When it comes to the conversation around prefab, what are the biggest hurdles facing electrical workers today? How does effective communication between management and employees come into play? Join host Todd and guest Jared Christman as they discuss the fast-growing opportunities for electrical contractors, the direct correlation between long-term success and short-term failure, how we can promote each other’s strengths with a “hands off” approach, and more. Jared Christman is the Director of Co...
May 03, 2023•26 min•Ep. 196
How do we tackle the issue of inefficient communication in construction, and how does “having an open mind” come into play? Join host Todd and guest Anthony Gude as they discuss site sequence, the potential of productization in construction, common misconceptions around the industry, and more. Anthony Gude is Director of Real Estate Development at Leap of Faith Partners. His career objective is to make a measurable impact on the housing ecosystem by entitling, funding, and building large scale h...
May 01, 2023•21 min•Ep. 195
What is the “human side” of construction? What is “human capital” and how does it relate to employee retention? Join host Todd and guest Katie Hall as they discuss the boom of AI development, how to secure buy-in for new tech within the construction industry, how we can find and translate construction skills in other areas, and much more. Katie Hall is the Founder and CEO of Claira, a competency analytics platform helping companies understand their workforce and hire better. Before starting Clai...
Apr 26, 2023•36 min•Ep. 194
What does it look like when a firm truly has an open mind? CEO of Windover Construction Stuart Meurer had a great story to tell about that 'aha moment' of tech adoption. You'll know it's happening when phones are ringing off the hook in the office and the field from skeptics and promoters alike. Stuart Meurer is President and CEO of Windover Construction. He provides leadership for the firm and is integral to ensuring operational excellence across all project teams. Dedicated to service and coll...
Apr 24, 2023•28 min•Ep. 193
What barriers exist between design and construction, and how can we mindfully tackle them? How can we promote communication and camaraderie across the trades? Join host Todd and guest Jenny Han as they discuss the unique perspective of the licensed architect in the construction industry, ways to encourage collaboration in a hybrid working environment, embracing the “scrum” methodology, and more. A licensed architect and Lean Champion with extensive experience managing design teams, Jenny Han ser...
Apr 19, 2023•29 min•Ep. 192
A lot can change in ten years, especially in the construction industry. What will productivity, jobs, and tech adoption look like a decade from now? Join host Todd and guest CJ Best as they discuss the unlimited career potential within AEC, how to forge your own path using the job you’re passionate about, some of the hidden contributions to your ROI, and how construction and manufacturing can promote a symbiotic relationship. CJ Best is the Director of Manufacturing at McKinstry, responsible for...
Apr 17, 2023•25 min•Ep. 191
How has social media influenced what the world knows about the trades? How do we tackle the subject of miscommunication about—and within—the industry? Join host Todd and guest Sam Hamilton as they discuss the ups and downs of communication in the industry, how ego can easily lead to misunderstandings on projects, how to tell the “tried and true” from the “shiny and new,” the importance of “pushing the broom” above appearances, and much more. Sam Hamilton is the director of prefabrication and vir...
Apr 12, 2023•32 min•Ep. 190
At Advancing Prefab 2023 we interviewed Ray Boff about the current trends and best practices in modular and prefab and the conversation focused in on owners. The role of the owner is shifting and evolving and we are seeing a much more involved party across the whole project lifecycle. Ray Boff is an experienced prefab, modular, and IC leader with a demonstrated history of working across large markets in several industries. He is currently the national prefab leader for DPR Construction focusing ...
Apr 10, 2023•19 min•Ep. 189
Are modular and prefab going to immediately bring you profits? Probably not, and that's okay. Implementing new processes and technologies won't give you an immediate cash injection. In this episode, Prefab integration director Sara Curry says that you have to constantly look at the long-term vision. Don't let the sticker shock of the initial investment deter you from realizing the gains in the long run. Sara Curry brings 15+ years of experience leading, planning and delivering a variety of compl...
Apr 07, 2023•29 min•Ep. 188
What is operational efficiency, and what are some ways that we can achieve it? How do we bring up to the “technology conversation” to slower adopters? Join host Todd and guest Aaron Henderson as they discuss the pros and cons of AI in the construction industry, how efficiency and technology relate to each other, what the future of sustainability will look like, and more. As product marketing manager for STACK Construction Technologies, Aaron Henderson is on a mission to help contracting organiza...
Apr 05, 2023•35 min•Ep. 187
What do we do as an industry facing a 600,000 worker deficit? At some point we will need to rely on prefab and modular just to get projects done. We might just be slipping out of the early adopter era to the mass adoption era of prefab. It's moving from a 'nice to have' to a 'must have'. Matt Hardy, a 25-year construction veteran with expertise in prefabrication, preconstruction and healthcare construction, joined Robins & Morton in the Spring of 2022, filling the newly created position of S...
Mar 29, 2023•27 min•Ep. 186
We interviewed a dozen industry leaders Advancing Prefab 2023 about the most important and pressing themes in the industry today. You'll hear about productization, data, communication and much more. We're starting off this special series of interviews with the Queen of Prefab herself, Amy Marks. Amy Marks is the head of industrialized construction strategy and evangelism at Autodesk; she is known throughout the construction industry as the “Queen of Prefab.” A graduate of the University of Flori...
Mar 22, 2023•43 min•Ep. 185
What’s the best way to transition from a 2D workflow to a digital one? How do you gain a holistic and competitive advantage with your BIM workflows? Join host Todd and guest Eric Bernier as they discuss “leveling up” with BIM, what it really means to “model the future” with Graitec, and the next steps we’ll witness in the industry as it relates to construction and sustainability trends. Eric Bernier is the BIM + VDC Technical Director of Graitec Group. He is a senior architectural technologist w...
Mar 15, 2023•31 min•Ep. 184
What does good and effective leadership look like? How do we know when we’re being an effective leader? Join host Todd and guest Major General Karl Horst as they discuss the ways leadership adapts to different generations and personality types, some timeless examples of excellent leaders, and more. General Horst retired from the United States Army in 2013 after more than 37 years of enlisted and commissioned service. During that time, he had the privilege to lead soldiers at every level of the m...
Mar 08, 2023•46 min•Ep. 183
How is sustainability changing the way we approach data, reporting, and design? What changes are we seeing already? Join host Todd and guest Anthony Zuefeldt as they discuss his class at the recent Advancing Computational Building Design Show, the current and potential industry impact of embodied carbon, finding connections in seemingly disconnected data sources and databases, and what the future of computational design will look like. Anthony Zuefeldt is a Senior Solutions Architect at Applied ...
Mar 01, 2023•36 min•Ep. 182
A great friend of the show Nathan Wood joined us for a special episode to recap the Construction Progress Coalition's 2023 AEC Integration Summit. The summit serves to connect like-minded AEC Technology professionals from different industry perspectives to solve our biggest interoperability challenges. Todd and Nathan cover hiring, interoperability, brainstorming, future trends and more. Nathan Wood is the Founder of and Chief Enabling Officer at SpectrumAEC. Nathan helps organizations and proje...
Feb 22, 2023•33 min•Ep. 181
What does the art of negotiation have to do with construction, and what are some tactics to avoid? Additionally, what should we do about AI? Join host Todd and guest Cian Brennan as they discuss the ins and outs of construction subcontracting, how “squeaky bum time” ties in to the end of an arduous project, how to be proactive in the discussion surrounding industry misconceptions, and much more. Cian Brennan is the CEO of Quantum Contract Solutions. He spent almost two decades on the client side...
Feb 15, 2023•38 min•Ep. 180
How do we accomplish interoperability in our industry, and what does that look like on a practical level? Join host Todd and guest Tom Reno as they discuss the biggest trends and opportunities coming up this year, the impact of shifting bottom lines, the future of industrialization, and more. Tom Reno is the co-founder of Agave. Prior to Agave, Tom worked at Amazon Alexa as a Technical Product Manager, leading 3 engineering teams building tools for data integration and knowledge management. Tom ...
Feb 08, 2023•31 min•Ep. 179
The need for more skilled tradesmen is one of the biggest issues facing construction. How do we attract—and retain—new talent? Join host Todd and guest Rob Bonifacio as they discuss the significance of social media in the industry’s future, connecting with likeminded people in the trades, what it truly means to “be an influencer,” and what the younger generation should know about construction before pursuing a career in the industry. Rob Bonifacio is the owner and operator of Bonifabcustom. For ...
Feb 01, 2023•40 min•Ep. 178
Where is the construction industry right now on the road to tech adoption? What steps do we need to take to guarantee successful technology implementation? Join host Todd and guest Russell Haworth as they discuss the mindset that’s needed to move forward with technology, the arc of the industry’s digital transformation journey, how tech can assist us in tackling bigger issues like sustainability and carbon emissions, and more. Russell Haworth is a technology-focused CEO with a proven track recor...
Jan 25, 2023•36 min•Ep. 177
Join host Todd and guest Britta Teller as they discuss the intersection of ecology, statistics, and construction, how we can contextualize sustainability on an individual level, some “green” products that we should start integrating into our workflows, and some hurdles that we’ll face moving into 2023. Britta Teller is Chief Sustainability Officer and a Co-Founder at Steller Floors. Five years ago, she pivoted away from her PhD-academic career in ecology and statistics to co-found Steller Floors...
Jan 18, 2023•40 min•Ep. 176
When it comes to the many different facets of our industry, what are some ways we could collaborate more effectively? What are some misconceptions that people have about the industry as a whole? Join host Todd and guest Marc Goldman as they take a deep dive into GIS, the biggest hurdles facing data interoperability, how geographical knowledge benefits the construction worker, and more. Marc Goldman is the Director of AEC Industry Solutions at ESRI. He is recognized as a global industry expert wi...
Jan 11, 2023•42 min•Ep. 175
Join host Todd and guest Aviv Leibovici as they discuss an outside perspective on the issues faced by the industry, how technology can fundamentally change construction, an expert’s opinion on AI involvement on projects, and the next steps we should take to make our workflows more modern. Aviv Leibovici is a co-founders and Chief of Product of Buildots, a company that solves one of the biggest challenges in construction management using an AI-based approach. He comes from a background of data-he...
Jan 04, 2023•36 min•Ep. 174
Top-level marketers specializing in construction weigh in on the best way to market your construction business. This special episode is in an audiobook format that is a companion to an eBook by the same name. Experts in this episode cover: branding, website, blogs, social media, videos, emails, digital advertising, press releases, brochures, creative bids and more.
Dec 28, 2022•52 min•Ep. 173
Every week on Bridging the Gap, I end the show by asking my guest “what does innovation mean to you?”. I have been fascinated with the wide-ranging and thought-provoking responses. This eBook contains an ode to some of those themes. So, what does innovation mean to you? --Todd
Dec 21, 2022•59 min•Ep. 172
What’s the biggest hurdle stopping the industry from adopting tech as a whole? How do we address that hurdle and jump over it? Join host Todd and guest Matt Kleiman as they discuss the similarities between construction and aerospace, what we stand to learn from different industries, how to know you can rely on your systems under pressure, and more. Matt Kleiman is the cofounder and CEO of Cumulus Digital Systems, an IoT platform originating from Shell’s TechWorks division that was named on CNBC’...
Dec 14, 2022•33 min•Ep. 171
How can you know that you’re growing in the right direction? What’s your company’s next big step? Join host Todd and guest Matt DiBara as they discuss the state of industrialization, the hurdles facing the industry in 2023, the best ways for us to approach the current labor shortage, and more. Matt DiBara is the Co-Founder of The Contractor Consultants, Owner of DiBara Masonry, and Founder of The Undercover Contractor. Matt is dedicated to help contractors make better decisions.
Dec 07, 2022•37 min•Ep. 170
This is a special episode of Bridging the Gap. This is our final live recording from the 5th annual MEP Force. During the Day 1 General Session, we sat down with the Queen of Prefab herself, Amy Marks. A key theme she touched on was 'expected experience' in your job and in a product. How you anticipate a situation can drastically affect your satisfaction with it. She also touched on the importance of productization. We have to do a better job taking all the knowledge and ideas we have and turn t...
Nov 30, 2022•51 min•Ep. 169
The hottest topic in construction right now is Change Management. We set up a live podcasting booth at MEP Force 2022 and asked your peers and industry experts what they thought about the topic. Here are the guests who joined us: Steve Smith - Steve is the product portfolio director (build and construct division) at Nemetscheck. You may recognize them as the parent company o Bluebeam. Steve is a passionate team builder with experience in Product Management, P&L Management; onboarding, traini...
Nov 23, 2022•30 min•Ep. 168
We're coming at you LIVE from MEP Force 2022 in San Antonio, TX. Our great friends of the show, Nathan Wood and Travis Voss joined us for this exclusive look at the conference and the theme: Stronger Together. In this episode, the trio puts their finger to the pulse of the MEP industry as a whole looking at leadership, workflows, and what happens after you throw a bunch of tech at something and nothing improved. Nathan is the founder and CEO of SpectrumAEC and Executive Director of the Construct...
Nov 16, 2022•31 min•Ep. 167
