Follow these 5 speakers from the home renovation tech conference hitting Baltimore this week

Homeowners, contractors, remodelers and tech pros who fit in any of those categories, this one’s for you.

This week, the Marriott hotel in Baltimore’s Harbor East neighborhood plays host to a convention focusing on the technology and technologists aiming to make your lives and home reno projects a little easier.

F.A.S.T. Remodeler Live, which starts today, involves two days of panels, talks, sessions and other programming dedicated to this unique intersection of tech and home remodeling. The “F.A.S.T.” part of its name stands for “Focused on Agile Systems and Technology,” and the conference’s constituent events reflect this emphasis on the innovations that could bring this active but typically decentralized industry (think about how many people you’ve seen work on homes as independent contractors) in line with current technology.

Whether or not it lives up to its branding as “the first software and business technology conference for remodelers and home pros,” the Qualified Remodeler-presented convening is undoubtedly tackling an industry with major need for support. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has noted a supply chain issue-driven increase in lumber prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has coincided with people working from home that fueled what some experts have described as a boom in home renovation projects.

The conference is already underway, and registration comes with a $185 price tag. That said, you can follow developments in this ecosystem by following its speakers‘ trajectories. Here are just a few worth keeping tabs on:

• Patrick Fingles, CEO of Columbia, Maryland-based home renovation tech company Leap and owner of Nu Look Home Design. A veteran of this intersection between industries, Fingles today delivered a talk on how cutting-edge technology can be integrated into remodeling firms’ business models for efficiency. He will also lead a roundtable discussion tomorrow morning.
• Jessica Balmes, director of operations systems improvement at Landis Architects/Builders, a design and building firm in DC. Balmes today appeared on a panel on how to best maximize time at F.A.S.T. Remodeler Live. She is also scheduled to speak on several other panels and breakout sessions, as well as deliver a report on Landis’s recent adoption of different business systems.
• Timothy Wenhold, COO of Chester, Pennsylvania-HQed Power Home Remodeling, a home remodeling company that offers customers energy-saving installation options. Wenhold led a session about the company’s “Nitro” software and workplace satisfaction among the Power’s 150-plus employees. At Technical.ly’s Developers Conference a few years ago, he also spoke about what it means to work at a mission-driven company.
• Amy Zimmerman, CMO of Wisconsin-based house remodeling firm Tundraland. She spoke about how AI can help companies better understand customer data and build service around AI-driven insights.
• Scott Siegal, owner of Maggio Roofing and the professional organization Certified Contractors Network in Takoma Park, Maryland. Siegal spoke during a breakout session today about how Maggio Roofing used simple accounting software and Microsoft Office programs to reduce overhead and optimize production.