Data driven is a buzz word that has been thrown around for years but very few people understand the steps needed to build a culture that is truly data driven, or why to do so for that matter. Being a data focused company is more than just a buzzword, your success hangs on your companies cultural focus on data. Fortunately the experts are here to help take the right steps towards a data focused culture.  Adam Crigger, President and Frank Di Lorenzo, Client Relationship Manager at Preferred Strategies joins Mike Merrill at the 2022 CFMA National Conference to discuss what it means to be data driven, the connection between data visualization and culture, The importance of dashboards and how to implement BI one step at a time.

Digital Transformation is a hot topic today and for good reason. No one would argue that technology is needed to drive construction forward. But how can we ensure that we are not overwhelmed with unnecessary platforms and apps?  Cindy Whitner, Sr. Product Manager at Acumatica joins Mike Merrill At the 2022 CFMA National Conference to discuss digital transformation, the fact that transformation is the key aspect of the process, how to use new employees to drive transformation and how to ensure that your new software is increasing the experience of everyone on the job site.

Data is only as good as the information it is able to impart into your business and projects. So why is it so hard today to use the data we have been collecting to make better decisions? It's because there isn't an overarching strategy to drive our collection and retention practices. Steve Hathaway the Founder and Principal Consultant of Construction Software Solutions  joins Mike Merrill At the 2022 CFMA National Conference to discuss the strategies and processes needed to have good data today, tomorrow and ten years from now.

It can be a real challenge to best understand which projects are the most profitable and which are to be avoided. Sometimes projects can have special incentives that take them from the middle of the pile and can make them a strategic and financially wise decision. The problem is knowing what projects have hidden incentives, and why.  Brady Bryan CEO of Brayn Consulting joins Mike Merrill to discuss the newest tax credits available on construction projects, why they are available and the right mindset to have when dealing with tax incentivized projects.

What inspires your work? Your family? Hobbies? A job well done? We all have something that drives us but not everyone is able to take that drive and turn it into the lifestyle they dream about. Ask any experienced entrepreneur and they will tell you that finding the balance between sacrificing at your business for your dream and sacrificing your dream for your business is as challenging as walking a tight rope. Brian Barney, host of Eastmans’ Elevated podcast, Eastmans Bowhunting Journal Staff Writer, and owns his own construction company joins our host, Mike Merrill, on the show to discuss strategies to pursue your passions and goals outside of work while still continuing to grow your business and fulfill your job responsibilities. More importantly, Brian is going to share some of his secrets to keeping his family a priority among everything else.

The complexity of doing business in construction is at an all time high. On top of that the current market is simply going to require that contractors are more engaged, have a clear understanding of their business and fight to squeeze out as much productivity out of their jobs as possible. The good news is technology can drive your productivity and bring success to your business, if done appropriately. Tyler Hoppe, Controller at HBS Painting joins our host, Mike Merrill, to discuss the importance of Technology in driving revenue, maintaining profits and keeping up productivity on and off the job site. Tyler also shares best practices for a family business and how to keep work and life separate.

Today it isn’t hard to see the effects of unsustainable practices and the fact that our resources are limited. Its this limitation that drives innovation and today’s construction leaders have the ability to increase their productivity and at the same time increase their sustainability. In fact, there is a real opportunity to lead from a position of strength if taken now.  On this episode, our Host Mike Merrill sits down with Doreen Bartoldus President of NAWIC National and Manager of Water Projects at Jacobs to talk about sustainability and its role in the future of construction, the role technology has in sustainability and best sustainability practices that all contractors can use.

The adage “you can’t improve what you don’t measure,” is especially true for productivity in construction. With so many job codes, people, materials and agendas happening on every job site it was historically impossible to measure productivity accurately until after the project was over. Sometimes productivity wasn’t measurable until months after a project was wrapped up.  Today it is impossible to work efficiently enough to keep up with client expectations and job site demands without actively monitoring productivity on a monthly, weekly and daily schedule. To help spell out the importance of tracking and measuring your productivity on a job code, individual, project and overall business level is Damien Edwards, the National Director of Production at Toll Brothers. If you have not heard it before make sure to check out episode number six and 74 where we discussed how the job site represents the business and the skills construction managers need to be successful in the eyes of their clients, the importance of a director of production, and why attitude is everything. Today’s episode covers the importance of project productivity, the accuracy and immediacy of data collection, the best practices for review and management and the impacts of managing your productivity well or ignoring it.

The entire construction industry has been going through a huge shift over the past few years driven by necessity and by technology. Fortunately adversity pushes innovation forward and today’s contractors need to have the most productive job sites possible to remain competitive. Enters a new role to facilitate that drive, the director of production. On today’s Episode we welcome back Damien Edwards, the National Director of Production at Toll Brothers. If you have not heard it before make sure to check out episode number six where we discussed how the job site represents the business and the skills construction managers need to be successful in the eyes of their clients. Today, Damien shares how to stay on top of client expectations, why every construction company needs a director of production, and why attitude is everything.

No man is an island - an old but true saying by the poet John Donne. Its as true today as it was in 1624 when first written. Fortunately, we don’t live under the same rules and with the same technology that our predecessors did in the 17th century. Unfortunately, in our modern world, it is much easier to get around working at the office, engaging with peer groups or even seeing another person face to face in a day’s time.   On this episode, our Host Mike Merrill sits down with Jeremy Owens the CEO of US Construction Zone and 3 Generations Improvements to talk about the important role of effective networking in construction and how it has changed over these past few years, as well as the importance of using technology to be people-centric and how to connect on a more personal level with peers around the world.

The trades can be one of the most fulfilling careers for the right person but due to stereotypes and long-held beliefs about continuing education, these options are left on the cutting room floor. This misunderstanding leads to a number of perfect candidates for construction never entering the field. To explore the reasons why, our host, Mike Merrill, sits down with Mike Brewer - CEO and founder of the Brewer Companies and Senior Advisor for Synergos.   Brewer explains why there is a hang-up about construction and the trades, what can be done to change the perspective of young adults and their parents and his specific approach that has led to a curriculum that creates plumbers in 4 months instead of 4 years.

Millennial culture can be confusing and frustrating for construction leaders, especially those from the boomer generation. Unfortunately, millennials make up over a third of the US workforce and that number is only going to continue to rise. Fortunately, millennials can be the most hard-working and loyal part of your team, if you know how to engage with them.    To help give us insight into the youngest part of our workforce Mike welcomes Jen Silver, the President of Roofing Utah, Inc, a complete roofing operation and the Co-founder of Women-Owned Businesses of Northern Utah, an organization that advocates for women business owners, on for a second episode to discuss Millennial workers, how to incentivize them, train them and lessons learned on how to lead them. 

Most construction contractors go into business for themselves because they want to have control over their own business and success. That success usually comes on the foundation of hard work and ingeniousness of the owner. So why do so many construction companies accept industry standards and remove creativity from their business structure?  Mike welcomes Jen Silver, the President of Roofing Utah, Inc, a complete roofing operation and the Co-founder of Women-Owned Businesses of Northern Utah, an organization that advocates for women business owners, on to discuss the importance of having your own business model, the steps needed to analyze your current model and how to make changes to fit the vision you have for your business.

Industries across the board are feeling the effects of the Great Resignation and labor shortages, but construction has been one that has been hit the hardest. Add a lack of diversity seen throughout the construction industry, and employers are finding their once crowds of potential workers dwindling, especially when it comes to women. To explore the reasons why there aren’t more women in construction, our host, Mike Merrill, sits down with Amber Hamilton - Vice President/Project Manager at SQI, Inc. - a ​​full-service commercial roofing company.    As our March series on women in construction continues Mike and Amber take a look at the impact women are having in construction, how to expand the number of women that are in the field and how technology can make construction an attractive career for younger women.

Building diversity in construction will end the labor gap and create a safer, more successful industry for everyone. Increasing diversity in the office and on the job site should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind; however, the reality is that the thought just isn’t enough. The construction industry looks to leaders to step up and create opportunities for demographics that are underrepresented, as well as to continuously learn and grow diversity opportunities.    One of those leaders is Robin Thorne, the founder of DemoChicks, a nonprofit that introduces young women and girls to nontraditional careers and empowers them to pursue their dreams. Robin is also the President and CEO of CTI, an engineering firm that provides environmental/safety compliance and construction management services. Today we are going to learn how DemoChicks got its start, what the organization does, and how they and others like them are changing the industry forever. 

A change in processes a business uses can be a heavy lift even for the smallest of companies, but the need to change from paper-based to cloud-based is a necessary one. Updating and modernizing a contracting business is necessary to remain competitive. There are a million different ways to get on the cloud, and sometimes hearing how someone else did can ease the stress of transition.  Fortunately, Robin Thorne joins Mike Merrill on our first episode in a series celebrating women in construction. Robin is the President and CEO of CTI - an engineering firm that provides environmental/safety compliance and construction management services. Robin is also the founder of DemoChicks, a nonprofit that introduces young women and girls to nontraditional careers and empowering them to pursue their dreams. She is going to share her journey to the cloud, how to use a dedicated IT professional, and how the cloud has improved communication with her subcontractors and helped eliminate human error.

There has been plenty of news surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) over the past couple of years, and the reality is that we aren’t a free nation until everyone is invited to succeed. The question for individual companies and leaders is how can they make it happen? To answer this question Leon Harden, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy Manager at Burns and McDonnell, a full-service construction and engineering firm, joins our host Mike Merrill to discuss how his company, with over 120 years of experience, embraced DEI initiatives. In this episode, Leon shares the best DEI initiatives to start with, how to embrace failure as part of the process, the impact DEI has on a talent shortage and how DEI isn’t just altruistic.

According to research done by realtor.com the US is short 5.24 million homes, an increase from the 3.84 million in 2019. Builders are just unable to keep up with demand which inturn is drastically increasing home prices and making the American dream harder and harder to achieve.  But the situation isn’t hopeless and like most problems facing the world today, technology can be a big part of the solution. To explain how, Mike is joined by Zachary Mannheimer - CEO & Founder at Alquist 3D - a 3D home printer who printed the first inhabited home in the US for Habitat for Humanity and CEO at Atlas Community Studios - an organization that revitalized rural communities with the goal of attracting talent and businesses into the area. Zach explains how 3D printing is changing the construction industry, what it means for the residential market, the biggest hurdles facing 3D printing today and how contractors can start to take advantage of 3D printing today.

In today’s age of digital marketing and social media, it is crucial to contractors, construction businesses, and experts to not just build for their clients but also build for themselves. Sixth-generation builder, Tyler Campbell is the Founder and Chief Storyteller at StoryBuilder, a marketing firm that helps those in the construction industry build their brand and identify their stories with creative content. He also hosts the Construction Brothers Podcast with his brother Eddie.  In this episode of Mobile Workforce Podcast, host Mike Merrill is joined by Tyler to discuss the importance of storytelling, how to easily identify stories to share, and how to create engaging content that will grow your business. 

Every construction business owner has experienced a gap in their workforce either in the field or in the office. This gap, although prevalent, doesn’t have to be permanent. These shortages have happened before in industries across the US economy, especially in construction’s sister industries like utilities and energy.   Our host, Mike Merrill, sits down with workforce strategies expert Van Ton-Quanlivan, to discuss her successful workforce strategies at a critical point in the energy sector during its own skilled labor shortage. Today Van is the CEO of Futuro Health – the largest network of credentialed allied healthcare workers. She’s also the author of the Amazon Bestseller “WorkforceRx: Agile and Inclusive Strategies for Employers, Educators and Workers in Unsettled Times.” And if all that didn’t keep her busy enough, she’s also the host of the WorkforceRx podcast.    In today’s episode Van covers how labor gaps happen, the importance of workforce strategies to alleviate labor gaps and how to prevent internal gaps with proper knowledge transfer processes.

Every construction business owner goes into business for themselves dreaming of making their own schedule and taking control of their own lives. But the reality is that most construction owners end up running around putting out fires and managing every aspect of their business. In other words, they never take a break. How do the rare exceptions make it happen? And how can you take control of your business so it starts working for you instead of the other way around?    Cody Rich, serial entrepreneur, founder of the Backcountry Fuel Box and host of the Rich Outdoors Podcast joins host Mike Merrill to give details on how you can do that in 2022. Cody was on the show back on episode 37 where he talked about ensuring leaders aren’t only putting out fires but actually leading their teams. Today he is going to walk us through what it takes to be able to walk away from your business for periods of time, providing insights into how to incentivize your team, keep company culture right where you want it and why you need to be consistently evolving your leaders.

Staying up-to-date with the latest tech developments in the construction industry could be a full-time job. There’s so much happening – from innovative software solutions to new hiring trends – that it’s hard to keep track. So how can busy professionals get a sense of where things stand and what might be coming up around the bend? For starters, you’ve come to the right place. On this episode of the Mobile Workforce Podcast, James Benham, CEO of JBKnowledge and TerraClaim, returns to chat with host Mike Merrill. James isn’t a stranger to the show. He joined on episode 32 to discuss easy ways to use construction technology and the rise of Business Intelligence, blockchain, BIM, and big data. As we kick off the new year, James highlights key developments from 2021 and what technology trends the construction industry can expect in 2022.

Having the right people in the right roles can make the difference between a successful construction project and a disastrous one. The problem? Hiring qualified workers is a challenge, and right now there are open positions and high competition for people to fill these roles.    In the first episode of 2022, host Mike Merrill welcomes Jeffrey Nesbitt, the Senior Manager, global ERP alliances and partnerships at Procore Technologies, a top cloud-based construction management software. Jeffrey was on the show last January to discuss how construction process problems hurt your bottom line. He is back to discuss Real-time visibility on the job site, communication breakdowns and process inefficiencies to tackle in 2022. 

For the final episode of 2021, host Mike Merrill invites you to reflect on the growth the construction industry has experienced over the past year. Tune in as he reviews his favorite moments and insights from our guests over the last year, as they covered everything from labor gaps and the female workforce to data collection and new technologies. These 10 clips were handpicked to inspire you and spark ideas for a rewarding and profitable 2022!   Happy Holidays from everyone at WorkMax and the Mobile Workforce Podcast!

Having the right people in the right roles can make the difference between a successful construction project and a disastrous one. The problem? Hiring qualified workers is a challenge, and right now there are open positions and high competition for people to fill these roles.  In the third episode of our end-of-year wrap-up, host Mike Merrill welcomes Karla Meador, the Managing Partner at NEAR Search Group a premier executive search and staffing firm. Karla was on the show previously on episode 22 where she discussed how to move ahead in your construction career. She is back to discuss how hiring has changed in 2021, the Great Resignation and how to get the most out of the job market in 2022.

2021 was a big year for construction. This begs the question: what might 2022 hold? WorkMax’s 2021 In Review series aims to answer just that. Featuring our most popular guests, each week we will be reviewing highlights from the year and discussing what could be around the corner in 2022.   Today’s episode features Ajoy Krishnamoorthy, the executive vice president of products and CSO at Acumatica, a leading cloud ERP provider. Ajoy joined us for episode 40 back in August, where we discussed how IoT technology is making the construction site smarter. In our latest chat, host Mike Merrill and Ajoy discuss the Internet of Things (more commonly known as IoT) and how it can be used to share data from equipment and other environmental inputs. They break down how it impacted the construction industry in 2021, its relationship to machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), and how companies can best approach investing in IOT in 2022.

As 2021 comes to a close it is important to reflect on the past year and look forward to what will be coming in 2022. Our 2021 in review series aims to do just that with our most popular guests. Each week we will be reviewing our past predictions for 2021 and what actually happened this year. In addition, we will dive into how you can have a successful 2022! Our first episode is with Trent Cotney, the CEO of Cotney, Attorneys & Consultants, and the author of OSHA Defense for the Construction Industry. Trent shares what has changed in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) regulations for the construction industry, and what practices every contractor needs to act on to protect themselves and their businesses. Also, he will share what to expect from OSHA in 2022.

Technology is an integral part of growing your construction business. Construction professionals don’t always know what technology is needed for their business, or the best practices to install and adopt it.    Fortunately, host Mike Merrill welcomes Mark Oden, the CEO of BIM Designs, a building information modeling (BIM) company, to join him on the Mobile Workforce Podcast. In this episode, Mark explains why construction companies need to embrace technology in order to scale their business and the importance of culture in today’s remote work environment. He also dives into best practices construction leaders need to know when trying to grow their teams. 

 Building information modeling (BIM) and visual programming (VPL) are transforming the construction world by giving construction professionals the ability to visualize their projects and provide more insight into the pre-construction process than ever before. Each new development in these technologies helps to eliminate errors in pre-construction and the building process, therefore increasing productivity and profitability. The only problem? BIM and VPL can be initially intimidating to use and require that companies invest in training.  In this episode, host Mike Merrill welcomes Marcello Sgambelluri to the podcast. He’s the Director of Advanced Technology at John A Martin & Associates, an internationally recognized structural engineering firm. Marcello explains the basics of BIM and VPL, clears up confusion over jargon and gives insight into the top buzzwords for contractors. He also shares how to stay on top of technology going forward so new developments become opportunities.

The Mobile Workforce Podcast is a year old! To celebrate this momentous occasion, the podcast did something special! Instead of Mike Merrill hosting, he sat in the hot seat and was interviewed on highlights from the podcast over the past year.  In this special episode, Frank Di Lorenzo Jr., the client relationship manager at Preferred Strategies,  was our guest host. Frank asked Mike about the top takeaways from guests in his first year of hosting the Mobile Workforce Podcast and important themes that were covered, including company culture, the labor gap and the next generation of technologies.

It’s critical for construction professionals to be able to visualize a completed project in advance. Fortunately, we have tools that can provide detailed and thorough plans and schematics  –– these allow owners, architects and general contractors to see a project as it will be before ground is even broken. But there has always been a limit. Until recently, you could only represent a three-dimensional building on a flat surface. But the rise of extended reality (XR) changes everything and gives construction professionals a true 3D model to work from.  Today’s episode features Amy Peck, the Founder and CEO of EndeavorVR, a strategy and consulting firm focused on augmented reality, virtual reality, and symbiotic frontier technologies. Amy sits down with our host Mike Merrill to discuss how extended reality is changing the pre-construction process forever.  Amy explains what XR is, how it is being used on job sites, and how contractors can implement and see the benefits from XR right away.

The statement “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” couldn’t be more true for the construction industry. Technology has made contractors more productive and effective on the job site than ever before. But that doesn’t matter if the plan isn’t good enough to keep up and causes confusion and delays. So how can contractors make sure that the schedules and plans they have are actually practical? On this episode, host Mike Merrill sits down with Eddie Campbell. Eddie is the chief operating officer at ABSI, a steel building and modeling company for industrial and commercial industries, and he also co-hosts the Construction Brothers Podcast. Eddie shares his insight into pre-planning processes, how to manage trickle-down problems, where construction technology enables better collaboration, as well as how collaboration improves company culture and your bottom line.

Drone technology, also known as aerial vehicles, have become a game-changer for the construction industry. Curious about what this technology can do and how it can improve your projects? On today’s episode of the Mobile Workforce Podcast, host Mike Merrill chats with Keyona Wells, a freelance drone pilot and VDC specialist at Choate Construction, a technology-forward general contractor based in the Southeast. Tune in to hear Keyona break down the top ways drones are being used on job sites. She also gives her take on how drone technology is evolving and what this means for the construction industry.

Apprenticeships have been a staple in construction for thousands of years. To this day, the benefits of mentorship and coaching are apparent, but at the same time, they’re becoming more challenging to pull off. Why? People get stuck in the busyness trap and delay, delay, delay. But like all relationships, mentors and coaches require time and commitment to grow and flourish. With the fourth quarter kicking off and New Year around the corner, there’s no better time to prioritize mentorship and coaching.  To learn more, host Mike Merrill welcomes Angela Highland to this episode of the Mobile Workforce Podcast. Angela is a project manager at Ironrock Commercial Construction, a Florida-based commercial construction company specializing in pre-engineered metal building erection and cast in-place concrete. She is also a mentor and coach at Call to Action Coaching and Consulting and the host of Build. Lead. Succeed,  the official podcast of North America Women in Construction (NAWIC). During their chat, Angela explains the benefits of having mentorship and coaching programs in your business, and how having a mentor or coach can help you reach personal and professional goals. 

The relationship between the health of the construction industry and the economy is undeniable. In fact, many economic reports use construction activity as an indicator of economic health. How can this data help contractors get the most out of their business today?  Host Mike Merrill asks this question and more to today’s guest Dr. Anirban Basu, the founder and CEO of Sage Policy Group, a firm that provides economic consulting and analytics to business leaders across the country. Dr. Basu shares how construction has been impacted by movements in the economy over the past year and shares his predictions on what could be around the corner next. He also gives tips on how contractors can better understand the impact the economy will have on their businesses, as well as how to prepare for whatever comes next.

The construction industry knows data is a top priority, but there remains confusion around how to collect it, how to store it and what to use it for. Still, it’s an intimidating undertaking, which is why many construction business leaders get overwhelmed and put data collection and analysis on the backburner. But, as the saying goes, if the best time to start was yesterday, the next best time is today.  Joining host Mike Merrill on this episode of the Mobile Workforce Podcast is David Campbell, the co-host of the Brewing with BIM Podcast and the Application Specialist at Topcon Solutions, a leader in providing AEC technology and training. David shares commonly asked questions on data collection, digital twins, and common data. He gives tips on teaching your teams to interact with that data, and talks through software that stores data and the best ways to pull meaningful insights from the data you have.

Managing your previous, current and future customers can be overwhelming for any business. Especially in the construction business when there are a million other things that require your attention immediately. Fortunately, there is a type of software out there that can manage and automate the process of staying connected with your customers - a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Having a CRM is fundamental to any modern contractor. Today’s guest is an expert on CRM systems and the ins and outs of how a CRM can change your business.  Nick Peret is the Founder and CEO of Summa Media - a marketing and technology company that specializes in helping roofers grow their businesses with technology. Nick shares his knowledge of how to get on top of managing your business, leads and clients. He also explains how a CRM system greatly increases your business’s ability to manage communications, convert leads into clients and ensure that important connections aren’t lost.

Have you ever wondered how successful managers and contractors keep their teams and projects on time and under budget? It boils down to collaboration, specifically on job sites and in the technology solutions they use. David Swider is an industry advisor at InEight Inc., an Arizona-based company that helps construction companies visualize, estimate and manage all aspects of their projects from start to finish.  In this episode, David explains what “the collaborative approach” is and how it is applied in the construction world. He shares how it’s changing the way vendors, contractors, subcontractors and customers approach building projects. David also breaks down exactly how transparency, data, workflow and KPI tracking work together to drive collaboration.   Key Takeaways:   Team collaboration is the key to success – in technology and on job sites. When everyone’s success is interconnected, it fosters an environment of collaboration. This is why collaborative platforms shine – teams enjoy transparency while everything they need, such as BIM, KPI reports, and labor statistics, are all in one place. A collaborative job site encourages shared ideas and best practices that traditionally would never make it outside of a siloed team. By opening data and communication across functions and teams, employees become more engaged and leaders see better results. New modular technology boosts collaboration by integrating technologies. Modular technology doesn’t remove the need for skilled and experienced leaders on the job site. Instead, it allows all the data on a job site to flow between different platforms – which supports, you guessed it, collaboration. Modular technology allows key personnel to spend their time utilizing their experience instead of looking through files to dig up data.  Real-time earned value is the best KPI to assess a team’s effort. Monitoring real-time earned value is the best way to stay in scope and on budget. The real-time comparison of actual spending and progress against what was projected creates insights your team can use instantaneously. Real-time earned value is critical to understand where each part of the project stands to evaluate the efficiency of how your teams are performing compared to the budget.     

Construction technology, just like any technology, is at risk for data breaches if not properly protected.  While most of us are comfortable using a safe or filing cabinet to keep physical paperwork safe from prying eyes, digital protection is a foriegn language. Fortunately, simple steps can be taken to avoid having a security breach .  Wayne Newitts is the Marketing Director at Viewpoint - a TRIMBLE Company, an integrated construction accounting and project management software and solutions provider. With more than 20 years of experience in construction technology, Wayne has a deep understanding of what it takes to bring a construction business into the 21st century and how to do it in a way that protects one of a company's most valuable assets: their data. In this episode, host Mike Merrill talks with Wayne about what data to collect, how to collect it, how that data can be used to boost productivity, and, most importantly, how to keep your data safe once and for all.

The success of any construction project starts with accurate planning and management. Unfortunately, the margin for error has shrunk down to a point where traditional methods for pricing out and running a job can easily put any project into the red. In part two with Anne Pfleger, she explains how technology has changed to meet these planning and management needs head-on.    Anne Pfleger is the Estimating, Safety and HR Administrator at Charles Construction Services, the PreQualification and Estimating Administrator at Hancock Structural Steel and the President of the National Association of Women in Construction. In this episode, Anne shares how estimating and project management has changed through COVID, and what new technologies are out there to make management simpler. She shares how construction technology is changing how safety and HR departments function on the job site.

From live field data to IoT, the entire construction industry is changing with technology. But that’s not the only area of construction that is evolving. In fact, there is nowhere changes are more important and impactful than how the industry is changing for women. Anne Pfleger is the President of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), an organization that has been providing female construction leaders the education, support and networking to help advance their careers in construction for over 65 years. In this episode of the Mobile Workforce Podcast, Anne joins host Mike Merrill to share what NAWIC does and how technology has opened up new opportunities for women on the job site. They also discuss best practices for women looking to enter the industry.

Construction Technology doesn’t just track your budget and give you information on the progress of your projects. Technology is now integrated with your equipment giving feedback on utilization, early alerts and warnings. Ajoy Krishnamoorthy joins host Mike Merrill to explain how the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the job site forever. Ajoy is the Executive Vice President of Products and Chief Strategy Officer at Acumatica, the leading cloud ERP provider. Ajoy has a deep background in technology including almost a decade at Microsoft. He launched his own award-winning app, and is now coming up on a decade in the construction industry. In this episode, Ajoy and Mike cover how IoT works, how it’s impacting the construction industry, its relationship to machine learning and AI, and how to best approach investing in this important technology.

The adoption of construction technology gained momentum over the last year as companies grappled with the pandemic and how to keep their businesses on track. Today, with hybrid teams as “the new normal,” construction leaders face another challenge: how to make the most of their newfound technologies while getting the most from their teams, whether in person or remote.   Host Mike Merrill welcomes Todd Weyandt, the host of the Bridging the Gap Podcast, to break down post-pandemic trends in construction technology. They discuss new technologies that are being adopted as well as which are falling by the wayside. In addition, they break down how new technologies support hybrid teams, as well as actionable advice to find a balance between remote and in-person work.

As construction technology continues to develop, the options and customizations available can give a contractor the exact stack of solutions they need to be as effective as possible on the jobsite. But if implemented incorrectly, all of the options can create a confusing jumble that no one on the team can use effectively and ultimately doesn’t get used. Fortunately, Eric Tucker joins us on this episode to help our listeners understand how to build and use a tech stack successfully. Eric is the Senior Business Development Manager at Procore Technologies and has spent nearly a decade finding solutions for specialty contractors to solve collaboration, safety, and profitability challenges contractors are facing today and in the future. In this episode, Eric shares the ups and downs of all-in-one systems, what is happening in the industry and tech-stack strategies.

Construction leaders are masters of their trade, but at their core, they’re also entrepreneurs. Fortunately, as different as industries may be, there are several immutable laws of running a business – and that’s something Cody Rich knows all about. A serial entrepreneur, Cody is the founder of the Backcountry Fuel Box and host of the Rich Outdoors Podcast. With two successful companies under his belt, Cody knows a thing or two about implementing and improving business processes and structure. Chatting with host Mike Merril, one of the biggest challenges they will talk about today is the unintentional roadblocks that owners can sometimes create for themselves. Cody shared what he feels are three common struggles owners are facing. If you own a construction business – or you want to – this is the episode for you.

As an industry with a reputation for being behind the eight ball on technology adoption, there are a number of trends taking place that many contractors may not be aware of. This is a problem, especially when these technology trends have implications on the future of the construction business. Fortunately, Nathan Wood joins host Mike Merrill to touch on the latest conversations about technology in construction.    As the founder and CEO of SpectrumAEC, Nathan is an expert on construction technology and has worked with over 100 project teams spanning the US, Europe, and the Middle East. These experiences have taught him that when it comes to adopting technology in construction, it’s not one size fits all. As the Executive Director of Construction Progress Coalition, Nathan’s goal is to break down the human-based barriers to new process and technology adoption and see contractors succeed like never before. That starts with understanding where the industry stands with digitization, privacy and efficiency. 

A few months ago, Stuart Binstock, CEO and President of CFMA, joined the Mobile Workforce Podcast to discuss why mental health and construction safety go hand-in-hand. If you missed that episode, listen to it here. In today’s episode, Stuart joins host Mike Merrill to dive deeper into how mental health struggles and even suicide impact the construction industry, company culture and employee productivity.

Today’s construction technology is more sophisticated than ever before, with better offerings to help construction leaders run their businesses smoothly. The downside? Some of the software options inadvertently get ignored or underutilized. But to get the most out of any technology investment, companies need to make sure employees are using all of the available features.  Judy Coker is a consultant, controller, and accountant. She has decades of experience implementing and advancing technological platforms and systems to enhance administrative, operational, and reporting efficiencies. In other words, she knows her stuff. In this episode of the Mobile Workforce Podcast, Judy is going to share with us what it takes to have a successful technology implementation – as well as what comes after implementation to ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment.