Is a confession a confession if it brings you “a little sadistic joy”? We’ll let you make that judgment. On the heels of last week’s episode about the importance of systems, today Eddie has a confession. A couple years ago he quietly dropped a subscription for Zapier, the management/automation software that Tyler loved when he was working at ABSI. Eddie thought the software was really cool, but… not as cool as what Eddie could figure out himself. It was part of a systems assessment that revealed...
Jun 09, 2023•9 min
Today we're talking to Lee Causey, the East Coast Innovation Leader for DPR Construction. Lee’s job, as he explains it, is to remove roadblocks and connect dots. When someone hears about a technology they’d like to try, Lee kicks into action and makes it happen. In this role, he noticed people often chased the shiniest things rather than the most useful things. In an effort to make a data-based approach Problem-based approach workflow Collect problems Sort problems Prioritize problems Seek solut...
Jun 07, 2023•43 min•Ep. 166
Systems are so cool… At least that’s how Tyler feels. There’s a four-letter reason he loves them: ADHD. He has learned that systems hold him accountable. Eddie is the grunt-and-get-it-done guy. This is often good, of course, but it can sometimes result in a failure to create a system early enough. Tyler shares about automated folder-creation software that avoided organizational chaos. Here’s the Craig Groeschel video Tyler mentions. Sometimes a “system” can be little more than a scheduled meetin...
Jun 02, 2023•9 min
Welcome to The ConExpo Highlight Reel, starring Eddie and the Two Tylers! Yes, two is probably too many. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen too often. Tyler Williams joins us this week to share some of the. Tyler, who is Field Innovation Leader at DPR Construction, was on the podcast a few months ago to discuss new tech in construction, and that’s the focus again today. ConExpo happens only every three years. Tyler headed to the Vegas show this year to see equipment that can reduce ergonomic stra...
May 31, 2023•47 min•Ep. 165
Eddie shares today about all the shoulds that plague our days. You know you should eat your vegetables, maintain a balanced diet, drink water… Making that actually happen is much tougher than just knowing that it should happen. The same pattern is true within construction. It’s easy to know that you should show empathy, consider other people’s mental/emotional health. The thing is that it’s really, really tough not to send that snarky email and yell at that employee. Keep on trying. Work on rout...
May 26, 2023•8 min
If you work with concrete, you’ve probably dreamed of having the machines made by today’s guest. Danielle Proctor is President and CEO of Construction Robotics, which makes two large and impressive rebar-related machines: IronBOT , which places rebar, and TyBOT , which ties that rebar. Countless construction workers have put in their time tying rebar before moving on to other less backbreaking and repetitive work. Eddie opens with a bit of nostalgia for his rebar-tying days and mentions this Dir...
May 24, 2023•43 min•Ep. 164
Ah yes, freshman year. Today we’re talking about things we remember learning in our first year on the job. Eddie starts us off: His first lessons were about pacing. When you’re tying rebar, you don’t want to be starting at a sprint. He discusses the home-life manifestation of this principle with the phenomenon of The Lowe’s Trip. When he enters a project slowly and deliberately, he avoids the four-trip day. Measure twice, cut once. Think it through. Think about the long game. ( Here’s the Daniel...
May 19, 2023•7 min
Everybody’s talking about it, so today we are too. In this episode, we’re exploring the implications of AI for construction. (And yes, we know it's not Friday.) (We touched on this topic in our conversation with Norine Bagate a couple weeks ago. Check out that episode if you missed it.) Tyler shares what he’s read and seen about AI virtual assistants that can identify potential candidate (for podcast guests, for instance) and then write emails customized to each of them. He goes on to discuss so...
May 17, 2023•38 min•Ep. 163
We’re different. Okay, that’s not news. Today we explore the differences in our routines, but then we talk about the value of routine--and the ways in which routines can go too far. Eddie shares about his effort to stay in routine despite the craziness of life. He’ll just get a routine going, and then something throws it off. We talk about emotional/relational withdrawals and deposits. Tyler’s weeks away on work are withdrawals from the family energy levels, so he makes an effort to be truly pre...
May 12, 2023•14 min
It's not quite what it sounds like, but it's just as cool. Angie Simon, former CEO of Western Allied Mechanical, joined us last year to talk about baseball analogies that can strengthen your construction game. Today she’s here to talk about an exciting youth-oriented construction-recruiting program that came up in that conversation: the Heavy Metal Summer Experience . (Before we get to the substance of Angie’s visit, we discuss one of the best recent construction-related movies, Lego Movie . If ...
May 10, 2023•39 min•Ep. 162
Today Tyler shares with us about his routine. Well, Tyler has a four-year-old and a two-year-old, so "routine" might not be quite the right word. Still, there are some patterns. Two-year-old Hank is an early riser, but Dad needs his coffee, which means that Hank often starts his day with some TV. Then there might be some reading (social media posts count as reading, right?) before helping his wife get the kids out the door. Then it’s time to run–usually a mile or two. Or it could be a longer tri...
May 05, 2023•8 min
When Scott Peper is not being overwhelmed with the duties of parenting three daughters, he’s focused on his work as CEO of Mobilization Funding . He also wrote The Big Book of Cash Flow , which aims to help commercial subcontractors and general contractors to navigate the financial aspect of successful projects. Cash flow in the construction world is not like it is in most other businesses. Scott’s focus is helping clients get a grip on the math of it all–capital, expenses, margins, contingencie...
May 03, 2023•51 min•Ep. 161
Today, in the first of a very short series (if two episodes can be called a series), Eddie talks us through the daily pattern that keeps him going. Eddie is a man of routine. You’ll hear about a day that kicks off with a 5:30 alarm and includes a healthy supply of coffee among other things. There are some smoothies in there, as well as some ice cream. (Of course there’s also a collection of thoughtful leadership practices.) We discuss how routines provide momentum and structure for our day–as we...
Apr 28, 2023•12 min
Today’s episode includes a visual demonstration, so you may want to consider watching the Youtube version. After a short story about deadly dumpling shenanigans, we shift to today’s guest, John Fay. John is the founder and CEO of Låda Cube (pronounced Lauda Cube). Låda Cube produces pre-fab cassettes that are used in the place of conventional stud-and-drywall walls. John starts out with a review of how the cassettes function and the benefits they offer. The refinement of production efficiencies ...
Apr 26, 2023•40 min•Ep. 160
A few weeks ago, we talked to Dr. Michael Bottlang about the rotational force that causes the majority of severe head injuries. This got Eddie thinking about an earlier experience where we purchased hard hats for a demo and ended up with Type I hard hats when we’d intended to get a Type II. Many contractors have chosen to shift to newer styles of helmets without looking at the protection data. They might be making these decisions to look like they’re cutting-edge or, frankly, because those weari...
Apr 21, 2023•8 min
Norine Bagate is a teacher–not by profession but in practice. Professionally, she’s the founder of NWB Consulting, a technology-based firm that develops software aimed at helping owners ensure that projects are completed as smoothly as possible. Here’s a quick rundown of Norine’s professional history: Earned an architecture degree from University of Texas at Austin Moved to New York and worked in construction as a project manager Managed capital projects in the corporate world, which included wo...
Apr 19, 2023•45 min•Ep. 159
Long-time listener, first-time caller–like the actual, very first caller! A couple weeks ago we announced our new Construction Brothers call line and invited you to leave a voicemail with a question or insight. A few of you stepped up, and today we address one of those questions. The question: In regard to leadership, which matters more: relationships or results? We discuss the fact that the clear answer is both. As we know, though, that’s often not possible. Eddie presents two answers to this q...
Apr 14, 2023•12 min
We start with some light chat touching on “the crud,” night-snacking kids, and nosey people who tell you to eat salad. Then we get to today’s substance: how to fix a stalled project. Smooth progress determines profitability. So we try to work ahead, but before you know it… here come the RFIs. Next comes a list of items that can hold a project hostage: Operating-room lights Operable partition walls Decorative curtain walls Design elements tied to seismic regions Grid lines that disagree Then the ...
Apr 12, 2023•52 min•Ep. 158
Today we start out by stepping into our time machine and looking at contrasting growth spurts in the Campbell home. We see 4-foot-11-inch teenager Eddie diligently chucking up those three-point attempts. Then we fast-forward a few years. There we see 14-year-old, Tyler, making the most of his 6 feet and 2 inches not on the driveway basketball hoop, but on the violin. Nature’s timelines can seem unfair. The same is true of professional timelines. It can leave you feeling left behind. Our message:...
Apr 07, 2023•6 min
(This episode contains several visual elements. Although we’ll provide some links below, consider watching the Youtube version if possible.) Welcome to The Headbanger’s Ball, where we talk about the fashion, the price, and the effectiveness of construction headgear. Between 2003 and 2010, 2,210 construction workers died because of a traumatic brain injury ( CDC.gov ). Dr. Michael Bottlang was born and raised in Germany. He then moved to the US to attend school, and went on to start a research la...
Apr 05, 2023•38 min•Ep. 157
Today we take a break from our usual Friday routine to talk to Ken Flannigan and welcome Dell as a partner of the podcast. Ken worked in construction for several years before transitioning to work on the software and work stations that enable the industry to do what it does. Eddie shares about the computer choices he’s made as a small business owner. He’s always aimed to keep the best equipment possible on the desks of his employees. Ken discusses the challenges of software demands leap-frogging...
Mar 31, 2023•7 min
Rich Racz has been working as an engineer within the construction industry for seven years. He started out in Massachusetts and then jumped over the entire continental US to settle in Portland, Oregon. We start today’s conversation with some talk about engineering classifications. Rich is a PE working on an SE. This means his license is in professional civil engineering, but he is on his way to qualifying as a structural engineer. Most of Rich’s projects involve steel, concrete, and masonry. The...
Mar 29, 2023•57 min•Ep. 156
“You used to call me on my cell phone…” Well, you didn’t “used to,” but you can now. The Construction Brothers are now available by voicemail! “By voicemail?” You say? Yes, by voicemail. Here’s what we have in mind with this dedicated phone line: We want to hear from you. We want to know… What problems are you dealing with on the jobsite? What’s causing headaches in the office? What industry trends have you excited–or concerned? What funny workplace situations have you experienced recently? The ...
Mar 24, 2023•6 min
The story of Andrew Brown’s life in construction starts on September 11, 2001. Andrew was a 23-year-old IT worker on Wall Street. When the towers fell, Andrew and a friend decided that they had to help. They headed toward Ground Zero and somehow made it through all of the checkpoints. After watching so many tradespeople pour themselves into the rescue efforts–most of them with little PPE, Andrew found himself wondering what he could do to support these hardworking people. A couple months later, ...
Mar 22, 2023•37 min•Ep. 155
Today Tyler shares about a specific moment that sticks in his memory. Numerous tasks and deadlines were bearing down on him, and the pressure culminated in a mysterious leakage from his eyes. Nobody’s immune to being overwhelmed. What matters is how you decide to cope. Tyler’s advice: Talk to someone. Acknowledge the weight you’re feeling. List the parts of the load that’s creating the overwhelm. Listen openly to the objective insights that person can share about how you can address your current...
Mar 17, 2023•5 min
Dan Wies is the president of Wies Drywall and Construction, a St. Louis company that has been in his family for three generations. He also enjoys contributing to the community–by providing quality service customers as well as training and growth opportunities to employees. Dan sees it as his job to make the general contractor the hero. “My name should never be in your mouth in a bad way,” he says to general contractors. The key to staying effective, profitable, and safe, Dan says, is having a re...
Mar 15, 2023•38 min•Ep. 154
Well. It’s debatable. What is the best day for project deadlines? Eddie thinks it’s Tuesday. For a long time, he thought it should be Friday, which makes sense in your head. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t usually operate in accordance with the vision in your head. Monday (according to Eddie’s work rhythm) is a very productive day, but it’s also a day that is overweighted with managerial duties. On Tuesdays, almost everyone is still around, in contrast to a Friday afternoon. Tuesday leaves time...
Mar 10, 2023•7 min
It feels like this episode should come with an image of Max Headroom in a hard hat. (If you’re younger than 40, we’ll let you research that reference.) Our guest today is Marty Beard, founder of alwaysAI, a company that uses AI to expand the functionality of basic video cameras. To see a more detailed overview of alwaysAI technology, see this article , which includes a video with Marty. He and his founding team saw what was happening in AI in relation to voice and realized that vision was likely...
Mar 08, 2023•51 min•Ep. 153
You’ve seen the title. What would you guess we’re going to say? The planning? The signing of the deal? The groundbreaking? Well, we believe that the most important part of most (if not all) projects is the finish line. At the beginning of a project, it’s usually relatively easy to be optimistic. The during part certainly has its frustrations. Deadlines loom, though. And people–especially owners–care about them. That’s why the end, matters the most. The end is the part of the project that most cu...
Mar 03, 2023•6 min
So… Sometimes we get going and we just can’t stop. This episode was supposed to be a Five-Minute Friday. Oh, well. It’s important stuff. We recently posted on LinkedIn about how difficult detailing is. Clearly, we tapped into a deep reservoir of discontent. Dozens of people shared about the results of stress they experienced as a detailer. Employees are human. Humans make mistakes. Even the best detailers will occasionally miss something. If you get 100 things right and miss one thing, the one t...
Mar 01, 2023•31 min•Ep. 152
