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Dive into the complete episode list for Construction Brothers. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to Network With Important People | 5 Minute Friday | 27 Dec 2024 | 00:05:58 | |
We’ve learned a lot about this over the past two years of producing this podcast and we wanted to share the biggest tip to help you grow you brand or business. _________ In Other News We have been posting more on YouTube about our field experience with the Trimble X7 scanner. Make sure you go check it out and subscribe to that channel if you want to see some more content like that in the future! - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7OcpEn4q1_4yWXIY9Zuyiw Thanks for joining us this week! Make sure you check out our sponsor Trimble ProjectSight! -https://projectsight.trimble.com/ Please consider subscribing! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL Like us on LinkedIn! Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram! Eddie's LinkedIn Tyler's LinkedIn (Our day job) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Santa's South Pole Project | 25 Dec 2024 | 00:30:23 | |
What if Santa decided to expand his operation? NOTE: If you’re interested in construction in extreme conditions, explore the links at the end of these show notes. 00:40 - Intro We are dressed to the 9s and ready to help the Big Guy. Today we’re discussing what Santa would need to do to build a second headquarters at the South Pole in order to cut down on delivery times. As our template, we’re using the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station as our model. Here are some facts about that structure:
Eddie rails against the millennial elves–their lack of motivation, lack of skills. It’s shameful. This is complicated by the fact that construction workers at the South Pole are able to work outdoors for only 15 minutes at a time due to the extreme cold. We discuss what infrastructure employee-relations efforts would be needed for the elves to work through the 110-day outdoor construction season. 14:20 - Materials and Transportation Again using the Amundsen-Scott Research Center as a guide, we discuss what it would take to ship all of the construction materials needed. 25 million pounds of cargo was hauled to the build site at 26,000 pounds per trip over 12 seasons on an Air Force LC130 plane. 20:52 - Other Facts about Antarctica and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station We review some political facts about Antarctica as well as the research done there. This research includes glaciology, geophysics and seismology, ocean and climate systems, astrophysics, astronomy, and biology. We discuss the complications of hiring people to work in an extreme environment like this. The structure is mounted on 32 vertical columns that are each six feet into the snow and designed to be able to be added to as the snow pack increases. These columns are mounted on a floating footing made of 2x12 members boxed with ¾” plywood. If you’re interested in learning more about real South Pole structures, explore these links:
Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Bluebeam has BIG PLANS for 2025 | 20 Nov 2024 | 00:54:43 | |
Use code BROS at checkout for 20% off a seat of Bluebeam! In this episode, we’re joined by Luke from Bluebeam to explore the cutting-edge advancements revolutionizing the construction industry. From innovative PDF tools to the integration of AI in BIM workflows, we unpack how technology is driving collaboration, efficiency, and creativity in ways we’ve never seen before. 🌟 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
📢 Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Have questions or feedback? Drop us a line at contact@brospodcast.com. | |||
| Time-Saving Bluebeam Tips | 03 Jan 2024 | 01:03:09 | |
Andrew and David brought us gifts! Chocolate and buckets full of Bluebeam tips! 01:00 - Chocolate Letters and Alaskan Trout We start out today with some float-plane talk. Eddie shares about one of his trips to Alaska. Then we fess up to our lack of gift-giving etiquette and Tyler’s inability to wait when it comes to chocolate. Finally, we get into a few distinct buckets of Bluebeam tips. 04:55 - Tips for Take-offs and Estimation David discusses the process of taking a Google Maps screenshot and pasting it into a blank Bluebeam PDF. Once it’s in there, you can calibrate and scale the image for use within your designs. He also talks us through photo- and map-overlay options that resemble augmented reality. Andrew shares about the Dynamic Fill feature, which allows users to do a take-off of an irregular shape. This tool allows you to easily apply custom measurement tools for dimensions including volume, which means that you can tag the area with fill materials, such as gravel in the case of a landscaping application. David mentions the Visual Search feature, which can identify every light fixture, doorknob, or anything else that might otherwise need to be counted manually. This can be applied on multiple files.Andrew describes some Excel-integration features that could save tremendous amounts of time. Tyler and Eddie mention a few ways they’ve used the simpler search and count features. 25:19 - 1+1=10 (Features That Combine To Be More Than the Sum of Their Parts) Although Tyler detests the word “synergy,” he was excited to hear the list of value-added combos such as these:
Andrew and David share a few standalone operations that he’s noticed people really appreciate:
56:25 - Megaphone Message David points out the need for everyone within the construction industry to take the initiative to mentor young people entering the industry. Don’t just watch them from a distance and hope they figure out how things work. Andrew builds on this by suggesting that everyone check in periodically with your peers to make sure they’re doing okay. He closes with a specific call for veterans to encourage young women who are entering the industry. Video and Help Links: Compare with Overlay: -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aX7NVjI81Y -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RESsnjNmOnE Custom Statuses via Scripting: -https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Document/Script/Using-Scripts.htm Cover Page: https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Tools/Attachments/Attachment--MV.htm -Dynamic Tool Set Scaler: https://youtu.be/tM7xksl0Uio?si=ZiOsUMwPTag3r2Ep Auto Page Labels: https://youtu.be/uA_SrgH-afE?si=JCbg7-8iG_2VVHogPinned Files/ Documents via Categories: https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Window/Panels/File-Access/File-Access-Tab-in-Recent-Files-Mode--TV.htmhttps://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Window/Panels/File-Access/File-Access-Tab-in-Recent-Files-Mode--TV.htm Get Line – fix skewed drawings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFP7SdJa8C4 (Old interface but the steps are still the same) Import Markups: https://support.bluebeam.com/online-help/revu21/Content/RevuHelp/Menus/Window/Panels/Markups/Markups-List--MTV.htm Multiply: https://youtu.be/vdmB3J-dGj4?si=cdx3LtRpO6-h_PgP Find David Online: LinkedIN, Bluebeam Find Andrew Online: LinkedIN, Bluebeam Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Choose the Hard RIGHT Over the Easy WRONG | 5 Minute Friday | 29 Dec 2023 | 00:04:15 | |
Today we encourage you to face the tough choices. Every single day, we have numerous opportunities to show integrity or take the easy way out. There are easy ways to back out of commitments. It’s always possible to think about an excuse. When you opt for the excuse, though, you slowly erode your reputation. Trust decays unless you actively maintain it by following through and keeping your word. Take pride in your work. Know why you do what you do. In the long run, you’ll be thankful that you did. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| Santa's South Pole Project | 27 Dec 2023 | 00:30:23 | |
What if Santa decided to expand his operation? NOTE: If you’re interested in construction in extreme conditions, explore the links at the end of these show notes. 00:40 - Intro We are dressed to the 9s and ready to help the Big Guy. Today we’re discussing what Santa would need to do to build a second headquarters at the South Pole in order to cut down on delivery times. As our template, we’re using the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station as our model. Here are some facts about that structure:
Eddie rails against the millennial elves–their lack of motivation, lack of skills. It’s shameful. This is complicated by the fact that construction workers at the South Pole are able to work outdoors for only 15 minutes at a time due to the extreme cold. We discuss what infrastructure employee-relations efforts would be needed for the elves to work through the 110-day outdoor construction season. 14:20 - Materials and Transportation Again using the Amundsen-Scott Research Center as a guide, we discuss what it would take to ship all of the construction materials needed. 25 million pounds of cargo was hauled to the build site at 26,000 pounds per trip over 12 seasons on an Air Force LC130 plane. 20:52 - Other Facts about Antarctica and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station We review some political facts about Antarctica as well as the research done there. This research includes glaciology, geophysics and seismology, ocean and climate systems, astrophysics, astronomy, and biology. We discuss the complications of hiring people to work in an extreme environment like this. The structure is mounted on 32 vertical columns that are each six feet into the snow and designed to be able to be added to as the snow pack increases. These columns are mounted on a floating footing made of 2x12 members boxed with ¾” plywood. If you’re interested in learning more about real South Pole structures, explore these links:
Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| The Christmas Story | 5 Minute Friday | 22 Dec 2023 | 00:02:11 | |
Yes, you’ve probably heard this story before. It’s one that’s worth hearing again. Here’s a link to the text in case you’re interested in following along or reading it again later. Merry Christmas, everyone. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| We've Officially Lost It | 20 Dec 2023 | 00:20:30 | |
Today we discuss seasonal bloating and iconic Christmas trees. 00:00 - Sweater Talk and Movies Tyler’s the bloatiest in the middle. That’s today’s bit of TMI from the CBP. We start out today with a call-back to the episode with Dad. Tyler felt compelled to retroactively vote for Home Alone 2 as one of his favorite Christmas movies. We share a few others too. 04:08 - Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree We wanted to know if there’s anything interesting that we can learn from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree –maybe even something about construction. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition started in 1931 when a few construction workers pooled their money to get a tree in an attempt to raise the spirits of downtown visitors in the midst of the Great Depression. This year’s tree was in a standard old subdivision side yard in New York. 08:50 - The Tree Guy and the Decorations Tyler explains that each year’s tree is chosen and the delivery/installation process is overseen by Erik Pauze, who worked his way up from the position of summer worker at Rockefeller Center to the role of Head Gardener. Once the tree is in place, workers decorate the tree with 50,000 multi-colored LEDs. These are partially powered by solar panels atop Rockefeller Center. At the top is a 9-foot, 900-pound Swarovski star covered in 3 million crystals. 15:50 - What Happens After? For many years, the tree was mulched after the holiday season and the mulch used in New York parks. In recent years, the trees have been milled and dried, with the lumber being donated to Habitat for Humanity. We discuss what this topic has to do with construction, and… Well, to be honest, we’re not sure. But it’s the holidays. We’re trying to do our part in bringing Christmas cheer. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| 3 Uncommon Leadership Lessons | 5 Minute Friday | 15 Dec 2023 | 00:03:37 | |
Today Eddie relays 3 costs of leadership that he learned from Kirby Smart from University of Georgia. 1) You will have to make hard decisions that negatively impact people you care about. 2) You will be disliked despite your best attempts to do the best for the most. 3) You will be misunderstood, and you won’t always have the chance to defend yourself. Eddie’s advice: Write these down as a reminder to yourself. Leadership can be tough. It’s a part of the deal. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| The Infamous "Dad Rant" | 13 Dec 2023 | 00:45:29 | |
This week we continue the conversation we started last week with Dad. 00:00 - Introduction 01:38 - Bogus RFIs Dad continues his thoughts from last week regarding industry inefficiencies and complications. He explains how many people use the RFI as a delay tactic. He’s seen this on the receiving side as a project manager, but he’s also seen members of his own team do it from the sending side. Eddie talks about how he’s seen people creating an unnecessarily adversarial relationship for their own advantage. We discuss how this is present in at least some pockets of every sector of the industry. We discuss the role of owners in establishing the company culture in these regards. Dad recalls some technology complications when working with Tekla required several extra steps. 09:15 - Product Problems Eddie discusses the economies and efficiencies of steel production and design. Then he shifts to an exploration of the complexities of seeking subcontractors that can produce exactly what you, as a designer or fabricator, need from them. Dad sees it somewhat differently. He sees the problems as arising primarily from lack of specialty knowledge on the part of the designers. When the subs push back, the GCs don’t know enough about the sub’s industry to know that some of that pushback is nonsense. He says no part of this industry is rocket science, and that anyone who is willing to invest the research time can become knowledgeable about their related specialties. Eddie chimes in with some recollections of market shifts and subcontractor complications at various points in the growth of the industry. 18:32 - The Sheet Metal Mattered… Dad shares about a project in Tampa where the quality and production method of the sheet metal complicated a project. Eddie discusses how some effectively handled BIM work couldn’t smoothly lead to a satisfactory final product without lots and lots of extra communication with the subs. Dad talks about Tekla added a new kind of fastener as a result of one ABSI project. We explore the reality that boldness is required to stretch the capabilities of software, production, and application. 23:13 - BIM’s Nothing More Than a Tool… Dad talks about how BIM is one of many industry tools that is only really useful if it’s in the hands of an expert. We get into the importance of knowing the industry nuances of a particular region–the little construction dialects and ecosystem issues. Eddie asks Dad to advise up-and-comers general contractors and project managers who want to break out of the fray. He starts with a review of the ways that business comes to different positions at different times. Then he tries to get us to gripe about RTU frames and the disproportionate complications those create. Dad finally gets around to his advice: Learn how to build. Then pay attention to what the subs are telling you but don’t believe everything they say. Eddie translates, clarifying that subs don’t necessarily know more than you do. He compares it to the classic ham-butt problem. 34:51 - Software Evangelism We discuss the claims of supposed savings that subs say they could have provided. Are they just blowing hot air? Often that’s the case. Dad claims some credit for the growth of Tekla. We reminisce about software evangelism experiences. Eddie recalls a presentation to a skeptical group that became deeply invested as soon as they saw a 3D image. Then we veer into our contempt for lying and the bridge-burning that result from it. Tyler shares a story about RTU solution shared with him and about how he learned that the most powerful question in construction: “Why?” Significant inefficiencies can often be avoided by asking that question kindly and selectively. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Dealing With the Unexpected | 5 Minute Friday | 08 Dec 2023 | 00:06:44 | |
Tyler’s lit up--not angry, just literally lit up. Check out the Youtube version if you’re interested in seeing an illuminated version of Tyler. (We’ll understand if you’re okay sticking with the audio.) Tyler shares today about coping when things don’t go as planned. His suggestions? Nod. Accept it. Adjust. Focus on a solution. Eddie contributes some thoughts about how personality styles fit into these situations. He also reminds us that the way you handle the unexpected will have a significant effect on the way people see you. Yes, it’s important to be sure that you don’t let people take advantage of your roll-with-the-punches disposition. That being said, people will be much more likely to seek opportunities to work with you show yourself to be flexible. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| I'm with My Dad, and I'm Podcasting... But Dad Won't Watch Elf! | 06 Dec 2023 | 00:37:36 | |
01:23 - Introduction We start out today with a short round-table chat about Mom dressing Tyler. And cussing. And Gallagher. 03:20 - Movies We list some of our favorite movies–Christmas ones and Schwarzenegger ones. Dad thinks most Hallmark movies should just move on down the road. But then he goes on to talk about the one he watched with Mom. We learn that Pierce Brosnan has lost all of Dad’s respect. When it comes to Christmas movies, Eddie shares that Christmas Vacation is one of his favorites. Dad hasn’t seen it. He is a fan of Scrooged, though–especially Bobcat. Tyler shares a vote for Daddy’s Home. Dad shares that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with Elf. 10:50 - ABSI and Trauma Tyler executes one of the oddest segues we’ve seen, but that does get us around to a conversation we wanted to have the last time Dad joined us. Dad was working on a project in Florida. Dad’s team won the bid, but he believes they got it because the owners knew they could push his team around. Then came the RFIs. Then came the atrium–with fiber optic stars. Dad played multiple roles on this project, and he saw his schedule slipping and slipping because of work not done in the design stage. Long story short, he decided it was time to move on from that company and start ABSI. 25:50 - Birth of BIM and our first exposure to Tekla Eddie shares about the first times he was exposed to these new terms and software packages. Dad reminisces about the earliest computerized drawings he did. 30:47 - Lessons Learned Eddie airs some grievances about where the industry is compared to where it should be. It’s the whole Jetsons flying-car thing. We speculate about why we haven’t come further. Dad talks about critical paths and faxes and crickets chirping as he sought to drum up business. Eddie thinks it’s largely obstinance and risk-aversion. The rest of this conversation will be in next week’s episode. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Don't Be a Whiner | 5 Minute Friday | 01 Dec 2023 | 00:04:10 | |
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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! | |||
| Being More Purposeful | 5 Minute Friday | 15 Nov 2024 | 00:05:21 | |
Eddie gives us a challenge for the coming week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Kubota at 50 and Digging It (feat. Bill Holton) | 29 Nov 2023 | 00:33:00 | |
00:46 - Introduction Tyler shares a bit about Bill Holton and then starts us off with a few complaints about shipping shortfalls. 04:29 - Kubota History Bill 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 KPathers Tyler 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 Message Bill says he’d like to encourage the construction industry to be realistic and thoughtful about the transition to electric-powered equipment. Find Bill 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Hire Thankful People | 5 Minute Friday | 26 Nov 2023 | 00:05:06 | |
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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! | |||
| The 2x4 of the Future (feat. John Fay) | 22 Nov 2023 | 00:39:36 | |
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 Cube Recent refinements of production efficiencies has enabled Låda Cube to explore the benefits of standardization. This standardization yields multiple benefits:
10:15 - Timelapse Video John explains that specialized cassettes can serve customized features:
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 Pace We 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 Breakdowns Tyler 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 Message The 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 Cube Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Bottom-Up Solutions | 5 Minute Friday | 17 Nov 2023 | 00:06:59 | |
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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! | |||
| Caffeinated Concrete and Concrete that Outlasted an Empire | 15 Nov 2023 | 00:31:52 | |
00:49 - Small Talk We’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 Concrete We 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 Concrete We 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 - Lessons From 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Unreasonable People | 5 Minute Friday | 10 Nov 2023 | 00:05:36 | |
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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! | |||
| Making a Wall-Building Robot... How Hard Can It be? (feat. Brent Wadas) | 08 Nov 2023 | 01:01:52 | |
00:56 - Introduction Brent 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 Overview Brent 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 Assembly Eddie 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 Recruiting Brent 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 Automating Tyler 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 Legacy We 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 Message Brent 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Strategic Thinking for the Future | 5 Minute Friday | 03 Nov 2023 | 00:04:28 | |
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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! | |||
| Save Hours in Bluebeam This Week | 01 Nov 2023 | 00:47:29 | |
Here are a few links related to today’s episode:
Today 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 Bluebeam Patrick 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.
11:30 - Custom Tools Patrick 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 - Dashboards Patrick 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 - Studio Patrick 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-c Eddie 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 Reports Patrick 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 Pages Patrick 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 Groups Steve talks through the benefits of participating in one of various user groups that can help you increase your proficiency. 45:14 - Megaphone Message Steve and Patrick share their excitement about the amazing things happening in the construction industry. Check out https://www.brospodcast.com/partnersthe partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Big Problems (Small Solutions) | 5 Minute Friday | 27 Oct 2023 | 00:04:23 | |
We all spend a good deal of time discussing how to improve the construction industry. Large problems don’t start out large. They’re usually a result of a long series of small problems. How do you reverse a large problem made of small problems? Yup, you seek a series of small solutions. Instead of getting discouraged, let’s start digging.An army of normal people can present a solution that is better than one high-level influencer. Take a look at what’s in front of you today. See what you can do to improve the part of the world that is right there within your reach. Together, we can solve the big problems, one small solution at a time. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: https://www.brospodcast.com/BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| A Steel Fabricator Speaks (feat. Sam Perossa) | 13 Nov 2024 | 00:46:42 | |
This week, a steel fabricator speaks! Sam Perossa is the Vice President of Ogeechee Steel and has been in the steel industry for over twenty years. We believe that he has the ability to educate us on how to operate better in our respective fields. If you're a General Contractor, Architect, Engineer, or even another Steel Fabricator you'll find this conversation extremely helpful. We aim to create a feedback loop through episodes like this so everyone can benefit and get better! Questions include - - What is the number one RFI you chase? - What would you tell a structural engineer if you could give advice? Related Links Sam Perossa LinkedInOgeechee SteelPreeminence: What It Means and How to Sustain It by Glen JacksonConstruction Dive - Cellphones are Evil Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating or review and follow us on our social accounts! SUBSCRIBE! Like us on LinkedIn! Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram!Eddie's LinkedIn Tyler's LinkedIn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Defensive and Timid: Construction's Culture Problem (ft. Fouad Khalil) | 25 Oct 2023 | 00:55:33 | |
Fouad Khalil is back! About three years ago, Fouad founded Modly, a modular construction consultancy that provides the building and real estate sector with market research, feasibility analysis and advisory services. Today he’s here to share some leadership insights. We jump right into the conversation today with some talk about liability. Tyler asks Fouad to repeat what he had explained in an earlier conversation.Fouad says that your insurance carrier will tell you… -Don’t say, “It will be done this way.” -Don’t get on the job site and direct other teams’ workers on how to do their job. When you do these things, you’re taking on liability. Eddie points out that general contractors get trained to shed liability. This leads to gray areas within the hand-off territory where information degradation occurs. Tyler mentions that some schools are unable to implement shop programs because of insurance costs. 5:03 - Sweden and Building Robust Teams Fouad shares about his experience working on a project in Sweden. He recounts a conversation about potential leaks on structural wood components on the building. The answer about potential leaks was, “We’ll work on the solution together.” Fouad shares about the critical path and lead times. He talks about schedule compression and how every single step in the process can become critical. A shortage of screws can result in a whole project coming to a standstill. He mentions the insights he gained from the book Managing the Unexpected. This book focuses on high-reliability organizations like air-traffic control, NASA, etc. In manufacturing, you can burn through your cash in no time. Efficiency is everything. Fouad wanted to apply this knowledge in his clients’ projects. Fouad talks about the need for humility and honesty in regard to the planning fallacy. We underestimate. 20:36 - Key Lessons from the book We asked Fouad here today to discuss some of the lessons he learned from a book he mentioned to us recently. The book is Managing the Unexpected by Karl E. Weick and Kathleen M. Sutcliffe. Here are the five traits that the authors saw in high-reliability organizations:
Eddie discusses the confusion he felt when his college coach told him to work at 90%. His point was to be deliberate and have a reserve. Maintain a buffer. Fouad explains that these principles apply to managing crews of any size. If you don’t manage thoughtfully in these respects, your best people are going to burn out. He gives examples about how to institute quiet times throughout the day when there will be no meetings. Eddie talks about creative use of red Solo cups in the office. 33:20 - Debriefing to Avoid Repetition of the Same FailuresTyler asks Fouad to explain how effective review of failures can ensure improved performance going forward. He talks about the importance of categorizing and analyzing the failures. He refers to various historical failures that were addressed thoughtfully. Eddie connects this to recognition of safety failures even if those don't lead to serious injuries. We also discuss how the principle plays out in relationships with contractors who try to downplay mess-ups. 43:04 - Recognizing the Experts Fouad talks about the distribution of responsibility in specific situations to the people most capable of making the best decision. It’s not about staying loyal to a flow chart. If the lower-ranking person is in a better position to make the judgment, let them make the judgment. Then hand that authority back to the conventionally in-charge figure once the situation has been addressed. It’s about dynamic teams. One more time, here’s the book Fouad brought to our attention today: Managing the Unexpected. Find Fouad Online: 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| The Ozzie Effect | 5 Minute Friday | 20 Oct 2023 | 00:04:07 | |
Finally! Tyler is finally getting on board with the baseball analogies. (Well… This one is borrowed from his pastor, but it’s a start.) You might know that the Atlanta Braves are having a pretty impressive season. Tyler points out that statisticians have done the math: When Ozzie Albies is on the field, Ronald Acuña plays 30% better than when Ozzie is not on the field. It’s not because of anything technical. It appears to be just the presence of a friend on the field. We’ve all worked on teams where there’s that one person who energizes us–that one person whose charisma or sense of humor lifts our spirits or causes us to produce better work. That’s the Ozzie Effect. Are you an Ozzie for your team? Does your presence on the job site or in the office result in everyone else upping their game just a bit? That can make a huge difference in your team’s overall effectiveness. Here’s an article that expands upon the Ozzie effect. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| Mulberry Harbor | 18 Oct 2023 | 00:39:48 | |
00:00 - Introduction Tyler is excited about his visit to a Glossier shop. While his wife was exploring ways to look even prettier, Tyler’s makeup-free mug was recognized by another patient husband. He didn’t ask for an autograph, but it’s a start. 6:44 - Mulberry Harbor Eddie leads us into today’s topic: the two large harbors that were constructed in preparations for the D-Day Invasion of Normandy in 1944. We won’t go deep into the historical details of the D-Day, but the invasion of Normandy that started on June 6 of that year would involve approximately 858,000 troops and 150,000 vehicles. The British and American military officials knew that tides would create challenges for putting all of those people and equipment on shore, so they designed and constructed two large harbors to assist in the process. (Here is a ship-shipping ship like the one that Tyler referenced.) 14:33 - The Breakwaters Eddie describes a couple of the elements used as breakwaters. One class of these was called the Phoenix caissons, which were essentially concrete ships that contained compartments that could be filled with air to float or water to sink and sit on the ocean floor. Additional breakwater efforts came through a plan code named “corn cobs,” and it consisted of several “gooseberries,” obsolete military ships that were sunk at a depth where the superstructure would remain above water. These ships actually had crews that provided support to the smaller boats that were using the harbor. 20:25 - The Piers and the Timeline We move on to discuss the modular piers constructed of what were called “whales and beetles.” Actual construction of the harbor (from the various components built in Britain) began on D-day, June 6. From there, Eddie outlines this timeline:
We discuss how the Mulberry Harbor project relates to construction principles:
Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| 5 Tips for Young Detailers | 5 Minute Friday | 13 Oct 2023 | 00:08:23 | |
Today Eddie doles out some wisdom for beginners. 1) Don’t turn off the study habits that helped you in school (if you had such habits). Get to know the software, the terminology, and anything else that is a part of your job. 2) Don’t succumb to a whiner culture. Just learn. Just grow. (Tyler fesses up to having violated this tip.) 3) Stay humble, and learn from your checker. They’re not trying to insult you (at least we hope they’re not). 4) Shoot for excellence. Don’t aim for “good enough.” 5) Put in the time. In a world where everyone says that you shouldn’t work too much, invest in some extra time in your early years. Paddle harder than the people with more experience. You can ease up a bit sometime down the road. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| DPR (feat. Chris Bell & Will Sheane) | 11 Oct 2023 | 01:04:32 | |
00:00 - Introduction Today we welcome two members of the team at DPR Construction. We dive in today with some multi-generational hard hat chat. If you’re interested, check out the helmet conversation we mention with Dr. Bottlang. 7:25 - 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. 14:14 - Catching Their Attention Tyler 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. 21:55 - The Big Picture We 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. 24:55 - Mentorships and Open Arms Chris 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. 34:20 - 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. 40:34 - Advice about Apprenticeships Tyler 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. 01:01:35 - Megaphone Message We 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 LinkedIn Find Will 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Bluebeam Tool Chest Tips & Tricks | 5 Minute Friday | 06 Oct 2023 | 00:07:11 | |
We use Bluebeam all day every day at ABSI. Today, We talk about some of our favorite features. Favorite #1 - Tool Chest: On the left side of your screen, you look at the tool chest. Click on that icon and open it up. Inside, you’ll find tool sets. Favorite #2 - My Tools: If there’s a command you use frequently, you can put that command in my tools. It will be assigned a number and become readily available. Favorite #3 - Custom-built tool set: You can compile your own collection of tools that you use frequently. These custom sets can then be exported as a .btx file that you can share with other members of your team. We’re all about sharing tools, so if you’re interested in having our collection of favorite Blubeam tools, email us at contact@brospodcast.com. Did we go too fast for you? Well here’s the Bluebeam webinar that Eddie mentioned. For a free trial of Bluebeam, check out this link. Check out all of the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| Building the Crystal Palace in 152 Days | 04 Oct 2023 | 00:41:11 | |
00:00 - Introduction That’s a frickin’ cookie. We could do an entire episode on the beautiful construction of the cookie we’re eating. Shoutout to The Cookie Company in Milledgeville, Georgia. (Also, sorry, Mom, for talking with our mouths full). 4:00 - The Crystal Palace - Background We review the steps that lead to the construction of the Crystal Palace. In 1840, a guy named Henry Cole suggested that England should host a huge event to encourage industrial innovation. He was able to get Prince Albert on board and then Queen Victoria, who put together a council to plan the event. For some reason, they set a target date that would give them less than a year and a half to design and build the structure that would host the event. After issuing a call for designs, the council decided that not a single one of the 245 submissions was acceptable. 8:42 - Joseph Paxton Out of nowhere comes the respected architect Joseph Paxton. Wait, did we say architect? Nope. He was a respected gardener. He had designed a massive greenhouse that had caught the queen’s attention. Paxton was clearly a man of varied interests. (If you’re interested in checking Eddie’s banana claims, you’re welcome to explore this site.) Here are the specs of the building that Paxton designed: 1851 feet long (apparently in celebration of the year) by 120 wide and 34 high -App. 1 million square feet of glass -3300 Columns -2224 Main Beams -20+ miles of wooden gutters -3800 tons of cast iron (poured into a mold) -700 tons of wrought iron (worked into shape with tools) -Cost: 80,000 pounds - Fully funded by public donations (including a few substantial gifts from the royal family) -27’ tall crystal fountain (the first glass fountain of any substantial size) By the time Paxton’s design was approved, he had 9 months to complete the construction. He completed it in 5 months. 14:26 - Materials, Technologies, and a Move The Crystal Palace included elements that were at the cutting edge for their time. One of those was glass in large panes. Check out this video to see what was involved in producing these. A specially designed wheeled cart enabled workers to install 18,000 panes of glass every week. After the exposition, the building is taken down piece by piece and rebuilt in Sydenham but with a significantly modified design. (See photos of the reconstruction.) 19:42 - Reflections and Takeaways We spend some time talking about things we might be able to learn from the Crystal Palace project. Here are a few of our thoughts: -This project was designed and managed by a person with little or no construction training. Construction experience is important, but people skills are just as important. Common sense goes a long way. -Tactful self-promotion–salesmanship–is also important. -The public rallies behind big projects. The Crystal Palace was funded by donations from the public. -It’s important to innovate with materials. -Coming to the table with fresh eyes can lead to innovation. -Focus, sheer determination, and solid deadlines can really motivate. -The constraints we put on ourselves might sometimes be the greatest constraints we face. -Innovation breeds innovation. Explore a few photos of the Crystal Palace: -Architectuul.com -Variety of Pinterest collections (the Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition) -Photos of the reconstruction Lee Evey Episodes: At a couple points in this episode, Tyler refers to two Construction Brothers episodes featuring Lee Evey, who was the program manager for the 1997 renovation of the Pentagon in Washington, DC. You can hear those episodes here: episode 91, episode 92. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Do the Next Mile | 5 Minute Friday | 29 Sep 2023 | 00:06:05 | |
Tyler’s been doing some training lately. Eddie has been both working out and listening to ultra-runner Nick Bare’s podcast. Nick talks about running a 230-mile ultra-marathon. Tyler and Eddie are not doing that. During COVID, Eddie was set to run a marathon that ended up being canceled. The Campbell family stepped up and set up a one-man race. When he hit 16 miles, he hit a wall. He was determined not to quit in front of his kids, so he focused on just finishing the next mile. Then the next mile. Then the next mile. We all hit those walls. Sometimes you simply can’t take the long view. You just need to focus on the very next step. Slowly you’ll gather momentum. Eventually you’ll realize that you’re just three miles out. Then two. Then one. Then you’re done. Just do the next mile. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| An Owner Speaks (ft. Nick Berndt) | 27 Sep 2023 | 01:05:56 | |
You listen to us, and we listen to you. Today we welcome a guest who engaged honestly and thoughtfully with one of our LinkedIn posts. 00:00 - Introduction A while back, when Eddie posted on LinkedIn to say that he wanted designers to have more money and more time in order to produce a better product, Nick stepped up to say that he didn’t think that was always the answer. Nick said that collaboration is also key. Nick is an owner’s rep for an automotive group, and every day he observes the complex dynamics of the construction process. 3:20 - When You’ve Tried… Nick shares about times when he’s paid more for the “correct” design professionals. Sometimes it has panned out, and sometimes it hasn’t. We discuss some of the design and structural characteristics that are unique to the construction of automotive dealerships. Eddie asks Nick to describe the schematics that he hands to his architects. The plans are pretty detailed because space-planning and other elements are crucial to functionality of the space. Nick talks through the accumulating delays that occur in the design stage. He explains how essential it is that designers who are given more time produce designs that are really, truly ready to go. 12:10 - Repeat Projects with Small Adjustments Eddie talks about the unique challenges and advantages of working on projects that are essentially repeats of previous projects. Sometimes small differences in these repeat projects open the doors to slight cost savings–maybe using a 6” stud instead of an 8” one. When that happens, it can take an unreasonably long amount of time to get the designers to make that change. Nick explores the reasons that architects or engineers might not be able to jump on that change as quickly as one would like. Those people are usually working on multiple projects. He talks about how the navigation of this process changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He goes on to share about a massive beam that unexpectedly appeared on the worksite of a repeat project. He and the other parties were able to find a more affordable substitution because he was willing to ask everyone involved and push for a creative solution. 22:00 - Lessons Learned, Solutions Found Eddie asks Nick to share about some of the things he’s learned from years of encountering these kinds of challenges. Here are a couple things he mentions: -Get together with equipment vendors. Discuss how to replicate parts of the project even when there are minor variations in projects. -Take a close look at the process, including your role. See how you can tweak that process to minimize changes and increase the efficiency of addressing changes that do arise. -Make sure you’re working with designers who actually know how to build buildings–people who actually know about the physical construction process. -Make sure everyone is starting with the same vocabulary and reference points so that the content within designs can be easily understood by the workers on the jobsite. We go on to discuss the timing of change orders and the complications that arise when they’re not timed thoughtfully. Tyler asks Nick how he weighs the various variables in order to make decisions regarding change orders. Nick shares and Eddie contributes some thoughts from his experience. 48:40 - Is There Such a Thing as…? Eddie asks if there is such a thing as a firm that can do top-grade work efficiently for a reasonable price? Nick says that the answer is yes but that it’s complicated. Since teams and partnerships are always changing, you might find your rhythm with one person or firm but then find that the chemistry with the entire team is not the same. Nick mentions that he has upward of 40 projects at a time that are at one stage or in the design or construction process. He talks through the communication principles that make it possible to manage that many projects at one time. Nick’s Megaphone Message: Communicate. We’re all trying to do the job. We’re all trying to do more with less resources every day. The more we can be concise and to communicate clearly, the more we’ll make everyone’s job easier. Find Nick Online: 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| One Trait That Every Elite Leader Has | 5 Minute Friday | 22 Sep 2023 | 00:04:54 | |
We promise no original thoughts today. We do, however, hope you’ll find our borrowed insights to be useful. Eddie shares today about something he read about traits common to students in Ivy League colleges. It’s one that we’ve probably all seen in elite performers in other arenas as well. Don’t mistake it for apathy. It’s not a “Whatever” attitude. It’s just about unflappability. It’s just about not getting caught up in the stress in a way that you can’t make good decisions when the pressure is on. When you demonstrate this kind of ease, you’re setting the example for every one of your workers. You’re showing them how we handle things on this team. Here's a link to the podcast from which Eddie got the idea for today's episode. The relevant section starts around 6:30 Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| Doing The Right Thing | 5 Minute Friday | 08 Nov 2024 | 00:06:44 | |
In this week's five minute Friday, Tyler and Eddie discuss the outcome of taking the time to fulfill a project until you are 100% satisfied. We also hit a few topics such as not settling for the minimum, but going above and beyond. Please consider subscribing! SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL Like us on LinkedIn! Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram! Eddie's LinkedIn Tyler's LinkedInSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| Dad | 20 Sep 2023 | 01:03:23 | |
We thought about calling this first episode in our redesigned studio “Between Two Fools,” because that’s where Dad is sitting today. 00:00 - Introduction Dad’s been in construction so long that he worked on moats. Well, okay, it was a moat in a zoo, but still… Today we ask dad to impart the wisdom and experience he’s gained over the last several decades in construction. We’ve had Dad on the podcast before, but we explore some new areas today. The day after the last baseball game during the summer after his senior year, Grandpa woke Dad up and said, “Get up. You’re going to work.” Grandpa took him to the union hall for a card. Then he took him up to a worksite at Miami University of Ohio, and the rest was history. One of his gigs under that first superintendent involved backfilling around an oil tank at a zoo, where he accidentally buried Mom’s class ring. Then he had an interesting run-in with a camel. 02:20 The College Years Dad shares about the awkward challenges of those early years–learning hand signals for front-end loaders, etc. He explains how the Messer co-op program that gave him a substantial head start in the construction world. Dad’s dad had been through the same program. Flipper, a frozen Ohio River, and a general distaste for gloomy Midwest winters then sent Dad south. They loaded up all their possessions and baby Eddie and headed to Sarasota. 12:55 - Heading South The community there was not particularly young-kid friendly, so they moved on to St. Petersburg. Dad shares a story about palmetto bugs leading to another move. Mom was having none of that. 21:10 - Roy and the Arrival of Computers In St. Pete, Dad worked in a satellite office of a top-300 company headquartered in Clearwater. There, he worked under the oversight of a supervisor, Roy, who came to be a significant mentor for him. As the “kid” in the office in the early 80s, Dad fell into the role of computer expert. As we discuss the perceptions of technology in those days, Tyler mentions that user interface is really all that has changed and the the basic process is still the same. 32:00 - Hatred of Computers Dad shares about the trials of early computer technology, including large stacks of greenbar paper and the tensions between data vs instinct. We review the various waves of computer technology that have come and gone since Dad stepped into the industry and discuss the glitches that have persisted through all of those changes. This conversation involves dual-floppy computers, monochrome monitors, Lotus 1-2-3, and printers that needed to be enclosed in boxes because of the noise they made. Dad discusses the F9 key that would trigger a manual recalculation in order to preserve processing power with large spreadsheets. 38:11 - Interior Finishes and Long-term Relationships Eddie shifts us forward to the period where Dad started working on interior finishes, when he was able to become more of a difference-maker. The pace picked up at this point, and relationships grew increasingly important. Dad tells about a large job for a company with a team of aggressive MBA grads who had high expectations for quick estimate turnarounds. Dad recounts some specific jobs, recalling the project parameters and completion times. He also talks about some of the colorful characters he encountered along the way. He discusses the efficiencies that came with long-term subcontractor relationships–including “trust that transcends generations.” Helpful Links: Eddie makes a reference to this episode with Chuck Colwill. Find Dad online: LinkedIn - ABSI Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| How to Deal with Conflict | 5 Minute Friday | 15 Sep 2023 | 00:08:42 | |
FMF: 4 Tips for Project Managers(While we remodel our recording studio for some exciting changes, we’re sharing this Five-Minute Friday episode that was originally aired in September of 2021.)You may or may not know that Eddie is not only a master of steel detailing. He’s also a seminary dropout (as Tyler is quick to remind him… frequently.) Today Eddie’s sharing some scriptural insights that could be useful for anyone, regardless of their theological perspective. We have conflict daily on job sites, but what is the best way to get a resolution? As usual, simple, lean solutions are better than complicated ones. Depending on the scale of the conflict in a construction context, litigation is a possibility. If you’re interested in avoiding legal action and would prefer to simply maintain smooth working relationships with your colleagues, here are some steps to consider: 1) Go to the person one-on-one with a humble posture. Be prepared to receive a verbal punch or two, but keep your eyes on the goal of reconciling. 2) If that doesn’t work, take one or two people along with you–preferably an unbiased party. Present your concern. Lay out your appeal. 3) This step is a bit more challenging to translate into the non-church context, but try to find someone who can serve as an “elder” figure–someone who is respected by both you and the other party. Eddie shares about a situation outside of the construction context where he experienced this process. It wasn’t comfortable, but the outcome left both parties feeling respected. In case you’re interested, here’s the Bible passage Eddie is drawing from for these insights. Matthew 18:15-20 - If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| A Superintendent Speaks (feat. Matt Haskins) | 13 Sep 2023 | 00:54:31 | |
(While we remodel our studio in preparation for some exciting changes, we’re sharing this conversation with Matt Haskins that aired in July of 2022.) Matt Haskins has been in construction for a very long time. When we talked to him, he was working in northern Minnesota on a small, 100-year-old apartment building. Lead pipes. Ugh. We start out with a discussion about early mornings. He completes yesterday’s daily reports during the hour or so before everyone else arrives. Once the rest of the team arrives, he likes to take 15 minutes or so bringing everyone up to speed on what’s happening on all parts of the site that day–just so everyone has the big picture and is aware of any heavy equipment that might be active in their area. Once everyone is active, he likes to be an active presence throughout the site. He likes to cut up with the various crews in a way that builds morale. Matt makes a point of not checking email on his phone. He’ll keep an eye on the notifications, but he doesn’t want to be distracted by electronic correspondence while he’s out and about onsite. We hear a bit about the frequency of his contact with his project manager. Unlike some superintendents, Matt likes to have a few conversations with his PM throughout the day. Matt explains that he’s easily bored. For that reason, he likes complicated projects that keep his brain busy. He shares a bit about the differences between “normal” projects like wind farms. Tyler asks Matt to share about the things that cause him frustration. His answer: communication. That is what makes it all work. Eddie asks Matt which previous project was the hardest that he’s ever done. Matt said that it would be his part of a $130-million renovation of high-voltage power stations in Bismarck, ND, that are the source of power for Minneapolis/St. Paul. Matt talks us through some of the seriously challenging aspects of this power-station project that involved extra-large components, unusually configured spaces, and carry-deck cranes doing work that should probably have been done by gantry cranes. We ask Matt to share a bit about different types of project managers, and he shares some that he’s seen, including those that come straight out of college with no actual construction experience but plenty of arrogance. Matt’s Megaphone Message: Try to work as a team. You’ve got to all work together. Find Matt online: 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| 4 Tips for Project Managers | 5 Minute Friday | 08 Sep 2023 | 00:07:58 | |
Today we share some multi-generational wisdom. These are useful tips and principles passed down to us from our dad and grandfather.
Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| One Source of MASSIVE Inefficiency: Parkinson's Law | 06 Sep 2023 | 00:29:35 | |
We start out with a brief discussion about the mystery of lost files (due to some tech challenges we encountered today).Today we’re discussing inefficiency–specifically as it relates to the amount of time allocated to a task. We discuss the art (or the science?) of scheduling in a way that provides just the right amount of time–not too little, not too much. OVERVIEW OF PARKINSON’S LAW: Tyler shares about the book in which he discovered a name for one particular source of inefficiency. It’s called Parkinson’s Law, and it can be seen all over the place. We discuss how this law applies in the world of construction. We discuss the relationship between deadlines and hustle. And then, of course, there’s “fake hustle.” BACKGROUND OF PARKINSON’S LAW: We discuss the history behind the term “Parkinson’s Law.” The term was coined by British naval historian and author Cyril Northcote Parkinson. He discusses bureaucratic bloat in the British military and proceeds to name the pattern after himself. FRED AND THE BUREAUCRACY: Eddie talks us through a hypothetical scenario of someone creating bureaucratic bloat in order to compensate for either decreased ability or increased laziness. We compare this hypothetical business scenario with the military analysis in Parkinson’s paper. We acknowledge that a deadline you determined is a deadline you own to a much greater degree. The more you feel like a stakeholder in a deadline, the more motivated you’ll be to establish momentum toward that deadline. Tyler and Eddie both share about specific instances from our own professional lives where we saw Parkinson’s Law at work. We discuss the causes and the consequences. THE IMPORTANCE OF DEADLINES: We challenge listeners to contribute some thoughts about setting deadlines effectively. We discuss the massive inefficiencies that can result if deadlines are abandoned and the bloat of Parkinson’s Law begins to affect your project. So here’s our megaphone question for you: How, as a person–as a leader, are you helping the industry get better in this regard? How do you properly motivate a group of people to get done the amount of work that’s reasonable for them to get done? In case you’re interested in more details about Parkinson’s Law: -BBC article -Parkinson’s actual paper Programming Note: We’ll be highlighting some especially interesting past episodes over the next couple weeks as we gear up for some big changes in the podcast. We’re excited! Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| The Ultimate ChatGPT Prompt | 5 Minute Friday | 01 Sep 2023 | 00:05:32 | |
Stunned. Tyler is stunned that he is praising Bing. While scrolling through LinkedIn, Tyler encountered a mention of punching shear. His understanding of that phrase was reasonably solid, but he thought it might be interesting to see if AI could help him understand it just a bit better. Then he challenged Bing to explain it to him in an even simpler manner–at the level that a child could understand. Moments later, Tyler had been educated on multiple levels about this engineering concept. So, the ultimate prompt we’re recommending is “Explain … to me.” See if there are some gaps in your knowledge. Now go poke your finger through a cookie. That’s punching shear (according to AI-powered Bing). Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| A Day in the Life of an Owner (ft. Nate Patrick) | 30 Aug 2023 | 00:53:40 | |
Today we’re flashing back to an episode from May of 2022. We start out with some banter about Eddie’s kids giving Tyler a hard time. Then Tyler signs up for a marathon… Oh, wait, no he doesn’t. What a slacker. Nate Patrick is facilities project manager for the Pennsylvania State University Office of Physical Plant. Before taking that position, he worked several years as a mechanical design engineer. Nate joins us today in the studio to share some practical tips for contractors, designers, project managers and others who need to coordinate with owners to handle the construction process more effectively. Nate manages between 15 and 20 projects at a time, ranging from $250,000 to $50 million. At the moment, he’s handing almost twice that load. He says that no two days are the same in his work. As you can imagine, it feels like juggling. We ask Nate to paint us a picture of what an owner’s life looks like. Here are a few of the insights he shares: -It’s about continuous reprioritizing. -There’s lots and lots of data. -It’s nonstop communication. -It requires a great deal of coordinating between numerous parties. -The calendar gets complicated because so many parties are involved–each of which might need you to communicate in a different way. -It involves a bunch of meetings. Tyler asks how project managers can be more proactive in communicating with owners. He says that it’s important to have a proposed solution before you share your problem. Thoughtful handling of RFIs is crucial. He also says that action/deadline dates, schedule impacts, and financial impacts should be communicated with each RFI so the owner can prudently prioritize. We discuss the risk of crying wolf when it comes to prioritizing requests. It’s easy to get too aggressive and trigger vindictiveness in the other party. Nate says that building trust takes time. It’s something we all have to work on. Here’s his recipe for building trust (which he credits to a source that he has since forgotten): -Tell someone what you’re going to do. -Do what you told them you were going to do. -Tell them that you did what you said you’d do. Tyler compares this to being a good assistant. Have the tool that the person needs when you know they’re going to need it. We wrap up with a discussion about the importance of clarifying expectations with all parties at the very beginning of a project. Nate’s Megaphone Message: Care for people. We’re all people. One of us is not more important than another. We all are a part of this. These projects will not be successful without all of us working together as a team. Respect other people for who they are–for what they bring to the table. They’re not resources; they’re people. Treat them that way. There might be things outside of work that affect the way that people react in a work situation. Show gratitude and respect. Find Nate Online: Penn State University Website Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| 6 ChatGPT Prompts for Project Managers | 5 Minute Friday | 25 Aug 2023 | 00:09:10 | |
Have you experimented with it yet? Well, we’re ready to nudge you into the future. Tyler shares some insights that he thinks will increase your efficiency. Here they are:
Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| An Architect Speaks (feat. Dan Stine) | 23 Aug 2023 | 00:48:14 | |
Dan Stine is Director of Design Technology at Lake|Flato Architects. You could also say he wrote the book on architecture–or at least the top-selling textbook on Revit. As if that weren’t enough, he teaches graduate architecture classes and is active with Committee on the Environment (COTE). We start out with a brief overview of Dan’s work with COTE. Then we ask Dan to share about some of the technology he has had the opportunity to explore in his various roles. Dan discusses Tonic DM, a tool for email management and file-sharing management. Dan explains that he has found the cloud-based service to be stable and reliable. It also assists with the handling of project-management information. Tyler asks about Revit plugins and other time-savers. Dan says that Enscape has become widely used within his firm. He also discusses Forma (formerly called Spacemaker), which is especially helpful with wind and solar installations. We explore generative AI software, and Dan mentions that Enscape integrates some AI. He geeks out on some processing core technologies. Dan shares about UpCodes, a searchable platform for building codes that dramatically expedites code research. UpCodes saves time by integrating amendments based on local jurisdictions. As we discuss AI, Tyler shares his exploration of Adobe Photoshop’s AI integration, adding lamps and furniture. He was impressed. Tyler asks Dan to discuss the challenges of integrating new technologies. Dan says that the most important thing is evaluating the software to ensure that it’s worthy of being added to the team’s repertoire. Once a tool makes it through that step, deployment and support becomes easier to systematize. It’s all about ensuring that qualified people are available to instruct and support those who will be using the tool. Dan shares a bit about the Dell Latitude tablets that he and his team used in a recent video shoot with Tyler. Then he runs through the array of equipment Lake|Flato uses to support its hybrid-work structure. Data-security geeks will be interested to hear the VPN/work-station/server configuration he describes. He shares about Lake|Flato’s hybrid structure and how it is supported by their use of FlowScape virtual office spaces. Tyler explains how the video editing for the podcast will be changing based on the things he learned during the video shoot with Dan. Dan’s Megaphone Message: Thanks for creating all the crazy stuff that architects design. He looks forward to developing new means and methods that can lower the carbon footprint of projects. He’s also eager to incorporate some cool technology in that process. Here’s the video Tyler produced with Dan. Find Dan Online: LinkedIn - Lake|Flato - His blog, BIMChapters Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Coping with Burnout | 5 Minute Friday | 18 Aug 2023 | 00:10:10 | |
| Tesla & the Giga Press | 5 Minute Friday | 01 Nov 2024 | 00:04:20 | |
A lesson on innovation. Keep exploring! Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating or review and follow us on our social accounts! SUBSCRIBE! Like us on LinkedIn! Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram!Eddie's LinkedIn Tyler's LinkedIn See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | |||
| The Planning Fallacy (ft. Micah Piippo) | 16 Aug 2023 | 00:38:29 | |
Micah Piippo has worked at Google, at a shipyard, and at a plutonium-processing facility. Now he’s a schedule and integration manager with Intel. He helps deliver projects on time. Micah describes the plutonium facility: “It felt like a James Bond lair.” (By the way, Dr. Brown does, indeed, pronounce gigawats as “jigawatts.” That movie was filmed before we all became familiar with the prefix giga in relation to bits and bytes.) You can’t get a college degree in construction-project scheduling. There are courses, but Micah says that most of the preparation for this position results from simply asking a lot of questions. He explains that curiosity is a key requirement for an aspiring scheduler. He sees at least two categories within the scheduling world: 1) the analytical route with a focus on data crunching and 2) the owner’s-assisant route that involves more soft skills. At one point he would have said that construction knowledge was needed, but he says that that’s not necessarily the case right now because the job market is so hot. Eddie asks if schedulers find themselves getting blame when things go poorly and minimal credit when things go well. Micah confirms that, yup, this is generally the case. He says that he needs to have several jobs where he finds millions of dollars in savings in order to compensate for the couple smaller oversights that result in worksite chaos. Scheduling is undergoing a shift right now, Micah says. The computer programs used in the past couple decades basically accelerated implementation of the algorithms that had been established in the 50s and 60s. Now, he says, a whole new world of potential is being unlocked. Micah mentions the two streams or approaches he sees currently:
Micah mentions that many owners don’t have advanced scheduling software. Most of the scheduling gets done by a duo consisting of a project manager and superintendent. Owners struggle to see the value in bringing in a scheduling specialist. His favorite thing is when a GC comes in with a vision of how their project is going to go. When it comes to plan/schedule integration, Micah explains that there’s far more detail in the schedule than there ever needs to be in a plan. The challenge is closing that gap. Eddie mentions that some of the plan/scheduling-integration claims that companies make really function simply as marketing ploys. These tools and capabilities are often not truly employed when boots are on the ground at the worksite. Micah discusses what he calls the planning fallacy and explains three steps that are used to avoid them:
Micah advocates for the creation of a federally managed and openly shared data set of all construction projects. He believes this would dramatically increase efficiency. Micah’s Two-Part Megaphone Message: -Find the good in what people are doing, and promote it. You’re at work 8-12 hours a day. Be an advocate for the people who are there beside you. -Plan long. Think about your decisions and the long-term implications. Your attitude will change, driving your actions differently. Find Micah Online: LinkedIN - Micah’s podcast, Beyond Deadlines Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening | |||
| Burnout | 5 Minute Friday | 11 Aug 2023 | 00:07:11 | |
It’s a problem–a very common one. When you’re trying to be consistent with just about anything, burnout on some level is likely to occur sooner or later. It takes a toll. Tyler acknowledges that he’s experiencing a good deal of creative burnout at the moment. Eddie has felt it in the past too. So, we discuss ways to fight it. Talk through it with someone. There’s a good chance that the people closest to you see the symptoms before you do. Get active. Do the things that bring you joy. Spend time with people. Recognize that your trajectory out of the burnout pit might be somewhat shallow, but try to be as consistent with the revitalizing activities as you are with the obligations that put you in the pit. We’ll carry on with some more thoughts about this next week. Check out the partners that make our show possible. Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - TikTok - 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! | |||
| 5 Questions to Ask Before you Prefab (feat. Fouad Khalil) | 09 Aug 2023 | 00:42:13 | |
Today we welcome Fouad Khalil to the show. Fouad calls himself a reformed architect. About three years ago he eased into offsite construction and founded Modly, a modular construction consultancy that provides the building and real estate sector with market research, feasibility analysis and advisory services. His focus is on helping owners and construction companies integrate manufacturing processes in the construction process. Tyler asks Fouad to unpack the category of industrialized construction programs (IC). He explains that it has to do with looking at the increased rates of productivity in manufacturing and bringing some lessons from that world into the world of construction. Efficiency and productivity within construction has remained largely stagnant during the last several decades, while those things have improved dramatically within manufacturing. This means that Fouad pursues improvements in quality, speed, and budget. Manufacturing programs are one way to handle that. He looks for areas where implementation of standards and repetition can gain the most traction. Tyler asks Fouad to talk us through the series of questions that he asks in order to determine which projects are good candidates for industrialized construction. Here’s what he shares: Volume: Is the juice worth the squeeze? Does it represent enough potential return to justify the effort? Fouad says that IC works best for serial builders–those who are aiming for consistency across a large number of projects. He gives examples including hospitals, data centers, and fast-food restaurants. Pipeline: Do I have enough of it spread over time? Will the pace of work be steady enough? If I’m going to do it only once and then not do it again for another six months, that pipeline isn’t robust enough to consider. Some owners want to have several dozen units produced as modules, but they want them all done at the very same time. This is unrealistic. Repeatability: Is every part of this project unique, or are there enough repeatable elements that my workers’ hands will be able to master routines? The construction world is used to sprints–going all out from start to finish. Fouad explains that factories take more of a long-distance running mindset, often aiming to run steadily at 80% efficiency. With a manufacturing mindset, the profitability horizon might be quite distant. You might need to make 150 modular bathrooms before you’ll turn a profit. Design: How can we ensure that design and production maintain an active feedback loop so that iterative cycles can be continuously active? Fouad describes the routine of morning and afternoon meetings that his team did with Walmart on their health centers. Sometimes you change the design to make it more buildable. Sometimes you need to redesign the production floor to fit the design. Optimization: At the production level, how can I improve margins on man-hours and other elements of cost. The goal is for unit costs to drop through a continuous flow of improvements in engineering and production. Projects that appear impossible in the early stages become lean and profitable because of a consistent focus on optimization. Eddie presents the idea of “demonstrable economy” and discusses an example of how optimizing and productizing applies in his world, and we explore the importance of defining the use of the term “optimized” within a team. If you have various silos optimizing in isolation, the overall outcome may be far from optimum. Fouad describes the IC process as the space program we need in construction. Through the application of these techniques, we’ll be able to see improvements across the industry. Surprise, surprise, Tyler brings us back to Formula 1 racing. We discuss the iterative process and the feedback loop between the race teams and the consumer world as it plays out in that world. Fouad’s Megaphone Message: Owners, explore the benefits of setting up a recurring IC program. Talk to your VP of construction and see if the commitment might exist to move forward with this approach. It requires everyone to pull together and work really hard, but the rewards are worth it when the situation is right. Find Fouad Online: 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 LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! | |||
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