The Construction Leading Edge Podcast

EPISODE 216: Kyle Little is the COO of Sherwood Lumber, one of the largest lumber distributors in the US. What you're doing to get out of this construction podcast episode: - What's going on behind the scenes of skyrocketing lumber prices...that most people don't know? - How the fallout from 2008 connects to what's going on now. - Is this the new norm with lumber prices? - Is there a bubble coming? - What does the supply chain working itself out look like? - How can developer or contractor lock in price for a project in a year? - Transitioning leadership to a new generation - What does the future of the lumber prices look like from Kyle's perspective? - What is Sherwood Lumber doing to help address the problem with lumber prices? Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: STRUXI Labor Productivity Software - https://struxi.com Apparatus Bookkeeping Service - https://goapparatus.com Construction Financial Masterclass - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo How to connect with Kyle Little: Company website - https://sherwoodlumber.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-little-71547837/

EPISODE 215: What you'll hear about in this construction podcast episode: - 3 DNA statements at Western Allied. - Keys to successful transition of leadership from one generation to the next. - One of Angie's favorite failures, and what she learned about rolling out a new process. - One thing that surprised her about being CEO, and her top priorities in that role. - Unconscious biases. - Angie's advice to young women who want to move into senior leadership. - The difference between diversity and inclusion. - A summer camp she's running to get young people into the trades. - Why helping your competitors get better is good for you. How to connect with Angie Simon: Company website - www.westernallied.com SMACNA - www.smacna.org Let's Talk Shop Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-talk-shop/id1462173868 Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: STRUXI Labor Productivity Software - https://struxi.com Apparatus Bookkeeping Service - https://goapparatus.com Construction Financial Masterclass - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo

EPISODE 214: Mike is the CEO of MaterialsXchange, the digital marketplace to buy and sell wood products, bringing e-commerce efficiency to the process. What you'll hear about in this construction podcast episode: -What's going on behind the scenes of skyrocketing lumber prices...that most people don't know? - How John Deere was going to wreck the economy. - The difference between a supply web and supply chain. - Where's all the money going? - What does the future of the lumber prices look like from Mike's perspective? - Difference between a supply web and a supply chain. - Mike explains what he means when he said, "When there's this much money laying around, someone's going to come pick it up." - Democratization of the market, and what it means. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: STRUXI Labor Productivity Software - https://struxi.com Apparatus Bookkeeping Service - https://goapparatus.com Construction Financial Masterclass - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo How to connect with Mike Wisnefski: Company website - www.materialsxchange.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wisnefski-6b32b57/

EPISODE 213: What you'll hear about in this construction podcast episode: - Why Margaret Whelan says we have a process constraint, not a labor constraint. - What's going on with the build to rent product. - How to be a thought leader. - Creating demand vs. adding to supply. - The builders who are disrupting housing. - The best career advice Margaret received. - Why some of the biggest homebuilders aren't really homebuilders. - Why successful builders build every house twice -The biggest risk to the homebuilding industry right now? - What are some things going on at the macro level of the housing industry Margaret is most interested in? -The biggest opportunities builders should prepare to jump on over the next few years. - Autopsy accounting - What you need to do if you want to sell your business. How to connect with Margaret Whelan: Company website - https://www.whelanadvisoryllc.com LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/whelanmargaret Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: STRUXI Labor Productivity Software - https://struxi.com Apparatus Bookkeeping Service - https://goapparatus.com Construction Financial Masterclass - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo

EPISODE 212: Ward Schraeder is a venture capitalist who has done bankruptcy turnarounds on 30+ businesses. He's a real estate developer and most recently, host of the HGTV show Bargain Mansions Here's what you're going to get out of this construction podcast episode: - Common factors among 30+ businesses in bankruptcy he was tasked with turning around. - The one reason that led him to shut down more businesses than anything else. - How he analyzes a business venture right off the bat. - How he accidentally became a TV personality. - Failure might be a myth. - What he's learned from working with people in the TV business. - Most common mistakes he sees contractors making. How to connect with Ward Schraeder: Website - https://wardschraeder.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wardschraeder/ Vaya Space Rocket Company - https://www.vayaspace.com/ Brookfield Assisted Living in Arkansas - www.brookfieldseniors.com Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: GoSite: Take Control of Customer Reviews - https://www.gosite.com/podcast Approval: Get Paid Faster Based on Project Milestones - https://www.withapproval.com Construction Financial Masterclass: Master the financial side of the business - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo 3 Questions to Help You Get Paid for Estimates: https://buildermasterclass.com/script

EPISODE 211: Here's what you're going to get out of this construction podcast episode with Russ Little, of Jones Lang LaSalle: - Why "Coopetition" is better than competition. - How and why to get started with "relationship mining." - One common mistake to avoid when you start working with a new client... or change jobs. - Some changes Russ would suggest to contractors who want to be more successful. - The most challenging aspects of working inside large client organizations. - One particularly difficult employee Russ managed the most difficult situation he caused for Russ. - How an apparent failure turned out to be a setup for later success. - Red flags that tell you it's time to have a talk with an employee. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: GoSite: Take Control of Customer Reviews - https://www.gosite.com/podcast Approval: Get Paid Faster Based on Project Milestones - https://www.withapproval.com Construction Financial Masterclass: Master the financial side of the business - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo 3 Questions to Help You Get Paid for Estimates: https://buildermasterclass.com/script How to connect with Russ Little: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-little-1a60b44/ Company website: www.us.jll.com

EPISODE 210: Here's what you're going to get out of this construction podcast episode with Justin Bride of Ascent Contracting: - The difference between commercial and residential construction, and what each can learn from the other. - The importance of preconstruction in the residential construction industry. What happens when it's NOT done well? - How to market to architects and build relationships with them. - How Justin and his team get referrals from clients. - One specific red flag Justin looks for when talking to prospects. - One thing he focuses on showing homeowners and architects, so he can ignore his competition. - One key to a successful project that is often overlooked. - What Justin believes the role of the general contractor to be, which might surprise you. - A couple of things he feels like his company has cracked the code on. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: GoSite: Take Control of Customer Reviews - https://www.gosite.com/podcast Approval: Get Paid Faster Based on Project Milestones - https://www.withapproval.com Construction Financial Masterclass: Master the financial side of the business - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo 3 Questions to Help You Get Paid for Estimates: https://buildermasterclass.com/script How to connect with Justin Bride: Company website - www.ascentcontractinginc.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ascentcontractinginc/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ascentcontracting

EPISODE 209: Here's what you're going to get out of this construction podcast episode: - Things to stop doing if you want to recruit and hire young people. - What do most people get wrong about the skilled labor situation? - What is CREW Collaborative? - How the Build My Future event is different from other career fairs. - What ISN'T working when it comes to attracting young people? - What are some out of the box approaches Brandon recommends? - Why you need to stop letting people tell your stories and some advice on how you can get started. - Keys to retaining employees once they come on board. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: GoSite: Take Control of Customer Reviews - https://www.gosite.com/podcast Approval: Get Paid Faster Based on Project Milestones - https://www.withapproval.com Construction Financial Masterclass: Master the financial side of the business - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo 3 Questions to Help You Get Paid for Estimates: https://buildermasterclass.com/script How to connect with Brandon Patterson: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmpatterson/ Iowa Skilled Trades - www.iowaskilledtrades.com Crew Collaborative - https://crewcollab.org/

EPISODE 208: What you'll get out of this construction podcast episode: - The Art Of Delegation: How To Get Out Of Your Own Way - Addition Through Subtraction: How To Compound Your Results - Cost-Plus vs. Fixed-Cost projects. - The top one or two root cause problems builders and remodelers should focus on. - Putting systems and processes in place. - The problem with free estimates Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: Fieldchat: Messaging built for construction teams - https://get.fieldchat.com/edge GoSite: Take Control of Customer Reviews - https://www.gosite.com/podcast Construction Financial Masterclass: Master the financial side of the business - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo 3 Questions to Help You Get Paid for Estimates: https://buildermasterclass.com/script How to connect with Bryan Kaplan: Bryan's website - https://constructionconsulting.co/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/constructionconsulting.co

EPISODE 207: What you'll get out of this construction podcast episode: - Kristin Larson's top priorities as a CEO of Southwest Industrial Electric. - The keys to growing from 10 employees to 50, and the failure cycle she had to stop. - The few things on her financial dashboard she uses to keep tabs on her business. - A mindset shift that is common to most successful construction business owners. - How Southwest Electric uses games to achieve targets. - Communicating to a resolution with family members. - The system they SimPro for managing projects and maintenance work. - A situation where they made a mistake with a client, and how they dealt with it. totally honest with a customer when we make a mistake. Resources mentioned in this construction podcast episode: Fieldchat: Messaging built for construction teams - https://get.fieldchat.com/edge GoSite: Take Control of Customer Reviews - https://www.gosite.com/podcast Construction Financial Masterclass: Master the financial side of the business - https://buildermasterclass.com/cfo 3 Questions to Help You Get Paid for Estimates: https://buildermasterclass.com/script How to connect with Kristin Larson: Company website - https://www.southwestelectric.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-larson-718106b7/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/southwestindustrialelectric/