LZ will be the world's most sensitive dark matter direct detection experiment, starting to take data in Spring 2020. The experiment is located 1 mi underground in the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. LZ consists of a central time projection chamber (TPC) containing 7 tonnes of liquid xenon as dark matter target surrounded by an outer detector (OD) with 17 tonnes of gadolinium doped liquid scintillator to veto neutrons. I will highlight my group's research contributions to TPC assembly as well as to design and manufacturing of the OD. I will demonstrate how the equipment we built, combined with my analysis and phenomenological experience, will lead to most the sensitive searches including novel signatures. The use of active veto detectors has been adopted by all upcoming direct dark matter experiments and are indispensable to the future of the field. I will present status of my program to develop novel scintillating detectors including the first concepts for future veto detectors for the next generation of dark matter experiments.