Recap: 2026 Great Lakes Design and Construction EXPO

More than 1,300 attendees filled the Vibe Credit Union Showplace (formerly the Suburban Collection Showplace) in Novi on February 3, 2026, for this year’s Great Lakes Design and Construction EXPO. The show floor featured more than 120 exhibitors transforming the sprawling venue into a vibrant showcase of the construction industry’s latest offerings, from heavy equipment rentals and designer glass products to an extensive range of safety gear.

This year's event, co-hosted by the Construction Association of Michigan and the Home Builders Association of Southeastern Michigan, featured five educational sessions, an Economic Forecast Breakfast, and CAM’s 140th Annual Meeting. Throughout the day, commercial and residential contractors, architects, suppliers, and service providers enjoyed networking opportunities and business-building workshops aimed at strengthening Michigan’s construction industry.

Among the exhibitors this year was first-timer Tyler Phillips, a partner at Livonia-based Apex Law, and CAM member since 2019. Phillips said he chose to exhibit at the EXPO this year because the more engaged he becomes with CAM, the greater the professional and personal benefits.

“Tracey (McLenon,  CAM Vice President of Operations) actually told me when I first joined CAM that it’s like a gym membership. You get out of it what you put into it. And CAM, the trade show, and the CAM membership is the same. I’ve been a member since 2019, and I get more involved every year,” Phillips said. “So, the trade show is like another gym trip, another something you can get out of it. You've got to put in the time and put in the work, and it’s really helpful.”

Phillips said one tip he learned as a first-time exhibitor should help others. “The advice I would give is do the work beforehand in terms of letting your people know that you’re here … I’ve been at the EXPO a few timeswalking around (on the show floor). Let people know that you’re going to be here so they can stop on by,” he suggested.

Terrie Webster, Branch Manager of Skyworks, also emphasized the value of promoting your participation in the EXPO well in advance. “It’s an awesome opportunity to be able to get in with where your customers are going to be, depending on your budget and depending on what you want to do. CAM has a booth that fits everybody’s budget,” she explained. “You know, if you’re concerned about not being able to have enough customers come through, start with a small booth, see what you can do, advertise that you’re going to be here, and then you can go into a larger booth or keep it small.”

Skyworks, a Garden City-based construction equipment and tool rental company, has exhibited at the Great Lakes Design and Construction EXPO for the past four years. Webster said it’s important to attend the EXPO “because it’s our industry, it’s our customers, our partners, our manufacturers, our vendors are here. It’s an opportunity in one place to be able to see everybody.”

Skyworks has been a CAM member for five years and considers the association an excellent resource for professionals in the construction industry, citing its low membership dues and the value of the CAM Construction Buyers Guide. “Just the Buyer’s Guide alone is a great resource, particularly for my new sales reps. When we have new sales reps starting, what a great opportunity to be able to go and see that there are electricians, there are plumbers listed,” Webster continued. “You can go through the guide, and it gives you some idea of where to start a sales call, because you have all the information.”

Chris Patterson, General Manager at CB Asphalt Paving in New Boston, has been an exhibitor at the EXPO for nine years. He agrees that the CAM Construction Buyer’s Guide is an excellent resource. “The Buyer’s Guide gives you a good library, and it covers the whole state. So if you’re in metro Detroit or you’re doing something in Grand Rapids, you can go in there and find someone that can service that area to help you out for whatever your project might be,” Patterson said.

Despite Challenges, Economic Forecast Highlights Opportunities for Growth

Michigan’s construction outlook for 2026 strikes a familiar chord, blending ongoing uncertainty with cautious optimism about the economy, interest rate trends, and activity across commercial, industrial, and residential building in the year ahead.

More than 200 guests attended the Economic Forecast Breakfast, where Fan-Yu Kuo, Senior Economist at the National Association of Home Builders, shared NAHB’s outlook for the coming year. Kuo described 2025 as a choppy year, with import tariffs creating volatility and uncertainty that weighed on the economy early on. Conditions improved in the third quarter, delivering the strongest growth in years, before momentum slowed again in the final months of the year.

In the next year, Kuo said she expects 2.3% economic growth. Tax law changes, as well as recent and expected interest rate cutsshould benefit the nation. “That means that we can have more money in our pockets. And that suggests that consumer spending will remain strong this year,” Kuo said.

Housing issues are multifaceted, with both supply/availability problems and financial issues impacting the market. While interest rates dropped three times last year, they remain much higher than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interest rates are about 6.1% now, down from 7% a year ago. Roughly 80% of homeowners have mortgages at rates of 6% or lower, so interest rates will need to drop further to convince more people to sell. That’s not expected for another year, however, according to Kuo.

“When mortgage rates get closer to what existing homeowners already have, we’ll see more activity from both buyers and builders,” Kuo explained, “and this will help unlock the market and also improve the housing affordability.”

Housing affordability continues to be the most significant hurdle for many prospective buyers. Home prices in Michigan remain elevated, putting added pressure on affordability and keeping some would-be homeowners on the sidelines. Meanwhile, the consumer debt-to-disposable-income ratio has climbed to approximately 5.4 percent, further straining household budgets and making it more difficult for prospective buyers to set aside funds for a down payment.

“Home prices have surged since COVID. At the national level, home prices have increased 55% since COVID. And Michigan is up 57%, with metro Detroit up 53%,” Kuo said. “Homeowners with low-rate mortgages are not selling their houses, so tight inventory plus population growth continue to push up home prices.”

On the commercial construction side of things, Kuo said she has seen priorities shift. Spending on general office projects has decreased since 2020, during the pandemic’s onset. The drop has accelerated in the past three years from more than $70 billion in construction spending in 2023 to about $45 billion in 2025: a 35% drop. Data center construction, however, has exploded. Since ChatGPT’s release to the public in late 2022, the United States has seen construction spending for data centers grow from about $10 billion to more than $40 billion.

“Data center construction is now almost as big as office construction. The market is shifting, and that is a new trend in commercial construction,” Kuo said. “We see that strong AI investment is kind of driving construction spending.”

Looking ahead, Kuo said that data center construction in Michigan and nationally will continue. Construction in manufacturing, healthcare, offices, and warehouses has been flat or decreasing in the past year. “For commercial, we see some bright spots like data centers, but most sectors are facing headwinds,” she said.

On the residential side, both single-family and multifamily construction are currently down. However, Kuo noted that activity is expected to pick up in the coming years as strong underlying demand continues to drive the need for new housing.

“Looking ahead, we are expecting single-family construction to remain weak in the near term, but when mortgage rates drop further and policy settles, we think that builders will respond because we still have demand,” Kuo said. “But here is a positive side for Michigan. While the nation saw the single-family new starts down 7% in 2025, Michigan is up 3%, and the Detroit metro area is relatively stable. It’s just down 1% year to date. So that said, Michigan is outperforming the national market.”

Challenges also extend to the supply chain, including the availability of buildable lots and costs of building supplies. Lumber prices have stabilized, but Canadian lumber now has a 45% effective tariff rate driving rates up. The labor market impact is somewhat unknown, as well. “Building materials are available now, but tariffs are making them more expensive,” Kuo explained, adding that tariffs raise the cost of a single-family home by about $10,000. “Labor is available, but a  tighter immigration policy could change that.”

140 Years Strong: CAM Annual Meeting Highlights Leadership and Excellence

Nearly 500 people attended CAM’s 140th Annual Meeting and Luncheon, giving members a report on the health of the association, a review of accomplishments from the prior year, and plans for the upcoming year. Among the Annual Meeting traditions is the presentation of an iconic red blazer to the Board’s incoming Chairman. This year, Michael P. Joseph, Principal, Executive Vice President of DeMaria, was inaugurated as the 2026 Chairman of the Board. Joseph has been working at DeMaria since 1993 and has led the company’s estimating department for more than half of that time.

“Thank you for entrusting me to be the next Chairman of CAM,” Joseph said from the podium. “I’m equally grateful to all our CAM board members who generously give their time, insight, and energy to strengthen this great organization. Their dedication helps ensure we continue delivering the top-quality services and resources our members rely on. Together, this board plays a vital role in driving innovation, growth, and collaboration across Michigan’s construction industry, making it stronger for the next generation of designers, builders, and leaders,” he said.

Joseph outlined his priorities for the year, highlighting a focus on expanding CAM membership—particularly among owners, architects, and engineers—revamping CAM’s training programs, advancing the CAM Young Professionals initiative, and sustaining the momentum of the CAM Roundtable events.

“Our next roundtable event will be on data centers and the opportunity they present, as well as the impact they will have on the local construction labor market,” Joseph said. In addition, he highlighted goals to “revamp our CAM training programs with expanded offerings in professional development and updated estimating classes that leverage new technology and the use of AI in the estimating process.”

New CAM Directors Introduced

Each year, three members of the board retire, and the CAM membership votes for three new directors. Joining the Board in 2026 are:

• Brian Parvin, Vice President of Custom Architectural Sheet Metal Specialists, Inc. (CASS)
• Heather Obrecht White, Senior Vice President at Auger Klein Aller Architects
• Ross Winiemko, Project Manager at Curtis Glass Company

Keynote Address: Mike Duggan on “Moving Michigan Forward Together”

This year’s Annual Meeting keynote speaker featured Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan. In introducing Duggan, CAM President Kevin Koehler announced that the CAM Board of Directors had unanimously approved the organization’s endorsement of his campaign for governor. CAM also endorsed Duggan when he ran for Mayor of Detroit in 2013. Duggan spoke on how his political journey as a write-in candidate for Detroit Mayor shares similarities with his current bid for Governor.

Building on his experience as Mayor of Detroit, Duggan emphasized the importance of cooperation in addressing Michigan’s economic challenges—a central theme of his keynote, “Moving Michigan Forward Together.” Running as an independent, he shared insights into his campaign strategy and the need to bridge political divisions across the state. Reflecting on his mayoral campaign, Duggan described using personal, hands-on approaches to connect with voters, including visiting homes and listening directly to residents’ perspectives on the kind of leadership they wanted for their city.

“It’s an interesting thing when you sit in people’s homes and break bread with them … everything that divides us fades to the background, and our common interests come forward,” Duggan said.

Duggan also highlighted his efforts in urban revitalization, including attracting new manufacturing plants and high-rise developments during his time as the 75th Mayor of Detroit. Duggan said he actively lobbied the Big Three and other market leaders to promote business redevelopment in the city. He led the charge to revamp the permitting process and allowed tax breaks for redevelopment, mentioning Jeep, Ford, Lear, and Flex-N-Gate as examples of companies reinvesting in Detroit because of his efforts.

Duggan said that Michigan needs a stable business development plan that can outlast partisan politics. In the past 15 years, Michigan shifted from transformational brownfield incentives under then-Gov. Rick Snyder to the SOAR (Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve) after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took office. SOAR was scrapped late last year.

“You’re a national company, and you’re thinking about where to go. Do you want to go to a state where the Republicans and Democrats are so evenly divided, they change the strategy every two years and keep flipping it back and forth?” Duggan posed. Seeing that partisanship and low approval rates for both Democratic and Republican politicians, he decided that running his gubernatorial campaign as an Independent was the logical conclusion.

Duggan expressed his support for data centers and their development in Michigan. He noted that the issue is currently creating confusion, emphasizing the need for the state to establish clear standards so that residents and developers alike have a shared understanding of the process. Proper guidelines, he stressed, would help ensure that data centers address power demands responsibly while protecting the environment and Michigan’s water resources.

DCC George and Mary Turek Hall of Science Awarded Project of the Year

The CAM Project Achievement Awards were celebrated during the 140th Annual Meeting. Every year, 12 construction projects are featured in the October issue of CAM Magazine, the official publication of the Construction Association of Michigan. Following evaluation and voting by the CAM Magazine Editorial Advisory Committee, CAM staff, and an online survey, one of the projects is crowned CAM Project of the Year.

The 2025 Project of the Year honor went to Detroit Catholic Central’s George and Mary Turek Hall of Science. The school expansion showcased an accomplished project team, with Jonna Construction serving as the owner’s representative and J.S. Vig Construction as the construction manager. Integrated Design Solutions served as both architect and engineer of record, while engineering services were provided by Zeimet Wozniak and Associates(civil), SDI Structures (structural), and Grissim Metz Andriese (landscape).

“Catholic Central is honored and humbled to have received such an incredible award,” said President of Detroit Catholic Central Ed Turek. “The project was a team effort from a lot of great partners. There were some great nominees, so to win is a blessing that we take with great appreciation.”

With a restored Blue Angel jet suspended from the ceiling in the building’s high-tech robotics area, this $51 million addition blends rich tradition and modern resources for students and faculty to enjoy. The facility includes eight naturally lit STEM labs, an observatory, a 270-degree digital immersion room, advanced flight simulators, and a sustainable greenhouse.

“Hearing our project announced as Project of the Year was incredibly meaningful. This recognition from our industry peers is a testament to the hard work, ingenuity, and creativity our entire team brought to what we believe will be a lasting legacy for the Catholic Central community,” said Adrian La Tona, Senior Associate at Integrated Design Solutions.

Another memorable moment at this year’s Project Achievement Awards came when the Michigan State University Multicultural Center was presented with the 2025 “Special Recognition of Community Impact” award. This honor, rarely bestowed in the program’s history, highlights exceptional projects that create lasting community value. The award highlights the role such projects play in promoting inclusivity and connection, noting that its design reflects the values and diversity of the university community it supports.

Other finalists receiving Project Achievement Awards include (in no particular order):

• JST Test Lab
• Studio Park Tower
• University of Michigan Edward and Rosalie Ginsberg Building
• AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle
• Michigan Tech University H-STEM Engineering & Health Technologies Complex
• Corewell Health Grand Rapids Hospitals Care Center
• Oakland University’s South Foundation Hall
• Ford Engineering Laboratory
• Redford Township District Library
• Genesee County ARTP Digester Plant

All of the recognized projects were featured in CAM Magazine’s October 2025 Project Achievements issue. CAM is currently accepting submissions for its 2026 Project Achievements program. To be eligible, projects must be constructed or designed by a CAM member company and must have been completed – or reached substantial completion – between June 2025 and June 2026. Visit cammagazineonline.com for more information.