Burnham Works 'Speak & Connect' coming Nov. 6

Burnham Works 'Speak & Connect' coming Nov. 6

by Karl Sorensen

Building on the success of its recent Members Night, Burnham Works will host a broader 'Speak & Connect' special event on Thursday, Nov. 6, featuring yet another dynamic young industry leader in the '1130' speaker series.

Lauren Hasegawa, a structural engineer and co-founder of Canadian startup Bridgit, a mobile and web communication platform for construction sites, will be speaking on 'Where We’re Headed: A Look at Construction Technology Trends for 2015'.

Bridgit's Lauren Hasegawa

"Despite her youth, or maybe partly because of it, Lauren already is a 'thought leader' in this industry and a highly sought-after speaker," notes Matt Abeles, Burnham Works managing director. "We are very pleased and honored to have her come to Chicago and 'disrupt' our space."

Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Bridgit was founded in late 2012 by Hasegawa and Mallorie Brodie. The company focuses on developing mobile-first solutions that can help relieve on-site pain points, such as punch list management. Hasegawa is an active mentor to young women in engineering and a frequent speaker at industry events focused on innovation. (For more on Bridgit, see our Sept. 12 'TechTalk': https://www.burnhamworks.com/blog/tech-talk-tuesday/bridgit)

A structural engineer with a background in concrete restoration, Hasegawa previewed her talk. "Today we’re seeing a lot of advancements in adopting new technologies onsite, and many companies are moving towards running fully paperless job sites," she said. "However, while some leaders are adapting quickly, others are finding it more difficult to make the jump. The threat of this growing technological divide makes right now a more important time than ever for construction professionals to pay attention to emerging trends in technology."

This special ticketed networking event will take place here at 1130 W. Monroe at 5:30 pm on Thursday, November 6. Food and drink will be provided, and guests will have a chance to visit with representatives from event sponsors Ozinga, Navistar, Table XI, MasterGraphics, irisVR, SoCore Energy, Bridgit, and Hard Hat Hub.

For tickets, click here