Bridging the Gap: Insights & Innovations in Construction

This is a special episode of Bridging the Gap. This is our final live recording from the 5th annual MEP Force. During the Day 1 General Session, we sat down with the Queen of Prefab herself, Amy Marks. A key theme she touched on was 'expected experience' in your job and in a product. How you anticipate a situation can drastically affect your satisfaction with it. She also touched on the importance of productization. We have to do a better job taking all the knowledge and ideas we have and turn them into products and processes. Amy Marks is the head of industrialized construction strategy and evangelism at Autodesk; she is known throughout the construction industry as the “Queen of Prefab.” A graduate of the University of Florida and an alumna of Harvard Business School, Marks is the former CEO of XSite Modular, a leading prefabrication consultancy and design-builder of critical infrastructure buildings.  As a prefabrication consultant, she defined the language and process that is adopted by companies, countries, and builders around the world.

The hottest topic in construction right now is Change Management. We set up a live podcasting booth at MEP Force 2022 and asked your peers and industry experts what they thought about the topic. Here are the guests who joined us: Steve Smith - Steve is the product portfolio director (build and construct division) at Nemetscheck. You may recognize them as the parent company o Bluebeam. Steve is a passionate team builder with experience in Product Management, P&L Management; onboarding, training, and motivating top talent; strategic account development; sales process improvement; inside and outside sales management; and driving bottom-line profitability. Mark Oden - Mark is the CEO of BIM Designs Incorporated and is a long time friend of the show (see ep. 12 & 38). He joined the BIM Designs team with over 10 years of experience working with Silicon Valley tech companies in product management, business development, mergers and acquisitions, and CxO roles. He successfully launched several startups and directly consulted several more through their early stages of development and fundraising.  Mark leads the growth, strategy and execution of the company; his acute ability to develop and implement strategic processes that scale the company’s capabilities drives efficient service delivery, increases client satisfaction, and builds cross-functional teams. Mark received his master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Florida. Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts. Stephen Grecsek - Stephen is the CEO of G-Force Global Marketing. His company helped to produce MEP Force 2022 and lends a unique perspective on the industry. Stephen has over 20 years of experience working with companies such as: FOX Sports, IMG Academy, Buick/GMC, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Media General, NFL PLAYERS Inc., PGA TOUR, YPO, and others.  Eric Daniel - Eric is the editor and producer of the show and this is his fourth time attending and producing MEP Force.

We're coming at you LIVE from MEP Force 2022 in San Antonio, TX. Our great friends of the show, Nathan Wood and Travis Voss joined us for this exclusive look at the conference and the theme: Stronger Together. In this episode, the trio puts their finger to the pulse of the MEP industry as a whole looking at leadership, workflows, and what happens after you throw a bunch of tech at something and nothing improved. Nathan is the founder and CEO of SpectrumAEC and Executive Director of the Construction Progress Coalition. He has had a reputation as an industry thought leader for nearly a decade. His specialties include BIM, collaboration, coaching, digital fabrication, VDC, and IPD. Travis Voss is a Leader of Innovative Technology at Helm Mechanical. He uses his background in the tech field to explore, adapt, and perhaps develop technologies and workflows for the construction industry as it is thrust into its digital transformation. Helping Mechanical, Inc. stay on the cutting edge.

What is a circular economy? What does it have to do with Contech, green construction, and “Big Data”? Join host Todd and guest Alfredo Carrato as they discuss true sustainability in construction, the technology behind carbon capture, and the “industrialization of sustainability.” Alfredo Carrato is the Venture Capital Advisor at CEMEX Ventures. He is a trained architect, BIM enthusiast and college professor who scouts for breakthrough technologies and solutions in the decarbonization space for the construction industry. As a Venture Capital Advisor, he oversees investment activities and strategic partnerships in CEMEX Ventures putting a special focus on startups that effectively tackle the carbon footprint challenge of the built sector.

There are many different cultures within the construction industry. How do we navigate them—and communicate with each other—successfully? Join host Todd and guest Angelo Suntres as they discuss the “human side of construction,” ways in which we’re warming up to technology, and what the “next steps” look like for the industry as a whole.   Angelo Suntres is an MEP Manager at EllisDon. He is a passionate leader in the construction industry with 16 years of experience designing and building in the ICI sector. He has represented both contractors and owners and understands the struggles from both sides of the fence. Angelo believes that focusing on the human principles of connection including effective communication and fostering healthy relationships is a critical part to ensuring a successful future for the construction industry.

What can you learn from building an awareness of failure? How do you encourage people to input good data to leverage across the project lifecycle? Join host Todd and guest Blake Douglas as they discuss the exponential growth that occurs when everyone in the company looks out for one another, the future of construction, and much more. Blake Douglas is Director of Construction Services at Applied Software. Blake seeks to champion technology innovation to help bring projects to completion on time and under budget while driving real business results for construction teams. Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts. Bridging the Gap Website Bridging the Gap LinkedIn Bridging the Gap Instagram Todd’s LinkedIn   Thank you to our sponsors! Applied Software Applied Software LinkedIn   Other Relevant Links: Blake Douglas’ LinkedIn TODD-TAKES Fine tuning the built environment involves people and materials with a goal of creating repeat customers. The key to pulling this off is quality data across the project lifecycle. To help ensure everyone in the company is doing their part of inputting good data, you must make it real for them on the why but even more importantly on how they benefit personally. It goes back to the conversation Blake and I had around the back of the jersey playing for the front of the jersey and the front playing for the back. When both sides equally view themselves on the same team magic happens. Loved what came out of Blake’s innovation answer around being comfortable in the cycle of continuous failing that leads to continuous learning. As I said, learning from failure is a muscle that takes hard work to build but wow can create exponential growth when it happens. For the record, exponential is the word I was trying to think of in the moment with Blake.

Are we beginning to make the move to sustainable construction overall? Join host Todd and guest Andrew Staniforth as they discuss the benefits of distributive design models, the biggest differences between traditional and modern modular processes, and how the industry will advance in the future. Andrew Staniforth is the CEO of Assembly OSM, working to make urban growth more sustainable, scalable, and inclusive by delivering high rise urban housing using the manufacturing techniques of the aerospace and auto industry. Andrew studied real estate, finance and computer science at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with dual degrees from The Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

As someone in the AEC industry, what does your job look like on the daily? Does it involve many repetitive, time-consuming tasks on top of your important projects? If so, you’re not alone. Join host Todd and guest Simon Dickinson as they discuss ways to eliminate repetitiveness, how to prioritize interoperability, and what the industry may look like in the next five years. Simon Dickinson is Product Manager (PowerPack for Revit) at Graitec. Simon has over 20 years of experience with Revit and BIM and has worked as a consultant on many projects, large and small, helping design practices and manufacturers to implement BIM – from setting up new BIM standards, to solving complex design issues with the software and ensuring that the customer gets early and lasting benefits from their investment in BIM technology.

In academic settings, why are the trades considered “less than?” What can we do to change that social stamp of disapproval? Join host Todd and guest Clay Abernathy as they discuss how to make the trades a viable option for the younger generation, when to start talking about trades education, and tackling the subject of traditional college versus trade school educations.   Clay Abernathy is a veteran entrepreneur with 28 years of experience in a wide variety of sales and management positions. In 2006, he founded Idea’l Trade Institute to provide alternative educational opportunities for students wanting accelerated or hands-on training.

Do you feel “heard” on the jobsite? In your experience, have efforts at collaboration been effective? Join host Todd and guest Ron Nussbaum as they discuss what communication in the construction industry should look like, the value that clarity brings to an overall ROI, best practices for stakeholders and contractors, and more. Ron Nussbaum is the Founder and CEO of Nuttnest. After serving in the Marine Corps., he went on to add over a decade of experience in the construction industry. He has cemented himself as a visionary and a leader in construction by working in field, sales, leadership, and management. TODD-TAKES When we think about communicating better in construction, we first need to ask ourselves a basic question. What does that even mean? It isn’t as easy and straightforward as it seems at first glance. In fact, better communication means something different to everyone. In these situations, taking the time to understand where the other side is aiming for is very helpful. Ron brought up a stunning stat in that 35% of time on a jobsite is related to miscommunication. That is crazy! How much could you do if you got 35% of time back in your day? This is definitely not a minor issue. We need to focus on the customer experience. The better and more simplistic we can make the experience, the more likely we are to have a lifelong customer.