Members: Get to Know Your Industry

Our member-exclusive events offer member companies and their employees the perfect opportunity to further establish their network within the construction industry.

These social and networking events represent a huge added benefit to membership, with exciting and varied events to participate in and show your support for MBEX.

  • Check out the full 2024 Events Calendar as events are being added throughout the year. Dates & times subject to change for listed events.

All of our events are sponsored in part by The Builders Group (TBG).  Thank you, TBG!

January

01.14.2025 Construction Estimating Principles & Application

Great estimators know that to be competitive and competent in the current market, their companies must continually be in search of an edge, answering the questions, “How can we approach this project differently than our competition?”
 

DATE: Tuesday, January 14
TIME:  12:00pm - 4:00pm CST
LOCATION:  Online
INSTRUCTOR:  Troy DeGroot, UChapter2.com
PRICE:  $350 - MBEX Members |  $490 - Non-MBEX Members

This virtual interactive training workshop is scheduled in one half-day session.
 


 

Viewpoint 1 - The Estimating Principles Behind Every Bid
This open forum discussion led by a panel of experienced construction estimators explores advanced elements of construction estimating. Experienced estimators will be challenged to evaluate their own systems within the framework of current trends and models with an emphasis on Bluebeam. Every topic will be discussed from various perspectives to allow estimators from across the spectrum to benefit.

Learning Objectives:

  • Cost / Price analysis
  • Pricing project constraints
  • How to build flexibility into your system
  • Optimum time to complete
  • Escalation
  • Managing risk within the estimate
  • Danger zones to avoid

 

Viewpoint 2 - How Technology Can Produce Faster, More Accurate Estimates
Oftentimes simply being more visual in your bid scope can put you ahead of the competition by showing you truly understand the project. We’ll spend some time demonstrating how technology can not only replace your highlighters, scales, and calculator, but create company standards for you and your team. With an emphasis on Bluebeam Revu, these digital tools and workflows will produce clear, visual markups that are accurate, predictable, and consistent no matter who on the team uses them.

Learning Objectives:

  • Working with PDF drawings
  • Calibrating drawings
  • Measurement tools
  • Custom measurement tools
  • Displaying and exporting data

01.15.2025 Introduction to Upcoming Bluebeam Courses

We are excited be once again partner with Troy DeGroot and UChpater2 to provide the best quality Bluebeam training in the industry for our members. Join Troy for this free opportunity to see an introduction to each upcoming course and learning objectives in 2025.
 

DATE: Wednesday, January 15
TIME:  10:30am-11:30am CST
LOCATION:  Online
INSTRUCTOR:  Troy DeGroot, UChapter2
PRICE:  Free!
 


When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular quickly growing to over 3 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.

Get your questions answered to ensure you're in the appropriate courses for your skillset and workflows.

01.15.2025 MBEX Annual Meeting & Luncheon

MBEX invites its members to our Annual Meeting and Luncheon, a premier event that brings together our construction community. This is more than just a meeting; it's an opportunity to be at the forefront of the building industry's latest trends and innovations.
 

• DATE: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
• LOCATION: TPC Twin Cities (11444 Tournament Players Pkwy, Blaine, MN 55449)
• SCHEDULE: 11:00am - Social  |  12:00pm - Lunch  |  12:30pm - Program  |  1:00pm - Special Guest Speaker: Kate Bischoff, employment law attorney
• PRICE: $50 per person  |  $275 for table of six
 


Sponsorship opportunities are also available ranging from $50 - $550. 

 

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND

Networking Opportunities
Connect with a diverse group of professionals, from seasoned industry leaders to newcomers. Forge new partnerships, strengthen existing relationships, and share your expertise with peers who understand your challenges and ambitions.

Member Recognition
Celebrate the achievements of your peers as we present awards for Volunteer of the Year and Distinguished Member. We will also recognize the hard work and dedication of outgoing Board members and announce the 2025 Board of Director election results.

Enjoy a Gourmet Luncheon
Savor a specially curated menu in a relaxed, professional setting.

 

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING:
Premiere Sponsor: The Builders Group (TBG)

01.15.2025 Reading Construction Documents

All construction professionals, regardless of working in the field or in the office, must know how to read blueprints, specs, and construction plans.
 

• DATES: Wednesday, January 15 & Thursday, January 16
• TIME: 1:00PM - 4:00PM CST
• LOCATION: Online
• INSTRUCTOR: Troy DeGroot with UChapter2
• PRICING: MBEX Members - $329*  |  Non-MBEX Members - $460
 


Please be registered by noon on Tuesday, January 14.
 

Designed to quickly familiarize students with the basics of reading and understanding construction documents, this 2-part online program is perfect for: apprentices, entry-level tradespersons, project coordinators, assistant project managers, new project managers, estimators, specialty sales representatives, entry-level architectural or engineering designers, or anyone in career transition looking for a refresher.

From navigating title block information to combing through specification documents, participants will learn how to navigate a project and understand the material and construction requirements. Learning objectives include an introduction to construction documents, understanding industry document standards, drawing navigation, and the importance of specialty plans.

*Work for a Member Company? That makes *you* an MBEX member and qualifies you for the member pricing. Not sure if your company is an MBEX member? Email Ashlee and she can verify your company's status. 

 

Meet the Instructor
With over 20 years in the industry, Troy DeGroot has cultivated a deep understanding of the requirements of customers, the needs of end users, common goals of management, and the capacities of the technology. He had led many companies through successful software implementations and training. Having served as the BIM Manager for a large multi-discipline engineering firm, he provides a broad understanding of the industry and the evolution of technology. Read Troy's full bio

01.16.2025 MBEX Online Plan Room Demo

Join us for a free live online walk-through of our digital platform to learn the basics, refresh yourself on its offered tools, or to explore if our plan room would benefit your business.
 

DATES:
• Thursday, January 16 - Registration is now open!
• Thursday, February 20
• Thursday, March 20

TIME: 9:00am - 10:00am
COST: Free
LOCATION: Online via Zoom
 


From the Deskpad to setting up filters, to project information to bidders lists, this is a one-hour session is a great introduction to our Online Plan Room. There will be time at the end of the presentation for question and answer. Registrants must be signed up by 3:30pm the day before (Wednesday, January 15) to receive Zoom link and other information.

 

ABOUT THE MBEX ONLINE PLAN ROOM
MBEX's modern and innovative online plan room is designed to bring its members the latest in Minnesota's commercial construction project news and bidding opportunities as well as projects from Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. MBEX's team of reporters work hard behind-the-scenes to post complete project details along with viewable files (dependent on a members' level of access). They coordinate project details with the architects, engineers, project owners, and construction managers to create a smooth viewing process for members. Once posted, bidders can easily access the project scope, view plans, specs and addenda, download files, order prints and download needed documents. Bidders can also manage email notifications for timely notices of newly posted projects, new filter results, and addenda notifications on tracked projects.

February

02.03.2025 Bluebeam 1: Baseline Basics

Whether you're opening Bluebeam Revu for the first time, or you've used it for years, this class will ensure a higher baseline knowledge.
 

DATE: Monday, February 3
TIME:  10:30am - 12:30pm CST
LOCATION: Online
PRICE: MBEX Member - $110 | Non-MBEX Member - $165
INSTRUCTOR: Troy DeGroot, UChapter2
REGISTRATION CLOSES
: Friday, January 31 @ 12:30pm
 


Attendees will learn interface navigation including menu dropdowns, toolbars, various tool panels, keyboard shortcuts and a few recommended settings. While learning various markup and measurement tools, several tips & tricks will be shared to increase speed and accuracy. 


Learning Objectives:
• Interface Navigation
• Calibration & Measurements
• Introduction to the Markups List


About Bluebeam Revu
When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular, quickly growing to over 2 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.

02.04.2025 Bluebeam 2: Material Takeoffs & Estimates (Basic)

With Revu’s intuitive measurement tools and customizable interface, we can turn your highlighters into a data rich takeoff tools.*
 

DATE: Tuesday, February 4
TIME:  10:30am - 12:30pm CST
LOCATION: Online
PRICE: MBEX Member - $110 | Non-MBEX Member - $165
REGISTRATION CLOSES: Monday, February 3 at 12:30PM
 


We’ll start out going through the standard measurement tools and settings, then move into various customization options and discuss the results in the Markups List.

*MANDATORY PRE-REQUIITE: Student(s) must have taken Baseline Basics to enroll in this course.
 

Learning Objectives:
• Introduction to Viewports
• Measurement Tips & Tricks
• Custom Estimating Tools


About Bluebeam Revu
When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular, quickly growing to over 2 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.

02.05.2025 Bluebeam 3: Material Takeoffs & Estimates (Advanced)

Did you know you can export to an Excel spreadsheet, or even link directly to that Excel template file full of formulas you’ve been using for years?*
 

DATE: Wednesday, February 5
TIME: 10:30am-12:30pm
LOCATION: Online
PRICE: MBEX Member - $110 | Non-MBEX Member - $165
REGISTRATION CLOSES: Tuesday, February 4 @ 12:30pm
 


After finishing the Bluebeam Takeoffs & Estimates (Basics) course, we’ll move into creating custom columns, embedding formulas, and information organization.

*MANDATORY PRE-REQUISITES: Bluebeam 1: Baseline Basics & Bluebean 2: Material Takeoffs & Estimates (Basics)


Learning Objectives:
• Custom Estimating Tools - continued from Material Takeoffs & Estimates (Basics)
• Collecting Rich Data with Custom Columns
• Reports and Exporting Data


About Bluebeam Revu
When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular, quickly growing to over 2 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.

02.05.2025 SAVE THE DATE - Meet the Estimators

Looking to connect and network with more General Contractors? This event is for you! 

Join us for an afternoon of conversation, collaboration, and networking at Gresser Companies in Shakopee, MN. Whether you’re looking to expand your professional network or forge valuable industry partnerships, this is the perfect opportunity to meet and engage with key estimators and decision-makers.

DATE: Wednesday, February 5
LOCATION: Gresser Companies (3 Checkered Flag Blvd., Shakopee, MN 55379)
TIME: 2:00PM - 5:00PM
PRICE: Free!

Bring your business cards, and get ready to make connections that matter. We can’t wait to see you there!

If you are a General/Prime Contractor and would like to reserve a table, please complete this form.

Registration coming soon.

Our partners:

02.10.2025 Bluebeam 4: Document Management & Best Practices

Are your drawings or those from your customers a mess? Gibberish in the Page Labels, no hyperlinks, sheets out of order all combined into one bloated document? In this class you’ll learn a quick workflow to fixing all those pain points and more.*
 

DATE: Monday, February 10
TIME: 10:30am-12:30pm
LOCATION: Online
PRICE: MBEX Member - $110 | Non-MBEX Member - $165
REGISTRATION CLOSES: Friday, February 7 @ 3:00pm
 


Things like automatically finding and clouding changes on revised sheets and tracking the most current version of each sheet.  This class will not only improve consistency and accuracy in document management, but it will eliminate all the time wasted navigating through drawing sets and wondering who has the latest drawings.

*MANDATORY PRE-REQUISITE: Bluebeam 1: Baseline Basics 


Learning Objectives:
• Creating Hyperlinks to Quickly Navigate Drawings
• Manage Revisions with Batch Slip Sheet
• Find Drawing Changes Automatically


About Bluebeam Revu
When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular, quickly growing to over 2 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.

02.11.2025 Bluebeam 5: Collecting Field Data

Learn to create and place custom punch symbols, quickly embed images or videos, and create summary reports.*
 

DATE: Tuesday, February 11
TIME: 10:30am-12:30pm
LOCATION: Online
PRICE: MBEX Member - $110 | Non-MBEX Member - $165
REGISTRATION CLOSES: Monday, February 10 @ 3:00pm


Whether your tracking install progress or running a QA/QC final walk, this class was developed for design and construction professionals in both the office and jobsite looking for ways to build consistency, speed and accuracy of data collection.

*MANDATORY PRE-REQUISITE: Bluebeam 1: Baseline Basics 


Learning Objectives:
• Create and place punch symbols to denote status or deficiencies.
• Embed field images or videos to clearly show site conditions.
• Generate reports integrated directly with document markups.
• See industry examples from your competitors.


About Bluebeam Revu
When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular, quickly growing to over 2 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.

02.11.2025 Regional Member Meetup: Rochester

Join MBEX, The Builders Group, The Concrete CouncilElectrical Association and Builders Exchange of Rochester for a casual gathering with food, drinks, and networking with great company.

DATE: Tuesday, February 11
TIME: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
LOCATION: Little Thistle Brewing (2031 14th St NW, Rochester, MN 55901)
PRICE: Free!


Invite colleagues, members and non-members alike, to learn how we serves the commercial construction sector, what membership entails, and meet staff.

While this event is 100% free, we do request that attendees register so we have an accurate head count for food and drink orders.

Our Partners:

                                                                             

02.12.2025 Bluebeam 6: Administrative Professionals

Administrative teams have unique document workflows that demand a different set of tools compared to design and construction teams.
 

DATE: Wednesday, February 12
TIME: 10:30am - 12:30pm
LOCATION: Online
PRICE: MBEX Member - $110  |  Non-MBEX Member - $165
REGISTRATION CLOSES: Tuesday, February 11 @ 3:00pm


A typical Bluebeam class concentrates on design markups, estimating and collecting field data, but this class is very different! In just two hours you’ll be ready to combine documents, mark for redaction, apply digital signatures and several other important administrative tasks.


Learning Objectives:
• Extracting pages from existing documents
• Use Redaction to quickly clean sensitive information from documents
• Creating and applying digital signatures
• Updating Page Labels
• Applying headers and footers
• Search document text and visual symbols
• Apply stamps
• Flag important content in documents


About Bluebeam Revu
When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular, quickly growing to over 2 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.


About the Instructor: Troy DeGroot
With over 20 years in the industry, Troy DeGroot has cultivated a deep understanding of the requirements of customers, the needs of end users, common goals of management, and the capacities of the technology. He had led many companies through successful software implementations and training. Having served as the BIM Manager for a large multi-discipline engineering firm, he provides a broad understanding of the industry and the evolution of technology. Read Troy's full bio

02.13.2025 Bluebeam 7: Civil Workflows

Yes, there are tools in Bluebeam Revu for Civil Designers and Engineers!
 

DATE: Thursday, February 13
TIME: 10:30am-12:30pm
LOCATION: Online
PRICE: MBEX Member - $110 | Non-MBEX Member - $165
REGISTRATION CLOSES:  Wednesday, February 12 @ 3:00pm


In this class we will go through not only navigation and markups but workflows like Calibrating Plan & Profile drawings with different X-Y scales, ideas for Cut & Fill calculations, combining several PDF’s into one large area map, and adding images. We’ll also look at ideas for bidding and tracking field survey projects. 


Learning Objectives:
• Calibrating X,Y Scales
• Adding Images
• Creating large area maps
• Ideas for Cut/Fill Calculations
• Ideas for Bidding & Tracking Survey Projects


About Bluebeam Revu
When it comes to AEC industry software, Bluebeam Revu is one of the most popular, quickly growing to over 2 million users worldwide. With functionality for Design Review, Estimating, Collecting Field Data, and others, Bluebeam is not your average PDF software.

02.18.2025 Regional Member Meetup: Duluth

Join MBEX, The Builders Group, The Concrete Council and Electrical Association for a casual gathering with food, drinks, and networking with great company.

DATE: Tuesday February 18
TIME: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
LOCATION: Mr. D's Bar and Grill (5622 Grand Ave, Duluth, MN 55807)
PRICE: Free!
 


Invite colleagues, members and non-members alike, to learn how we serves the commercial construction sector, what membership entails, and meet staff.

While this event is 100% free, we do request that attendees register so we have an accurate head count for food and drink orders.

 

Our Partners:

                                

02.25.2025 Regional Member Meetup: Moorhead

Join MBEX, The Builders Group, The Concrete Council and Electrical Association for a casual gathering with food, drinks, and networking with great company.

DATE: Tuesday, February 25
TIME: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
LOCATION: Midtown Tavern (2223 Center Ave, Moorhead, MN 56560)
PRICE: Free!


Invite colleagues, members and non-members alike, to learn how we serves the commercial construction sector, what membership entails, and meet staff.

While this event is 100% free, we do request that attendees register so we have an accurate head count for food and drink orders.

 

Our Partners:

                                                                             

March

03.04.2025 Regional Member Meetup: St. Cloud

Join MBEX, The Builders Group, The Concrete Council and Electrical Association for a casual gathering with food, drinks, and networking with great company.

DATE: Tuesday, March 4
TIME: 3:00pm - 6:00pm
LOCATION: Crooked Pint Ale House (58 Division St, Waite Park, MN 56387)
PRICE: Free!


Invite colleagues, members and non-members alike, to learn how we serves the commercial construction sector, what membership entails, and meet staff.

While this event is 100% free, we do request that attendees register so we have an accurate head count for food and drink orders.

 

Our Partners:

                                                                                  

May

05.07.2025 SAVE THE DATE - Young Professionals Networking Event

The MBEX Young Professionals Network (YPN) seeks to join together construction professionals at the early stages of their career. From college students, graduates and interns, to those just getting started within the construction industry, the MBEX Young Professionals Network will create a forum for emerging young professionals, providing resources to connect and begin networking.

DATE: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
LOCATION: The Rusty Bumblebee (10950 Club W Pkwy NE #160, Blaine, MN 55449)
SCHEDULE: Networking - 3:00-5:00PM
PRICE: $20 per person (Price includes 1 free drink, and appetizers)

Registration will open at the end of March

Who + What:

individuals aged 35 and under involved in the construction industry

Sponsorship Opportunities:
If you're interested in showcasing your company's products or services and gaining exposure to a targeted audience, consider becoming a sponsor of this event. Sponsorships can be added to your order within the registration form.

$100+ - General Sponsor  |  $50+ - Door Prize Sponsor