Bridging the Gap: Insights & Innovations in Construction

Your Next Role Doesn’t Exist Yet

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 the strategic sales direction and enterprise manufacturing standards. CJ studied Engineering Management at Gonzaga University and joined McKinstry in 2013. He has worked across several functions at the company including as a project engineer, project manager, senior project manager, and construction technology program manager. His experience in pre-fabrication and detailing allows him to visualize how a project will come together far in advance of the actual installation date and identify ways to drive out waste from the installation process.

Questioning the Tried and True

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 virtual design construction (VDC) at Encore Electric. She leads two teams of more than 70 Colorado-based craftspeople in the prefabrication shop as well as VDC Coordinators. She was recognized as one the region’s Top Young Professionals by Engineering News Record in 2018. Hamilton’s prefabrication team was also awarded the “Building and Construction Manufacturer of the Year” in 2021.

The Changing Role of the Owner

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 on the firm's strategic vision for productizing the built environment, leveraging all things Prefab, offsite-manufacturing, and Lean planning and process. 

The Long-Term Vision of Modular

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 complex construction projects. In her role as JE Dunn Construction’s Prefabrication Integration Director, she leverages her education in architecture and business, plus her technical skills, highly collaborative approach, and drive for results and innovation. She serves as a key leader in planning projects with heavy prefabrication plans to improve quality, collaboration, and speed to market for her clients and partners.

Does Construction Have A Silver Bullet?

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 organizations leverage technology to increase efficiency and minimize risk at scale. Throughout his career, Aaron has worked with top AEC industry leaders to streamline systems and processes and develop strategies for more effective growth.

Facing the Worker Deficit Head On

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 SmartFab® Director. He leads Robins & Morton’s SmartFab® systemic review process to identify and implement customized, project-specific logistics, pre-assembly, modular and prefabrication plans for every project. 

Productization is Critical for the Future

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 Florida and an alumna of Harvard Business School, Marks is the former CEO of XSite Modular, a leading prefabrication consultancy and design-builder of critical infrastructure buildings. 
As a prefabrication consultant, she defined the language and process that is adopted by companies, countries, and builders around the world.

How to Make Change Management Easier

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 with years of experience in construction, drawing room and project management. Eric is a certified expert in Revit and ACI by Autodesk, trainer, coach, BIM strategist, project manager and Revit pioneer in Quebec, Canada and helps firms with their digital shift and BIM adoption.

The Biggest Mistake that Leaders Make

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 military, at home and around the world, in peacetime and in combat. Upon retirement, he founded KNHorst and Associates, LLC that provides consulting support to clients interested in reinforcing ethical behavior and strong positive leadership attributes.

The Journey to Sustainability is Speeding Up

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 Software, Graitec Group. He is a computational design expert with a deep background in AEC technology, operations and business strategy.