employees have built many landmarks that shape Houston’s skyline and industrial landscape, while enhancing the quality of life in our communities. Mr. Tellepsen is a part of the fourth generation of ownership and started in the construction industry in 1992. He has served in a variety of positions and responsibilities of management and leadership in the company and industry. Mr. Tellepsen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Southern Methodist University and a Masters of Business Administration from Houston Baptist University. In addition, he serves on numerous corporate and civic boards in the Texas community and was honored by HBU’s 2005 recipient of the HBU “Volunteer of the Year” and 2019 recipient of the HBU “Distinguished Alumnus” award. Mr. Tellepsen is a long-standing member and chapter leader of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and currently serves in directorship roles at Houston Baptist University, YMCA of Greater Houston, Associated General Contractors, Houston Technology Center, and the Episcopal Diocese. Mr. Tellepsen and his wife, Jennifer, have three daughters – Braden, Brooke, Ellie. Tadd enjoys hunting, fishing, tennis, and photography.

Will graduated from the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University with a degree in Construction Science. Will entered the construction project management track with a leading Houston general contracting firm, D.E. Harvey Builders, now known as Harvey Cleary. He moved on to Turner Construction and later E.E Reed. Taking his passion and vison into his own hands he founded Will Carter Construction (WC Construction) in 2018. Throughout his career, Will has had the opportunity to collaborate on projects of all sizes and across multiple disciplines. Regardless of the size of the project, the project complexity, or the experience level of the Client, Will is a true professional who excels at what he does, even in the very competitive construction market that is Houston, Texas. Will’s responsiveness, thoroughness, and passion for the mission in ensuring each project is a success greatly distinguish him amongst his competitors. As direct responses from his clients, “it is very reassuring when Will is building out one of our projects, as his solid track record provides peace of mind from both a personal and a client perspective.” Finally, Will’s growing list of repeat clients serves as an excellent example of his commitment to service, both during construction and after the job is completed.

As CIVE®’s President & CEO, Mr. Domloj has over 20 years of experience in Civil & Structural Engineering, Construction Management and Design. Mr. Domloj has driven the company's growth starting from a small engineering consulting firm to its existing state of being a Design Build firm, providing top-down design, engineering and construction services to Commercial, Industrial and Community sectors. He is now responsible for developing, designing, coordinating, reviewing and evaluating projects and ongoing work of the engineering and construction division at CIVE. Under his leadership, the company has expanded into international markets by establishing presence in Doha, Qatar, while also establishing CIVE Ready Mix in Houston and A2Z Building Material in Dubai, UAE as part of the company’s long-term vision. CIVE continues to receive recognition and accolades by independent publishers both at local, regional, and national level. He has also been appointed by the Mayor of Houston, and Councilman Ed Pollard to serve the Houston community as member of Board of Directors to TIRZ #1 - a redevelopment initiative by the Houston City Council.

As HOK’s Technical Principal, based out of Houston, Thomas oversees the detailed development and documentation of project deliverables for all projects in the Texas Region. Over the course of his career, Thomas has guided some of the country’s most high-profile projects to success, not only as architectural achievements but as vehicles for deftly managing the difficulties, that can derail complex projects. He has developed and implemented people-oriented teaming and management strategies that counter established norms to empower individuals, ensure quality, and deliver high caliber projects under challenging circumstances, while advancing practice models in a continually evolving industry. His people-centered approach to quality control and assurance brings fresh thinking to ingrained teaming and delivery practices by understanding the way people are motivated to work at their best, resulting in architecture that is both inspired and successful. As a member of HOK’s Technical Board, Thomas takes an active role in the development of firmwide domestic and international delivery standards and protocols, technology initiatives, the implementation of new project delivery models, and rigorous quality assurance methods; all of which allow for more efficient and effective HOK project development. Thomas has also spent much of his professional career focusing on mentorship of young professionals preparing for licensure and professional practice. He has served as a board member of the Houston ACE Mentor program for the past six years and as an adjunct professor at Texas Tech University teaching courses on exterior enclosure design and advanced construction technology.

John S. Moody, Jr., is Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has extensive experience in real estate development, leasing, acquisitions, sales and financing. He represents developers, owners, families, financial institutions, investors, retailers and private equity funds in acquisitions, sales, development, leasing, financing and construction of all types of real estate.

A native Houstonian, Harry Masterson is a respected leader in the real estate industry with strong ties to the local community. With a career dating back to 1994, Harry has built an extensive track record in real estate, specializing in large land transactions and Quality Planned Developments (QPDs). As Managing Principal at EMBER, Harry focuses on identifying new business opportunities and fostering key industry relationships, drawing on his expertise in bringing together the right stakeholders and developing innovative concepts. Before founding EMBER, Harry was the principal founder of both the Cernus Group and Concourse Companies, where he led the successful development of numerous communities throughout the Houston area. In recognition of his contributions to the industry, the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) honored him with the "Developer of the Year" award in 2010.Beyond his professional accomplishments, Harry has dedicated much of his time to leadership roles in various industry, community, and nonprofit organizations. He served as the GHBA's President of the Board of Directors in 2013, and has also been a past president of Da Camera of Houston, a committee member for the Museum of Fine Arts – Houston, and chairman of Scenic Houston's board. He currently serves on the boards of the West Houston Association and The Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts. A licensed real estate broker in Texas, Harry earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989. Outside of his professional life, he and his wife Kathy enjoy spending time at their farm with their daughter and twin sons.

Lori Upton is the Vice President of Preparedness and Response, and currently serves as Interim CEO, for the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council (SETRAC). In that capacity, she coordinates and prioritizes planning objectives to meet Federal preparedness and response grant requirements for 25 counties, state EMS and trauma requirements for 9 counties, organizational vision, and leadership for financial growth through SETRAC’s subsidiary Maestro Services, and philanthropic activities through The SETRAC Foundation. With over 40 years’ experience in the healthcare field, Ms. Upton has an extensive background in clinical operations and progressive leadership roles in both urban academic centers and suburban healthcare facilities, including 14 years’ experience in a major urban Level 1 Trauma Center. Ms. Upton was responsible for the development of the Regional Healthcare Preparedness Coalition and authored the regional medical response plan that has now been adopted by all jurisdictional officials in the region served. Actual disaster response experience includes World Trade Center (2001), Hurricane Katrina (2005), Hurricane Rita (2005), Hurricane Gustav (2008), Hurricane Ike (2008), H1N1 Outbreak (2009), West, Texas Explosion (2013), the SE Texas flooding (2016), Hurricane Harvey (2017) and COVID 19 Pandemic. A strong believer in education and training, Ms. Upton developed curriculum that includes hospital incident command systems, decontamination, COOP training, and pediatric-specific disaster response. Ms. Upton has several peer-reviewed papers published in journals such as the Annals of Emergency Medicine and the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, as well as authored the Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course 4th Edition - Disaster Chapter. Lori Upton is a Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and holds a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in Emergency Management from Touro University. She has completed advanced Incident Management trainings through FEMA, leadership training through The Studer Group, and effective communication strategies through Crucial Conversations, and Crisis Communication training.

Jason R. Atkinson founded Grey Wolf Engineers in early 2020 on the best practices learned from four of the top civil engineering firms in Texas. He is a sixth-generation civil engineer and surveyor who started in the business at age 13 carrying the surveying bag for his family’s firm. He has over 27 years of civil engineering experience in Greater Houston. His primary role is in project and client management.

Craig joined the Elysium Team in 2022 bringing approximately 15+ years of experience as an internal construction leader for Fortune 500 companies and most recently on the general contractor side primarily within the New York and New Jersey Markets. Craig has also undertaken projects across the US in locations such as: Boston, Connecticut, Chicago, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, DC, and Washington State. While Craig began on the client side overseeing real estate and construction for companies such as NBC Universal, Ernst & Young and Unilever, he transitioned to the service side to lend his expertise to a more diverse base of clients. Craig’s portfolio is comprised of both large and small projects spanning in size from 150 to 1million square feet, in a wide array of sectors such as: legal & financial, hospitality, entertainment/studio, retail, giving him a wide array of industry

Jerry is currently a Principal at Heights Venture, a design and generalist architecture firm with offices in Houston, Dallas, and a soon-to-be-office in Chicago. A man of vast knowledge and experience, Jerry started in the design and construction industry as a landscape designer, custom furniture and architectural millwork fabricator and installer, and a restaurant and bar design-builder. With nearly forth years experience designing and building projects across many market sectors, he enjoys the challenges associated with urban infill, adaptive re-use, historic hospitality and vertically integrated mixed-use projects. Jerry is constantly researching process improvement in architectural delivery and is looking for ways to leverage automation and artificial intelligence in project workflow while simultaneously delivering world-class design.

Cody Schneider is dedicated to representing his clients in construction-related disputes in the commercial real estate, public works, and energy industries. He has successfully represented clients on both the plaintiff and defense side in construction disputes involving multimillion-dollar claims, bringing a detail-oriented approach to complex matters. Cody regularly represents owners, developers, contractors, suppliers, and governmental entities in a broad range of matters in prelitigation disputes, arbitrations, and lawsuits in both state and federal courts. Specifically, Cody has represented clients in disputes involving claims for breach of contract, breach of warranty, construction defects, fraud, negligence, differing site conditions, pass-through claims, change order claims, extra time and money, delays, loss of productivity, liquidated damages, fund trapping and retainage, as well as lien and bond claims. Additionally, Cody has transactional experience involving pre-construction contract negotiations, crane swing easements, as well as amendments to agreements following the commencement of construction and post-construction, including drafting provisions involving warranties, bonds, indemnifications, and releases, among others. Cody is Board Certified in Construction Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.