Construction Brothers

Tyler’s been hiring. In the process, he’s had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people. One guy in particular checked in toward the end of the scheduled interview time slot and asked thoughtfully whether Tyler had a few more minutes. Proactively consider the needs, desires, and circumstances of the people you work with on a daily basis.Doing this on a consistent basis will help them know they can trust 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!

IntroductionToday we welcome Joe Purtle, who is here to talk to us about concrete forms. Joe has been in construction for well over two decades, and he’s currently the COO of Doka, which specializes in forming and shoring. Eddie shares a bit about his experience in construction back in the 2x4 and plywood days. He shares how cool it’s been to see the complexity of forms increase over time and to see how those forms have become woven into BIM software.We discuss how designers and other stakeholders view concrete forms. Joe explains that the placement of concrete drives the schedule on many large projects. And the placement of concrete is largely dependent on the completion of formwork. Cycling of formwork and big dadgum messesEddie asks Joe to explain the cycling (reuse) of forms on large projects. Doka’s job is to understand the complicated aspects of forming and pouring and how these complexities can affect a schedule. We discuss the benefits of modular approaches and cycling of forms. Joe discusses the importance of knowledgeable planning and the unfortunate results when things to wrong and a form gets trapped. It’s what the bros and their Georgia buddies would call a “dadgum mess.”Joe shares about how he has seen companies process decisions related to renting vs. buying. He also discusses sustainability issues and equipment that measures temperature and pressure to optimize the curing process. We get into the optimization of pouring and the incorporation of reusable sensors that give designers and project managers the ability to know things they would have previously not known without expensive, messy tests. Prefab of formworkEddie asks Joe to share about prefab work such as cast-in-place parking garages. Joe explains that Doka can build and ship complete beam forms that are pretty much ready to plug and play when they arrive at the job site. They have CNC machines that can put curves into forms with highly detailed specs when the customer wants it.   Tyler connects these abilities to the overall increase in complexity of structures. Joe shares about the pride we’ve discussed in previous episodes that comes with seeing a really cool building and being able to say you had something to do with that. BIM ModelingEddie asks Joe to explain how Doka’s work integrates with the BIM process. He explains that they’re already working within Revit and Tekla but that they are quickly extending their integration even further. We discuss how AI is streamline design. Then there are the AI features that simply increase the team’s everyday operations. Joe shares some thoughts about “real BIM” vs. “Hollywood BIM” and how these differences affect scheduling. Eddie shares some thoughts from a designer’s perspective as well as thoughts about storing huge form components that are not easy to move. We spend some time discussing the design rules being used to form AI and how significantly this process will likely change design work in the future. Then we discuss the role that human insight and finesse play in this process. Megaphone Message Joe’s message to the industry is this: The industry needs to come together and stop working in silos. The sooner we can create true collaboration through the available technologies, the sooner we’ll progress to a future we can’t even imagine at this point. Find Joe on LinkedIn 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

We’re always trying to help.This week we have a memory Tyler shares about the invisible tattoo he mentally cut into his arm–the message (in its family-show iteration): “Don’t be a jerk.” He reads this tattoo to himself at work and at home. Frustration awaits you at every turn in this industry and in life. Establish the neural pathways needed to avoid falling into bad, adrenaline-fueled habits. 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!

00:00 - IntroWe start out today reflecting on Lee Evey, an interesting guest from a couple former episodes (part one, part two). Then we get going on the conversation with today’s guest, Matthew Byrd, who started the Reality Capture Network. Matthew gives us a run-down of his career preceding RCN and what drove him to start this conference. He talks about the lack of equipment knowledge he saw among reality-capture practitioners. Matthew already had a podcast and an active LinkedIn presence, so in 2020, he decided to be part of the solution. He and his team wasted no time. They set a date three months out and starting organizing. It went amazingly well. The vendor booths were full. Presenters came onboard. Clearly there was substantial interest.   12:02 - One of his favorite things to doThat was all four years ago. Since then, RCN has become one of Matthew’s favorite things to do. It’s not because of the cool tech, it’s because of the satisfaction he feels in seeing people’s problems being solved. Eddie asks Matthew to share about a cool airport project he’d worked on recently. This one was incredibly complex. The logistical complications (TSA, air-traffic control, etc.). Matthew’s team used a wide range of tactics, all of which needed to be handled in new ways due to airport regulations.   We discuss mobile-mapping drift issues, survey control points, deviation, and cross-referencing techniques. 21:23 - How scale affects reality-capture decisionsTyler asks about when reality capture is truly needed. Matthew discusses circumstances when accuracy matters. If he’s forced to give a number, he said that a project of 10,000 square feet or more should involve reality capture. We discuss issues of liability and expertise–who should be handling this equipment and for which parts of the scan process should a true expert be called in. Eddie asks about mobile scanning devices and their accuracy. Matthew discusses big drones for survey-mapping solutions. He lists a number of other solutions for specific use cases. Matthew shares about some failed equipment designs from the past.He says that when people excitedly ask him what’s next, he says he’s really more interested in what’s most reliable. 38:00 - Dealing with data–lots and lots of dataEddie asks for some insights for those who have gotten in over their head. One of the main suggestions Matthew shares has to do with buying the proper equipment for processing the massive amounts of data produced by scans.Scanning is about 20% of the job, he says. The other 80% requires hefty processing power. Matthew talks about the point when his team started building their own computers and eventually worked toward solutions provided by Dell. He also discusses the challenges of finding the right people to optimize these computers to handle the data. It’s all about creative ways to employ the data, Matthew says. Almost every industry is finding ways to apply this technology. This means that some of the work is going to be outsourced. Matthew shares some insights about that.1:02:10 - How to keep them from staringEddie asks how to keep people on the jobsite from staring into the laser while it’s doing its work. Matthew shares the history and humor of that challenge. We discuss software and the data-cleaning process. Matthew says that if the scan is done properly, filters can handle most of that.  1:08:35 - Megaphone messageMatthew’s message: Don’t be afraid of change. Pursue innovation. Try new things. Be the learner. Check out the Reality Capture Network and the RCN PodcastFind Matthew on LinkedIn 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

Yes, it’s another quote. This week, Maggie Thatcher speaks to us through Eddie. She says, “Keep Fighting the Good Fight.”Tyler adds to that. Learn to love the “no” he says. Great things can come if you are willing to fail more. Eddie shares about RFIs that you know are a sign of something that’s going to become a bigger deal. Sometimes you need to set aside your own interests and do something for the good of the project.Do the right thing. If it doesn’t work, keep on trying. 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!

A discoveryTyler shares about the blueprints he and Eddie’s dad found in their grandfather’s house. They were prints for a relatively simple house, but still Tyler was overwhelmed by the artistry of the prints. Eddie recalls the values and the social dynamics of work crews in that generation.   Core valuesTyler shares about an exercise that Chat GPT gave him when he asked for help clarifying the core principles of his business. It suggested that he ask himself “five whys”--five layers of examining purpose. This process led him to an appreciation for the breadth and depth of the construction industry’s reach. Every part of our world is touched by commercial construction in numerous ways. He recalls the generational pride that was revealed on family trips as they passed projects that their dad and granddad had worked on. Eddie discusses how storylines are developed and framed as part of the TV coverage of the Master’s. He connects that to Tyler’s marketing work helping construction companies tell their story. Tyler shares about an impressive recent project. A single module that was being moved across the tarmac for an airport project weighed more than an entire hospital he’d worked with a short time before. Tech-talk flak and robot checkers Tyler shares about some responses he’s gotten to recent posts in which he implied that tech might be used too extensively. He and Eddie discuss recent industry shifts in regard to tech, BIM, and new forms of coordination between parties. They discuss the importance of basic human consideration and communication. Eddie revisits and explains his strong disdain for unnecessary meetings. Then he engages in a recap of the shifts in building design over the last couple decades. Tyler reviews what he’s seen recently about cutting-edge automation regarding welding and other aspects of steel work. Eddie discusses some arguably redundant checks on some of the pieces ABSI designs.  Tyler lists some unnecessary verification steps that are being eliminated with automation. Eddie outlines the ways that the quality control process has changed. Eddie gives a shout-out to Tesfit software and lists other sub-sectors of the industry that are doing impressive things with automation. Airing of grievancesEddie shifts the conversation in the direction of a few beefs he has with the industry. One thing he reiterates is the classic adage: Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. In his later years, he has learned that internalizing this principle brings benefits no matter how small or large the project might be. He sees diminishing returns resulting from the push to go more quickly. This leads to Eddie’s message to the industry: Rushing is not going to solve our problems. He’s concerned that this can lead to the industry collapsing on itself in some ways.A curmudgeonly bunch and the wrap-upEddie shares about an arrogance that he sometimes sees among his own crew. He explains why that is. People in his role are positioned to see a good number of inefficiencies.  “Invest in the ounce rather than the pound,” Eddie says. Tyler closes with the thought that it’s important to avoid the temptation to replace your people skills with shiny-object obsession. 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

Nuances matter. Today, Eddie focuses on a specific language nuance and encourages us to be kind, not nice. In explaining the distinction, he suggests that niceness involves telling someone what they want to hear.Kindness, on the other hand, is speaking the truth in a way that respects the person. Tyler latches onto this distinction as an opportunity to extend some kindness to Eddie. We take a bit of a turn as we spend some time listing things that make us want to eagerly share some kindness.Go out there this week and be kind to those around you while you build something awesome.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!

This week we're re-airing a conversation with had with Melanie Ford last year. Introduction - Melanie’s backstoryMelanie Ford is the Senior Director of Construction for the University of Georgia Office of the University Architects. Before her move to the university, she worked for 20 years as a contractor and a Vice President of Whitsel Construction Services. She’s the Georgia Chapter President for the Construction Owners of America and one of the co-founders and current President of Athens Area Women in Construction. Melanie shares about how a stressful project in an architecture class drove her into building science. She shares about how the dean of a professor told her that a woman wouldn’t be able to tell “some 50-year-old, hard-hat-wearing man where the hell he can put his steel.” She shares about the challenges of finding a position in construction when she graduated, but a couple decades later, she is still happy with her choice to go into construction. She then tells us a bit about her family’s move to Athens, Georgia.Melanie’s work at UGAMelanie explains what it is that she does at the University of Georgia. She oversees all construction on campus, including major capital projects and major renovations. She and her department are responsible for ensuring architectural and construction continuity across campus. She tells us a bit about the significant increase in sports-related construction, including large softball and tennis stadium projects. In addition to that, there are the ongoing renovations of buildings constructed in the 1950s. Eddie asks about how the challenges differ between different types of projects. Melanie talks about a few of her favorite projects. Project Managers Eddie asks Melanie to provide feedback to project managers from an owner’s perspective. She starts with thoughts about the importance of doing your research ahead of time in order to be aware of current conditions in a building set for renovation. She talks about timelines that were unnecessarily extended due to school-year schedules. She points out that many PMs tend to keep information and problems to themselves. This can be frustrating to people in positions like Melanie’s because they often have resources and connections to solve those problems.Eddie asks about the bidding process in the university domain, which leads to a conversation about task-order contracting. She explains how this approach works with smaller contracts and lists of pre-approved contractors. We explore the ins and outs of the approval process for this group of contractors and how it is used by various governmental entities. Melanie says that owner-contractor relationships result in task-order projects being completed on time more often than hard-bid projects. Melanie discusses the types of feedback she provides to contractors who ask what changes they could make in order to increase their chances of future work with the university.Project initiation and design-buildEddie asks about the process a project goes through from the point of conception to completion. Melanie talks us through the process that sometimes involves legislators, wealthy donors. She gives an example of an unexpected connection between botanical gardens and a porcelain collection. She then walks us through the steps of a hypothetical project. Eddie asks Melanie for her opinion on design-build. She explains that she’s not a huge fan of this approach in most cases. She says that she feels like the owner loses a certain amount of control because of the chain of command that results. She prefers for the builder, the designer, and the owner to perceive one another as peers. She also mentions that the historical character of campus architecture can suffer as a result of design-build dynamics. Eddie shares about a complicated, somewhat messy arrangement he experienced in a project a few years ago and asks Melanie for her thoughts. She shares her insights about the vision-setting, information exchange, and communication complications that can arise with unusual arrangements. Melanie shares a humorous story about how she was introduced to Bluebeam. Eddie shares some thoughts about the importance of old-school communication: actual talking. We discuss the different outcomes of different forms of communication–email vs. actual voice conversations. Megaphone messageWe’re all on the same team. It’s all about taking a team approach. If you have your best intentions, we don’t have to have adversarial relationships. Also, support each other. Melanie shares about the importance of mentorship, especially for women in construction.Bonus contentEddie shares some crazy facts about university protectionism regarding mascots and rivalries. Find Melanie Online: LinkedIn, Construction Owners of AmericaCheck 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

No tips and tricks today. Just a list of things we love about the good ol’ US of A. We touch on sports, fireworks, greasy grub, flags, and more.Eddie shares about his love of baseball and small-scale explosives. Tyler focuses on food, with some thoughts about deep-fried fair food and pool beer. Are we thankful to live in ‘Merica? Youbetcha, yeah, yeah.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!

This week we revisit a conversation we had with DPR's Chris Bell and Will Sheane last October.Today we welcome Chris Bell and Will Sheane, two members of the team at DPR Construction. We start with some multi-generational hard hat chat. If you’re interested, check out the helmet conversation we mention with Dr. Bottlang. DPR and Recruiting We ask Chris and Will to talk about how DPR is recruiting and training young workers. They talk us through the variations between states in regard to union training resources and the amount of on-the-job training that needs to be coordinated by construction companies. Eddie asks Chris and Will to discuss specific trades where the gaps are the greatest. Chris moves on from to explain how DPR has needed to make the case to prospective workers about how a job in the trades can be a great fit for them.Catching Their AttentionTyler asks what employment factors have the biggest attention-getting factor with prospective employees. Chris explains that DPR pays 7 holidays and 2 or 3 weeks of PTO depending on the employee’s tenure. Eddie mentions that he didn’t see this sort of information as part of a path of career progression when he was working in the field. Tyler refers to this earlier episode with Lee Causey.Chris explains that DPR is different from many construction companies in the sense that it handles a broad number of trades. This enables them to offer opportunities for workers to step from one trade to another as they get a sense of what might be a better fit. Tyler discusses the value of transferability that he’s experienced in his life.The Big PictureWe discuss how rare it is that we show new employees the plans that enable them to understand the big picture of which they are a small part. Unfortunately, technology has made this a bit more difficult in some respects. Tyler and Eddie discuss their dad’s and grandpa’s experiences in that respect. Mentorships and Open ArmsChris explains how central mentorships have become to DPR’s recruiting efforts. “Who we build is as important as what we build.” Will chimes in with some examples of how classroom learning relate to hands-on application of knowledge.Eddie shares some memories of the mentors that showed him how to tie, frame, and plumb. He explains that these mentorships can extend beyond construction skills to broader employability skills and life skills.What if…Tyler asks Chris and Will to share about what they might have been interested in doing if they could go back and do their career over again. Chris hearkens back to his work with concrete. Will echoes that idea. They both found concrete work to be enjoyable and not as stressful as some other work. Will also mentions electrical work because of the fascination with electrical theory. Advice about ApprenticeshipsTyler asks Chris to share advice with other contractors, and Chris makes the strong business case for the ways that strong apprenticeship programs are good for the whole organization. Will mentions NCCR curriculum as a helpful resource for contractors in non-union areas. Chris mentions that these resources are available in Spanish as well as English. Chris and Will talk through the nuts and bolts of the DPR program, including book-learning components and on-the-job training. They share a bit about the ways that quality training programs lead to word-of-mouth recruiting. Megaphone MessageWe ask Chris and Will what they want to say to the construction industry. Will says he’d like to see the industry change the way it looks at mistakes. If we can look at mistakes as learning opportunities, people will come to work knowing that they can learn from mistakes. Chris says that he would like the workers to be proud. The things you do make a difference to people’s everyday lives. Find Chris on LinkedInFind Will 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