Construction Brothers

If you want to stand out in business, don’t be a whiner. It’s a natural human tendency, for sure. That’s why avoiding it will help you stand out from the crowd. Whining wastes time and strains relationships. The more you can suck it up and do the work when circumstances are tough, the better things will go for you and those around you. 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!

00:46 - IntroductionTyler shares a bit about Bill Holton and then starts us off with a few complaints about shipping shortfalls. 04:29 - Kubota HistoryBill reviews the background of Kubota in the US. In 1972, Kubota started selling tractors in the US. By 1978 they were selling excavators to construction contractors. The breadth of the Kubota line has been growing ever since. Over those 50 years, they’ve worked their way into just about every segment of construction. Tyler shares this thoughts about the stand-on skid steer 07:03 - The Present and Future for Kubota Bill drops a teaser about a new piece of orange equipment that will be announced at the World of Concrete. (We could tell he was tempted to spill the beans now.) He shares with us about his journey from safety inspector to his current position with Kubota. Then he tells us about the creation of Kubota University, the annual training program for sales reps and others. The program runs for eight weeks, providing playing/learning time for nearly 700 salespersons from around the country. He explains how important it is for sales staff to have hands-on experience. 17:40 - Kubota Ranch and KPathersTyler asks Bill to share about another hands-on opportunity that Kubota offers customers. He discusses the 300-acre space they’ve set aside to help people test the limits of the equipment. From there, Tyler shifts to the topic of Texas barbecue. Eddie asks Bill to share about the two-year KPathers program for recent college graduates. The purpose of the program is to provide participants with a sampling of direct experience in various aspects of the Kubota company. 30:35 - Megaphone MessageBill says he’d like to encourage the construction industry to be realistic and thoughtful about the transition to electric-powered equipment. Find Bill 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

When it comes to confidence and peace of mind within your business, there’s nothing that compares to having employees who actually care. Is this obvious? Yup. Still bears repeating.When your workers are thankful for their job, they’re going to bring creativity, responsiveness, and conscientiousness to their work. Everyone that your business touches will notice the difference. How do you make your employees thankful? Treat them well. Model gratitude. Show appreciation. Complain less. Take advantage of little opportunities to let every contractor, client, or customer you come into contact with that you’re thankful for the role they play in your professional life. 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’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

Eddie’s stealing this week’s insight from Micah Piippo (See episode 180). That insight? Think ahead–way ahead. Plan long. Dad said it too. Don’t just think about this week, this month, or this year. Plan out 20 years. Where do you want to be? Tyler mentions how quickly you see time pass when you’re a parent. That’s part of the point, but not all of it. Eddie points out how few people there are who can stick with a plan of action in order to achieve five-year goals. Tyler said he feels like he’s a bit too obsessed with the long term. Stick with it. Think about the long game. Don’t just imagine the future; do what you can to plan for 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!

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