2026 Fall Meeting
October 19-21, 2026
Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel
Addison, TX
The Fall Meeting is a members-only business event that includes our Town Hall Meeting, Business Session, board meetings, committee meetings, and several networking opportunities and social events. It is the last of DCA’s three main meetings of the year and sets the stage for the coming year.
| DCA 2026 Fall Meeting Agenda* | ||
| Monday, October 19 | ||
| 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Associate Nominating Committee** | Hamilton |
| 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm | Contractor Nominating Committee** | Hamilton |
| 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Welcome Reception & Dinner | Gazebo Courtyard |
| Tuesday, October 20 | ||
| 7:30 am – 8:30 am | Group Breakfast | La Gala |
| 8:30 am – 10:00 am | Business Session Keynote: Mike Howard, Howard Energy Partners | Lalique Ballroom |
| 10:00 am – 10:30 am | Town Hall | Lalique Ballroom |
| 10:30 am – 10:45 am | Break | Lalique Foyer |
| 10:45 am – 11:45 am | Trenchless & HDD Committee Meeting – Beyond the Bore Plan: Rethinking Precision in HDD Execution | Lalique Ballroom |
| 11:45 am – 12:45 pm | Safety & Risk Management Committee Meeting – Voice-Powered Safety: Streamlining Field JSAs Through Speech | Lalique Ballroom |
| 12:45 pm – 1:45 pm | Group Lunch | La Gala |
| 1:45 pm – 2:45 pm | Workforce & Leadership Development Committee Meeting – Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: Training & Early Career Development in the Distribution Industry | Lalique Ballroom |
| 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Innovation & Technology Committee Meeting – Robotics, Automation & Remote Operation — Rethinking the Job Site of Tomorrow | Lalique Ballroom |
| 3:45 pm – 4:00 pm | Break | Lalique Foyer |
| 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm | Government Relations Committee Meeting – Permit Reform: Transmission vs. Distribution – Clearing the Path for Underground Infrastructure | Lalique Ballroom |
| 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Reception & Dinner (First shuttle departs Front Drive at 5:45pm) | Puttshack Addison |
| Wednesday, October 21 | 9:00 am – 9:45 am | Executive Committee Meeting** | Spectrum |
| 10:00 am – 12:00 pm | Board of Director Meeting** | Spectrum |
| **indicates closed meeting | *As of 09/24/2026 | |
Tuesday, October 20
Business Session Keynote Speaker – Mike Howard
Chairman and CEO, Howard Energy Partners
Delivering Positive Energy
Mike’s presentation shares a simple but powerful idea: Affordable, reliable energy is the foundation of human flourishing. Through stories, data, and lessons from the energy industry, Mike will show how energy touches every part of our lives and encourages audiences to become informed advocates for the role energy plays in helping people and communities thrive.
About Mike:
Mike Howard is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Howard Energy Partners, a privately held energy infrastructure company he founded in 2011, that owns and operates assets across five U.S. states and Mexico. Mr. Howard has more than 30 years of experience in the midstream energy sector. Prior to founding HEP, he served as President of Midstream at Energy Transfer Partners. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions with Union Pacific Resources, Duke Energy Field Services, and Crosstex Energy.
Mr. Howard is passionate about building high-performing teams shaped by continuous development, and is a committed advocate for reliable, abundant energy. He often says he is “pro energy, pro climate, and anti-poverty”. Mr. Howard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University–Kingsville, where he was named a Distinguished Alumnus. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of HEP, Atlas Energy Solutions (NYSE: AESI), TXOGA, INGAA, Jonah Energy LLC, and was appointed to the National Petroleum Council by U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
Government Relations Panel Discussion
Permit Reform: Transmission vs. Distribution – Clearing the Path for Underground Infrastructure
Panelists:
Edward Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President of Operations, Hallen Construction
Rob Hotz, General Manager of HDD Operations, ECI
Thomas Jones, Senior Vice President, ARB
Mike Smith, Chief Operating Officer, AGI Construction
Permit reform is increasingly critical to the timely and cost-effective delivery of America’s energy infrastructure. This session will examine the differences between permitting challenges for transmission and distribution projects and the downstream impacts those processes create for contractors in the field.
Discussion will focus on the unique permitting needs of horizontal directional drilling (HDD), natural gas distribution, and electric transmission, including delays, regulatory complexity, agency coordination, and inconsistent requirements across jurisdictions. Join the discussion on what meaningful permit reform could look like from the field to the federal level.
Innovation & Technology Panel Discussion
Robotics, Automation & Remote Operation — Rethinking the Job Site of Tomorrow
Companies Represented on Panel:
Caterpillar – Ditch Witch – Vermeer – Volvo
Where are robotics and automation being used in underground construction today — and what’s still on the horizon? From autonomous excavation and site robotics to remotely operated machines, this session sorts what’s real and working right now from what’s still in development.
Join the discussion with OEMs as they walk through current technology deployments in the field — what’s live on jobsites today, the results being achieved, and where the industry is headed next.
Safety & Risk Management Guest Speaker
Voice-Powered Safety: Streamlining Field JSAs Through Speech
Speaker: Lucas Calleja, Commercial Director, Risk Talk
Voice-driven Job Safety Analysis (JSA) technology replaces cumbersome paperwork and rigid mobile forms with natural, hands-free conversation and real-time AI coaching on hazards and controls. By allowing field crews to verbally record risk assessments, hazard observations, and control measures, this technology cuts pre-task planning time by two-thirds while capturing deeper site-specific detail. Featuring high-accuracy speech transcription in noisy environments, instant multi-language translation, and real-time cloud connectivity, voice-powered JSAs drive authentic crew engagement and safer, more productive jobsites.
Trenchless & HDD Interactive Session
Beyond the Bore Plan: Rethinking Precision in HDD Execution
Speakers:
Siggi Finnsson, Senior Product Manager, Digital Control Incorporated
Jim Lagios, President, Atlas Trenchless, LLC
As HDD projects become longer, more complex, and increasingly constrained by existing infrastructure, the industry is looking for better ways to improve precision, predictability, and risk management. This interactive session will explore the rod-by-rod planning methodology and challenge participants to consider where greater planning precision adds value—and where it may introduce unintended consequences?
Workforce & Leadership Development Panel Discussion
Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: Training & Early Career Development in the Distribution Industry
Panelists:
Kristen Drew, Director of Preconstruction, Michels Corporation
Rishona Harris, Vice President of Human Resources, Centuri
Craig Piano, Gas Trainer, IUOE Local 15
Jason Quimby, Manager of Training, Damage Prevention & Mentor Program, Miller Pipeline
The distribution industry faces a defining challenge: an aging workforce, a tightening labor market, and a growing need for skilled craft professionals. The solution starts before day one. This session brings together DCA member contractors for an open, collaborative conversation on onboarding, training, and early career development in the distribution industry.
The discussion will also confront the bigger question: where are the gaps in our industry, and where does opportunity exist to train and grow the future workforce?
Dinner & Putt at Puttshack
6:00 – 8:00 pm
Join us for an evening of networking, dinner, drinks, and a whole new take on mini golf at Puttshack Addison! Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner and drinks while catching up with DCA friends and colleagues. Then get ready to tee up for a game that is anything but your typical putt-putt.
Puttshack takes mini golf to the next level with tech-infused gameplay, interactive challenges, and automatic scoring. Enjoy continuous play throughout the evening and jump in when you’re ready. Whether you’re looking to connect over dinner and a cocktail, show off your putting skills, or simply have some fun with your DCA friends, Puttshack is the perfect setting for an unforgettable night of friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition and connection!
*Shuttles provided on a loop to and from Puttshack and the hotel.*
Registration Fee: $950 member/ $350 spouse/guest. Prices will go up by $50 after Monday, September 28.
Housing: Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel:
Single or Double Rate: $229.00 plus applicable sales tax and resort fee. Reservation cut-off is Monday, September 28.
The official room block is Sunday, October 18 – Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Click here to make an online reservation. To make reservations outside of the housing block, please call (888) 236-2427 and reference DCA Fall Meeting. When booking, please note the hotel website auto-populates pre- and post-Fall Meeting dates — confirm your arrival and departure dates before finalizing.
Airport Information: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is ~18 miles from the hotel. Love Field (DAL) is ~10 miles from the hotel. Recommend taxi or shared ride rather than rental car given closeness.
Committee Meetings: Meetings are open to all attendees on Tuesday. If you are not on a working committee, we encourage you to attend those that interest you. If you would like to be a permanent member of a committee, please let one of the DCA staff members know.
Monday Evening Networking Reception & Dinner: Please plan to join us for a reception and dinner at the Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel from 6:00 – 8:00 PM or upon your arrival.
Tuesday Evening Putt Putt Reception & Dinner: Join us for an evening of mini golf, bold bites, craft cocktails, and networking at Puttshack. Complimentary shuttle from the hotel will be provided.
Dress: Dress for the DCA Fall Meeting is business casual. No jackets or ties required.
DCA Events App: The DCA Events App is your personal link to the DCA Fall Meeting. The app will keep you in sync with everything happening at the Fall Meeting including the schedule of events, speaker information, registration list, meeting floor plans, meeting materials and event updates and alerts. The data syncing feature also enables you to share event information across mobile devices. Don’t miss out – if it is not already on your mobile device download now by going to EventsApp. The app developers have made updates to the app and suggest that you delete and app and reload it to incorporate the changes.