In 2011, Jim Heid launched the first Small Scale Developers Forum (SSDF) with 20 people in San Francisco. What started as an "Island of Misfit Toys,” now sells out within a week of registration and draws in 100+ participants per event. Attendees tour projects, workshop development challenges, and connect with peers facing similar obstacles in other cities.

There are over 2,000 different building codes across the United States, including 340 in Colorado alone. This fragmentation is one of the biggest barriers preventing modular housing from addressing America's affordability crisis, where 75% of people can't qualify for a mortgage. Wayne Norbeck and Jordan Rogove, co-founders of DXA Studio and Liv-Connected, are working to change that through both their design work and their efforts on Capitol Hill.

When the Lahaina wildfires devastated Maui in 2023, Hawaiʻi's governor did something unprecedented: he rejected FEMA trailers. The reason was simple一those trailers were designed to last three seasons but routinely became permanent housing for 10-plus years, bringing mold, formaldehyde, and health problems with them. Hawaiʻi wanted something better. 

Nate Helbach shares how Neutral aims to bridge the gap between sustainability goals and financial viability through vertical integration. His systematic approach combines proprietary algorithms with in-house expertise across development, construction, and technology to build mass timber projects designed to reduce carbon emissions while targeting competitive investor returns.

Cecily King shares how her company Kipling Development is preserving naturally occurring affordable housing by transforming multi-family properties that serve middle-income earners. Her relationship-driven approach combines systematic deal sourcing with community-focused design to create stable housing for teachers, nurses, and young professionals while delivering sustainable returns for investors.