Today’s episode includes a visual demonstration, so you may want to consider watching the Youtube version. This episode is a re-air from earlier in 2023.00:00 - Bloody Dumpling Shenanigans (and Introduction)Dumplings can be deadly. What a birthday… After that story, 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. 04:25 - John Explains Låda CubeRecent refinements of production efficiencies has enabled Låda Cube to explore the benefits of standardization. This standardization yields multiple benefits:Final assembly is more consistent.Assembly can be handled by minimally skilled workersEntire walls can be disassembled and their parts reused–either when it’s time to reconfigure a space or in the case of a more complete demolition.Låda Cube modules are small enough to be easily handled, and they fit together with a cam-lock system that each has 750 lbs of carrying power. The cassette-built wall can then be covered with a variety of finish surfaces that can be switched out when it’s time for a change of decor. 10:15 - Timelapse Video John explains that specialized cassettes can serve customized features:Increased load-bearing capacityPlug-and-play electrical systemsSpace for plumbing accessThe goal is to have a system that never goes obsolete–that will be reverse compatible long into the future.John shares about one of Låda Cube’s large recent projects, a series of WalMart vision centers. If the work on these centers would have been done using conventional methods, it would have taken 16 days per center. With the modules, each center was finished in 3 days.15:30 - Cost and Production PaceWe explore the topic of cost. As you might expect, this type of product is currently a premium product. Låda Cube is currently priced at $4.50/linear foot. John believes digitization and production improvements will eventually bring that number below $2. The trickle-down benefits of standardization include faster estimates and reduced errors. John said his crew can generally give a phase-one drawing within just a few hours.The Låda Cube team is now working on software integrations that will populate modules in the design phase so that estimates and invoices can be almost immediate and also transparent. We discuss both cost and quality. John explains that the ½” MDF that is their current main skin finish material. He says that they’re occasionally using Avonite and, in the long run, would like to pursue partnerships with gypsum manufacturers to integrate small panels with easy seam solutions. 27:32 - Vision Center Cost BreakdownsTyler asks John to share some of the specific costs related to the Walmart vision center projects, including a large refund that the accountants struggled to process. John anticipates the development of a third-party market for exchanging components of this sort of system. He explains that there is no reason for any of their products to ever end up in a landfill.We hear about door integration when John explains that representatives from MillerKnoll contacted them to say that they’ve never hung a door on a truer wall. This is due to the fact that the Låda Cube cassettes are built to tolerances of 15/100”.Eddie addresses some of the mindset shifts that owners, contractors, and municipalities will need to consider in transitioning to this sort of construction. 37:50 - John’s Megaphone MessageThe Låda Cube team sees themselves as changers of environments. When they approach a worksite, they try to remove the fear and tension that might be there.They want to show compassion and to champion people well.Find John Online: LinkedIn - Låda CubeCheck out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Today Eddie suggests that we go to the person who has the hammer in hand. This is not only the best place to identify problems, but it’s also often the best place to formulate solutions. It’s the nip-it-in-the-bud mindset. Solve the problems right where they start. This is more logistically efficient, and solutions formed at this point in the system are also more likely to be supported by the whole team. Cynicism and eye-rolling will be less likely. Be sure to follow through, though. Don’t gather the input and then not sit still–at least not without clearly sharing a thoughtful Here are links to the Business Movers podcast that Tyler mentioned:-Apple Podcasts-Wondery Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

00:49 - Small TalkWe’re struggling. Tyler opens by sharing that his reading ability has been waning recently. We chat about his delinquency as far as following up on his eyeglass prescriptions. His knees aren’t doing so well either.03:30 - Getting into the ConcreteWe discuss our wives’ confusion about our fascination with the Roman Empire, but that’s where we’re settling today. We start out at the Pantheon. At 142 feet across, the dome on this temple is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. (If you’re interested in Tyler’s question about the Parthenon, here’s the answer.)We discuss the fact that it’s possible that some modern concrete structures will ultimately last as long as the Pantheon has lasted. Today’s concrete comes in various grades, and constructions have different budgets. The Roman government invested pretty heavily in their roads and structures. Eddie explains how ancient Roman concrete contained lime clasts, tiny clumps of powdered lime that would turn to concrete as water passed through it.15:30 - Caffeinated ConcreteWe shift from ancient Roman concrete to a modern phenomenon that is still in its experimental stages. In Australia, researchers have found a way to strengthen concrete by adding used coffee grounds. After trying a couple different approaches, they eventually found that baking the grounds and then substituting those baked grounds for 30% of the sand resulted in increased concrete strength. Eddie talks about the on-site decisions (and sometimes tensions) related to how much water to add. He also touches on superplasticizers that increase the workability of concrete with less water. 24:24 - LessonsFrom Roman concrete, we can learn the importance of knowing about the raw materials you’re using in your construction projects. Know the capacities and the tolerances. Then design with these materials in mind. In the design phase, consider how you can capitalize on the strengths and other traits of those materials. Another takeaway? Innovate. Look at the materials around you and think about how you can make creative use of the materials around you. Tyler gives the story of Play-Doh as an example of this.Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

You’ve encountered them. Can we just admit it, you might be one.To be fair, we all become one at one time or another.There are plenty of unreasonable people in the construction industry, but Eddie has a tip for how to deal with them. Don’t fight with them. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you just because someone else did so.Tyler chimes in with the comparison about children and parenting. Sometimes you need to just let the kid cool down. Doing so will increase the likelihood (though not the certainty) of a reasonable conversation just a little bit later. If you do engage, Eddie suggests that you consider apologizing. Sounds like he has some experience with it. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

00:56 - IntroductionBrent Wadas is an Army veteran who has also worked in finance and SaaS. In 2020, he and his two co-founders dove into construction automation with BotBuilt. He joins us today to talk about automated framing. 04:38 - BotBuilt OverviewBrent explains why he sometimes feels like a five-year-old. He and his co-founders found that most automated systems required almost complete uniformity. He explains The Panel Book that contains detailed breakdowns of components, designs, and costs. He talks us through how they use industrial robot arms from eBay to building out wall-panel systems. (Watch a video of the process.) The marked, labeled panels then simply need to be properly placed and nailed together. The contractors working with BotBuilt can complete the framing for a single-family residence in 2.5-5 hours using the panels assembled in their facility. Brent compares BotBuilt’s process to that of other automated-construction companies.08:48 - Ikea-style AssemblyEddie asks how BotBuilt lays out instructions for contractors to assemble their plans. Brent explains that the incredibly detailed plans they did for their first run-through ended up in the mud because the builder just wanted the simplest one-page overview plan. Tyler asks for some more details about the computer programming. Brent talks about the math involved and the challenge of regional code variations. Brent emphasizes that they can work up a schedule with just a PDF version of the plans. He talks about high school intern Joseph, whose fast work pace caught Brent off-guard. 18:26 - Growth, the Future, and RecruitingBrent talks about how far things have come in the last couple years and how quickly things are going to change over the next five years. He talks about his company’s work with Y Combinator. Eddie asks about the challenges of funding such an ambitious business. Brent talks through the way he and his co-founders process those decisions. This conversation includes some insights gained from buying and renovating fixer-uppers. We find ourselves talking yet again about the challenges of getting the younger generations interested in pursuing construction jobs. Brent ties in some thoughts from his time in the military. 35:10 - What to Consider Before AutomatingTyler asks Brent to outline the things that owners, contractors–anyone–should consider before automating. Here are Brent’s thoughts: -Reproducibility is the first thing to consider. If you’re looking at a process that repeats the same specs time after time, you might want to consider automation. -Ask yourself, “Is there a problem here?” Don’t automate just because you see other people automating. -Consider the personnel demands. Don’t set yourself up to pay the same people for the same number of hours just to solve a problem in a more complicated, new way.45:00 - Safety and LegacyWe talk about work site safety, and Brent says that you’re 10x more likely to die framing a house than on the battlefield in Afghanistan. He said that 35 service members died every year at the height of the war. 350 people die every year framing houses according to OSHA. He shares how BotBuilt’s consistency, standards, and simplicity can make a dent in these numbers. Tyler and Eddie discuss their experiences with safety practices (or the lack thereof) on their early-career worksites. Rarely if ever was there anyone designated to keep an eye on safety. We discuss how messed up that is. This leads us into a discussion about leadership.1:00:33 - Megaphone MessageBrent has a couple megaphone messages. He wants construction workers to keep hope alive, and he wants people from the tech industry as a whole to please come learn the culture of construction. He wants them to discover the wealth and satisfaction that construction has to offer. Find Brent Online: LinkedIn - BotBuilt Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Here are a few links related to today’s episode:Join the Bluebeam User GroupDownload a zip file with instructional videos and some of the tools Patrick mentions in this episodeContact Patrick McLaughlin on LinkedIn if you’re interested in more information about customizing BluebeamTry Bluebeam for free00:00 - IntroductionToday we’re visiting with Patrick McLaughlin and Steve Smith.Patrick is the Director of Virtual Design and Construction at Pond & Company (a full-service architecture, engineering, planning, and construction management firm). He is also responsible for managing and training Pond’s Bluebeam users and for helping those users develop time-saving workflows. Steve Smith entered the construction industry straight out of high school as a laborer for a general contractor. He held positions at Leica Geosystems and Hilti before joining Bluebeam, where he now works as Director of Partnerships. In this role, Steve looks for ways to expand the use of Bluebeam workflows through integrations with other technologies used by AEC professionals. 03:50 - Better Use of BluebeamPatrick gives us a brief overview of Pond & Company, which is on the large end of the spectrum, and we acknowledge that Eddie will be today’s representative from a small company. Tyler explains that our goal today is to save listeners some time, so he asks Patrick to kick us off with some of his favorite Bluebeam tools.Compare PDFs - This tool superimposes two versions of a layout.Cloud PDFs - This tool backs up changes to the cloud.Search - This tool can be used to locate and then strike-through words that become irrelevant in new versions. Tyler mentions that the history of those changes is stored for future reference.Tyler shares about his experience as a detailer dealing with the numerous tweaks that occurred while he was working on a series of Wawa gas stations. Patrick mentions that the alignment function would have helped with those problems.11:30 - Custom ToolsPatrick talks about how easy it is for users to create their own tools and then to organize those into a toolkit. Eddie talks about the sketching tools and lines that he uses, and Scott refers to how central that feature has come for some fabricators. We discuss metadata and filenames. Patrick explains how Bluebeam folder structures can increase the fluidity of the design and communication processes. Even on a small team, Eddie explains that thoughtful training helps to keep a team’s button layouts consistent. 20:10 - DashboardsPatrick talks about how the dashboards feature enables you to create buttons that open any file on your computer, take you to any website on the Internet, or goes directly to any folder on your hard drive or server. These buttons can then be saved as a dashboard template that others can use on their computer. Eddie explains that this versatility all the way up to the managerial level is one of the reasons that he loves Bluebeam. He asks Patrick to take us through the process of creating a dashboard, and he does so. He has gone so far as to develop entire landing pages for all of the departments in his company. 27:27 - StudioPatrick discusses the two features within Studio: -Projects allows you to upload a file of any type and share it with team members. -Sessions allows you to upload entire PDFs–even large ones–that multiple people can then edit simultaneously.-The creation of custom statuses that can then be color-cEddie shares his own experience with sharing of files and sessions even with people who don’t have Bluebeam. Steve talks through the extent to which that kind of sharing can take place. 37:55 - Field ReportsPatrick talks about using iPads during site visits. He uses voice-to-text to add notes on the PDF. These notes can then be synced up when he gets back to the office. These changes can then be compiled into a report to communicate changes to the relevant parties.40:15 - Right-click Apply All PagesPatrick shares this one final tip that you’ll want to use at the end of a long day. Then Eddie shares a little trick he’s learned to track those who’ve worked on the plans. 43:38 - BUGs - Bluebeam User GroupsSteve talks through the benefits of participating in one of various user groups that can help you increase your proficiency. 45:14 - Megaphone MessageSteve and Patrick share their excitement about the amazing things happening in the construction industry. Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

We all spend a good deal of time discussing how to improve the construction industry. Large problems don’t start out large. They’re usually a result of a long series of small problems. How do you reverse a large problem made of small problems? Yup, you seek a series of small solutions.Instead of getting discouraged, let’s start digging.An army of normal people can present a solution that is better than one high-level influencer. Take a look at what’s in front of you today. See what you can do to improve the part of the world that is right there within your reach. Together, we can solve the big problems, one small solution at a time.Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

Fouad Khalil is back! About three years ago, Fouad founded Modly, a modular construction consultancy that provides the building and real estate sector with market research, feasibility analysis and advisory services. Today he’s here to share some leadership insights.We jump right into the conversation today with some talk about liability. Tyler asks Fouad to repeat what he had explained in an earlier conversation.Fouad says that your insurance carrier will tell you…-Don’t say, “It will be done this way.”-Don’t get on the job site and direct other teams’ workers on how to do their job.When you do these things, you’re taking on liability.Eddie points out that general contractors get trained to shed liability. This leads to gray areas within the hand-off territory where information degradation occurs. Tyler mentions that some schools are unable to implement shop programs because of insurance costs.5:03 - Sweden and Building Robust TeamsFouad shares about his experience working on a project in Sweden. He recounts a conversation about potential leaks on structural wood components on the building. The answer about potential leaks was, “We’ll work on the solution together.”Fouad shares about the critical path and lead times. He talks about schedule compression and how every single step in the process can become critical. A shortage of screws can result in a whole project coming to a standstill. He mentions the insights he gained from the book Managing the Unexpected. This book focuses on high-reliability organizations like air-traffic control, NASA, etc. In manufacturing, you can burn through your cash in no time. Efficiency is everything. Fouad wanted to apply this knowledge in his clients’ projects.Fouad talks about the need for humility and honesty in regard to the planning fallacy. We underestimate. 20:36 - Key Lessons from the book We asked Fouad here today to discuss some of the lessons he learned from a book he mentioned to us recently. The book is Managing the Unexpected by Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe.Here are the five traits that the authors saw in high-reliability organizations:Operational sensitivityPreoccupation with failureReluctance to simplifyCommitment to resilienceDeference to expertiseWe expand upon each of these briefly. Fouad quotes Churchill: “Plans are useless, but planning is essential.” Eddie discusses the confusion he felt when his college coach told him to work at 90%. His point was to be deliberate and have a reserve. Maintain a buffer. Fouad explains that these principles apply to managing crews of any size. If you don’t manage thoughtfully in these respects, your best people are going to burn out. He gives examples about how to institute quiet times throughout the day when there will be no meetings. Eddie talks about creative use of red Solo cups in the office. 33:20 - Debriefing to Avoid Repetition of the Same FailuresTyler asks Fouad to explain how effective review of failures can ensure improved performance going forward. He talks about the importance of categorizing and analyzing the failures. He refers to various historical failures that were addressed thoughtfully. Eddie connects this to recognition of safety failures even if those don't lead to serious injuries. We also discuss how the principle plays out in relationships with contractors who try to downplay mess-ups. 43:04 - Recognizing the ExpertsFouad talks about the distribution of responsibility in specific situations to the people most capable of making the best decision. It’s not about staying loyal to a flow chart. If the lower-ranking person is in a better position to make the judgment, let them make the judgment. Then hand that authority back to the conventionally in-charge figure once the situation has been addressed. It’s about dynamic teams.One more time, here’s the book Fouad brought to our attention today: Managing the Unexpected.Find Fouad Online: LinkedIN Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Finally! Tyler is finally getting on board with the baseball analogies. (Well… This one is borrowed from his pastor, but it’s a start.)You might know that the Atlanta Braves are having a pretty impressive season. Tyler points out that statisticians have done the math: When Ozzie Albies is on the field, Ronald Acuña plays 30% better than when Ozzie is not on the field.It’s not because of anything technical. It appears to be just the presence of a friend on the field. We’ve all worked on teams where there’s that one person who energizes us–that one person whose charisma or sense of humor lifts our spirits or causes us to produce better work. That’s the Ozzie Effect.Are you an Ozzie for your team? Does your presence on the job site or in the office result in everyone else upping their game just a bit? That can make a huge difference in your team’s overall effectiveness.Here’s an article that expands upon the Ozzie effect. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

00:00 - IntroductionTyler is excited about his visit to a Glossier shop. While his wife was exploring ways to look even prettier, Tyler’s makeup-free mug was recognized by another patient husband. He didn’t ask for an autograph, but it’s a start. 6:44 - Mulberry HarborEddie leads us into today’s topic: the two large harbors that were constructed in preparations for the D-Day Invasion of Normandy in 1944. We won’t go deep into the historical details of the D-Day, but the invasion of Normandy that started on June 6 of that year would involve approximately 858,000 troops and 150,000 vehicles. The British and American military officials knew that tides would create challenges for putting all of those people and equipment on shore, so they designed and constructed two large harbors to assist in the process. (Here is a ship-shipping ship like the one that Tyler referenced.)14:33 - The BreakwatersEddie describes a couple of the elements used as breakwaters. One class of these was called the Phoenix caissons, which were essentially concrete ships that contained compartments that could be filled with air to float or water to sink and sit on the ocean floor. Additional breakwater efforts came through a plan code named “corn cobs,” and it consisted of several “gooseberries,” obsolete military ships that were sunk at a depth where the superstructure would remain above water. These ships actually had crews that provided support to the smaller boats that were using the harbor. 20:25 - The Piers and the TimelineWe move on to discuss the modular piers constructed of what were called “whales and beetles.” Actual construction of the harbor (from the various components built in Britain) began on D-day, June 6. From there, Eddie outlines this timeline:By June 11, the breakwaters for Mulberry A were complete.By June 18, the piers were in place and the unloading of cargo began.On June 19, a severe storm began. It was said to be the worst in 40 years, with 4.5 meter waves. The piers and most of the breakwater elements on Mulberry A were completely destroyed. Many of the completed elements of Mulberry B escaped catastrophic damage because of a couple islands that served as natural breakwaters.The decision was made to shift all focus to Mulberry B, which then took the name of Port Winston.29:45 - Connections and Takeaways We discuss how the Mulberry Harbor project relates to construction principles:Complex construction can be completed without computer design.Modular construction has been around for a long time. When time is of the essence, simple, repeatable construction is a good way to go.When a project really needs to get done, a way can be found to get it done.There will always be unforeseen complications in big projects.Additional resources related to Mulberry Harbor:Real Engineering video (sponsored by Curiosity Stream)BritannicaImages: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3 - Google Maps view today, Link 4This D-day timeline gives a picture of the combat and movements that were taking place while the construction and repairs of Mulberry Harbor and Port Winston were being constructed.Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Today Eddie doles out some wisdom for beginners.1) Don’t turn off the study habits that helped you in school (if you had such habits). Get to know the software, the terminology, and anything else that is a part of your job. 2) Don’t succumb to a whiner culture. Just learn. Just grow. (Tyler fesses up to having violated this tip.)3) Stay humble, and learn from your checker. They’re not trying to insult you (at least we hope they’re not). 4) Shoot for excellence. Don’t aim for “good enough.” 5) Put in the time. In a world where everyone says that you shouldn’t work too much, invest in some extra time in your early years. Paddle harder than the people with more experience. You can ease up a bit sometime down the road.Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

00:00 - IntroductionToday we welcome two members of the team at DPR Construction. We dive in today with some multi-generational hard hat chat. If you’re interested, check out the helmet conversation we mention with Dr. Bottlang. 7:25 - DPR and Recruiting We ask Chris and Will to talk about how DPR is recruiting and training young workers. They talk us through the variations between states in regard to union training resources and the amount of on-the-job training that needs to be coordinated by construction companies. Eddie asks Chris and Will to discuss specific trades where the gaps are the greatest. Chris moves on from to explain how DPR has needed to make the case to prospective workers about how a job in the trades can be a great fit for them.14:14 - Catching Their AttentionTyler asks what employment factors have the biggest attention-getting factor with prospective employees. Chris explains that DPR pays 7 holidays and 2 or 3 weeks of PTO depending on the employee’s tenure. Eddie mentions that he didn’t see this sort of information as part of a path of career progression when he was working in the field. Tyler refers to this earlier episode with Lee Causey.Chris explains that DPR is different from many construction companies in the sense that it handles a broad number of trades. This enables them to offer opportunities for workers to step from one trade to another as they get a sense of what might be a better fit. Tyler discusses the value of transferability that he’s experienced in his life.21:55 - The Big PictureWe discuss how rare it is that we show new employees the plans that enable them to understand the big picture of which they are a small part. Unfortunately, technology has made this a bit more difficult in some respects. Tyler and Eddie discuss their dad’s and grandpa’s experiences in that respect. 24:55 - Mentorships and Open ArmsChris explains how central mentorships have become to DPR’s recruiting efforts. “Who we build is as important as what we build.” Will chimes in with some examples of how classroom learning relate to hands-on application of knowledge.Eddie shares some memories of the mentors that showed him how to tie, frame, and plumb. He explains that these mentorships can extend beyond construction skills to broader employability skills and life skills.34:20 - What if…Tyler asks Chris and Will to share about what they might have been interested in doing if they could go back and do their career over again. Chris hearkens back to his work with concrete. Will echoes that idea. They both found concrete work to be enjoyable and not as stressful as some other work. Will also mentions electrical work because of the fascination with electrical theory. 40:34 - Advice about ApprenticeshipsTyler asks Chris to share advice with other contractors, and Chris makes the strong business case for the ways that strong apprenticeship programs are good for the whole organization. Will mentions NCCR curriculum as a helpful resource for contractors in non-union areas. Chris mentions that these resources are available in Spanish as well as English. Chris and Will talk through the nuts and bolts of the DPR program, including book-learning components and on-the-job training. They share a bit about the ways that quality training programs lead to word-of-mouth recruiting. 01:01:35 - Megaphone MessageWe ask Chris and Will what they want to say to the construction industry. Will says he’d like to see the industry change the way it looks at mistakes. If we can look at mistakes as learning opportunities, people will come to work knowing that they can learn from mistakes. Chris says that he would like the workers to be proud. The things you do make a difference to people’s everyday lives. Find Chris on LinkedInFind Will on LinkedInCheck out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

00:00 - IntroductionThat’s a frickin’ cookie. We could do an entire episode on the beautiful construction of the cookie we’re eating. Shoutout to The Cookie Company in Milledgeville, Georgia. (Also, sorry, Mom, for talking with our mouths full).4:00 - The Crystal Palace - BackgroundWe review the steps that lead to the construction of the Crystal Palace. In 1840, a guy named Henry Cole suggested that England should host a huge event to encourage industrial innovation. He was able to get Prince Albert on board and then Queen Victoria, who put together a council to plan the event.For some reason, they set a target date that would give them less than a year and a half to design and build the structure that would host the event. After issuing a call for designs, the council decided that not a single one of the 245 submissions was acceptable. 8:42 - Joseph PaxtonOut of nowhere comes the respected architect Joseph Paxton. Wait, did we say architect? Nope. He was a respected gardener. He had designed a massive greenhouse that had caught the queen’s attention.Paxton was clearly a man of varied interests. (If you’re interested in checking Eddie’s banana claims, you’re welcome to explore this site.) Here are the specs of the building that Paxton designed:1851 feet long (apparently in celebration of the year) by 120 wide and 34 high-App. 1 million square feet of glass-3300 Columns-2224 Main Beams-20+ miles of wooden gutters-3800 tons of cast iron (poured into a mold)-700 tons of wrought iron (worked into shape with tools)-Cost: 80,000 pounds - Fully funded by public donations (including a few substantial gifts from the royal family)-27’ tall crystal fountain (the first glass fountain of any substantial size)By the time Paxton’s design was approved, he had 9 months to complete the construction. He completed it in 5 months. 14:26 - Materials, Technologies, and a MoveThe Crystal Palace included elements that were at the cutting edge for their time. One of those was glass in large panes. Check out this video to see what was involved in producing these. A specially designed wheeled cart enabled workers to install 18,000 panes of glass every week.After the exposition, the building is taken down piece by piece and rebuilt in Sydenham but with a significantly modified design. (See photos of the reconstruction.)19:42 - Reflections and TakeawaysWe spend some time talking about things we might be able to learn from the Crystal Palace project. Here are a few of our thoughts:-This project was designed and managed by a person with little or no construction training. Construction experience is important, but people skills are just as important. Common sense goes a long way.-Tactful self-promotion–salesmanship–is also important.-The public rallies behind big projects. The Crystal Palace was funded by donations from the public.-It’s important to innovate with materials.-Coming to the table with fresh eyes can lead to innovation.-Focus, sheer determination, and solid deadlines can really motivate.-The constraints we put on ourselves might sometimes be the greatest constraints we face. -Innovation breeds innovation.Explore a few photos of the Crystal Palace:-Architectuul.com -Variety of Pinterest collections (the Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition)-Photos of the reconstructionLee Evey Episodes:At a couple points in this episode, Tyler refers to two Construction Brothers episodes featuring Lee Evey, who was the program manager for the 1997 renovation of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. You can hear those episodes here: episode 91, episode 92. Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Tyler’s been doing some training lately. Eddie has been both working out and listening to ultra-runner Nick Bare’s podcast.Nick talks about running a 230-mile ultra-marathon. Tyler and Eddie are not doing that.During COVID, Eddie was set to run a marathon that ended up being canceled. The Campbell family stepped up and set up a one-man race. When he hit 16 miles, he hit a wall. He was determined not to quit in front of his kids, so he focused on just finishing the next mile. Then the next mile. Then the next mile.We all hit those walls. Sometimes you simply can’t take the long view. You just need to focus on the very next step. Slowly you’ll gather momentum. Eventually you’ll realize that you’re just three miles out. Then two. Then one. Then you’re done. Just do the next mile.Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

You listen to us, and we listen to you. Today we welcome a guest who engaged honestly and thoughtfully with one of our LinkedIn posts.00:00 - IntroductionA while back, when Eddie posted on LinkedIn to say that he wanted designers to have more money and more time in order to produce a better product, Nick stepped up to say that he didn’t think that was always the answer. Nick said that collaboration is also key. Nick is an owner’s rep for an automotive group, and every day he observes the complex dynamics of the construction process. 3:20 - When You’ve Tried…Nick shares about times when he’s paid more for the “correct” design professionals. Sometimes it has panned out, and sometimes it hasn’t. We discuss some of the design and structural characteristics that are unique to the construction of automotive dealerships.Eddie asks Nick to describe the schematics that he hands to his architects. The plans are pretty detailed because space-planning and other elements are crucial to functionality of the space.Nick talks through the accumulating delays that occur in the design stage. He explains how essential it is that designers who are given more time produce designs that are really, truly ready to go.12:10 - Repeat Projects with Small AdjustmentsEddie talks about the unique challenges and advantages of working on projects that are essentially repeats of previous projects. Sometimes small differences in these repeat projects open the doors to slight cost savings–maybe using a 6” stud instead of an 8” one. When that happens, it can take an unreasonably long amount of time to get the designers to make that change.Nick explores the reasons that architects or engineers might not be able to jump on that change as quickly as one would like. Those people are usually working on multiple projects. He talks about how the navigation of this process changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He goes on to share about a massive beam that unexpectedly appeared on the worksite of a repeat project. He and the other parties were able to find a more affordable substitution because he was willing to ask everyone involved and push for a creative solution. 22:00 - Lessons Learned, Solutions FoundEddie asks Nick to share about some of the things he’s learned from years of encountering these kinds of challenges. Here are a couple things he mentions:-Get together with equipment vendors. Discuss how to replicate parts of the project even when there are minor variations in projects.-Take a close look at the process, including your role. See how you can tweak that process to minimize changes and increase the efficiency of addressing changes that do arise.-Make sure you’re working with designers who actually know how to build buildings–people who actually know about the physical construction process.-Make sure everyone is starting with the same vocabulary and reference points so that the content within designs can be easily understood by the workers on the jobsite.We go on to discuss the timing of change orders and the complications that arise when they’re not timed thoughtfully. Tyler asks Nick how he weighs the various variables in order to make decisions regarding change orders. Nick shares and Eddie contributes some thoughts from his experience.48:40 - Is There Such a Thing as…?Eddie asks if there is such a thing as a firm that can do top-grade work efficiently for a reasonable price? Nick says that the answer is yes but that it’s complicated. Since teams and partnerships are always changing, you might find your rhythm with one person or firm but then find that the chemistry with the entire team is not the same.Nick mentions that he has upward of 40 projects at a time that are at one stage or in the design or construction process. He talks through the communication principles that make it possible to manage that many projects at one time. Nick’s Megaphone Message: Communicate. We’re all trying to do the job. We’re all trying to do more with less resources every day. The more we can be concise and to communicate clearly, the more we’ll make everyone’s job easier. Find Nick Online: LinkedIn Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

We promise no original thoughts today. We do, however, hope you’ll find our borrowed insights to be useful.Eddie shares today about something he read about traits common to students in Ivy League colleges. It’s one that we’ve probably all seen in elite performers in other arenas as well.Don’t mistake it for apathy. It’s not a “Whatever” attitude. It’s just about unflappability. It’s just about not getting caught up in the stress in a way that you can’t make good decisions when the pressure is on.When you demonstrate this kind of ease, you’re setting the example for every one of your workers. You’re showing them how we handle things on this team.Here's a link to the podcast from which Eddie got the idea for today's episode. The relevant section starts around 6:30Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

We thought about calling this first episode in our redesigned studio “Between Two Fools,” because that’s where Dad is sitting today. 00:00 - IntroductionDad’s been in construction so long that he worked on moats. Well, okay, it was a moat in a zoo, but still… Today we ask dad to impart the wisdom and experience he’s gained over the last several decades in construction. We’ve had Dad on the podcast before, but we explore some new areas today. The day after the last baseball game during the summer after his senior year, Grandpa woke Dad up and said, “Get up. You’re going to work.” Grandpa took him to the union hall for a card. Then he took him up to a worksite at Miami University of Ohio, and the rest was history. One of his gigs under that first superintendent involved backfilling around an oil tank at a zoo, where he accidentally buried Mom’s class ring. Then he had an interesting run-in with a camel.02:20 The College YearsDad shares about the awkward challenges of those early years–learning hand signals for front-end loaders, etc. He explains how the Messer co-op program that gave him a substantial head start in the construction world. Dad’s dad had been through the same program.Flipper, a frozen Ohio River, and a general distaste for gloomy Midwest winters then sent Dad south. They loaded up all their possessions and baby Eddie and headed to Sarasota. 12:55 - Heading SouthThe community there was not particularly young-kid friendly, so they moved on to St. Petersburg. Dad shares a story about palmetto bugs leading to another move. Mom was having none of that. 21:10 - Roy and the Arrival of ComputersIn St. Pete, Dad worked in a satellite office of a top-300 company headquartered in Clearwater. There, he worked under the oversight of a supervisor, Roy, who came to be a significant mentor for him. As the “kid” in the office in the early 80s, Dad fell into the role of computer expert.As we discuss the perceptions of technology in those days, Tyler mentions that user interface is really all that has changed and the the basic process is still the same. 32:00 - Hatred of ComputersDad shares about the trials of early computer technology, including large stacks of greenbar paper and the tensions between data vs instinct. We review the various waves of computer technology that have come and gone since Dad stepped into the industry and discuss the glitches that have persisted through all of those changes. This conversation involves dual-floppy computers, monochrome monitors, Lotus 1-2-3, and printers that needed to be enclosed in boxes because of the noise they made. Dad discusses the F9 key that would trigger a manual recalculation in order to preserve processing power with large spreadsheets.38:11 - Interior Finishes and Long-term RelationshipsEddie shifts us forward to the period where Dad started working on interior finishes, when he was able to become more of a difference-maker. The pace picked up at this point, and relationships grew increasingly important. Dad tells about a large job for a company with a team of aggressive MBA grads who had high expectations for quick estimate turnarounds. Dad recounts some specific jobs, recalling the project parameters and completion times. He also talks about some of the colorful characters he encountered along the way. He discusses the efficiencies that came with long-term subcontractor relationships–including “trust that transcends generations.” Helpful Links:Eddie makes a reference to this episode with Chuck Colwill.Find Dad online: LinkedIn - ABSICheck out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

FMF: 4 Tips for Project Managers(While we remodel our recording studio for some exciting changes, we’re sharing this Five-Minute Friday episode that was originally aired in September of 2021.)You may or may not know that Eddie is not only a master of steel detailing. He’s also a seminary dropout (as Tyler is quick to remind him… frequently.) Today Eddie’s sharing some scriptural insights that could be useful for anyone, regardless of their theological perspective.We have conflict daily on job sites, but what is the best way to get a resolution? As usual, simple, lean solutions are better than complicated ones. Depending on the scale of the conflict in a construction context, litigation is a possibility. If you’re interested in avoiding legal action and would prefer to simply maintain smooth working relationships with your colleagues, here are some steps to consider:1) Go to the person one-on-one with a humble posture. Be prepared to receive a verbal punch or two, but keep your eyes on the goal of reconciling. 2) If that doesn’t work, take one or two people along with you–preferably an unbiased party. Present your concern. Lay out your appeal.3) This step is a bit more challenging to translate into the non-church context, but try to find someone who can serve as an “elder” figure–someone who is respected by both you and the other party.Eddie shares about a situation outside of the construction context where he experienced this process. It wasn’t comfortable, but the outcome left both parties feeling respected. In case you’re interested, here’s the Bible passage Eddie is drawing from for these insights. Matthew 18:15-20 - If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

(While we remodel our studio in preparation for some exciting changes, we’re sharing this conversation with Matt Haskins that aired in July of 2022.)Matt Haskins has been in construction for a very long time. When we talked to him, he was working in northern Minnesota on a small, 100-year-old apartment building. Lead pipes. Ugh. We start out with a discussion about early mornings. He completes yesterday’s daily reports during the hour or so before everyone else arrives.Once the rest of the team arrives, he likes to take 15 minutes or so bringing everyone up to speed on what’s happening on all parts of the site that day–just so everyone has the big picture and is aware of any heavy equipment that might be active in their area.Once everyone is active, he likes to be an active presence throughout the site. He likes to cut up with the various crews in a way that builds morale. Matt makes a point of not checking email on his phone. He’ll keep an eye on the notifications, but he doesn’t want to be distracted by electronic correspondence while he’s out and about onsite. We hear a bit about the frequency of his contact with his project manager. Unlike some superintendents, Matt likes to have a few conversations with his PM throughout the day. Matt explains that he’s easily bored. For that reason, he likes complicated projects that keep his brain busy. He shares a bit about the differences between “normal” projects like wind farms. Tyler asks Matt to share about the things that cause him frustration. His answer: communication. That is what makes it all work.Eddie asks Matt which previous project was the hardest that he’s ever done. Matt said that it would be his part of a $130-million renovation of high-voltage power stations in Bismarck, ND, that are the source of power for Minneapolis/St. Paul. Matt talks us through some of the seriously challenging aspects of this power-station project that involved extra-large components, unusually configured spaces, and carry-deck cranes doing work that should probably have been done by gantry cranes. We ask Matt to share a bit about different types of project managers, and he shares some that he’s seen, including those that come straight out of college with no actual construction experience but plenty of arrogance. Matt’s Megaphone Message: Try to work as a team. You’ve got to all work together. Find Matt online: LinkedInCheck out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Today we share some multi-generational wisdom. These are useful tips and principles passed down to us from our dad and grandfather. Our dad and grandfather both reminded us not to be a project pilot… Actually, what they meant was not to be a project “pile-it.” Don’t just pass paperwork on to others. Don’t be the “please advise” monster. Just don’t. PLEASE. DON’T!Stay in front of the airplane. Think ahead. Know what’s coming so you can ask the questions today that will give you the answers you’ll need tomorrow.Don’t be a box-checker. See your work as more than just a to-do list. Know the why behind the tasks you complete throughout the day.Have integrity. Don’t lie to get your way. It’s not a sustainable way to function. Build trust into your relationships. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

We start out with a brief discussion about the mystery of lost files (due to some tech challenges we encountered today).Today we’re discussing inefficiency–specifically as it relates to the amount of time allocated to a task.We discuss the art (or the science?) of scheduling in a way that provides just the right amount of time–not too little, not too much.OVERVIEW OF PARKINSON’S LAW: Tyler shares about the book in which he discovered a name for one particular source of inefficiency. It’s called Parkinson’s Law, and it can be seen all over the place. We discuss how this law applies in the world of construction. We discuss the relationship between deadlines and hustle. And then, of course, there’s “fake hustle.” BACKGROUND OF PARKINSON’S LAW:We discuss the history behind the term “Parkinson’s Law.” The term was coined by British naval historian and author Cyril Northcote Parkinson. He discusses bureaucratic bloat in the British military and proceeds to name the pattern after himself. FRED AND THE BUREAUCRACY:Eddie talks us through a hypothetical scenario of someone creating bureaucratic bloat in order to compensate for either decreased ability or increased laziness. We compare this hypothetical business scenario with the military analysis in Parkinson’s paper. We acknowledge that a deadline you determined is a deadline you own to a much greater degree. The more you feel like a stakeholder in a deadline, the more motivated you’ll be to establish momentum toward that deadline.Tyler and Eddie both share about specific instances from our own professional lives where we saw Parkinson’s Law at work. We discuss the causes and the consequences.THE IMPORTANCE OF DEADLINES:We challenge listeners to contribute some thoughts about setting deadlines effectively. We discuss the massive inefficiencies that can result if deadlines are abandoned and the bloat of Parkinson’s Law begins to affect your project.So here’s our megaphone question for you: How, as a person–as a leader, are you helping the industry get better in this regard? How do you properly motivate a group of people to get done the amount of work that’s reasonable for them to get done? In case you’re interested in more details about Parkinson’s Law: -BBC article-Parkinson’s actual paperProgramming Note: We’ll be highlighting some especially interesting past episodes over the next couple weeks as we gear up for some big changes in the podcast. We’re excited! Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Stunned. Tyler is stunned that he is praising Bing. While scrolling through LinkedIn, Tyler encountered a mention of punching shear. His understanding of that phrase was reasonably solid, but he thought it might be interesting to see if AI could help him understand it just a bit better.Then he challenged Bing to explain it to him in an even simpler manner–at the level that a child could understand. Moments later, Tyler had been educated on multiple levels about this engineering concept. So, the ultimate prompt we’re recommending is “Explain … to me.” See if there are some gaps in your knowledge.Now go poke your finger through a cookie. That’s punching shear (according to AI-powered Bing).Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

Today we’re flashing back to an episode from May of 2022. We start out with some banter about Eddie’s kids giving Tyler a hard time. Then Tyler signs up for a marathon… Oh, wait, no he doesn’t. What a slacker.Nate Patrick is facilities project manager for the Pennsylvania State University Office of Physical Plant. Before taking that position, he worked several years as a mechanical design engineer. Nate joins us today in the studio to share some practical tips for contractors, designers, project managers and others who need to coordinate with owners to handle the construction process more effectively.Nate manages between 15 and 20 projects at a time, ranging from $250,000 to $50 million. At the moment, he’s handing almost twice that load. He says that no two days are the same in his work. As you can imagine, it feels like juggling.We ask Nate to paint us a picture of what an owner’s life looks like. Here are a few of the insights he shares:-It’s about continuous reprioritizing.-There’s lots and lots of data.-It’s nonstop communication. -It requires a great deal of coordinating between numerous parties. -The calendar gets complicated because so many parties are involved–each of which might need you to communicate in a different way.-It involves a bunch of meetings.Tyler asks how project managers can be more proactive in communicating with owners. He says that it’s important to have a proposed solution before you share your problem. Thoughtful handling of RFIs is crucial. He also says that action/deadline dates, schedule impacts, and financial impacts should be communicated with each RFI so the owner can prudently prioritize.We discuss the risk of crying wolf when it comes to prioritizing requests. It’s easy to get too aggressive and trigger vindictiveness in the other party.Nate says that building trust takes time. It’s something we all have to work on. Here’s his recipe for building trust (which he credits to a source that he has since forgotten): -Tell someone what you’re going to do. -Do what you told them you were going to do.-Tell them that you did what you said you’d do.Tyler compares this to being a good assistant. Have the tool that the person needs when you know they’re going to need it.We wrap up with a discussion about the importance of clarifying expectations with all parties at the very beginning of a project.Nate’s Megaphone Message: Care for people. We’re all people. One of us is not more important than another. We all are a part of this. These projects will not be successful without all of us working together as a team. Respect other people for who they are–for what they bring to the table. They’re not resources; they’re people. Treat them that way. There might be things outside of work that affect the way that people react in a work situation. Show gratitude and respect. Find Nate Online: Penn State University Website Check out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Have you experimented with it yet? Well, we’re ready to nudge you into the future. Tyler shares some insights that he thinks will increase your efficiency. Here they are:“Rewrite this.” This can work if you struggle with clarity or style with your writing.“Summarize this.” This one can work when you receive a binder full of information. “Create an agenda.” Give ChatGPT a raw collection of info and have it organize it for you.“Create a daily report.” Copy and paste relevant notes and have ChatGPT make it more readable.“Create a list of…” Have ChatGPT create a list of possibilities for you when you’re stuck.“Time-block my calendar.” Type or paste in your tasks and have ChatGPT distribute those tasks throughout your week or day. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

Dan Stine is Director of Design Technology at Lake|Flato Architects. You could also say he wrote the book on architecture–or at least the top-selling textbook on Revit. As if that weren’t enough, he teaches graduate architecture classes and is active with Committee on the Environment (COTE).We start out with a brief overview of Dan’s work with COTE. Then we ask Dan to share about some of the technology he has had the opportunity to explore in his various roles. Dan discusses Tonic DM, a tool for email management and file-sharing management. Dan explains that he has found the cloud-based service to be stable and reliable. It also assists with the handling of project-management information. Tyler asks about Revit plugins and other time-savers. Dan says that Enscape has become widely used within his firm. He also discusses Forma (formerly called Spacemaker), which is especially helpful with wind and solar installations. We explore generative AI software, and Dan mentions that Enscape integrates some AI. He geeks out on some processing core technologies. Dan shares about UpCodes, a searchable platform for building codes that dramatically expedites code research. UpCodes saves time by integrating amendments based on local jurisdictions. As we discuss AI, Tyler shares his exploration of Adobe Photoshop’s AI integration, adding lamps and furniture. He was impressed.Tyler asks Dan to discuss the challenges of integrating new technologies. Dan says that the most important thing is evaluating the software to ensure that it’s worthy of being added to the team’s repertoire. Once a tool makes it through that step, deployment and support becomes easier to systematize. It’s all about ensuring that qualified people are available to instruct and support those who will be using the tool.Dan shares a bit about the Dell Latitude tablets that he and his team used in a recent video shoot with Tyler. Then he runs through the array of equipment Lake|Flato uses to support its hybrid-work structure. Data-security geeks will be interested to hear the VPN/work-station/server configuration he describes. He shares about Lake|Flato’s hybrid structure and how it is supported by their use of FlowScape virtual office spaces.Tyler explains how the video editing for the podcast will be changing based on the things he learned during the video shoot with Dan.Dan’s Megaphone Message: Thanks for creating all the crazy stuff that architects design. He looks forward to developing new means and methods that can lower the carbon footprint of projects. He’s also eager to incorporate some cool technology in that process.Here’s the video Tyler produced with Dan. Find Dan Online: LinkedIn - Lake|Flato - His blog, BIMChaptersCheck out the partners that make our show possible.Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

Micah Piippo has worked at Google, at a shipyard, and at a plutonium-processing facility. Now he’s a schedule and integration manager with Intel. He helps deliver projects on time. Micah describes the plutonium facility: “It felt like a James Bond lair.” (By the way, Dr. Brown does, indeed, pronounce gigawats as “jigawatts.” That movie was filmed before we all became familiar with the prefix giga in relation to bits and bytes.) You can’t get a college degree in construction-project scheduling. There are courses, but Micah says that most of the preparation for this position results from simply asking a lot of questions.He explains that curiosity is a key requirement for an aspiring scheduler. He sees at least two categories within the scheduling world:1) the analytical route with a focus on data crunching and2) the owner’s-assisant route that involves more soft skills. At one point he would have said that construction knowledge was needed, but he says that that’s not necessarily the case right now because the job market is so hot.Eddie asks if schedulers find themselves getting blame when things go poorly and minimal credit when things go well. Micah confirms that, yup, this is generally the case. He says that he needs to have several jobs where he finds millions of dollars in savings in order to compensate for the couple smaller oversights that result in worksite chaos.Scheduling is undergoing a shift right now, Micah says. The computer programs used in the past couple decades basically accelerated implementation of the algorithms that had been established in the 50s and 60s. Now, he says, a whole new world of potential is being unlocked.Micah mentions the two streams or approaches he sees currently:Capture (of progress status): Slap on a 360 camera and (if you’re loaded) Lidar - Software will then assist you in establishing the status of a project.Advance Computer: Employ large-language models, ML curves, and other computer programs capture massive amounts of data to optimize the scheduling process.The golden egg Micah longs for is full integration of the advanced mode described above with the design process, so the design-scheduling process becomes seamless. Micah mentions that many owners don’t have advanced scheduling software. Most of the scheduling gets done by a duo consisting of a project manager and superintendent. Owners struggle to see the value in bringing in a scheduling specialist. His favorite thing is when a GC comes in with a vision of how their project is going to go.When it comes to plan/schedule integration, Micah explains that there’s far more detail in the schedule than there ever needs to be in a plan. The challenge is closing that gap.Eddie mentions that some of the plan/scheduling-integration claims that companies make really function simply as marketing ploys. These tools and capabilities are often not truly employed when boots are on the ground at the worksite.Micah discusses what he calls the planning fallacy and explains three steps that are used to avoid them:Reference-class forecastingPull planningBreaking the large down to the smallEddie and Tyler follow up with their own thoughts about the planning fallacy, including a recent example about a home-improvement project. Micah advocates for the creation of a federally managed and openly shared data set of all construction projects. He believes this would dramatically increase efficiency.Micah’s Two-Part Megaphone Message: -Find the good in what people are doing, and promote it. You’re at work 8-12 hours a day. Be an advocate for the people who are there beside you.-Plan long. Think about your decisions and the long-term implications. Your attitude will change, driving your actions differently.Find Micah Online: LinkedIN - Micah’s podcast, Beyond DeadlinesCheck out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening

It’s a problem–a very common one. When you’re trying to be consistent with just about anything, burnout on some level is likely to occur sooner or later. It takes a toll. Tyler acknowledges that he’s experiencing a good deal of creative burnout at the moment. Eddie has felt it in the past too. So, we discuss ways to fight it. Talk through it with someone. There’s a good chance that the people closest to you see the symptoms before you do. Get active. Do the things that bring you joy. Spend time with people. Recognize that your trajectory out of the burnout pit might be somewhat shallow, but try to be as consistent with the revitalizing activities as you are with the obligations that put you in the pit. We’ll carry on with some more thoughts about this next week. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

A question: Do you see yourself as the only competent one in your world? Are you able to hand things off to team members?It can be a hard mindset to release because it can feel so risky.Taking ownership is a good thing, but check yourself. Is there some arrogance there?Eddie says that “Gram” used to say, “If you want to know what kind of difference you’re going to leave when you’re gone, stick your finger in a cup of water and pull it out.” That feels pretty cold (the statement, not the water), but it’s also true–at least in the long run.Acknowledge that others can help you, and you’ll be better off if you do.If this is a struggle for you, print off the poem Eddie read today and post it in your workspace. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedInIf you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

Terry Dussault is President of Yellowknife Consulting Services in Huntington Beach, California. His focus is conducting incident investigations and promoting safety programs. Many of the projects that require Terry’s attention involve waste-cleanup and pollution abatement.These sites often contain lots of piping and pumps, which means lots of ways workers can get hurt. (Tyler asks if scuba gear is ever involved. The answer is no, but here’s the kind of diving Tyler was referring to.)Tyler asks Terry to talk through an average day, and Terry said that a whole lot of it is about paperwork. There’s a massive amount of documentation. You need to know the protocols. Eddie asks for some of the good things in the world of safety recently. Terry recalls how little safety gear was offered or used when he started working in the field. It was pretty much just steel-toe boots–no helmets, no vests. Terry discusses the incredible importance of traceability when it comes to safety standards. It’s essential that an employer be able to provide documentation verifying that appropriate steps have been taken to keep the workplace safe. This helps in litigation and in providing employees with peace of mind. We explore the generational differences in perceptions of safety regulations. Terry says many veteran workers brush aside safety concerns because they’ve never had significant accidents or seen coworkers get hurt.He shares he confronted an older worker who had chosen to ignore the company glove policy. Terry pointed out to the guy that all of the incoming employees who train under him will likely follow his example. The Book of Gore: This is the title Terry’s brother, a paramedic, gave to the photo album he assembled to document the terrible things that can happen. He refers to this book when attempting to encourage the use of gloves and other safety equipment. erry says that the root cause of unsafe work conditions is when the shortcutting of procedures is positively reinforced or tolerated. On the topic of gloves, Tyler asks about how Terry has seen people deal with the increased presence of touchscreen-based technology on the worksite. Terry talks about reasonable exceptions that need to be made for people in specific situations. We discuss balance and practicality. Tyler mentions that excessive protocols can lead employees to want to stick it to the man. Terry talks about an oil company that required two layers of gloves. At first this struck him as ridiculous, but then he came to understand that they were dealing with contaminants that can be absorbed through the skin. If his skin had gotten wet, he’d have been absorbing serious toxins. Tyler asks Terry what safety protocols he’d like to see implemented. Terry says that it’s not so much which protocols should be added as it is about how management should get involved. He wants to see leaders becoming more active in supporting employees in their efforts to remain safe.Terry tells a story about a nightmare cleanup where a former owner had allowed various companies to fill a tank with a variety of chemicals. Terry had to lead a crew through the process of solidifying the liquid. That meant putting a few of his guys in direct contact with the chemicals. An executive in the company overseeing the project asked when they were going to be able to scale down the PPE budget, and Terry had to be really blunt with him. Eddie discusses whether we create a Chicken Little dynamic when we have excessive regulations like requiring two people to move a 16’ 2x4. This leads to another messy cleanup story that shows the complexity of assigning liability in multi-million-dollar projects. He talks about the fact that there are often two versions of incident reports after incidents like this one. Tyler asks Terry to share some wisdom with young people entering the industry. Here’s what he shares:Try to become the best you can be, but also think about integrating a level of safety into your practice. Learn it all.It’s okay if you don’t know something. Ask.Terry’s Megaphone Message: If you’re a worker and you see something that doesn’t feel right, stop and ask. You don’t have to proceed. Have some personal policies regarding safety. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Find Terry Online: LinkedIN - Yellowknife Consulting Services Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!

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 for contingency.  So, there you go. If you have the opportunity to pick a deadline for your project, make it a Tuesday. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Yeshurun joins us today from San Francisco. Tom is Founder and CEO of Civ Robotics, a company that automates construction layout. Their robots drive themselves around a site and locate points by paint or laser so they can be marked by their human operators. Tom shares the names of a few of the robots they currently have operating: Betty, Ugly, and Joey… No #5 yet. Regardless of the name, each robot is a four-wheel drive unit customized for specific terrain. Several years ago, Tom was a contractor who hired surveying teams. As he talked to these teams, he learned about the limitations they experienced with some of the early survey drones. Within a few years, Tom had founded Civ Robotics and led a team in development of a drone that could drive stakes with QR codes linked to relevant information about that spot on the worksite. As they sought to generate interest in their drone, they discovered that many workers were intimidated by the drone in one way or another. After hearing this multiple times, Tom and his crew set about building a ground-based unit. They found that 8 of 10 contractors preferred the ground-based unit over the drone. Much of Tim’s team struggled with this change of direction, but the bold, painful pivot paid off. Three years later Civ Robotics has more than 40 machines in the field. Tyler asks Tim to talk through the mechanical functionality of the robots. Tim explains that the unit paints a spot or uses a laser to mark a spot where a worker can then drive a stake. Two people working with the robot can do the work of eight people with handheld equipment. Traditional two-person team places somewhere between 200 and 400 points a day, depending on the terrain challenges. With the Civ Robotics machine, one person following the machine can place anywhere from 700 to 3000 points a day depending on the accuracy needed. Accuracy is obviously a concern. The base model can mark spots within two inches, and the high-precision model can mark within 8mm, using a laser on a robotic arm. The unit then audibly tells the field crew worker which marker to place–red, blue, black, and yellow. Due to the addition of this vocalizing feature, some contractors are opting to have just a single human worker team up with the robot. Some job sites use multiple vehicles, most often two. That means that 1400 marks can be placed within an 8-hour shift, which requires a battery hot-swap at lunch time. (Everyone wants a lunch break.) Eddie shifts our attention forward to discuss what Tom has in mind next. Today most of Civ Robotics’ work involves horizontal work. Tom discusses possible expansion, including partnerships with Trimble, but he said that Civ Robotics’ focus for the moment is on outdoor, rough-terrain applications. Tyler talks about the promising job prospects for robotics operators. Tom confirms that the learning curve with their robot is generous enough that people can easily learn to operate it without any special training from the company. Eddie asks about licensing issues. Tom explains that you don’t have to be a licensed surveyor to do layout in most states. Licensing is required to measure the land and place control points, but not to mark where to build. He also mentions that on-the-ground robots capture more-detailed topographic data than drones do because vegetation won’t throw them off. We explore what “as-built” means in Tom’s world. He explains that it refers to measurements of what was actually built. It often relates to topographical elements. Different entities have different requirements for how this data is processed. Tom explains that the “topo” feature can toggle off and on to gather elevation data. This data can then be gathered at the same time as the X-Y data, resulting in substantial time savings. Tom advises people to evaluate new equipment before buying. He’s seen companies overcommit to specific technologies and waste loads of money. He shares about the various specialized robots he’d like to build or buy. (Here’s the luggage-carrying one Tyler mentioned.) Tom’s Megaphone Message: Construction automation is coming whether you want it or not. It’s going to help customers build buildings more efficiently and with greater precision. It will empower us to reach our goals as an industry. If you don’t adopt it, you’re going to fall behind. We’re here to build America. It needs to be a group effort. We need to have multiple technologies to meet those goals. Find Tom Online: LinkedIN - Civ Robotics Check out the partners that make the show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even if you’ve never been in the military or marched with a band, you’ve heard the pace-setting rhythm of a drum beat or the chanting troops.  Projects have a rhythm too. Each project has a unique feel. If you want to be a productive contributor to a project, you need to sense that cadence.  Know when to enter with your information–when to bring your concern to the table. You can’t just throw it out there when it comes to your mind.  Tyler shares a softball analogy: You’re at third base when the ball comes at you. The ball hits your mitt and you grab it with your throwing hand. You pause before throwing to let your eyes and muscles calibrate before you send it.  Those who fail to do this will often send the ball into the dugout or over the first baseman’s head.  Take a beat.  Ponder the context, the recipients, and the implications of your words or actions.  Then act.   Again: Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.  Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon and an increasingly-ripped Zuckerberg in a cage match. And Threads. That’s where we start today’s conversation. But then we move on.    Today we're talking to Jacob D'Albora. Jacob is Director of Digital Building Operations at VIATechnik, LLC. His job is to serve as an owner’s representative in regard to digital plans and related VDC data.   Jacob says that he has seen owners who had to recreate the entire digital presence of their projects and repopulate databases because they don’t receive the assets produced by their designers and contractors. Yes, he means actually retyping room names and countless other details. Ridiculous redundancy.    Eddie recounts his own realizations about the lack of information-sharing among parties involved on a project, and Jacob shares about Danielle O’Connell’s team of “dumpster divers” who scours all project documentation toward the end of a project in order to assemble a cohesive data package.    We discuss how an owner’s interests differ from various other parties in regard to documentation. The owner will spend years–hopefully decades–engaging with various aspects of the building. Jacob’s team focuses on the costs of ownership over those decades and helps owners plan for smooth, efficient management.   The pace of construction is obviously a major concern for owners, so Jacob helps owners find the balance between construction pace and costs, including early-completion incentives. He says that most owners are willing to spend a bit more money if they know they can accelerate a project. This allows them to get the paying tenants into the space sooner.    We discuss the asset registries that Jacob helps owners create. These registries include shop drawings, warranties, and owner’s manuals. He explains to owners that using BIM will smooth the process of creating the “digital twin” they need.    Jacob explains how he dove deep into the facility-management realm, joining IFMA and doing everything he could to understand this world. He quickly learned that the best way to make building models usable for owners was to make it as intuitive as possible. Toward this goal, his company developed the Voyager digital twin platform.    We address the pace of BIM’s acceptance in the industry, including the effect of the COVID pandemic. Jacob explains that many companies had no idea how many anterooms they had and how these rooms played into the efficient, creative use of their facilities. This situation made it glaringly clear that digital models could be incredibly helpful.    Jacob connects digital plans to risk mitigation, using asbestos-removal as an example of something that could have been handled much more effectively if digital models had been universally available.   Tyler asks Jacob to predict some changes he expects to see in the next few years. Jacob said that owners are beginning to dictate which digital platforms general contractors should use on their projects.    Jacob shares some tactfully phrased thoughts about how inefficiently architects’ 2D drawings operate in a world of VDC and BIM. His teams have helped owners and contractors address this inefficiency.    Tyler asks Jacob to estimate the file sizes of average Tekla models. His estimate of 200-300MB is right on. These files are not that large. There’s room for more helpful detail.   Eddie explains that he’s noticed a decrease in recent years of the need for him to explain what it means when he says he works in BIM. We discuss how this is a promising indicator of the value owners are finally placing on thoughtful design and component integration.    We ask Jacob to discuss tensions that arise with design-assist. He says that the boundaries between contributing parties are still pretty fluid, with some people more willing than others to be flexible in defining scope.    Jacob’s Megaphone Message:  BIM has more value than we understand right now. We’ve seen other industries take data and do something big. There’s so much more that can be done within our industry. It’s just a matter of finding the right people at the beginning of a project to be your partners.   Find Jacob Online: LinkedIN - ViaTechnik   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eddie’s been thinking about our episode with Patrick Fernbach. Specifically, he’s thinking about the discussion we had about small changes.  Sometimes you get several steps into a project and discover that things just aren’t looking right.  Tyler recalls an experience that he encountered pretty regularly when he was still doing steel detailing. Someone would call to explain that one tiny thing needed to change. Maybe it was the size of a bolt or a plate.  The problem? That change meant that something else needed to change. Which meant that two other things needed to change.  On and on went the ripple effect.  How do we avoid this? Do your best to make sure that you’ve checked through things before considering them finished. Batch things wisely. Make sure it won’t need to be changed down the road.  Understand that changes involve risk–monetary risk.  Mitigate your risk by managing changes well. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We love interviewing authors, and today we have a great one. Henry Nutt III started in the industry when he was 19 years old. He worked as general superintendent for 34 years. Henry has been with Southland Industry for 15 years, where he currently works as Pre-construction Executive.  All of this experience makes him eminently qualified to share some advice about building strong teams.  Henry spends a lot of time talking to students about preparing for careers. As he shared his experience, he discovered that common sense isn’t necessarily common. This is why he decided to collect his insights in a book titled Seven Principles: Creating Your Success in the Construction Industry (publisher’s site, Amazon). Here are Henry’s seven principles: Start where you areGet a mentorRefuse to be a victimWork hardLove what you doLearn how to followKnow the difference between being a liability and an asset Tyler asks Henry to expand particularly on #7. Henry says it's about exercising self-awareness. He discusses the importance of looking thoughtfully at the dynamics of the whole team and asking if you’re being given more responsibilities or being excused early. If you find that you’re not being viewed as an asset, it’s time to ask what you can do differently.  Eddie then shifts things toward #3–and, of course, baseball. Henry says that it’s essential to acknowledge the circumstances that might pose serious challenges for you but then to shift your attention to overcoming and adjusting in whatever ways you can. Break the patterns. Shift the narrative.  Mentors (#2) can help you make these changes. Invite insight that can accelerate your journey toward greater competence. Acknowledge that you’re an empty cup, and invite wise people to fill you with knowledge. We discuss how principle #4 is absolutely essential. If you have the right mindset about hard work and can align your practices with that mindset, your actions will speak volumes. Prove your an asset (back to #7). Tyler asks Henry to discuss how he got into construction. He explains that his dad, a sheet metal worker, encouraged him to take a skills/aptitude test. A short time later, Henry received a call that said a company was ready to hire him right away.  The road was not always smooth. Henry discusses the challenges and doubts that he faced in the early years. Now, though, he is tremendously thankful that mentors and encouragers along the way kept him on the road. Eventually he found himself in a position where he could influence the culture of a work crew.  Here are a few more highlights from this episode: “Bring the best version of yourself.”“Admit that you don’t know what you don’t know.”“When recognized that I was able to affect the people, it became a labor of love.” Henry’s Megaphone Message: This industry has allowed bad behavior to go on forever, resulting in the loss of many good people. That’s changing. Many people are trying to make this industry about people. We want you to join us. Bring your talents and gifts to the table. Show up. Work hard every day. Recognize what you don’t know so you can grow and learn every day.   Find Henry Online: LinkedIN - His book at Amazon - His book at KP Publishing   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know what we have to say about your positivity?  NO! Actually, today we’re talking about how this word can be a way to be positive.  Eddie explains that your nos are more positive than your yeses.  Both yeses and nos come in seasons. Tyler explains that he and the family are headed into a season of nos.  We discuss the feelings that come along with a good, solid no. Although there might be some intimidation and unease, Tyler said the dominant feeling for him is usually relief.  The unwillingness to say no can lead to grudgingly spoken yeses, which aren’t good for anyone. Be a good picker. Monitor your opportunities. Think them through. Don’t lock yourself in because of your people-pleasing tendencies.  Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We open today with a discussion about the latest epidemic in the US. Yes, we’re talking about the epidemic of pickleball-related injuries. Here’s the story in Bloomberg.   Then we move on to a topic that John Roach brought to Eddie’s attention recently. It’s all about architects and the pricing of their services.    It all goes back to the Sherman Anti-trust Act, which was enacted in 1890 to address the problem of monopolies.    In the 1860s, Richard Morris Hunt sued a client who failed to pay his 5% fee. In doing so, he unknowingly set 5% as the industry standard for architect fees.   By the 1950s, the AIA had formalized a somewhat complicated fee structure for various architectural services.      In the late 1960s, concerns arose that this fee structure was a form of price fixing. The Justice Department investigated and found that it did, indeed, violate the Sherman Anti-trust Act. In 1972, they issued a “consent decree,” which amounted to a settlement that outlined how the AIA could and could not behave going forward. (If you’d like to geek out on details, go here.).    Here’s the 2022 AIA compliance guide.    After reviewing this history, we discuss the complications of defining the scope of an architect’s work and getting clarity on that when it comes to the architect’s fees. It can become a race to the bottom. These complications have affected the way that contractors relate to owners and designers.    We compare these patterns to the patterns within fees for engineering services.    The question all of this leads to is this: “How do we argue for spending more money on design when it’s hard to know what I’m buying?”   We discuss the challenge of bank loans based on permit designs, as well as owners who don’t know how complicated the design process is.    Tyler really wants a Ford Raptor… What does that have to do with architecture fees? Well, when you buy a truck, you know what options you’re paying for and how they affect the price. Eddie explains that he’d like to see that kind of manufacturing mindset influence the designing and bidding process in construction.    We ponder the F1 price cap as an analogy for how things could play out if people were to spend more money on design.   Our Megaphone Message: Define value. Then buy value. Buy more design. Work with your lender and explain that this project can be much more successful if more money is invested in design. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We start out today with a little Chicken N Pickle talk and some eye rolling about Tyler’s $150 pickleball paddle.   Then we move on to content most of you will find more substantial. Patrick Fernbach, our guest today, is Director of Mechanical Engineering at KLH Engineers in Kentucky.    Tyler asks Patrick what grinds his gears when it comes to the construction industry. Patrick discusses the fact that construction contract practices put the engineers and the trades at opposite ends of an unnecessarily complicated process. The long chain of contracts makes meaningful collaboration incredibly difficult.    Patrick acknowledges that he has not hung a single piece of ductwork, yet he’s designed miles of it. The closer he can get to the trades, however, the better he can do his job and the better those people can do their jobs.   He wants to hear from tradesmen who can provide some productive pushback on designs that cause complications where the screw meets the stud. He wants to know when his designs are a pain in someone’s neck.   Eddie asks Patrick to turn his thoughts in the opposite direction, toward the relationship between engineers on one end and architects and owners on the other end. He knows that the industry expects him to stay in his lane, but he doesn’t think that’s always the way it should be.    Eddie asks Patrick what kinds of things he struggles with in the process of doing his job. Patrick says that the most challenging thing is the ever-changing nature of the project. Architects and owners don’t always seem to understand just how many changes need to happen as a result of something that seems like a minor design adjustment.    The live nature of BIM360 makes this even more challenging. It’s difficult to track changes and determine which elements are locked and which ones aren’t.    Tyler discusses his experience with the ripple effect of small changes that seem to cause the unraveling of an entire project, and Eddie discusses how iterative design blurs the lines regarding completion of project elements.   Patrick raises the issue of meetings, and how the number of meetings seems to be continually increasing because of the dynamic nature of design. Although he doesn’t necessarily say that there have been too many meetings, he has definitely noticed that this aspect of the work is consuming more of the average engineer’s time.    Construction lacks some of the systems that manufacturing has, Patrick says. It feels like we’re in the process of putting those systems into place, which explains why things are kind of clunky at this point.   We ask Patrick to list some of the positives in construction-related engineering right now. Here are some of the things he lists: The increasingly smooth process of design-buildThe expectation for more detailed permit sets–detailed enough that the building could almost be built from themIncreased proactive interest from a variety of vendors and subs who want to make sure that their contributions to a project will work smoothlyVDC technology that increases efficiencies    Eddie asks about how fees have changed as approaches have changed. Patrick said that it varies from job to job because of varied expectations and services requested.   We explore how engineers like Patrick–those who seek to engage with the tradespeople–move the industry forward.   Patrick explains that siloed pricing structures that don’t involve upstream and downstream communication lead to some design elements being done multiple times.    Eddie piggybacks on this and contrasts the novice owner or general contractor from the experienced one. The experienced one knows that detailed design pays off in the long run. The bidding process is more effective. There are fewer RFIs. There are fewer complications. The guesswork is gone.    Patrick confirms what Eddie says with examples from a recent project.    Patrick’s Megaphone Message: Trust isn’t a soft skill; it’s a project multiplier. Build strong partnerships. Build strong teams. Show up with mutual respect for one another. Show up knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Don’t BIM for BIM’s sake. Be intentional when you model and design. It’s about creating value for the owner and the downstream consumer.  Find Patrick Online: LinkedIn - KLH Engineers  Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes things get away from you. Today we discuss the ways we reduce the number of things that get away from us.    Eddie introduces the idea of a barricade.   His primary barricade for excessive scrolling or social media usage? Use a browser-based version that is clunky enough that he doesn’t want to keep staring at it.    We discuss the relentless attention suck that social media is for us and the whole family. Sometimes you need to treat yourself like a kid. “Sorry, but you can’t have your laptop today.”   Having a hard time getting consistent with that daily workout? Maybe leave your only stick of deodorant at the gym–or in a shoe box a couple miles from home.   If you have any examples of ways you place barricades to redirect your behavior, give us a call at 512-THE-BROS.      Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn   If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Note regarding intro: The film festival in France is actually pronounced “Can.” The “S” is silent, unlike Tyler.)    We start out today with Tyler’s church-league softball story and his related megaphone message: If you’re 6’2” and 260 pounds, don’t combine dehydration and intermittent fasting with an effort to prove yourself on the field.    Then, on to the substance of today’s episode. Fair warning: We’re getting into the weeds today. That’s because this stuff can profoundly affect your finances, timing, and relationships.    Delegated design is the approach to contracts in which the SEOR (structural engineer of record) limits himself or herself to elements that do not include connections and then expects those design services to be rendered by the fabricator or someone else.    Eddie explains that additional elements may also be delegated. Curtain walls, for instance, would be designed by someone with special expertise in curtain walls.    We’re talking about delegated design today so you can understand how it might impact the timeline and finances of your projects.    How do you look for delegation? Well, Eddie says that at the beginning of any project, he’ll look at the structural notes sheet and the specifications book. He’ll check for notes regarding delegation and make sure that these two documents agree.    We discuss the pros and cons of delegated design. Here are our thoughts:   Pros: -Fabricators are able to handle connections in a way that best fits their materials and design. -The need for back-and-forth communication is reduced. -Time can be saved because production teams can move according to their own well-oiled systems.   Cons:  -The SEOR’s knowledge and control is not as thorough as it is in other situations.   -There are more cooks in the kitchen, and that means more egos in the room (and we all know what that can mean). -There’s increased potential for the buck to be passed.   Eddie explains the 3 contract-structure options outlined in the AISC Code of Standard Practices:  1) The SEOR handles everything. 2) An engineer gives the basic criteria for the connections and then has a qualified engineer select from those connections. 3) The engineer fully delegates design of connections.   Over time, regional patterns have developed regarding the adoption of these three options: -Option 3 is prominent in the eastern part of the country. -Option 1 is most common on the West Coast (perhaps because of seismic concerns).  -Option 2 is generally fading from use.   It’s important that all parties be clear on which of these options is being used on a given project. The decision has additional ramifications as far as expectations about who will be doing the shop drawings and who will document various aspects of the official project record.    Eddie shares about a project his team worked on. Relatively late in the process, a concern was raised about the aesthetic effect of a large gusset. The architect wanted the gusset size reduced. The problem? The building was in a hurricane zone, where gusset size matters. He explains that tension resulted not from the need for change but from the fact that this concern hadn’t been explained in the plans from the outset.    Eddie discusses the idiosyncrasies of different parties–designers, fabricators, architects–with specific preferences. He also refers to this episode with Norine Bagate regarding risk and liability.    We ponder the impact of $50,000 paragraphs in contracts. If you’re buying design, know how much design you’re buying.     Our megaphone message: Anticipate the ripple effects of decisions you might want to change. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you place your loyalty with the wrong person. Good communication early can make a huge difference.    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nobody likes a parasite. (Well, maybe Kelly Kapoor) When was the last time you asked yourself about parasites in your life?  We’re not talking about people. We’re talking about habits.  Maybe alcohol? Maybe social media (for sure social media)?  Maybe there are some activities that simply trigger anxiety for you but somehow still suck you back in.  Identify those and be ready for us to talk next week about “barricading” them.  And no, a remora is not a parasite. Eddie is correct. That relationship is symbiotic.  Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Today’s episode is a re-air from 2021, chosen in recognition of Fathers Day.)    It's time for some coffee with a splash of multi-generational wisdom.    Joining us today are our dad and our grandpa, aka “Pop.” These two bring a deep, wide reservoir of experience.    Pop started with Messer Construction all the way back in 1954, in part of a college co-op program. He moved on to the position of project manager and eventually senior project executive. As he tells us, though, he was just interested in building buildings.    Among the larger projects Pop worked on are Millett Hall at the University of Miami in Ohio and Sander Hall at the University of Cincinnati. (Here’s the video he mentions of the Sander Hall demolition.)   Dad started in construction the day after his last high school baseball game. In 1980, he moved his young family to Florida. A while later he Dad started ABSI and ran it until Eddie took over recently.    Pop talks us through the specs for the Millet Hall at the University of Miami in Ohio. The basketball arena was in this building, and also classrooms. This project took two and a half years.    Millett Hall was built on the site of an old golf course. Pop talks us through additional specs, including truss assemblies, 150-ton cranes, and a project-management staff much smaller than what we see these days.    RFIs? Well, there were none. If there was a question, the relevant parties talked on the phone. Monthly meetings also helped head off problems.   Distance between architects and engineers–there was almost none. They were partners.    Dad shares about how things had changed by the 70s and 80s. He witnessed the change from self-performing to bid-build. Subbing had begun on some of Pop’s jobs in the late 60s but hadn’t really taken hold until the late 70s.    As this change took place, the burden of liability began to blur. The change was propelled, however, by the need to keep specialty crews busy.    We discuss the training required for project management. Pop learned by doing, so he had a headstart on managers coming out of college with only classroom experience.    Pop shares about his bold prediction that he’d move from newbie to superintendent in five years, even though the company owner said it usually took 15. Pop proved him wrong, after establishing a reputation with other decision-makers.    We discuss mindset. Eddie recalls Pop’s adage “Make it a winner.” Pop recalls working on over 150 jobs, and he says, “If you can’t enjoy what you’re doing, do something else.”   Dad shares about Pop coming home from building at work just to build more at home (after a quick “brown pop,” aka beer).   Dad and Eddie discuss tensions between architects, engineers, and designers turning into trust built over time.    We discuss the fabric of expertise and insight that grows with generational experience.    Dad’s megaphone message: Most of the mess in the industry can be traced back to design. We’re so specialized that nobody knows anything about anything. We’re too fragmented.    Pop’s megaphone message: Family matters most. If you can take that family mindset into the workplace, it will make all the difference.   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn   If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 him as an unnecessary pinch point.      We discuss Tyler’s oddly personal sense of attachment to particular software, and then we wrap up with a brief list of software packages that we’ve used and dropped. It’s pretty dang long.   Sometimes you have to drop a system when it’s not working.    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 problemsSort problemsPrioritize problemsSeek solutions for those problems   Lee shares about a pilot program they did at DPR’s Nashville unit. They sought input directly from the tradesmen about solutions they needed where the rubber meets the road.    The findings? The biggest problems on the ground were things that executives didn’t even realize were problems: water, PPE, breathable shirts. These were things simple enough that they should not be problems.    Other things that came to their attention were lighter concrete tools, anti-vibe tools.     “Little” things matter big time when it comes to team morale. Eddie reminisces about a new Carhartt shirt and feeling like he’d struck gold.     Simply letting people express their concerns and then acting in the simplest ways on those concerns.    Nobody can know everything about everything. That’s why it’s so beneficial to have a designated team like the one Lee operates to focus directly on identifying what dots are not being connected.    Lee’s team uses Bright Idea software to track and coordinate their research and planning. He said it’s a great, simple platform for this sort of work.    Tyler asks if the research turned up any employee mistreatment. Lee said that indeed there was at least one example of that. The innovation team was able to quickly escalate that concern to the point where it was addressed.    Eddie points out how clearly this kind of work fits with the common theme of so many of our podcast episodes. If we’re going to work as a team, we need to think about the psychological, human aspects of team dynamics.    Lee explains that the innovation teams are now capitalizing on the down time between projects to maximize quality improvement. It’s more than just sharpening the ax, it’s discussing the best way to sharpen the ax.    We discuss deployment of solutions. Lee explains that 100 problems can often be fixed with 5 solutions because those problems are the result of similar systemic shortfalls.   It’s all about identifying and addressing blind spots rather than telling people, as Eddie says, to “shut up and accept your fate.”   Lee’s Two-part Megaphone Message (for which Eddie gifts him an unprecedented 120 seconds):  Part 1: Look inside your head. Figure out how to do things in order to make it better for everyone. A rising tide raises all ships. Part 2: Go out in the world and tell the young people in your life to be unique. You can go and find the coolest job you’ve ever had in construction and change the world while simply being yourself.   Find Lee Online: LinkedIn - DPR Construction   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 meeting–having a time when someone will be waiting there for you. It forces you to stop and address a task or a set of issues you might otherwise ignore.    Tell us about the systems that keep you moving in your business and life: 512-THE-BROS.   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 strain on construction workers. Here are the products and companies that caught Tyler’s attention at the convention: Sarcos Robotics: Sarcos develops and manufactures construction robots that can be controlled by workers in a manner that is very similar to the movie Real Steel. The controller can stand in a safe space and manipulate the robot, which can be mounted at the end of a boom arm in order to execute dangerous tasks. See it in action here. They also produce an exoskeleton. T1V Collaboration: This company helps teams share real-time planning and logistics. See it in action here. This platform helps contractors maximize visualization and share details. Loris: Picture R2D2 with a shop light on his head. It’s more than that, though. Loris beacons can assist with security and documentation on jobsites. See it in action here. Distributed throughout a large jobsite, these units can also help establish a WiFi mesh network to increase connectivity. Wingtra Drone: This vertical-take-off survey drone provides detailed, high-resolution imagery for large sites. Users can geo-tag elements in images and add annotations. Moxion: Moxion is a mobile energy-storage solution capable of providing 75kw and 600 run hours. The unit is the size of a small tow-behind Uhaul trailer. Units can be daisy-chained The Honda AWV: This autonomous work vehicle looks like the utility shuttles from Star Wars and other science fiction movies. It is capable of carrying heavy loads of bricks or tools to very specific spots using GPS coordinates. Develon an Doosan Transparent Bucket: This technology stitches together images to make it seem that the bucket of your wheel loader is transparent. Operators can use this visual input to avoid obstacles and to more precisely drop loads. See it in action here. Alaska Structures: These fabric structures are available in multiple sizes and can be easily assembled into strong structures that can withstand the elements. We discuss the various ways that these could be used on construction sites. Nox-Crete: A chemical solution for concrete problems. This company produces solutions that keep concrete from sticking to forms and other surfaces that it might come into contact with. We wrap up by asking Tyler to reflect on the ways that ConExpo leaves him feeling about the current state of industry. He explains that the biggest advancement that he sees is in the area of battery capabilities. Find Tyler Williams Online: LinkedIN - DPR Construction Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 routines. Work on habits. Work on boundaries. Work on your social media diet.    Tyler shares how this plays out in his business. He has a clear map in his mind of what needs to happen. Making that happen each day? Well, that’s a whole different matter. Execution is tough. Follow-through is difficult.    We’d like to hear from you on this. We want to know about the things that you’re struggling to take from your mind to your reality.  Give us something to talk about at 512-THE-BROS.    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Dirty Jobs episode on tying rebar.   We move on to a discussion about the main challenge that comes with huge new tools like these: pre-purchase logistics. It seems like it would be incredibly hard to do a trial run with one of these things.    Danielle explains that the objections from rebar-tying crews is not as great as you might think. It’s really tough work, and many of the people who are doing it are more than ready to move on to a different set of duties. Due to labor shortages, that would often be helpful to a crew and a project.    We discuss the pride issues associated with the generational legacy of the old-school rod-busters and how they adjusted when the tie gun came along.     IronBOT can handle 5,000 pounds of rebar while executing its work. Handled by hand, Danielle says that a bundle of five 60’ bars requires “One bar for each man and one for the company.”    Danielle makes the case that these machines don’t eliminate the need for a crew of humans. You still need… A robot supervisor (just to watch the robot and provide a couple instructions)A rodbuster feeding the bar into the robot4-6 people behind tying the few pieces that the robot can’t tie1 guy frame-tying    Once the crew sees the robot as part of the team, the mindset changes. Danielle says she enjoys seeing companies move through the adjustment process and adopt the machine as part of the culture of the company. Then company leaders really begin to see the benefits. They start estimating jobs with the machine’s efficiencies in mind.   Tyler mentions this video about the toll that physically demanding jobs have on the body.   At first we laugh about the tool envy factor, but then Eddie raises the fact that it really is a thing among contractors and that it’s part of what moves innovation along.    We discuss capabilities and setup time. Danielle explains that the TyBOT comes in on a 40’ trailer. The crew assembles it on its rails, choosing gantries that can handle widths from 9’ to 107’. This process takes about an hour. Then you simply turn it on and let it do its thing. It looks for intersections and ties them. There’s no programming, no BIM. It carries 15-pound spools.    IronBOT, on the other hand, takes 6-8 hours to get it in place. Then you load the specs (spacing, etc.) and it does its thing.   “Certified innovators” look at the project plans and try to configure optimized “bundle plans.”  These people are also the ones who work with contractors during the estimating process.     We discuss the comparisons between human team speeds and machine speeds. Danielle says that a project isn’t a good fit for these machines unless it would be a 1-week job manually for TyBOT or 2 weeks manually for an IronBOT/TyBOT project.     Danielle explains that her company’s focus is optimization for productivity to free up human crews to make better use of their time.    Danielle’s Megaphone Message: We are in the middle of a robotic renaissance. Take the blinders off and have some fun. Go see what’s out there. Ask yourself where automation can help. Support the companies that are innovating with technology that’s here to help.    Find Danielle Online: LinkedIn -  Advanced Construction Robotics Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.