Heavy Hitters: The Digital Industrial Podcast

John walks us through the story on both the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ a 101 year old general contractor built a single common data environment underneath every business unit (a foundation that has been laid for over a decade now!), shares the cultural alignment required to execute a technology strategy like that, outlines how that common data environment now enables their internal Citizen Technology effort to empower citizen developers embedded within their business units who are closest to their customers pain points, and finally what it all means for JE Dunn’s AI strategy and ability to meet the current AI infrastructure build out underway.

Joe shares the why, who, and how Holman Robotics was launched within a 100+ year old global automotive services business, what it takes to scale robotic automation solutions from pilots to scaled deployments, how Holman succeeded internally with their own robotic automation deployments before launching Holman Robotics externally, and finally how Holman is approaching AI internally and within its robotics solutions externally. 

Alice Leung, Principal at Brick & Mortar Ventures and Ventures Lead for Formwork Labs, shares her journey from construction operations to venture capital. She discusses the launch of Formwork Labs, aimed at bridging gaps in construction tech for founders. Alice highlights key drivers behind the surge in construction tech investment, such as digitization and labor shortages. She also explores the dual nature of industry experience in founders and the critical need for structured data in the sector, emphasizing the future of construction as a dynamic supply chain.

Mark shares both his career journey across some of the world’s premier technology companies and how his roots growing up in a Midwest industrial town + degree in operations management gave him a unique vantage point/passion for optimizing some of the world’s premier supply chains for those technology companies, details his lessons learned on what it takes to scale and lead a finance function within a hyper-growth technology company (only amplified if the dynamics of h/w + s/w business models are involved), and outlines his view on this latest wave of AI with his decades of experience watching prior key inflection points in technology. 

Rachael digs into the history behind Zachry’s now >100 years (!) of construction operation, shares a then & now look back on how she has seen Zachry evolve technology and innovation during her nearly 2 decades of service, details why an Ideation and Investments function was stood up, outlines that nuance between ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ construction projects, and finishes with a “What’s Hot and What’s Hype” discussion on the latest technology trends impacting the built world. 

Aaron shares the back story on why one of Korea’s largest conglomerates stood up GS Futures and its associated Built Environment fund, how they balance objectives between financial returns and strategic impact, details why the construction industry is “allergic to overhead” and where that presents opportunity ahead for innovation, and finally discusses some current built environment tech trends around AI, supply chain, and others. 

Jake Brown, Chief of Staff at NFI, shares insights from his journey in supply chain management, emphasizing innovation in logistics since 1932. He discusses NFI Ventures' strategic initiatives, including AI integration and deal flow vetting for successful partnerships. Jake also highlights the importance of operational efficiency in yard management and the impact of tax reforms on the industry. Tune in for a glimpse into the future of supply chain dynamics and the specific use cases NFI is exploring!

Thai shares the backstory on why one of the world’s premier GCs decided to launch innovation and investment platform Diverge, details how Diverge has developed a systematic process to discover, evaluate, operationally mobilize, and invest in AEC innovators, gives a pulse check on where the industry is at balancing the critical human element with advancements in robotics and AI automation, and finally shares what aspects Diverge is looking for when it comes to making investments directly into innovators they find a fit with.  

We kickoff with a macro capital markets 1H’25 lookback and 2H’25 look ahead, dig in on how industrial software has gone from “relative obscurity” +15 years ago to now one of the biggest sectors in software today, discuss how the exit environment for industrial innovation is shaping up going into the fall and which sectors are showing the most green shoots,  and finally search for the signal from the noise when it comes to AI’s impact on industrials. 

Troy narrates through his three decades of US/Mexico cross-border experience that led him to now standing up yet another cross-border operation, Echo Mexico, shares his outlook where he believes US trade with Mexico is headed coming out of the tariff negotiations, details what the opportunities and challenges are for anyone considering expanding freight services into cross-border applications, and finally outlines how a pioneering firm like Echo balances building technology into its solutions and ensuring that the human element critical to logistics isn’t lost as its employees provide great customer service.