Bridging the Gap: Insights & Innovations in Construction

AI Should be Field-First

As AR and AI continue to sweep the construction industry, what are some of the best and most proven ways to leverage this enigmatic technology? Could it, in fact, help us address some of the largest and most persistent pain points of the industry at large? Join Todd and guest NK Chaitanya as they discuss the connection between data and AI, NK’s company ConstructN.ai, how AR can be leveraged to increase onsite safety, and the burgeoning benefits of artificial intelligence.
Chaitanya Naredla Kirshan, widely known as NK, stands at the forefront of the rapidly evolving technology industry. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Constructn.ai, NK is pioneering the future of construction monitoring, bringing simplicity and automation to complex processes across the build timeline. His rich experience weaves together advanced domains such as robotics, computer vision, extended reality (XR), machine learning/artificial intelligence (ML/AI), and the Internet of Things technologies.

Salting the Horse

Where do most training programs fall short? The answer may lie in the way we’ve been approaching the subject of training at large. Straight from GRAITEC Innovate2Build with Amy Powell of Well Works, this episode takes a closer look at what it means to truly and effectively train workers, how to support the “learning transfer” in every stage of training, and how emotional intelligence comes into play.
Amy Powell is the founder of Well Works, bringing to her position nearly two decades of construction experience, primarily as a Project Manager for a Commercial GC. Recognizing the gap in training tailored to the unique challenges faced in construction, Amy decided to roll up her sleeves and do something about it by going back to school to earn her Masters in Adult Education. She has crafted a specialized leadership program for field leaders. This program equips industry professionals to excel in their roles now and in the future to lead their diverse teams effectively.

Build in Time to Learn

Now that prefabrication is taking off, we’re looking for ways to make it a seamless process. Is there yet a “perfect software” that has everything you need for a prefab project? Often, we don’t streamline our workflows until something raises the alarm bells. In this episode from Advancing Prefabrication 2024, we sit down with Chris Fischer to discuss some of the biggest hurdles facing widespread, cross-industry adoption of the prefab movement.
Chris Fischer is Prefabrication Manager at Ready Electric Company, Inc. He has been in the electrical construction field since 1997 and completed his 5-year IBEW Electrical Apprenticeship in 2003. In his current role as Prefabrication Manager, he works with the BIM department to continue to improve and grow the Ready Electric Company, Inc. prefabrication process.

Prefab's Critical Trifecta

Prefab has demonstrated itself to be a valuable addition to the construction industry, but there’s still some pushback against it. When we’re certain of the benefit of new processes, we just need to be persistent. As they say, “the proof is in the pudding.” In this episode, Mike Barrett of CRB joins us to discuss how the cumulative successes of prefab will ultimately be key to widespread adoption.
Mike Barrett is Vice President of Technical Innovation and Delivery at CRB. He is passionate about excellence through project delivery and develops and drives innovative project delivery strategies across the entire project execution value stream. He brings a lean-thinking mindset to continuously seek out waste in project delivery processes, practices, tools, and methods in order to position CRB as a global leader in Life Science Project Execution.

Innovation Isn't Just Hardware and Software

The productization of prefab will be a tricky and incremental process. Can we still bring our creativity to the table when there are so many unknowns? In this episode, Todd Mustard joins us at Advancing Prefabrication 2024 and sparks a discussion about repurposing supply chains, the power of BI dashboards, and growing widespread interest in IBEW Local 48.
Todd Mustard is Executive Manager at Oregon Columbia Chapter NECA. He represents over 200 electrical contracting businesses that employ over 6,000 union professionals in northern Oregon and southern Washington. He is passionate about advancing the interests and values of the electrical construction industry.

Bringing Certainty to the Project Team

Depending on how you look at them, AI and prefabrication in construction can be time-saving game changers or tools of disruption. Paul Sweeney joined us at Advancing Prefab 2024 to discuss the substantial shifts in mindset around prefabrication as a whole, how to look at the past to prepare for the future, the positive aspects of newer technology, and new alignments between industries that were once completely disparate.
Paul Sweeney is Director of Prefabrication at GE Johnson Construction Company. He has also worked as MEP manager for the same company, and as Project Manager at Haselden Construction. He received his Bachelor of Applied Science, Construction Management from Colorado State University.

Clear the Air About Your Team’s Pain Points

A solid management team is foundational to the success of your company. When you come to management with a request or idea, whether they listen or not will inform how you interact with your job as a whole. In this episode from Advancing Prefab 2024, Chris Traugh joins us to discuss the importance of morale, the exciting future of productization, and how to attract and retain new hires in an industry that endures huge labor shortages.
Dr. Christopher Traugh is General Manager of Manufacturing at ColonialWebb. He is results-driven with exceptional practical judgment and attention for detail with skills in process improvement, investment controlling, lean manufacturing, and team management. Chris describes himself as a “can do” person with solid organizational, communication, and time management skills, utilizing his skills as a contributor in a growth focused organization.

The Importance of Reliable Methods

Transparency is often key to the success of a project. When you bring in something newer, like prefabrication, harmony and communication between teams is essential. Join host Todd and guest Steve Houston as they discuss how to combat inertia, the current inefficiencies of the construction industry, and what “works” compared to what’s “always been done.”
Steve Houston is Senior Director of Building Technologies and Vertical Manufacturing at LIFTbuild. Steve leads efforts for strategic transformation of the design and construction process through the LIFTbuild Resource Optimization, Planning and Execution (ROPE ™) delivery approach. He is a results-oriented operations leader who implements solutions with a focus on cross-organizational alignment. He has been successful in building agile organizations dedicated to solving complex challenges and bringing high-value solutions to market.

It's Too Easy to Make Money Playing Video Games

The great Dave Cooper joined us at Advancing Prefab 2024. He brought plenty of energy and hard facts about the industry. Namely, there is a cool-factor with jobs when you're young. If you can go home and show off the unique things you're doing and building in a career, it's going to be a draw for the next generation. Once you have people on board, how do you keep them there? Culture. Culture. Culture. Tune in to see where the rest of the conversation went.
Dave is a a home builder, vlogger and believer in the power of personal brand. He started creating video content to showcase the value of modular construction. Over time, he connected with industry leaders changing the way we build new homes, specifically in the offsite construction marketplace and regularly hosts the show Dave Cooper Live.

Every Project is a Unique Snowflake

Each and every building is indeed one of a kind, but in truth, not everything needs to be that special. UMC's Ryan Hoggatt worked on a project one time that had two almost identical buildings but a bathroom on the bottom floor of each had a different center point. His point with the story here is that the subtle differences between buildings and projects makes it hard to replicate and fabricate. Repeatability and consistency doesn't have to be the death of ingenuity.
Ryan Hoggatt is the Director of Manufacturing for UMC. He strives to solve the complex challenges of built environments and their systems. His work on standardization in the industry has consistently reduced energy, operational costs, promoted sustainable building environments and more.