Construction Brothers

Today we take a break from our usual Friday routine to talk to Ken Flannigan and welcome Dell as a partner of the podcast.    Ken worked in construction for several years before transitioning to work on the software and work stations that enable the industry to do what it does.    Eddie shares about the computer choices he’s made as a small business owner. He’s always aimed to keep the best equipment possible on the desks of his employees.    Ken discusses the challenges of software demands leap-frogging hardware capabilities. He touches on the multiple profiles of employees who need different things from their computers.    We discuss some specific challenges we’ve encountered with GPU capabilities that aren’t properly aligned with the task and the software, whether it’s Enscape or Twinmotion.   Our experience with these challenges is the reason that we’ve decided to welcome Dell as a sponsor. You can check them out here! Dell.com/Precision   Find Ken Online: LinkedIn   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.

Rich Racz has been working as an engineer within the construction industry for seven years. He started out in Massachusetts and then jumped over the entire continental US to settle in Portland, Oregon.   We start today’s conversation with some talk about engineering classifications. Rich is a PE working on an SE. This means his license is in professional civil engineering, but he is on his way to qualifying as a structural engineer.    Most of Rich’s projects involve steel, concrete, and masonry. These projects are usually broken down into two phases: The design phase, in which you work with the owner and architect to design the frickin’ thingThe construction-administration phase, in which the engineer works hand-in-hand with the contractor to  build the thing   Rich works closely with the architect on each project, who usually hires him to help pursue the owner’s vision. Often, the owner and the architect have a rough vision that requires a great deal of clarification with help from the engineer.    Rich points out that architects’ desires for structures are often focused on “spanning further with a thinner profile.” The job of an engineer is to help the architect achieve as much of that vision as possible safely.   We discuss the value of questions going both ways in the engineer-contractor relationship. Rich says he likes it when contractors ask questions. He appreciates the desire this shows to synchronize efforts.    We ask Rich to share some advice with contractors. Here are his thoughts:  Preparing RFIs: Have a possible solution in mind before you point out a problem. Submittals: Be sure to do your due diligence during the submittal phase. Avoid the need for a revise-and-resubmit. Prioritizing RFI’s and issues onsite: On this point, Rich is more interested in hearing a designer/contractor’s perspective rather than sharing his own insights. Eddie says that he would find it helpful to have a more honest, forthright project schedule. What is truly critical. How can we reduce the sense of false urgency. (Easy rule: If there’s a crane onsite, it’s truly hot.)Pick up the phone: If the engineer fails to acknowledge a truly hot RFI, pick up the phone and talk to him or her about it. You might be surprised at how this builds relationships.   Eddie asks if engineers are “trained in the art of ‘no’.”  Rich shares his thoughts, leading to a discussion about billable hours, profit margins, and hundred-year accountability.    Eddie asks if the scope of design needs to grow and expresses his support for a shared-savings model. We kick around some possible different approaches to pricing engineering and design work (including consideration of PITA fees).   Rich’s Megaphone Message: Don’t be afraid to branch out into your areas of weakness. Attack those in order to become a more well-rounded professional. Don’t pigeonhole yourself because you’re scared. (Tyler’s paraphrase: “Discomfort=growth.”) Find Rich online: LinkedIn  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.

“You used to call me on my cell phone…” Well, you didn’t “used to,” but you can now.   The Construction Brothers are now available by voicemail!    “By voicemail?” You say?    Yes, by voicemail. Here’s what we have in mind with this dedicated phone line: We want to hear from you. We want to know… What problems are you dealing with on the jobsite?What’s causing headaches in the office? What industry trends have you excited–or concerned?What funny workplace situations have you experienced recently?     The number is 512-THE-BROS (512-843-2767) 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.

The story of Andrew Brown’s life in construction starts on September 11, 2001. Andrew was a 23-year-old IT worker on Wall Street. When the towers fell, Andrew and a friend decided that they had to help. They headed toward Ground Zero and somehow made it through all of the checkpoints.    After watching so many tradespeople pour themselves into the rescue efforts–most of them with little PPE, Andrew found himself wondering what he could do to support these hardworking people. A couple months later, Andrew put in his two-week notice and started a business with his brother. Together, they started an online tool company.     Last year, Andrew decided to post some videos sharing what he’s learned over two decades of behind-the-scenes work in the construction industry. The videos gained more and more views, and then one went viral. He realized he was on to something. Tyler shares his appreciation for the simply informative, non-promotional tone of Andrew’s videos.   We ask Andrew to share some thoughts about the labor-shortage issue within the construction world. He says that the narrative needs to change in homes and schools. We need to flip the script on the old-school threat that poor academic performance will sentence you to a life in the trades. That outcome needs to be seen as the reward that it is rather than as a punishment.   We ask Andrew to outline what he thinks can increase the number of young people who aspire to learn a skilled trade. Andrew suggests giving them the bigger picture of where construction fits into the big picture. Then it’s important to help them see the opportunities for working your way up the ladder—possibly toward owning your own business.   Tyler points out that a significant number of people who are currently in the field of construction didn’t even zhead that direction purposefully. Many have kind of stumbled into it from peripheral fields or through jobs they thought would be temporary.   Andrew piggybacks on that idea and emphasizes the importance of looking for people who might enter the skilled trades through unorthodox routes. The various in-roads must be made clear. Construction companies need to make a concerted effort to sell young people on how a career in construction contributes to society.    Eddie shares about a recent high school event he attended where 30 high school seniors shared their career plans. He got the sense that most of them had simply Googled the salaries for various jobs. There was an inordinate number of nurse anets… nurse aneth… nurse anesthetists. (Why don’t they just change that term, for Pete’s sake. Even some of these people who work in the field struggle with it.)    Tyler says that it’s important to help people see not just a promising salary but to also help them see a positive workplace experience. Andrew shares his opinion that most young people want immediate gratification. He says that the challenge is for the industry to communicate a cohesive message about the opportunities. He also makes the argument for returning shop class to school.    Eddie refers to the sense of pride, confidence, and long-term comfort that comes with mastering a broad range of basic construction skills. When you know the basics of plumbing, electrical, framing–all of these things position you not just for employment but also for self-sufficiency.   We step away from the skilled trade conversation for a minute and ask Andrew about the coolest tool he’s seen recently. He mentions a robotic rebar-tier.    Andrew’s Megaphone Message: We have a skilled trades gap. We can’t be reactive. We need to be proactive. We need to be out there discussing the benefits of plumbing, welding, and the other trades. From teachers and guidance counselors to parents and industry representatives, we need to show young people the picture of what success can look like in the skilled trades.   Find Andrew online: LinkedIn - Toolfetch - YoutubeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Tyler shares about a specific moment that sticks in his memory. Numerous tasks and deadlines were bearing down on him, and the pressure culminated in a mysterious leakage from his eyes.    Nobody’s immune to being overwhelmed. What matters is how you decide to cope. Tyler’s advice: Talk to someone. Acknowledge the weight you’re feeling. List the parts of the load that’s creating the overwhelm. Listen openly to the objective insights that person can share about how you can address your current challenge. Pick a lane. Address the one element of the load that can most easily be addressed.Put systems in place to prevent the return to the state of overload. There are ways to avoid it.    We wrap up this episode with a debate about whose analogy works best for the sensation of being overwhelmed. Feel free to share your own analogy if you are unimpressed with ours.    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.

Dan Wies is the president of Wies Drywall and Construction, a St. Louis company that has been in his family for three generations. He also enjoys contributing to the community–by providing quality service customers as well as training and growth opportunities to employees.   Dan sees it as his job to make the general contractor the hero. “My name should never be in your mouth in a bad way,” he says to general contractors.    The key to staying effective, profitable, and safe, Dan says, is having a really solid team that can execute consistently. This is the key to owners and contractors who are not frustrated.   We ask Dan to discuss some of the pain points of drywall work. He touches on these things: Ensuring that you aren’t just treated like another bidder on bid day - This means being clear about the scope of bids.  Standing out in an increasingly complex construction landscape - This means being clear and consistent about their focus. It also means innovating–creating systems that are more efficient.Timing production runs to ensure that storage space doesn’t overflow before a site is ready for the parts.    We discuss panelization and modularization. Dan explains that these approaches help him help general contractors move projects along at a faster pace. Having a Revit specialist on the team enables him to respond quickly when a contractor needs to plan a change.   Dan explains his company’s use of FRAMECAD, a roll-forming machine (See a video here). Dan compares it to the equipment used to form eavestroughs–but with substantially greater capabilities. Their machine can form anything from a 2” stud to a 50-footer. And it can do this while operating at an almost zero-waste level.   Eddie points out that the average person–even someone who works in the construction industry–doesn’t have a clue how complex the work is that is done by larger drywall operators like Wies’s company. Our perceptions are seriously outdated and simplistic.   Dan shares a bit about how they’ve recruited and trained designers and computer operators. Then we move on to discuss the challenges of sourcing roll-forming equipment from New Zealand in the middle of the pandemic. Surprisingly, Dan said it didn’t take them as long as it’s taking some people now.    Fitting that cool new machine into the workspace, though… Well, Dan just decided to buy a whole new facility. That facility is now so busy that it’s just busting at the seams. That creates a storage issue, since this material can’t sit outdoors for long periods of time. This means their space is totally overloaded–and then it’s suddenly empty.   We discuss the advantages and challenges of new technologies such as laser scanning. It’s important to weigh the huge number of pros and cons before integrating a new system. It’s also important to keep quality and consistency at the forefront of the decision-making process.   Dan’s Megaphone Message: If we, as an industry, don’t start adopting digital processes, we’re doing ourselves an extreme disservice.   Find Dan Online: LinkedIn - Wies Drywall and 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.

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.

It feels like this episode should come with an image of Max Headroom in a hard hat. (If you’re younger than 40, we’ll let you research that reference.)    Our guest today is Marty Beard, founder of alwaysAI, a company that uses AI to expand the functionality of basic video cameras. To see a more detailed overview of alwaysAI technology, see this article, which includes a video with Marty. He and his founding team saw what was happening in AI in relation to voice and realized that vision was likely to have an even greater connection with AI.   Marty explains that an AI model can be built that is able to identify helmets, goggles, vests, and anything else visually identifiable. Rather than directly programming the computer through code, their approach uses machine learning. The operator presents the computers with as many varied images as possible of the objects to be identified, allowing the computer to recognize patterns after asking, “What’s this?” dozens, hundreds, or thousands of times.   Each safety-centered application of this technology has its own “safety index” connected to a metric. A construction company, for instance, might have a threshold of 75% compliance. If safety-gear compliance drops below that point, action must be taken.    Marty gives an example of a timber-processing facility that needed AI to distinguish between single boards and stacks of boards. It was also able to spot knots that might cause saws to bind and kick, giving operators a helpful heads-up.   Getting into the nuts and bolts of the process, Marty explains that most of the video footage they work with is gathered by inexpensive IP cameras. That visual data is then gathered on a computer for analysis. The algorithm that does the learning (technically called inference) exists either on this computer or in the cloud. The data is analyzed in accordance with customized programming, and then the software pumps usable output data to the user and issues notifications.    Eddie asks for some of the most interesting applications of this technology. Here are a couple that Marty mentions: Mining companies that analyze how long it takes to go through all of the phases in the entire mining cycle - Amazingly, this can be done with just a couple cameras watching … This data enables them to improve their efficiency by maybe 1% each day, which could translate to $100,000 a day. Fast food companies that analyze their burger-assembly process in order to cut wasteful stepsA defense contractor that does night-time object detection to assess threatsBody-movement analysis in sports–comparing positions and movements to scoring outcomes   Tyler raises a question that is an obvious one from the ground-level perspective: What do workers think about this? Marty explains that privacy concerns are most directly addressed by blurring faces and communicating actively with workers. He also shares thoughts about how automation in construction has been accelerated due to the labor shortage that started during the pandemic.    Not surprisingly, Eddie brings the discussion back to sports, and Marty explains the various ways that AI is being used to help high-end athletes avoid injuries. We then relate this to construction, speculating about how repetitive-motion injuries and long-term back injuries can be avoided.    We discuss what Silicon Valley calls “virtual perimeters,” boundaries that can be set on the software so that alerts can be triggered when workers or customers enter an area of danger.    Tyler asks Marty to make some predictions. He makes a couple speculations. Then Tyler shares about his wife signing him up for the vehicle-tracking program that allows them to save a few bucks on insurance if they manage to implement safe driving practices.    We get down to money. Here are some ballpark figures that Marty gives us:  5-10 cameras would cost up to $1500.The analysis device for this would run $600-$1000. The SAAS platform (which the customer can then program to their specifications) might be $50,000.     Marty’s Megaphone Message: The coolest thing about the construction industry is that it’s real stuff. It has this image of not being “techy.” People heading into a new career should consider exploring the interesting new tech aspects of construction.    In case you’re wondering, Tyler can’t remember if dog food ads showed up on his phone feed after this episode, but a sample package of dog food did show up on their doorstep randomly a week or so later…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ve seen the title. What would you guess we’re going to say? The planning? The signing of the deal? The groundbreaking? Well, we believe that the most important part of most (if not all) projects is the finish line. At the beginning of a project, it’s usually relatively easy to be optimistic.  The during part certainly has its frustrations. Deadlines loom, though. And people–especially owners–care about them. That’s why the end, matters the most. The end is the part of the project that most customers will remember most clearly.  There’s no feeling like being handed the keys to a sparkling new, beautifully finished building. Giving that feeling to your customer will set you apart from the competition.  The End  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.

So… Sometimes we get going and we just can’t stop. This episode was supposed to be a Five-Minute Friday. Oh, well. It’s important stuff.    We recently posted on LinkedIn about how difficult detailing is. Clearly, we tapped into a deep reservoir of discontent. Dozens of people shared about the results of stress they experienced as a detailer.     Employees are human. Humans make mistakes. Even the best detailers will occasionally miss something.   If you get 100 things right and miss one thing, the one thing is what you’ll hear about.    Eddie discusses two movie scenes and a recent NFL incident that serve as analogies for effective and ineffective leadership in reaction to failures:  In the movie They Were Soldiers. One of the younger soldiers makes a mistake while calling in coordinates for a strike. This mistake results in the death of some of his fellow soldiers. Immediately, his superior officer comforts him and tells him to keep doing what he’s been trained to do. In The Pacific, a similar situation occurs. As the soldiers are examining the results of this mistake, this supervising officer fails to lift up the soldier who had made the mistake. In the Chiefs-Bengals AFC Championship game, Joseph Ossai pushed Patrick Mahomes just after Mahomes had run out of bounds. (Trigger warning - If you’re a Bengals fan, we don’t recommend watching this clip.) In the press conference, one of Ossai’s teammates serves as the watchdog, ensuring that reporters don’t hound him excessively about that mistake.   In each of these situations, the leaders and the peers of the person who had made a mistake. The fellow player in the Bengals press conference and the superior officer in They Were Soldiers made the same crucial decision: They chose to recognize the vulnerability of the person who had made the mistake.    We all know this. We know that personal encouragement is important. But acting on that knowledge requires effort and resolve.    Change comes one person at a time. One mindset at a time.    It’s tricky because a competitive atmosphere can sometimes be helpful. If it’s only competition, though, that’s a recipe for trouble.    Eddie comments on the number of overseas detailers who chimed in on that LinkedIn post. We discuss how workplace conditions may be even less hospitable in some of the places that handle offshored work from US companies.    We discuss the shifts that have taken place over the last several decades–specifically as it relates to the amount of face-to-face human interaction within our physical spaces. And all of this is now accessible to us 24 hours a day. Many detailers have gotten up during the night to check something that’s keeping them from sleeping.   Today, the velocity of the industry and the amount of information we have to deal with daily have increased significantly. Our mental bandwidth, however, has remained the same. That increased volume in a pipe with limited capacity–that’s where the anxiety comes from.    So what can we do about it? We discuss a few simple steps that can help:  Be disciplined about your morning routine. Set a mindset that reduces the likelihood that you’ll turn to junk food, caffeine, drugs, or alcohol to cope with the inevitable stress. Be that teammate that stands up for the guy next to you.When you see stress ramping up and can tell you’re about to lash out at someone, detach. For just a short time, step away physically from the workspace and cool down before you speak.    We mirror the behavior of the people around us. If the atmosphere of your workspace is miserable, make a difference. Treat people the way you want to be treated. If you want the benefit of the doubt, then give your coworkers the benefit of the doubt (as Wally says).    If you’ve really screwed up and mistreated a coworker, consider attempting to address that situation.    So, anyway… There’s today’s 40-minute Five-Minute Friday.   Have a good week, and treat somebody awesome!   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.