School of Planning, Design and Construction

The SPDC Industry Seminar Series consists of lectures and presentations by invited speakers who are industry leaders in the built environment profession. These seminars will take place twice a semester and will be followed by a reception and informal get together with SPDC students. Series topics include the latest developments and innovations in the field, along with success stories from the speakers. Many of the speakers will be alumni of the SPDC constituent programs: Construction Management, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban & Regional Planning. 

Questions about the series may be sent to Heidi Macwan at charronh@msu.edu or call 517-353-4454.

Facilitator of the Series

Series Speakers

2019

Building Consensus through Collaboration in Difficult Settings and Diverse Communities

Speaker: Stacie Smith, associate managing director and a senior mediator at the Consensus Building Institute
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2019.
View Smith Seminar Announcement

Accelerating Company Strategy with a Dynamic Built Environment

Speaker: John Beeder, retired President and CEO, American Greetings
Date: Wednesday, October 16, 2019.
View Beeder Seminar Announcement View Beeder Seminar Summary

Residential Development and Construction - Panel Discussion

Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2019.
View Residential Development & Construction Seminar Announcement View Residential Development & Construction Seminar Summary

Speaker: Desiree Davis, Vice President and Division Manager, Ryan Homes

 Speaker: Bernard Glieberman, Chairman of Governmental Affairs & Public Policy, HRS Communities

Speaker: Karen Schroeder, Executive Vice President and Partner, Mayberry Homes 

Speaker: Michael Stoskopf, Executive Officer, Home Builders Association of South East Michigan.

2018

Transformational Developments – The Story of East Lansing’s City Center District

Speakers: Mark Bell, CEO and co-Founder, Harbor Bay Real Estate Advisors, with James Litwin, Vice President of Construction.
Date: Friday, April 20, 2018.
View Bell Seminar Announcement View Bell Seminar Summary

2017

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead For Single-Family and Multi-Family Builders

Speaker: Alan Scott, President and Owner of Alan F Scott, Inc., and Former Co-Founder and Managing Member of the NRP Group.
Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2017.
View Scott Seminar Announcement View Scott Seminar Summary

2016

Downtown Grand Rapids Revitalization

Speaker: Samuel Cummings, Principal and Managing Partner for CWD Real Estate Investment.
Date: Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016.
View Cummings Seminar Announcement View Cummings Seminar Summary

MSU, Urban Planning and Cities: A Career Prospective

Speaker: Scott Adams, deputy city manager of the City of Las Vegas.
Date: Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016.
View Adams Seminar Announcement View Adams Seminar Summary

Re-imagining the Building Process and Building Experience

Speaker: Douglas Maibach, chairman of Barton Malow Enterprises, and executive vice president of Barton Malow Company.
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2016.
View Maibach Seminar Announcement View Maibach Seminar Summary

2015

The World Trade Center More than Just a Redevelopment

Speaker: Peter Riguardi, president of JLL’s New York Tri-state region.
Date: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015.
View Riguardi Seminar Announcement Download Riguardi Presentation View Riguardi Seminar Summary

Reusing Commercial Sites: A Case Study

Speaker: Joseph Maguire, President and CEO of Wolverine Development Corporation, and President of the Society of Environmentally Responsible facilities.
Date: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015.
View Maguire Seminar Announcement View Maguire Seminar Summary

Mixed-Use Case Study: East End Midland

Speaker: Pat Gillespie, Chief Visionary, Founder and President, Gillespie Group.
Date: Friday, April 24, 2015.
View Gillespie Seminar Announcement View Gillespie Seminar Summary

2014

Homebuilding in Michigan: Surviving the Cycles

Speakers: Robert and Karen Schroeder, Co-Owners of Mayberry Homes, and President and Vice President, respectively.
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014.
View Schroeder Seminar Announcement View Schroeder Seminar Summary

The Christman Company: 120 Years of Innovation

Speaker: Jay Smith, LEED AP, Executive Vice President of Construction Operations and Corporate Safety Officer, The Christman Company.
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2014.
View Smith Seminar Announcement View Smith Seminar Summary

2013

Real Estate Development and Construction: Journey from Boji Tower to Present

Speaker: Ron Boji, President of The Boji Group.
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2013.
View Boji Seminar News Release View Boji Seminar Summary