Send us a text In this episode of The Site Visit Podcast , host James Faulkner welcomes Russell Cook of Modular Interiors by Cook’s for a future-forward conversation on how modular construction is reshaping the commercial real estate and construction industries. From raised access floors and demountable wall systems to integrating smart technology and sustainable design, Russell shares deep insights and real-world examples—including projects like TELUS Ocean and partnerships with industry leader...
Jul 08, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 179
Send us a text The mental health crisis sweeping through construction has reached alarming proportions, with suicide rates among workers soaring to five times the national average. But what's driving this crisis, and why aren't more industry leaders talking about it? Ryan Englin, a 15-year veteran consultant and author of "Hire Better People Faster," brings powerful insights into the hidden struggle of construction workers and the leadership failures that perpetuate it. After growing up with a b...
May 13, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 6Ep. 178
Send us a text Imagine mastering your craft for years, then discovering that running a business requires an entirely different skillset you never learned. That's the reality for thousands of construction business owners who find themselves trapped in what business coach John Neuenberg calls the "E-Myth" - the entrepreneurial myth that technical expertise automatically translates to business success. Drawing from his experience coaching over 320 blue-collar businesses, John unravels why construct...
May 02, 2025•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 177
Send us a text The cement industry is at a crossroads. As global construction demands soar, so do the sector’s carbon emissions—contributing nearly 8% of global CO₂ output. But Markus Kritzler, Chief Revenue Officer at Carbon Upcycling Technologies, believes there’s a way to build a better future—literally. Markus has found purpose in a game-changing innovation: a technology that transforms industrial waste into high-performance construction materials. Carbon Upcycling’s process reinvents how we...
Apr 25, 2025•50 min•Season 6Ep. 176
Send us a text What if the key to solving your construction workforce challenges was hidden in plain sight? Tracy Austin, Chief Talent Officer at Elevated Talent Consulting and host of the People Strategy Podcast, reveals that the complaints you hear on job sites contain valuable information about what your team actually needs to succeed. Traci offers a profound shift in perspective that can transform how construction leaders respond to workforce challenges. When companies learn to decode worker...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 6Ep. 175
Send us a text In this enlightening conversation, Glyn Lewis, Founder and CEO of Renewal Development, reveals the surprising economics behind home relocation: each rescued home contains 100 tons of raw materials and 23 tons of embodied carbon that would otherwise go to waste. His company operates as a comprehensive service provider—handling demolition contracts for developers, coordinating the complex logistics of moving structures, and renovating them to become energy-efficient, affordable home...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 174
Send us a text Roberto Cervantes, CEO and co-founder of Flowlly, takes us on a fascinating journey into the world of AI agents for construction, revealing the crucial distinction between automation and true artificial intelligence. "Automation is a set of steps that are executed with no leeway to deviate," he explains, while AI brings the flexibility to navigate obstacles and find alternative paths to solutions. The conversation uncovers a painful reality for many construction professionals - pr...
Mar 27, 2025•23 min•Season 6Ep. 173
Send us a text Rick Wagner, President of Maxwell Floors and a 43-year construction veteran, tackles the tough conversations our industry needs. The cultural disconnect between developers' passion and field workers' daily grind manifests in concerning ways. Mental health claims sometimes mask a deeper lack of commitment, while the housing crisis creates a profound sense of disconnection when workers can't afford what they're building. Decades ago, homeownership required roughly ten years of incom...
Mar 25, 2025•39 min•Season 6Ep. 172
Send us a text Christy Love takes us behind the scenes of deep energy retrofits that transform aging buildings while residents continue living their daily lives. As an energy and climate specialist at RDH Building Science, she brings both technical expertise and a human touch to complex sustainability projects. What does it take to modernize a 1970s high-rise without displacing tenants? Christy reveals the painstaking process—from creating digital models of buildings with no existing plans to or...
Mar 21, 2025•35 min•Season 6Ep. 171
Send us a text The future of construction is growing taller, more sustainable, and increasingly made of wood. Shawn Keyes, Executive Director of WoodWorks BC, takes us deep into the rapidly evolving world of mass timber construction and why British Columbia has emerged as North America's innovation hub for this revolutionary building material. The environmental benefits are striking. Mass timber buildings typically contain 30-70% less embodied carbon than concrete alternatives, making them incre...
Mar 19, 2025•31 min•Season 6Ep. 170
Send us a text Chris Hill takes us behind the scenes of B Collective, a pioneering company dedicated to transforming the construction industry through innovative off-site fabrication. At the heart of our conversation is an in-depth look at the closed panel wall system concept. Unlike conventional construction, this approach integrates sheathing on the interior side, creating a seamless air and moisture barrier filled with dense-pack cellulose insulation. The result? Exceptional airtightness achi...
Mar 17, 2025•34 min•Season 6Ep. 169
Send us a text The City of Vancouver is revolutionizing how construction permits are approved. At BUILDEX Vancouver 2025, we had the opportunity to chat with Corrie Okell, General Manager of Development, Buildings, and Licensing at the City of Vancouver, about how digital transformation is reducing permit wait times and reshaping the builder-city relationship. Learn how the city has implemented technologies like ePlan, which allows for 24/7 drawing submissions. While the transition was initially...
Mar 13, 2025•33 min•Season 6Ep. 168
Send us a text The Future of Efficient, Healthy Housing is Here! Tune in to our conversation with Arman Mottaghi, CEO of Properate. With Properate’s innovative technology, homeowners can now pinpoint which improvements will truly make a difference, avoiding wasted money on ineffective upgrades. Together with Arman, we dive into how the return on investment for home energy upgrades extends far beyond utility savings to include increased property value, health benefits, and greater resilience agai...
Mar 12, 2025•34 min•Season 6Ep. 167
Send us a text The construction industry is at a crossroads as it embraces the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI). In this insightful episode, Shawn Gray delves into the pressing need for the construction sector, especially mid-sized firms, to engage with AI solutions that can substantially enhance productivity and operational efficiency. As labor shortages and demands for faster project delivery become critical issues, AI might just hold the key to unlocking greater profits an...
Mar 10, 2025•31 min•Season 6Ep. 166
Send us a text Imagine a world where our cities are not only more sustainable but also inviting and warm—mass timber construction is paving the way for this vision. In this episode, we engage with Alejandro Coronado, Technical Advisor at WoodWorks BC to explore the unique benefits of integrating wood into modern architecture. Discover how this dynamic material is not just a beautiful choice but also a smart one—offering a sustainable alternative to steel and concrete while contributing to lower ...
Mar 07, 2025•26 min•Season 6Ep. 165
Send us a text Discover the transformative journey of accessibility in the built environment with accessibility expert Samantha Ryan from ABE Factors. We delve into how building codes have evolved, recognizing not only the importance of physical adaptations but also the need for a more comprehensive understanding that includes cognitive and sensory considerations. During our engaging conversation, Samantha shares her passion for her work and the pivotal changes brought by the Accessible Canada A...
Mar 06, 2025•33 min•Season 6Ep. 164
Send us a text Join us for an insightful conversation with David Hernandez, Head of US for Elecosoft, LLC, a provider of innovative planning and scheduling solutions for the construction industry. Together, we explore how Elocosoft's strategic US expansion has enhanced their footprint across seven global regions. We discuss how project managers can sift through a sea of options by focusing on meaningful, personalized interactions. As we chat about the evolution of construction software, you'll g...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr•Season 6Ep. 163
Send us a text Join us as Thomas Beattie introduces the groundbreaking Eli Report, an AI-powered condo document review platform for real estate professionals. This innovative tool enables users to quickly and efficiently review condo documents by extracting relevant building issues from years of documentation in just minutes. We also delve into the profound impact of natural disasters, such as wildfires, on insurance strategies, highlighting how communities are adapting to maintain reasonable pr...
Jan 23, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 162
Send us a text What if you could revolutionize the construction industry while healing the planet? Join us as we chat with Steve Barron, a former director turned eco-conscious builder, who is doing just that. Driven by a deep commitment to sustainability, Steve shares his remarkable journey from the creative world of directing to the promising fields of hemp farming in Cambridgeshire. Discover how his innovative approach is paving the way for hemp to become a cornerstone of sustainable building ...
Jan 17, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 161
Send us a text We're thrilled to have Zach Rapaport, Principal at Meerkat Companies, join us. His intriguing career path is a testament to the power of finding one's true calling. Zach shares how he carved out a niche for himself as an owner's representative, bridging the gap between clients and contractors and ensuring projects run smoothly from start to finish. His insights into the dynamic world of construction, and the trends shaping it, offer a unique perspective for anyone interested in de...
Jan 10, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 160
Send us a text Discover how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the construction industry in our latest episode featuring Mahir Dheendsa. Mahir shares his valuable insights into the democratization of AI, highlighting how innovations are making artificial intelligence accessible to all, not just tech experts. We challenge common misconceptions about AI's novelty and explore the anxieties it brings to sectors like construction, where traditional roles stand at the brink of transformation. ...
Dec 23, 2024•53 min•Season 5Ep. 159
Send us a text Discover the driving forces behind change in the construction industry with our special guests Leslie Dibling and Agnes Watkinson from AMC Services. Together, they are on a mission to challenge and innovate, advocating for safer and more inclusive workplaces where everyone feels valued and protected. We confront one of the industry's biggest hurdles: communication silos that hinder collaboration and alignment between HR and other departments. With high recruitment demands and unre...
Dec 18, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 158
Send us a text Did you know that 26% of the construction workforce is set to retire in the next four years, intensifying the industry's retention crisis? Or that one in three opioid-related deaths in Canada involves a construction worker? And did you know that construction workers are five times more likely to die by suicide than from workplace incidents? In this powerful episode, Gianluca Pascale and Angelo Suntres join us to unpack these staggering statistics. We explore the crushing pressures...
Dec 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 157
Send us a text Unlock the secrets to revitalizing your mornings and your community's energy systems in this energizing episode. Our Toronto guest, Diego Mandelbaum, shares rich insights from the Russian Banya tradition, complete with tales of borscht and cabbage rolls, as we compare these authentic experiences with the more theatrical spa environments of Vancouver Island. Witness the remarkable transformation of Vancouver's downtown energy system, a journey from the smog-filled 1960s to today’s ...
Nov 28, 2024•54 min•Season 5Ep. 156
Send us a text Discover the transformative journey of Brandon Fuchs, a seasoned expert in the construction industry, as we unpack the delicate balance between technical expertise and entrepreneurial savvy. Brandon, the visionary behind the Elite Builder Society, shares his captivating evolution from carpentry to mentorship. His personal anecdotes shed light on the trials and triumphs of small-scale contractors, revealing essential strategies needed to conquer the industry's hurdles. Unlock the s...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 5Ep. 155
Send us a text What if there was a CRM designed specifically for the construction industry, offering both simplicity and cost-effectiveness? Meet Erick Vargas, the co-founder of Followup CRM, who joins us to share the fascinating story of a tool born out of necessity. This innovative CRM has become a game-changer for construction professionals, rivaling giants like Salesforce and HubSpot. Journey with us as we unravel the unique evolution of Followup CRM from an internal project to a standalone ...
Nov 12, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 154
Send us a text Effie Argyropoulos from Digital Public Square joins us to shed light on the pressing issue of opioid use in the construction industry. Through her insightful discussion, discover how their innovative digital tool Level Up not only raises awareness but also provides critical resources for intervention in a sector hard-hit by opioid-related deaths. Uncover the complexities of managing chronic pain amidst the backdrop of labor-intensive industries, where personal stories of prescribe...
Nov 05, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 5Ep. 153
Send us a text Ever wondered how a tech entrepreneur could revolutionize the construction industry? Join us as we chat with Kyle Friedman, co-founder and CEO of Quickly, about his journey to co-founding this groundbreaking platform designed to solve industry-specific financial challenges. Prepare to have your perspective on the construction industry's payment systems completely transformed. Discover how Quickly’s innovative model, which eliminates upfront costs and subscription fees, has deliver...
Oct 25, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 152
Send us a text Ever wondered how a British accent can stir curiosity and shape identity when living abroad? Join us as Stephen Walls shares personal stories from Canada and Australia, revealing the cultural nuances and humor found in British dialects, from the Queen's English to the Geordie accent. These tales of linguistic mix-ups in the construction industry will not only entertain but also offer insight into how language and background weave into one's identity. Together, we explore the laugh...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 5Ep. 151
Send us a text Curious about how cultural perceptions shape the construction industry? Join us as Antje Wilson, General Manager of the British Columbia Construction Roundtable and vice chair of the North Vancouver School Board, shares her unique perspective on reshaping the image of construction careers. Discover how language and cultural narratives can influence career identities, especially in trades and blue-collar work. Let's talk about how we can redefine these roles and foster an environme...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 5Ep. 150
