Rick has tremendous passion to help people become the innovators they were born to be. His thoughtfulness and focus in developing and fostering innovation that focuses on outcomes is unparalleled in an industry that struggles to invest in research and development. His ability to inspire projects and organizations to step outside of the box and always ask “Yes, and...” has inspired thought leadership throughout our industry.

His voice and leadership has impacted the development of viable solutions in VDC, VR/AR, Project Controls, 4D simulation, visualization, DFMA just to name a few. His relentless focus on helping people be the best version of themselves in an industry that is ripe for innovation has been inspiring.

A true leader, and a true innovator by nature.

Rick's been at the forefront of industry thought leadership for well over a decade. During this time he's challenged industry peers to push boundaries. He's presented a clear, focused business case for digitally connecting people to tech enabled workflows. He's challenged technology providers to live up to their promises and keep pace with VDC innovators.

In both cases he's remained focused on measuring innovation by the value it delivers to the individual doing the work. This people focused approach has remained a cornerstone to his future-state vision of construction.

And above all, raised the bar for how we should define "progress" as an industry.

Rick and I have worked together since 2006 to bring digital technology and innovation to the construction industry. Ric has always been interested and willing to push traditional boundaries to drive better results for his company, his colleagues, and his clients.

During these years of innovation we have worked on a wide range of diverse projects and technologies where Rick’s education and experience were helpful to me as I learned more about the “boots on the ground” point of view and how solutions had to work well with them. In addition to being an innovator Rick is someone who will always give you good practical advice to fuel your efforts.

It is rewarding to see digital solutions in AEC taking hold at a faster rate due to the valuable work Rick has been contributing to his company and our industry during his career.

Rick is one of THE leaders when it comes to innovation in construction and has been for as long as I can remember. One thing I love about Rick's approach to technology evaluation and implementation is his intense focus on the people and process in the field, not just the tech.

Our team met with Rick in person at the Chase Center project (Golden State Warriors Stadium) back in 2019 to get feedback on a product we launched the following summer. His insight was extremely useful, with an eye on how our proposed tech would affect the people and process in the field, and helped us march towards a better end-product before launch.

I feel fortunate to have worked closely with Rick at Mortenson, and I credit much of my career success to his great leadership. He continues to be a mentor to me, and he's been pushing innovation and thought leadership long before technology roles in construction existed like they do today.

You can't talk about Virtual Construction or technology in our industry without Rick's name coming up. He's not only innovative and brilliant, but he's a true leader and collaborator. The construction industry would be a lot different of a place if there were more people like Rick.

His passion and continued efforts to push innovation are what make him successful in anything he tackles.

Rick is someone who elevates both the work and the people around him.

Rick has a rare ability to systematically introduce innovation in a way that actually sticks. He doesn't just bring new ideas or tools to a group — he thoughtfully integrates them into workflows, aligns people around the "why," and ensures progress is sustainable rather than disruptive for disruption's sake.

What truly sets Rick apart, though, is how intentional he is about teaching and inspiring others. He creates space for people to grow, encourages teammates to step into their strengths, and genuinely wants others to shine brighter. That mindset builds trust, confidence, and momentum across teams and organizations.

Rick leads with clarity, humility, and optimism, and any organization or team he's part of is better for it. I'm grateful to have worked with him and would gladly do so again.

I’ve personally benefited from Ricardo’s clarity, honesty, and deep understanding of what it actually takes to move from “policing models” to leading real digital transformation in AEC. Long before “innovation” became a buzzword, he was helping people think differently—about systems, people, and leadership.

Seeing him open up that mentorship journey to the broader AEC BIM/VDC + Technology community is powerful. This is the kind of guidance many of us wish we had earlier in our careers—and I’m genuinely excited to see the impact this will have on the current & next generation.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, plateaued, or unsure how to grow beyond execution into influence—this is worth paying attention to.

Ricardo consistently blends his visionary artistic background with insightful, and always rigorous execution, and has been doing so for the past 14 years that I've known him. One of the very few people in this world that has accomplished both at such a high level. His thought leadership has inspired the hundreds (including myself) and his impact on construction technology can be felt by the thousands.

He is someone who does not have the definition "no" in his vocabulary and flips it to "why not" or "how come" to dig deep into root cause and effect problem solving solutions. Ricardo has had a major impact on my current success over the many countless hours of leadership, innovation, construction, personnel issues, and can only think of others who would say the same. He is the first person I would call with a problem, or to sit and talk about life with.

There's not a better, more rounded leader than Ricardo and thankful that I can call him one of my mentors.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Ricardo personally for over five years now, and knowing about his work and reputation far beyond that.

Ricardo is internationally recognized digital construction innovator. Not only is he a highly respected people leader in construction, he is a remarkable technologist and an innovator across industry verticals. Collaboration with Ricardo has pushed the world of technology forward in digital leaps.

Ricardo has made emerging technology attractive for construction companies from the operations point of view, but also as a feasible business venture for technology companies to invest resources in.

Ricardo is a true innovator. He understands how to drive organizational change at large and small organizations and is passionate about technology and what it can do to change the world. He’s focused on taking care of people and motivating teams to extraordinary output. I always enjoy working with him!

Note from Rick:

Check out the chapter on Innovation.

Be Your Own VC: 10 Bootstrapping Principles to Generate Cash and Keep Control

"As construction is the world’s oldest industry, James and I have had to work hard to pull it into the future through technology. His experience has inspired me and many others to bootstrap their vision, think like a startup, and find the right partners to have an impact."

—Ricardo Khan, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, STO Building Group

I enjoyed working with Ricardo for nine years when he was the Director of Integrated Construction at Mortenson. During that time, Rick and the Integrated Construction team he led developed the processes and workflows that would enable significant improvements to the safety, quality, and efficiency of the projects he and his team supported.

Rick and his team were also instrumental in growing the business to be an ENR top 20 Contractor through their support of the Business Development team. Rick's thought leadership and people leadership helped to establish one of the premier BIM/VDC teams in the industry. His ability to inspire and dream big set him apart in the construction industry.

The innovative solutions he and his team developed and continue to develop are making a significant impact across the construction industry. The term “industry thought leader” is thrown around quite often, but it is true and very deserving in Rick's case.

Rick is the person that everyone wants on their team. You can find him at a conference by looking for the group of experts huddled in conversation. He’s the one at the center. Otherwise, you will find him on stage delivering the Keynote on his latest innovation. If actions truly speak louder than words, then Rick’s tell an incredible story.

Rick has always inspired me. As an early adopter and an innovator he paved the way for many construction technologists.

He has always shared openly and has unselfishly given anything that would help move the industry forward. Rick’s perspectives are consistently refreshing and foretelling.

I am extremely pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Ricardo Khan. I first worked with Rick when I had my company Get The Point. My company built a plugin for Revit that added spatial-coordinate information into the model. My background was working with MEP contractors with very little GC contacts. He adopted Get The Point’s technology at his company as well as introducing this technology to other GCs.

The story ends well with my company being acquired by Autodesk and the product became Autodesk Point Layout. Mine is a great story that Rick helped write but he has helped so many others that have similar stories. I follow his posts and he simply sees emerging tech before others.

If there was a tech fund for startups, Rick would pick the winners and you would be crazy not to invest.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the pleasure to get to know and collaborate with Rick. He is one of the most forward thinkers I have met in this industry and I have learned a lot about AEC innovation from him. He is a thought leader in the AEC industry and always puts people in the center to innovate.

Rick and his team were early supporters and testers of what is now ALICE Technologies and he saw and believed in the vision when few others would. Together, we learned so much about how people work and that influenced our technology. He leads with his passion and has the expertise and the experience to deliver. Look forward to another opportunity to collaborate!

I write this recommendation having known Rick (aka, Ricardo) for over 15 years across multiple roles. Much has changed in the construction technology world in the last decade and a half, but one thing has been constant: you can always count on Rick to be a passionate advocate for better ways to build the world around us.

His combination of technical curiosity with a critical eye for what can actually work in the field and in the trailer have made him a great partner in bringing change to the AEC industry. Once he's identified a potentially game changing innovation, he's as comfortable talking about it in the field as he is on stage at a conference.

Who knows what the next 15 years will bring technically, but I'm sure Rick will be in the middle of figuring out what works well for our industry.

Ricardo is a pleasure to work with and has been a source of knowledge and inspiration for me as I have navigated the construction world. He has such an incredible passion and enthusiasm for the construction industry and he has always pushed me beyond the status quo to explore what could be achieved.

For years I have leaned on Rick to help me learn, innovate, and impact the industry and he is always the first call I make when I need a fresh perspective. Rick embodies what it means to be a true partner, and as a product leader, you deeply appreciate clients like Rick who are so focused on helping you to make a difference and to have a real impact on the industry.

I am grateful that I was able to meet Rick early after my entry into the construction space, and I appreciate all of the insight and inspiration that he has provided me along the way. I look forward to our continued partnership and I am excited about what we can accomplish in the future!