Vice President, Robotics
WTWH Media

Dan Kara is Vice President, Robotics at WTWH Media where he chartered with driving the company’s robotics initiatives including the Robot Report and Robotics Business Review online portals and the Robotics Summit Conference and Exposition, Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum, and RoboBusiness Conference & Expo.

Prior to joining WTWH, he was Practice Director, Robotics and Intelligent Systems at ABI Research and Chief Research Officer for Myria RAS, both research and advisory services firms focused on automation, robotics and intelligent systems.

Dan was also President of Robotics Trends, an integrated media and research firm serving the personal, service and industrial robotics markets. Dan has also worked as Executive Vice President of Intermedia Group, and Director of Research at Ullo International.

Vice President of Operations
Shelby Erectors, Inc.

Jack Nix lives and breathes construction. He’s been working in the industry since 1985 and is currently the Vice President of Operations at Shelby Erectors. If you spend two minutes talking to him, it’s obvious that Jack has true passion for the work they do.

Jack believes rodbusters are the hardest working people in the construction industry. And after more than 30 years in the industry, he would know.

With skills extending far beyond that of a typical leader, Jack is always up for learning something new. He’s sat on the Board of the Steel Erectors Association for eight years and is currently the membership chair.

Jack is NCCER certified, a Craft Instructor, a Curriculum Performance Evaluator, an Assessment Performance Evaluator, and an Assessment Coordinator. He has Knowledge Verified Training and is also a Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Worker.

Jack hasn’t always worked in the office. What sets him apart as a leader is that he knows what it takes to get the job done, after spending the better part of his career in the field. His team knows he respects and appreciates them and the work they do. And, he deeply cares about his team and their families, so it’s no surprise that most people say Shelby Erectors feels like a family.

Vice President, General Manager
Mortenson Construction

Eric is a 25-year veteran of the Heavy Civil construction industry, and in 2011 started the Civil Group at Mortenson. Mortenson is a national, top-20 ranked U.S. builder and developer. Mortenson’s Civil Group works across the entire U.S. focusing on Heavy Civil infrastructure for renewable energy projects as well as federal installations.

As the general manager, Eric is responsible for all facets of business planning & strategy, business development, preconstruction and operations execution.

Prior to joining Mortenson, Eric spent several years at a leading regional Heavy Highway contractor, serving in a variety of roles from Project Manager to Chief Estimator.

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1995