May 1 & 2, 2008

Our May 2008 conference featured:

Keynotes

 The Need for Industry Leadership
Terry Mock, Executive Director, SLDI

These are challenging times in our industry. The public doesn’t trust that the industry is serving their interests, and opposition to land development projects because of social and environmental concerns is running at an all-time high. Mitigating these problems clearly drags projects from concept to completion, adding both time and cost. Aligning business, social and environmental issues can seem like a daunting, if not impossible, task. But there are solutions at hand.

SLDI is a cooperatively-owned organization of land development stakeholders who are joining together for a common purpose – to promote land development around the world that balances the needs of people, planet and profit – for today, and future generations.

 The Documented Need for a Holistic, Triple-Bottom-Line Approach to Sustainable Development
Dr. Robert Patterson, Co-Director, University of Texas Center for Sustainable Development

Dr. Patterson will present a compelling case that, despite the familiarity with the concept of sustainability, sustainable development has not emerged as a planning paradigm, nor is it being effectively implemented on a broad scale...

 Prefurbia - Redesigning the Suburbs, from Disdainable to Sustainable
Mr. Rick Harrison, President, Harrison Design Studio

Acknowledging the needs and desires of the space-seeking home buying market (80% of the U.S. market) and offering exciting affordable-to-build neighborhood solutions that beautify and enhance suburban quality of life. Award-winning designer and land planning author Rick Harrison offers a number of insightful perspectives and specific recommendations on how to deliver the greatest possible value in your developments.

Case Studies:  Sustainable Development in Practice
Mr. Frank Sitterle, Mr. Jeff Buell - Sitterle Homes
Learn how to design a single-family residential community that is both attractive to homebuyers and sensitive to its environs.  Frank Sitterle, Jr. and Jeff Buell of Sitterle Homes in San Antonio will discuss how the company brought about innovations in design in its local market and the obstacles it encountered from development officials and the buying public.  This Spring, Sitterle Homes will launch a new community incorporating lessons learned from this project into a new neighborhood that evenly more aggressively uses sustainable design and addresses the lifestyle of its buyers.

Leading Industry Presenters

Attendees received two FULL days of educational, best-practice sessions to increase your effectiveness and profitability – on such topics as finance, sustainable development, business management, entitlements, the latest innovations, and much more. Here are some of the extraordinary breakout sessions that were offered:

• Accessing Wall Street Capital for Your Projects
• Financing Options for Developers, Contractors and End Users
• The Ideal Energy Delivery Model for Sustainable Development
• Leveraging Spatial Technologies in Land Development
• Gaining Consensus in Tough Situations
• When it Rains, it Drains
• Developing in a Floodplain: Understanding FEMA’s Requirements
• Engineering 101
• Regeneration of Contaminated Sites
• Developing Sustainable Communities on an Ecological Foundation
• Perspective on a Developer-Centric Approach to Sustainable Development
• Planned Communities and Membrane Bioreactors
• Marketing Strategies for Maximum Impact
• Sustainable Development with Community Propane Distribution Systems
• Economic Opportunities with Decentralized Wastewater
• Every Project Needs a Story: Developing a Great Brand
• Know Just Enough: Engineering for Developers
• Deep Ecology: From Business as Usual to Nature as Usual
• Design, Construction and Certification
• Context Sensitive Solutions: Eliminate the Battle Lines

New Solutions

On the exhibit floor were business development opportunities, new products and solutions and innovative collaboration with 50+ leading suppliers in the industry.
Exhibitors included companies in the following areas:

• Sustainable Wastewater Systems
• Sustainable Stormwater Management
• Communications Infrastructure Technologies
• Development Planning, Design, and Construction Technologies
• Clean Energy Systems
• Transportation and Bridge Solutions
• Ecological Information Services
• Erosion Control Solutions
• Retaining Structure Solutions
• Financial Services
• Design and Planning Services
• Site Amenity Solutions
• Risk Management Solutions
• Construction Solutions
• …and many more

Visionary Project Showcase

 Land Development Breakthroughs conferences provide the opportunity for industry leaders to distinguish themselves by being honored for their unique successes. And it provides the opportunity for participants to learn about today’s best practices for land development success.

Click here for information on the 2008 Visionary Award Winner - Tallyn's Reach, Developed by Carma Colorado.  

Plan Review Workshops

Many took advantage of this unique opportunity to get FREE plan review consulting from the experts face-to-face.

We are pleased to have had the following professionals generously agree to share their talents with us in Austin:

• Rick Harrison, President, Rick Harrison Site Design Studio
• Steve Sletner, President, TEC Design, Inc.
• David Clinger, David Clinger & Associates 
• Matt Phelps, APEC Engineering
  Pete Verdicchio, SEC Planning Consultants