Throughout the Life of Construction
Build the financial strength to pursue your next project. This session brings together two focused, 30-minute talks on the financial decisions that shape construction business growth. Join Eric D. Barron, CRIS, of Frost Insurance and Cary Clayborn of Knight Marvel Ventures to connect the numbers behind your business with financing options and surety capacity.
Explore how retained earnings, working capital, lending relationships, and reliable reporting support a company’s readiness for new opportunities. You’ll also examine net profit, key business metrics, borrowing capacity, and commercial real estate lending so you can have more informed conversations with lenders and surety partners.
Two focused talks. 30 minutes each.
Meet the Speakers
Frost Insurance
Eric D. Barron, CRIS
Surety & Risk Advisor
Eric D. Barron works with general contractors and subcontractors across North Texas through Frost Insurance. His professional focus spans risk management, commercial insurance, and surety bonding. He has earned the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designation. His work with contractors informs his perspective on the financial and operational preparation that supports a growing surety program. In this session, he will connect those considerations to the opportunities and challenges facing construction firms and their subcontracting partners.
View Eric’s professional profile
Featured Talk | 30 Minutes
Financing Growth: Building Your Surety Capacity
If the right project arrived tomorrow, would your company or a valued subcontractor be ready? Explore how to position an established surety program for growth.
- Understand how retained earnings, working capital, and bank support affect bonding capacity.
- Examine the role of reliable work-in-progress reporting, capable teams, and dependable systems when pursuing larger projects.
- Learn how general contractors can help trusted subcontractors build capacity before the next opportunity arrives.
Knight Marvel Ventures
Cary Clayborn
Founder & Owner
Cary Clayborn is the Founder and Owner of Knight Marvel Ventures, whose work spans business, financial, and healthcare advisory. A 1986 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a former U.S. Army officer, he brings more than 30 years of leadership experience across business and nonprofit organizations. His career has included roles at Manning & Napier, AllianceBernstein, and ABT Global. He holds a master’s degree in business from Troy University.
View Cary’s professional profile
Featured Talk | 30 Minutes
Financial Performance & Lending for Business Growth
Connect the financial health of your business with the way lenders evaluate borrowing capacity and commercial real estate financing.
- Understand net profit, accounts receivable, inventory, and business valuation as measures of performance.
- Discuss debt capacity and the Altman Z-score in the context of a lending review.
- Explore commercial real estate lending options and questions to bring to financing conversations.
What You’ll Take Away
- A clearer view of the financial information behind growth and borrowing decisions.
- Practical considerations for strengthening an established surety program.
- Better questions to bring to your lender, surety advisor, and business partners.
Who should attend: General contractors, subcontractors, construction business owners, and the financial professionals who support them.
