

Leadership Blueprints
BJ Kraemer, MCFA
Leadership Blueprints is a podcast dedicated to helping leaders align teams, navigate chaos, and accomplish the mission. Hosted by BJ Kraemer—West Point graduate, combat veteran, and President & CEO of MCFA—this show dives into the principles, stories, and strategies behind effective leadership.
With a background in military service and experience leading teams in business, infrastructure, and complex projects, BJ understands that success comes down to execution, adaptability, and leading people well. Through in-depth interviews with accomplished leaders across business, sports, the military, and beyond, Leadership Blueprints will help you bring your vision to reality on projects that shape communities and industries.
Whether you’re leading in the boardroom, on the field, in the military, or within your own organization, this podcast is designed to provide the tools and mindset needed to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose. Subscribe now and start building your Leadership Blueprint.
With a background in military service and experience leading teams in business, infrastructure, and complex projects, BJ understands that success comes down to execution, adaptability, and leading people well. Through in-depth interviews with accomplished leaders across business, sports, the military, and beyond, Leadership Blueprints will help you bring your vision to reality on projects that shape communities and industries.
Whether you’re leading in the boardroom, on the field, in the military, or within your own organization, this podcast is designed to provide the tools and mindset needed to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose. Subscribe now and start building your Leadership Blueprint.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 7, 2022 • 13min
Mission and Meaning: BJ’s writing a book
On today’s solo episode, BJ reveals his next big project; writing a book. He lays out the goals he has set for himself, the many setbacks in the early stages, and what he hopes readers will learn from it!Resources mentioned: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point's mission is "to educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army."Calls-to-action: Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAKeywords: MCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC

Aug 31, 2022 • 18min
Start and Sustain a Successful Career in the AEC Industry
On today’s solo episode, BJ answers burning questions from the MCFA team and our listeners! He explores how to set yourself up for success in the AEC industry, how to maintain that success, and the risks that come with both opportunity and growth. Resources mentioned: Steve Jobs Commencement Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLcMatthew McConaughey Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD2cVhC-63I Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAMCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC

Aug 24, 2022 • 37min
Understanding the Infrastructure of Education with Luis Vildostegui, Senior Principal and Education Sector Leader at Stantec
On this week’s episode, BJ sits down with Luis Vildostegui, Senior Principal and Education Sector Leader at Stantec. Luis elaborates on the many turns his career has taken, the global locations he’s impacted, and how effective communication and collaboration are key to effective projects, no matter the scale or location. Resources mentioned: Find Luis at: https://www.stantec.com/en/people/v/vildostegui-luisConnect with Luis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-vildostegui-1103299/Calls-to-action: Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAKeywords: MCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC

Aug 17, 2022 • 40min
How to Connect with the Community You’re Serving with John Burke, Economic Vibrancy Manager for the City of Westminster, and Author of “RFP - Request For Personality, Win People, Win Projects.”
On today’s episode, BJ talks with John Burke, Economic Vibrancy Manager for the City of Westminster, and author of “RFP - Request For Personality, Win People, Win Projects.” John breaks down his journey to engineering, the importance of being able to effectively communicate a project's vision, and how the R.F.P. mindset can be implemented to become a better leader on projects of any scale. Resources mentioned: Connect with John at: www.JohnDBurke.com Find out more about the City of Westminster: www.cityofwestminster.usFind John’s book, “RFP - Request For Personality, Win People, Win Projects”: https://tinyurl.com/4ysyre3rJohn is giving away 5 free electronic copies of his book. Use this link bit.ly/3QKXqM5 to enter the giveaway! Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAKeywords: MCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC

Aug 10, 2022 • 55min
How To Get More Sellers Selling with Jim Rogers, Co-Creator of Seller-Doer Academy and President of Unbridled Revenue, Inc.
On this week’s episode, BJ sits down with Jim Rogers, Co-Creator of Seller-Doer Academy and President of Unbridled Revenue, Inc. Jim is also the author of “Becoming a Seller-Doer: Succeed at Business Development and Take Command of Your Career”, where he teaches professionals in the SEC industry how to develop and refine the seller-doer mindset to elevate their firms. On the show, they dive deep into not only the value of offering education to your team, but how to do it successfully, and how making time for professional development means producing better work. Find out more about Seller-Doer Academy: https://sellerdoeracademy.com/Jim’s book, Becoming a Seller-Doer: Succeed at Business Development and Take Command of Your Career: http://becomingasellerdoer.com You can purchase a copy of his book here: https://amzn.to/3bGDSK3 Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com

Aug 3, 2022 • 37min
Diversity, Inclusion, and the Mastery of Execution with Dan Lester Sr., Director of Field Diversity, Inclusion, and Culture at Clayco
On this week’s episode, BJ sits down with Dan Lester Sr., Director of Field Diversity, Inclusion, and Culture at Clayco. Dan breaks down what diversity and inclusion mean in the workforce, how inclusion brings a unique perspective to any organization, and how the communication and execution of diversity and inclusion strategies are a critical point of understanding. Find out more about Clayco Rising: https://claycorising.com/Calls-to-action: Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAKeywords: MCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC

Jul 27, 2022 • 45min
The Value of Personal Expertise with Vince Campisi
On this episode of Inspiring People and Places, BJ sits down with Vince Campisi. Vince has over 50 years of experience in the management, design, inspection and rehabilitation of highways, railroads, and various types of bridges and buildings. Vince explores his career journey, how he learned to manage the time strain of going to night school, having a job and maintaining a family, and how the infrastructure of our country can be reformed. Calls-to-action: Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAMCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC

Jul 20, 2022 • 42min
Making a Big Impact by Applying Expertise and Focusing on Communication to Protect Contract Fairness with Brian Perlberg
On this week’s episode BJ sits down with Brian Perlberg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel for ConsensusDocs, a coalition of 40 leading construction organizations. Brian is the only construction attorney in the United States certified as a CM-Lean for lean construction. Using Brian’s contracts to communicate and incorporate best practices instills fairness throughout contracts and are used by people who want to mitigate claims instead of escalating claims. Resources mentioned: CM-Lean: The AGC Certificate of Management-Lean Construction (CM-Lean) is an assessment-based certificate credential that denotes knowledge and understanding of concepts related to lean adoption, practice and process transformation outlined in AGC’s Lean Construction Education Program. Successful candidates will carry the CM-Lean designation.ConsensusDocs was founded in 2007 under the leadership of twenty organizations in the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) industry, with one goal in mind: to help the industry build a better way by developing contracts that protect the best interests of the project. In order to do so, the ConsensusDocs Coalition created a process dependent upon — trust, collaboration, and innovation. About The ConsensusDocs Coalition | Construction Contract Agreements The ConsensusDocs Coalition consists of 41 prominent organizations collectively represent over more than 300,000 individuals and companies Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email!

Jul 13, 2022 • 33min
Falling in Love with Solving Problems for the World with Nivi Sharma, CEO of Bridges to Prosperity
On this week’s episode, BJ sits down with Nivi Sharma, CEO of Bridges to Prosperity. Nivi explores her winding career, the journey from creating free Wi-Fi resources, digitizing he Kenyan Primary School curriculum content for revision and literacy, and now Bridges to Prosperity, the global leader in rural infrastructure development. Nivi and BJ also dive into the impact of one’s work, and how falling in love with what you do allows you to bring your full potential to the job. Resources mentioned: Find Nivi on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivi-sharma-44813852/Read more about the corporate experience: https://www.bridgeweb.com/The-corporate-experience/8830Download the corporate brochure: https://bridges.box.com/s/0wfxtr1zrurq4kis2pfmwsushnmm7nj2To join one of the corporate teams and be a part of spending a day in the local community - 10 days in Rwanda and Uganda - go to bridgestoprosperity.org/bjkraemer and apply!Calls-to-action: Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAMCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC

Jul 6, 2022 • 48min
Transitioning 30+ Years of Military Service into an Elevated Leadership Philosophy with Maj. Gen. Todd McCaffrey
On this week’s episode, BJ interviews Maj. Gen. Todd McCaffrey. While Todd’s expertise is outside of the SEC industry, he dives deep into how his over 30 years of military service guides his leadership philosophy, and how he transitioned into president of McCaffrey Consulting, where he helps clients achieve business objectives supporting U.S. national security.Resources mentioned: Find Todd on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-mccaffrey-mg-us-army-ret/Big Red Barn: https://www.thebigredbarnretreat.org/Calls-to-action: Inspiring People and Places is brought to you by MCFA. Visit our website www.MCFAglobal.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter where we curate some of the top industry articles of the week and give you a dose of inspiration as you head into the weekend! MCFA IS HIRING!! If you or anyone you know are looking to work in the Planning, Project Development, Project Management, or Construction Management field, contact us through our website. Interns to Executives...we need great people to help us innovate and inspire, plan, develop and build our nation's infrastructure. Check out our MUST FILL positions here https://mcfaglobal.com/careers/. We reward the bold and the action oriented so if you don’t see a position but think you are a fit...send us an email! Learn more at www.MCFAGlobal.com Author: BJ Kraemer, MCFAKeywords: MCFA, Architecture, Construction, Engineering, Public Engineers, Military Engineers, United States Military Academy, Veteran Affairs, Development, Veteran, Military, SEC