Annual Builders Conference to Open

The 32nd annual Pacific Coast Builders Conference, the nation’s oldest and largest regional building industry conference and exhibition, opens Wednesday and runs through Saturday in San Francisco.

A feature of the trade show at the Moscone Center will be a Saturday “Industry Giants” panel discussion on “success and survival,” featuring William Lyon of William Lyon Co., Newport Beach; Masud Mehran of Sunset Development Co., San Ramon; Ray Watt of Watt Industries, Santa Monica; David Weekley of David Weekley Homes, Houston, and Martin Perlman, a Houston home builder and president of the National Assn. of Home Builders.

“Not only are our speakers successful builders, they are also survivors in an industry that has its share of ups and downs,” said Mel Wynn, the conference’s program chairman, alluding to the currently depressed new home construction industry. “Three of the speakers--Lyon, Watt and Mehran--are members of the California Building Industry Foundation’s Hall of Fame for their industry achievements.”

The conference is sponsored by the Sacramento-based California Building Industry Assn. and is expected to attract more than 11,000 people to its 40 programs and more than 91,000 square feet of exhibits, according to a conference spokesman.