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Building Conversations

STO Building Groupstructuretone.podbean.com
Welcome to Building Conversations, an STO Building Group podcast dedicated to exploring the trends driving the real estate, architecture, engineering, and construction industry forward.
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Episodes

Alternative Project Delivery Defined

Design-build, design-assist, IPD, hybrid approaches—what’s the difference between each of these delivery methods, and how do owners determine which approach is right for them? Join Govan Brown’s Colin Gray, Structure Tone New York’s Stephen Soviero, Layton Construction’s David Burton, and LF Driscoll’s Ed Hanzel as they compare their experiences leveraging alternative delivery models in markets across North America.

Nov 18, 202235 min

An Oral History of Structure Tone: Rebuilding After 9/11

It’s been 21 years since the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. We lost a number of friends, clients, family members, and partners, as well as three of our own—Brendan Lang, Anthony Peluso, and Kieran Gorman. In their memory, Episode 6 of Structure Tone’s 50th Anniversary Oral History series features a number of our long-time New York employees remembering their experiences that day, the people we lost, and our company’s role in recovery and rebuilding.

Sep 09, 202218 min

An Oral History of Structure Tone: Building Relationships in the ’90s & ’00s

In the 1990s and 2000s, Structure Tone was growing so quickly that the company’s office space could hardly keep up! From welcoming a handful of new faces to winning the iconic MetLife project, tune in to Episode 5 of Structure Tone’s 50th Anniversary Oral History series to learn more about this transformational period for the business.

Jul 12, 202220 min

Speed to Market: STO Mission Critical in Texas

In the fast-paced world of mission critical construction, speed matters—and builders everywhere are looking for game-changing solutions that will help them deliver on cost, quality, and schedule. Join Grant O’Neal, Operations Manager for STO Mission Critical in Dallas, Brett Skyllingstad, VP of Business Development for Structure Tone Southwest, Chris Shackelford, Project Executive for Structure Tone Southwest, and Al Jaurez, a Helix Steel expert, as they explore the mission critical market in Te...

Jun 30, 202238 min

Mastering Uncertainty: The Construction Supply Chain

What happens when even the best-laid plans are consistently challenged by supply chain disruptions? Join David Hamilton, VP of Purchasing at Structure Tone, Joe Rossi, Executive Director of Workplace Delivery & National Real Estate at Verizon, Charlie Pavelec, SVP of Shambaugh’s Electrical Division, and Tom Ike, EVP of Lutron Electronics, as they dive into the day-to-day challenges and long-term opportunities today’s unpredictable supply chain represents.

Jun 23, 202236 min

Building Repositioning: Creating a Greener World

When it comes to building repositioning, what motivates developers to build green? Tune in as Curtis Brown, STOBG’s VP of Business Development explores that topic from all angles—from environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors to new emissions regulations—with Brian Geller, Senior Sustainability Manager at The Durst Organization, Brooks McDaniel, SVP of Building Repositioning at STO Building Group, and Jennifer Taranto, VP of Sustainability at STO Building Group.

Apr 18, 202238 min

An Oral History of Structure Tone: Era of Expansion

By the 1980s, Structure Tone leaders began considering opportunities outside of New York City—but growth for the sake of growth wasn’t exactly the plan. Tune in to Episode 4 of Structure Tone’s 50th Anniversary Oral History series to hear our regional leaders reflect on what drove this exciting era of expansion.

Mar 23, 202227 min

Preserving History at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (RE-RELEASE)

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we're re-releasing one of our earliest podcasts. Join Rich Schneider and Mike Neary of Structure Tone New York as they discuss preserving and updating New York City’s venerated St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Mar 17, 202231 min

Layton’s Approach to VDC

The demand for BIM and VDC solutions is growing stronger every day—and builders need to continue to innovate and evolve to keep up. Join Public Relations Manager, Bryan Packer, as he discusses Layton Construction’s unique approach to BIM and VDC with the company’s virtual design and construction team: Jeff Metcalf, Vice President of Information Systems, Jon Ferguson, Director of Visualization, and Tim McLachlan, Director of BIM.

Mar 14, 202227 min

The Power of Partnership: MWDBEs

In honor of Women in Construction Week, Danielle Simone, STO Building Group Vice President & Regulatory Compliance Counsel, had a candid conversation about the MWDBE process with one of Structure Tone New York’s longtime partners, and President of Egg Electric, Ellen Aschendorf, as well as Structure Tone’s Regional MWDBE Manager for the Northeast, Mafe Alizo.

Mar 09, 202223 min

Evolving Expectations in the Industrial Sector

In the fast-paced world of industrial construction, every second counts—but delivering the highest quality product on time, on schedule, and on budget, has never been more challenging. Join industrial construction experts Jeff McKinnon, Senior Director of Corporate Development at Govan Brown, Eric Nay, Executive Vice President of Layton Construction’s National Building Group, Scott Frank, Project Executive at LF Driscoll, and Jason Quinn, Senior Vice President of Estimating at Pavarini McGovern ...

Feb 08, 202234 min

Quality Construction: A Celebration of Workmanship

Why is a zero-punch project so elusive? Join STO Building Group Executive Chairman, Jim Donaghy, as he discusses the ins and outs of delivering a top-quality project with a project team that recently completed a zero-punch move-in on an 110,000sf headquarters: BCCI Construction’s Studio Director & Quality Manager, Lisa Dunmeyer, BCCI Field Operations Manager, Matt Ludwig, and Principal with AP+I Design, Meera Agrawal.

Jan 19, 202234 minEp. 4

Supporting Mental Health in Construction

Pain isn’t always obvious, especially on a construction site. Join Abbie Klein, Vice President of Benefits, Compensation, & Special Projects at STO Building Group and co-chair of the STOBG mental health committee, as she discusses the history of mental health issues in the construction industry with trained psychotherapist and lecturer, Beth Glanville and sustainability manager at Structure Tone London, Roseanna Hart.

Dec 22, 202123 min

An Oral History of Structure Tone: Building in the ‘80s & ‘90s

From pagers and payphones to physical change orders, building in the 1980s was certainly different! Tune in to Episode 3 of Structure Tone’s 50th Anniversary Oral History series to hear current and former tenured employees recall the energetic atmosphere of building in the ‘80s and ‘90s, some groundbreaking project wins for Structure Tone, and the fun memories made along the way.

Dec 20, 202125 min

An Oral History of Structure Tone: Creating a Family Culture

The celebration continues! In episode two of Structure Tone’s 50th Anniversary Oral History podcast series, we’re honored to share a special appearance from the legendary leader of operations, John White Sr., as well as stories about growing up in the business from several members of the company’s executive leadership team: STO Building Group’s Executive Chairman, Jim Donaghy, Structure Tone’s Regional COO, John White Jr., and STO Building Group’s Executive Vice President of Client Relations, Eu...

Nov 29, 202133 min

An Oral History of Structure Tone: The Beginning

2021 marks Structure Tone’s 50th year in business! Join us as we continue to celebrate how far we’ve come through a special oral history podcast series. Today we are honored to share the reflections of company founder, Patrick Donaghy. Listen in on how the company came to be, what’s behind our client-first approach, and some funny stories along the way.

Oct 29, 202126 min

Building for Blast

Join Justin Goodman, director of business development at Structure Tone Southwest, as he discusses the complexities of building blast resistant structures with subject matter experts: Aaron Westover, vice president of the industrial division at Rigid Building Group, Chris Talley, regional vice president of Structure Tone Southwest, and Rudy Tejeda, vice president of industrial work for Structure Tone Southwest.

Oct 25, 202135 min

The Possibilities of Smart Buildings

What makes a smart building smart? Join Structure Tone New York Project Manager & Mechanical Specialist, Doug Kruser, as he discusses the vast possibilities of smart building systems with two partners he worked with when building and implementing the award-winning smart building technology in WarnerMedia’s 1.2Msf Hudson Yards headquarters: Michael Krall, Executive Director of Smart Buildings at JPMorgan Chase, and John Hester, Owner & Chief Consultant at Hester Consulting, LLC.

Sep 21, 202143 min

The Evolution of Corrections & Detention Facilities

From mental health considerations to modular design and delivery, correctional facility design and construction has transformed over time. Join Senior Vice President of STO Building Group, Amy Wincko, as she interviews three corrections construction experts: VP of Ajax Building Company Jay Smith, VP of Layton Construction David Burton, and Construction Manager at Layton Construction Dave Whimpey.

Aug 06, 202125 min

A Mission Critical Market Update: EU & UK

How has the transition to post-pandemic life impacted the mission critical market? Join Structure Tone London’s business development director, Richard Irwin, as he gains insight into the UK and European data centre markets from three mission critical experts: John Wilson, Director at SMBC and specialist in data centre financing, Will King, Managing Director of DC Byte, and Jason Monks, Mission Critical Project Director at Structure Tone Dublin.

Jul 15, 202129 min

Space as a Service

From sit-stand desks to changing the way the world thinks about coworking—join us for a pre-pandemic discussion between Joseph Cribbin, president of Structure Tone Southwest, and Jeff Lamb, president and COO of Vari, a Texas-based company that’s redefining the workplace, one space at a time. Since the interview, the way we interact with the built environment has changed drastically, making Vari’s commitment to offering space as a service as relevant as ever.

Jun 15, 202117 min

LF Driscoll's Modern Approach to Diversity

Diversity is a fact; inclusion is a choice. Join LF Driscoll’s EOP and controls manager, Saege Steele, as she discusses what’s worked—and what hasn’t—when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the construction industry with two executives who are leading the charge: Blane Stoddart, president and CEO of BFW Group, and Mike Delaney, executive vice president at LF Driscoll.

May 03, 202134 min

Innovation & the AEC Angels, Part 2

Determined to drive innovative change from within the industry, Thornton Tomasetti, STO Building Group, Syska Hennessy, and SHoP Architechs formed the AEC Angels to assess, test, fund, and accelerate promising AEC technologies. Join Rob Leon, executive VP of STO Global, as he speaks with two founding members of the AEC Angels—Executive Chairman of Thornton Tomasetti, Tom Scarangello, and Executive Chairman of STO Building Group, Jim Donaghy—about what the group is testing now, and what parts of ...

Apr 16, 202121 min

Innovation & the AEC Angels, Part 1

In an industry that’s been historically slow to adopt the latest technologies, the architecture, engineering, and construction fields present incredible opportunities for tech investors and developers alike. Determined to drive innovative change from within the industry, Thornton Tomasetti, STO Building Group, Syska Hennessy, and SHoP Architechs formed the AEC Angels to assess, test, fund, and accelerate promising AEC technologies. Join Rob Leon, executive VP of STO Global, as he discusses the o...

Apr 05, 202128 min

The US Northeast Corridor: A Life Sciences Supercluster

With all eyes on the industry developing and manufacturing the vaccine, five markets across the US Northeast—Boston-Cambridge, Washington D.C., New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York City—were named in the top ten US life science clusters by CBRE. Join Kaitlyn Blazer, business development manager at Structure Tone Philadelphia, as she discusses the life sciences construction boom with experts in the region: Pat Toner, STO VP and national life sciences sector leader, Stephen Neeson, SVP of operat...

Feb 26, 202128 min

Mass Timber Construction: The Carbon Sequester

From the embodied carbon associated with construction materials to the operational carbon produced throughout a building’s lifecycle, the design and construction industry has the opportunity to make a big impact when it comes to carbon. Join STO Building Group’s director of sustainability, Jennifer Taranto, as she interviews two subject matter experts: David Briefel, sustainability director and design resilience leader at Gensler, and Jeff Morrow, president of J. Morrow Solutions, as they discus...

Feb 10, 202142 min

A Holistic Approach to Flex Space with Hana, Part 2

What can the physical workplace offer the next generation of workers? Join Executive Vice President of STO Global Services, Rob Leon, in PART 2 of STO’s two-part interview with Hana’s Director of Brand & Communications, Lindsay Wester, and VP Global Head of Product & Experience Design, Andrew Kao, as they discuss the Hana Innovation Partners program and how COVID-19 could transform the way future workers think about the office.

Jan 13, 202120 min

A Holistic Approach to Flex Space with Hana, Part 1

Creating spaces where people with purpose can accomplish great things—that’s Hana’s mission. But what does a flexible workplace look like in the post-pandemic world? Executive Vice President of STO Global Services, Rob Leon, spoke with Hana’s own Director of Brand & Communications, Lindsay Wester, and VP Global Head of Product & Experience Design, Andrew Kao, about how the flexible space provider is preparing their spaces for what’s coming in the short-, medium-, and long-term. This is P...

Jan 04, 202119 min

Taking the Lead to Return to the Workplace

As COVID-19 shifted what a “workplace” should look like, organizations across the globe have mobilized to pull together new protocols and practices for their workspaces as they consider when and how to bring back staff. In April, the Govan Brown team began discussing this very challenge with clients, many of whom really weren’t sure how to approach their return. Join Govan Brown’s SVP of corporate development, Trevor Howie, as he interviews VP of human resources and CSR, Sarah Paul, and special ...

Dec 18, 202024 min

A Look at AEC Remote Learning with ENR

In construction, the best education is the one you get on the job. But in a world where remote learning is the only option, how is the AEC industry—particularly the hands-on field of construction—teaching, mentoring, and hiring students and new graduates? That’s what Debra Rubin, ENR’s Editor-at-Large for management, business, and the workforce, was hoping to find out when she reached out to Greg Dunkle, CAO of STO Building Group, back in September. Now as the college semester is coming to a clo...

Nov 23, 202024 min
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