Podcasts about aec

In an industry built on deadlines, pursuits, and constant pressure, resilience is often framed as grit and endurance. But what if that mindset is actually driving burnout? In this episode of The PSM Show, Deirdre Booth sits down with Nicole Van Valen, founder of Keen Insights and author of The Joyful Leader, to reframe how AEC firms think about resilience, leadership, and performance. Drawing from her background as a licensed marriage and family therapist and corporate leader, Nicole explains why joy is not a perk or personality trait, but a practical tool that supports focus, steadiness, and long-term sustainability. The conversation explores how AEC marketers and business development professionals can regulate stress in high-pressure environments, why middle managers play a critical role in shaping culture, and how tools like the Ready, Set, Go model and the Joy Menu help teams reset without stepping away from their responsibilities. This episode offers grounded, actionable insights for leaders who want to protect their people, strengthen trust, and build teams that can perform consistently over the long game.   Nicole Van Valen: Nicole Van Valen, M.S., L.M.F.T., SHRM-SCP is an internationally recognized speaker, consultant, and published author of The Joyful Leader®. With over 25 years of experience spanning healthcare, behavioral health, and entertainment, she equips executives and organizations to manage stress, build resilient cultures, and lead with empathy, clarity, and impact. Nicole is the Founder and CEO of Keane Insights®, where she Nicole integrates neuroscience, mental health expertise, and leadership development to transform workplaces into high-performing, engaging environments. Nicole is also a recurring mental health expert for CBS 4 News Miami and has been featured in SUCCESS Magazine for her thought leadership on resilience and workplace performance. A former Miami Dolphins Cheerleader and Miami HEAT Dancer, Nicole brings dynamic energy and authenticity to every stage—championing transformation through joy and proving that resilience isn't just a mindset; it's a strategic advantage.

“Our industry needs brave people who are willing to understand problems deeply, understand the people who are attached to those problems deeply, and find ways to innovate through those shared gains that this industry is experiencing.”Register for the 2026 AECiSummit HERE! (April 8-10). Join Devon as he chats with previous co-host Nathan Wood and Nick Caravella about the upcoming AECiSummit 2026! Use the promo code "AOC" to be entered in a ski trip lottery! Nick Caravella is an architect-turned-technologist focused on helping industrial teams deliver safer, more predictable projects. He works at the intersection of the built environment and digital transformation. At Cumulus, he helps owners and contractors adopt digital QA/QC and Connected Worker solutions that reduce rework, improve quality, and provide real-time visibility into schedule - and cost-driving work. He partners closely with customers, industry leaders, and internal teams to modernize inspection workflows and advance data-driven quality programs across capital projects.Nathan C. Wood is the Executive Director of Construction Progress Coalition (CPC), a grassroots non-profit initiative to educate AEC professionals about the need for open interoperability standards between project delivery stakeholders. Nathan's experience with Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), Lean process improvement, and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) has led him to realize how even proven technology solutions can result in lost ROI when the needs of people and process are not addressed. Nathan balances his passion for data insights and stakeholder empathy through pragmatic adoption strategy, driving digital standards adoption in design and construction. When not fighting for open standards, Nathan also supports construction transformation as Chief Enabling Officer of SpectrumAEC, delivering speaking engagements, research publications and Design Thinking workshops.For more information on the AECISummit, checkout the Construction Progress Collation's Website!Take a listen to episode 338 (The ConTech Crew featuring Devon Tilly) and 337 (Data driven construction) as mentioned in this episode!Keep up with the Art of Construction (AOC) podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn! Subscribe and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

In this episode of Wine After Work, Bryce sits down with Elif Acar-Chiasson, P.E., founder of OPLE Leadership and former COO with over 30 years in the AEC industry. Elif built her consulting practice after living inside what she calls a "broken autonomy model." Brilliant engineers are promoted into leadership roles, then trapped in approval culture where every decision climbs uphill for permission. The leader becomes the bottleneck. The team stops growing. Everyone burns out. Together, Bryce and Elif unpack: • Why technical excellence and leadership requirements are often in conflict • The hidden addiction to approval and control inside engineering firms • Why autonomy is not "do whatever you want," but clear decision ownership with guardrails • How emotional intelligence supports decision-making under pressure • What stepping away from a COO role taught Elif about fit and courage • Why leading with both head and heart is not weakness but maturity • What competitive ballroom dancing at 50 revealed about starting over and discomfort Elif shares a systemic approach to leadership. Instead of coaching one overwhelmed leader in isolation, she looks at the entire decision architecture of a team. Who owns what? Where decisions stall. How trust is built or broken. Her core belief: the most critical structural integrity is not in buildings. It is in teams. About Elif: Elif Acar-Chiasson, P.E., is a Professional Engineer and founder of OPLE Leadership. After 12 years as an executive, including 8 as COO at CSRS/Westwood, she now works with technical professionals who are exceptional at their craft but struggling in leadership roles. She translates emotional intelligence into engineering frameworks and helps teams redesign how decisions are made so leaders are no longer the bottleneck. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, Elif brings a multicultural lens to leadership and challenges the idea that "people skills" are separate from technical rigor.   https://www.elifchiasson.com/  

Brand is no longer a support function in AEC. It is a strategic lever that shapes perception, culture, recruitment, and long-term growth.Katie Cash sits down with Emily Cannon, Vice President of Brand Strategy at Brasfield & Gorrie, to discuss what it really means to elevate the brand to the executive table. From aligning regional leadership to activating entertainment as a marketing currency, Emily shares how intentional collaboration between marketing and the C-suite is reshaping the firm's internal culture and external presence. She also explores how brand influences retention, recruiting, pursuit strategy, and even proposal performance.If your firm is navigating growth, leadership transition, or brand evolution, this conversation offers practical insight on aligning strategy from the inside out and turning brand into a measurable driver of momentum.Topics discussed in this episode:AEC brand strategyConstruction marketing strategyBrand alignment in AECB2B brand strategyAEC leadership alignmentEmployer branding in constructionConstruction firm marketingConnect with Emily Cannon, CPSMVice President of Brand Strategy at Brasfield & Gorrie, LLChttps://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycannon1/Connect with Katie:  https://smartegies.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:We hope you're finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals.  Your feedback is important to us and we'd love to hear from you. Here's how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!  And if you haven't done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

Have you streamed this episode yet?In this special keynote spotlight episode of Problem Solved, IISE's Frank Reddy sits down with Dr. Mark Benden, researcher, inventor of nearly 30 patents, and longtime leader in ergonomics innovation. With more than four decades of experience across military service, industry, and academia, Dr. Benden has helped generate over $2.5 billion in economic impact through human-centered design and workplace innovation.In this conversation, he shares:Join us for this inside look at one of AEC's keynote voices. And don't miss Problem Solved LIVE on-site at AEC, where we'll be capturing insights from innovators shaping the future of ergonomics.Applied Ergonomics Conference sponsored by Applied Ergonomics SocietyLearn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)Problem Solved on LinkedInProblem Solved on YouTubeProblem Solved on InstagramProblem Solved on TikTokProblem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth GrimesInterested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

"We built entire cities using PDFs and drawings. That's not a failure — that's a miracle. Now imagine what we build with the right tools."In today's episode of Bricks and Bytes, we had Alain Waha, CTO at BuroHappold Engineering, discussing AI transformation, the future of physical AI, and why 2026 already feels like three years have passed in nine weeks.Tune in to find out about:✅ Why construction being the least digitized industry is actually its biggest opportunity right now ✅ How AI is finally solving the Tower of Babel problem that's plagued AEC for decades ✅ Why firms need to choose — compete on cost or build a value brand — before it's too late ✅ Why foundational AI models for the physical world don't exist yet, and what it'll take to get thereCatch the full episode on Spotify and YouTube

https://youtu.be/_A__xfP6HBM Laurie Barkman, strategic growth advisor, former $100M CEO, M&A expert, and author of The Business Transition Handbook, helps construction, architecture, and engineering firms build scalable, sustainable businesses that create time, freedom, and long-term value. Having experienced a major acquisition firsthand and led companies through significant growth and change, Laurie now focuses on helping mature business owners navigate the complex journey of building enterprise value and preparing for future transitions. We explore Laurie's BUILT Method—Blueprint, Unlock, Integrate, Lead, Transition—a strategic framework designed to help founders of established businesses scale beyond owner dependency and prepare for successful leadership or ownership transitions. Laurie explains how aligning the owner's personal vision with the company's future strategy creates clarity, why measuring enterprise value can unlock new growth decisions, and how proactive transition planning helps entrepreneurs avoid the identity crisis that often follows a business exit. — Take 5 Steps to Transitioning Your Business with Laurie Barkman Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here, the Founder of the Summit OS Group, and today my guest is Laurie Barkman, a strategic growth advisor, former a hundred-million-dollar CEO and M&A expert who’s helping construction and engineering companies build scalable, sustainable businesses that creates time, freedom, and value. Laurie is also the author of the Business Transition Handbook. Laurie, welcome to the show. Steve, thank you so much. I’m so excited to be with you today. Yeah, it’s great to have you. And you have a really interesting niche with the business transition and helping construction or architecture engineering firms. So what brought you to this point? What is your personal why, and how are you manifesting it in your practice? My personal why has been evolving over the years through my career. I think I was always an entrepreneur at heart. I had orbited entrepreneurial companies, like startups, in a big company. I was always the maverick. I was trying to be an intrapreneur and ultimately found myself in a position of finding a way to help business owners in the back part of their journey. While I love startups, I have found that my niche is in working with mature companies—so companies that are over five to seven years old—and helping entrepreneurs in the tough decisions.Share on X It’s the tough decisions that they really wrestle with, feel alone, and I’ve been in executive shoes, right? I’ve been lived that world. I’m living in the entrepreneurial world right now, but again, in this mature space where we think about life differently, we think about transitions differently, and I’ve just kind of embraced that idea, especially as a Gen Xer, of how to help other Gen Xers in that in-between. So is there like a personal reason why you are attracted to this whole idea of the transition?  I’ve lived a lot of transitions, especially in the corporate world, going through an acquisition about 10 years ago, I was an outside hire at a third-generation company, and they said, “We’re looking to hire you not for the next three years, but for the next 20,” which was really exciting, but it ended up being three. And the reason why is because a little Bluebird, who wasn’t so little, a global company who was very in acquisitive, I was interested in this business, third-generation company. It was over a billion in revenue. My business unit was about 10% of the total. So again, sizable business unit, and myself and the other executives had to work really, really hard to keep our foot on the gas pedal, making sure that the deal, if we were, was going to go through that we helped make it go through—which we did. It was out of the blue. The company was not on the market. But I saw firsthand the innovation, the growth, and the transition over the three generations of the stories of how it went from one to the next was just so fascinating to me. So when I ultimately was part of the integration team, I left the business. The short answer was that I was just there for three years. And so after that I really saw an opportunity to help other entrepreneurs on their journey. So this notion of that we’re going to grow, we’re going to innovate, and then eventually we’re going to transition—maybe it’s a family business, maybe it’s founder-led. Nonetheless, we want to create value, we want to have good handoffs, and I saw things were working well.Share on X As I mentioned, I joined at the point of the third generation. Then it was up to the corporate gods take it from there. And so I thought about ways to add value and work with inspired entrepreneurs who envision a future legacy for themselves, the people they love, the communities they serveShare on X but they’re just stuck. They feel stuck in some way. They’re kind of on their path. They’re not at the end of the path. They’re on it, and they need that support. That’s really what’s been motivating me and driving me for the last seven plus years. Yeah. That’s a wonderful journey, and it’s a very wordy thing because these entrepreneurs, they build a company, and then they don’t know how to allow it to grow up. And you basically are there and help them with the empty nesting and the pre-empty nesting, getting them into good courage. That’s also very important. So one of the ways you, I understand you do this is you call it the BUILT Method, which is kind of neat because you work with construction, engineering, architecture firms. So what is the BUILD Method is about, and how does it help people?  Yeah, the  BUILD Method is definitely an acknowledgement that we are in a physical world, and I appreciate you making that connection.Share on X And it’s not lost on our audience, hopefully. It’s such an important space. We really, in a time of AI and such dramatic change, the built environment of architecture, engineering, design companies that are envisioning their futures. There’s like any industry, there’s a lot of changes. And so this is a blueprint, if you will. That’s the “B,” right? It’s a blueprint for what is your vision and what is the firm model, what should it be in the future? It’s really that roadmap of future growth. The “U” is an unlocked. So many of us feel stuck. Maybe we’re stuck in the day-to-day because we have owner-dependent businesses. Maybe we feel stuck because our revenues are plateaued or declining. And we see ourselves as a bottleneck. Maybe we’re a bottleneck for a variety of reasons, which I’m sure we could talk about. The “I” is all about integration. And so, what do we need to do to document our systems and put things in place so that we don’t have risks in terms of not only owner dependency, but any other employees where there could be gaps should someone leave the organization or have some other untimely departure? The “L” is lead, and lead is not used lightly. Lead is really with clarity and not with chaos. And for owner-dependent businesses, people that have companies that can’t thrive without them, this tends to be a real challenge that they want to lead from the front, but they’re not. And they're so in the weeds in the business, they can't see the forest for the trees. They're not working on the business. So really helping my clients find that clarity is so important.Share on X And then the “T”, last but not least, stands for transition. It’s probably my favorite word at this point. And it’s not just transition or change for any sake. It’s good to have that confidence and to be in control, to be in the driver’s seat, and to be proactive about change. It’s why I wrote the book, The Business Transition Handbook. It’s really encouraging entrepreneurs to not think about an exit as a point in time and a finite point in time. It’s why I do talk about exit and I do talk about exit planning, but my recognition is that this is a finite action, and a transition is a journey. It's a path, and that's why my business is named Business Transition Sherpa, because I am with you on your journey. So the BUILT Method is really all about these different aspects and helping entrepreneurs on their journey.Share on X STEVE PREDA: Yeah. This is very cool. And there is a lifecycle to business, and there’s a lifecycle to an entrepreneur as well. And hopefully the business’s lifecycle is much longer than the entrepreneur’s. So someone is going to take it on, and you want to create a great legacy and a great business. So your way of the blueprint or your version of blueprint is different. Is it like what people call mission, vision, values kind of thing or there’s more to it? I think it does start with that. I mean, those are so fundamental, and my overall approach with strategic transition planning is the acknowledgement that there’s different aspects of the planning that we need to do as business owners, and one of those aspects is a blueprint for the business. And the business fundamentals of where do we want to be in five to seven years or ten years. Another part of that, which is a dovetail, is where does the owner want to be? What’s their personal future vision? And we start to intertwine those things, especially in this age and life stage. I work a lot with, as I mentioned, Gen Xers, and so we are in the mid-fifties of our lives, and statistically speaking, we’re about five to seven years away from a significant life transition. A lot of the Gen Xers, especially business owners I work with, are saying, “I’m looking ahead. I see what the baby boomers have done, and I don’t want to do it their way. I want to do it differently. I’m not going to die at my desk, and I want other things out of my life. My business has provided this and that for me, which has been valuable, but I’m ready for something different. I just don’t know what it is.” So we integrate in this blueprint. Their vision is not just for the business, but it's for themselves as well. And it's a big reason why I work directly one-on-one with the owners, founders.Share on X You and I have talked offline about the role of management team. It’s so important for me. It’s really, really important to give that private time and private space for the owner because these are such important questions that will influence the direction of many lives. And if we’re unwavering, it feels a little uncertain, and we don’t want to necessarily showcase that uncertainty to our teams. So the blueprint part of this is a bit of ideation as well. A big part of what we do is we work on what their future vision is, and it takes into account this age and life stage component of what we’ve been talking about. Yeah. That’s really interesting because maybe you find that as well, that sometimes the vision—the individual vision of the entrepreneur and the company’s vision gets confused. And the entrepreneur may not realizing that their vision may be to transition out of the company, but that’s not going to be the vision for the company because the company for them to be able to transition, has to have a much longer view and people have to believe in it, so that even with the founder, they’re going to be successful. So that is an interesting conundrum that I vision for with an entrepreneur like that. Do you find that to be the case? It is a conundrum. I think it’s just a lonely place in our heads and for owners and founders who have a lot on their shoulders. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” right? It’s a saying that means so much. I think that people want to explore options. They don’t want to lock in on something and put all their eggs in that one basket. I have found that owners who create options for eventual transition are better positioned than folks who have placed bets. I could tell you so many stories, Steve. So for example, especially in our engineering, architecture, and design-type of audience, owners sometimes are placing bets on their internal management to buy them out over time. I had one gentleman call me—I’d say he’s a baby boomer. He had a wonderful number two, had been grooming the number two for eventual. What he had envisioned in his mind was of to sell the business to him, and not only did the number two not want that; he resigned. And it felt like such a betrayal. He was so upset. I had talked to him months after this happened, and he was still upset about it. He felt like it was a starting over in a lot of ways for his own exit plan, which it was. And so we try to prevent against that. Yeah, there's a lot of things that we can do to try to figure out if we have the right people in the right seats. And that's important.Share on X I know you spent a lot of time on this as well, working with management to say, “Do we have the right people in the right seats?” And we do assessments, and those are great. Those are skills and strengths, and we should do that. But what I have found is that we don’t do that when it comes to ownership, especially if we think that the owner is inside the company. And we can talk about it—I’ve created an assessment for that because it’s a high-level way to just get your head around. Do people on my team have an ownership mentality or not? We’re not recruiting for that. We’re recruiting for the skills and strengths that we need for that time. And when we’re growing people over a long period of time, you can imagine how that becomes even more of a problem because if we assume they’re an owner, they have a owner mindset, and they don’t—and they’re more cash—oriented versus equity—oriented and other things—that puts us in a trap. Yeah. I think it’s a big trap. I read it somewhere, I know where I read it from. Dan Kennedy, who’s like a small business guru—he was big in the 2000s—and he once said that the worst number in business is one. It’s one salesperson; it’s one successor who will have to come through. I think this is a big mistake of business owners that they try to clone themselves because they think that if they just find one person who is going to be as good as me, and all my problems are solved. Whether you call it an integrator who is going to come in and run the show and I can just be up there and vision and dream about stuff, I think it’s a huge mistake. I much prefer the idea of creating mini-CEOs in your business who can really strategically own their functions. So anyhow, yeah, this is a big problem. But I’d like to move on to the next letter in the acronym, which is “U”. I really love this word: “unlock.” It’s very inspiring. Unlock—how do you unlock? How do you figure out how to open up the floodgates of opportunity or whatever you mean by unlock? I think part of it is a diagnostic around where is the business today and what are some of the things that we’ve set as goals for enterprise value. What is enterprise value? Are we measuring it? Most often we’re not, and the one big unlock is just this recognition that we have set KPIs for our business, which are great, and we’re using them with our teams, and we’re operationalizing those. Love it. Awesome. Keep that going. But what a business owner is not measuring most often is the enterprise value.  And if we are measuring that, we might make different choices in how we’re investing our resources if our objective is to increase that value. So we might say, “Well, what is enterprise value?” Okay. So we need to understand that. And then, what is it in measurement terms—either through a professional like myself who can help us understand and not just talking to your buddies at the golf club or what you think your business might be worth? And if we can really get some data around that. You know, I love my analytical entrepreneurs, which is one of the reasons I love this space. They're analytical people, and they like the numbers, and they want to have some structure around it. So that's what we do, is we start with the baselining.Share on X Where is the business today? And let’s set some targets. We look at, “Well, what’s best in class in that particular industry?” So again, the AEC industry, we have some benchmarks around that. And then we have to understand, “Well, what are some of the value drivers?” One big, big value driver, of course, is going to be financial performance. So what’s beyond that? And what are these hidden things that we don’t know that can be detracting value? And so if we dig into those things, it’s like an unlock. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. My best example of that in this conversation is enterprise value. Once you know where your enterprise value is today, you can’t unsee that. And you also can’t unsee the desire for many people, which is, “Oh wow, what if I could increase that?” Then we’re talking about millions of dollars of value at some point in the future. So aligning that with our exercise we talked about earlier, which is our age and life-stage exercise around exit timeline. It’s so powerful because now we can set some targets that are meaningful to our communities, our employees, our stakeholders, and ourselves, and aligning the personal, the business, and the financial towards this overall picture. It’s a major unlock. And do you find that—what is the level of transparency you see that these business owners allow for their team to see? So would they actually show them that this is our profitability, these are our margins, gross profit, this is our overhead, this is our net profit, this is how we calculate enterprise value, and here is how you can help me improve it. Is this how it goes or it’s more everyone is just focusing on a couple of KPIs that are within their program?  It’s an evolution. I think a lot of times in the beginning, we keep it a little close because we’re trying to understand it ourselves. And for firms that have developed a cost-of-goods-sold model, a gross profit, they’re already measuring that. Maybe they’re doing that by lines of business. That is really powerful. I have one client in the engineering space that just put that in. And they doubled revenue last year, by the way. So they’re a high-growth company in the engineering space, which is so exciting. They’re doing about $10 million in revenue, and they just put that in for the different lines of business. And how it’s helping them is it’s giving them a year-over-year perspective, which is good. They can see where they’re investing, and they can also see payback opportunities where there’s an intersection with the team. I think is on the business side for growth levers. When we talk about value drivers, and we'll just pick one that's quite common beyond financial numbers, it's our ability to drive recurring revenue, subscription models, and different flavors of…Share on X So for this particular client, we’ve been working on developing a recurring revenue program for them, and we’re at the starting line, but what’s going to be so exciting, I think, not only in terms of their core business growth that they’re seeing, but once we get that recurring revenue program up and running, it’s going to be material. Once the revenues are large enough, of course, it’s going to be material on their enterprise value. And so the dovetail is, well, yeah, he’s not going to launch the subscription revenue business by himself. He needs others to help him do that. But the idea for it and the vision for it and then the unlock right, comes from this type of exploration. Yeah. Wow. That’s great. And it is definitely a challenge that construction companies often struggle with. How do I do a project-based company primarily? How do I drive recurring revenue, subscription models? That would probably deserve its own podcast, this whole topic or maybe a podcast series. Maybe I’ll talk about it another time. I still like us to cover the last letter in the acronym: the transition. Because that’s where I see a lot of people who have sold their business. I was an investment banker in my past life, and I don’t know how many times we saw the business, and the owner was so excited that they basically neutralized the risk, and then they had this big pile of cash, and they bought the boat and they bought the car and the house. And six months later, the boat was collecting water in the marina. You know, they showed the car off to everyone, and it was no longer exciting, but it was very expensive, and they didn’t know where to store it, kind of thing. And then they were getting bored, and they were kind of disappointed because their identity got ahead. How do you deal with it? How do you help people with the identity issue and this whole thinking about transition the right way? You nailed it. That identity is a really big part of why many business owners feel lonely and a bit depressed one year after a sale. There’s many reasons why that could happen. I think the statistics are a little bit over the place, but I do believe that identity is a big part of it. And so if we are working on this together, an example with one of my clients is I gave them a book to read because I got an inkling of what he was interested in, which is themes around justice. And he’s seeking ways to have an impact in his community that are truly outside the business for lots of reasons. But he just innately wants this type of involvement, and we are going through an exploration of what that could look like. He’s in a good place with his business. We're continuing to grow it, and we're working on his growth and enterprise value growth and things like that.Share on X But this sort of sits on this in a parallel path, and it will intersect at some point because we all are human. We have an age and life stage to us, and how he’s envisioning spending his time over the next 10 years. He wants to continue to have a path forward. But we’ve created a space for when we meet, we’re meeting one-on-one, we create that space to really talk about how does he want to spend his time outside the business. And note the timeline here. He’s about 10 years away. And to his credit, he’s saying, “Yeah, I want to start doing something now.” And if that’s how we can think about it, Steve. I think it’s really important. It’s almost like this giant on-ramp. We’re not going to just sell our business and then, all of a sudden we’re going to go have this amazing thing that we’re going to create tomorrow, right? It just takes time. And another way to think about it is like a portfolio—a portfolio of how you look at your identity, how you feel about yourself, and how you spend your time—and has to align. Really, it can align with your core values, it can align with how you want to spend time with people you love. So I have one client, engineering company owner, who is very committed to the church that they support, and he spends a lot of time and a lot of resources. It’s very clear on the company’s website how the company has a policy of donating proceeds from profits to this entity. So it’s well known, and it’s just part of their culture. And in developing his 10-year view, this is part and parcel of it. It’s involving his family members; it’s involving the company. It’s helped fueling a decision around their transition path. They’ve considered lots of different options: Should they sell to a third party? Should they become an ESOP? And the dovetail, I think, for many, is to figure out what is that right fit based on what’s important to you. What’s going to give you that feeling of that completeness and balance that you’re seeking? Wow, that’s amazing. You have people who are thinking about that 10-years out. That is impressive. I’ve never seen that. If a business owner thinks 3-years out about that, it’s already much better than average. So you obviously are inculcating them with the right kind of ideas. So tell me about your business. So let’s switch gears here a little bit. I mean, you ran this a hundred million dollar business for three years, and it got sold; it got integrated. So I’m sure that you had some big challenges there. What is it that you would consider the hardest decision you ever had to make in your business? Yeah, I think in today’s world, I can try to put my coaching hat on for this answer. I’m trying to build a practice that is creating value for others. And so one big thing is to make sure that I’m doing that now with my client relationships and how we measure things. I’m confident that we are doing that, but inherently, if we have one voice, how do we reach many? And I think a lot of companies… it’s like, “Oh, that’s a marketing question.” Yes. And right, it is a marketing question. There’s a lot of things that are dynamically changing in our world. How do we reach the people that we want to reach? How do we share a message? So that is no matter what business you have, I think we can all sort of empathize with that. So I do feel like that is changing a lot. So the challenge is, how do I meet people where they are, right? I think podcasting has been a great vehicle. We’re doing more of that. We’re going to be doing more in-person things as well. I do think that we’re very much in a powerful digital age, and the more digital tools we’re putting in front of us and the more digital time we’re spending. My hypothesis, Steve, is that the value of the interaction—the one-on-one as well as group—is not lost on anybody. That it’s going to be even, probably even more important. And especially as things, and if you’re reading some of these AI articles about potential impact in our economy, there’s going to be a lot of need for us to come together, and lean on each other’s shoulders, and be good, solid resources for one another in times of dramatic change. I fully agree with you. I have that feeling as well that there’s so much alienation that is being caused by the digital stuff, and AI in particular, that people are replacing conversations with chatGPT conversations. I think people will just realize that this is all unreal, or we don’t know whether it’s real or not real. And there’s so much noise because everyone is creating all these posts with AI, and you know what is a real voice here? You won’t know unless you meet the person in person and then you hear their own voice and provided they’re not a robot because that can also happen that you have humanoid robots, but let’s not go that far. So I do agree, and I think that your personal recommendations are going to be even more powerful in the future because you don’t know what is real and what is fake. People also starve. We sit in front of our Zoom screens, and it’s not the same as meeting someone in person. There is a different quality to it, and we are going to starve for it. I was just thinking this morning that I looked at my calendar, and I’m just coming out of my season of spending days with my entrepreneur clients, and it’s over. And next couple months, it’s going to be pretty quiet. I’m going to be in my office, and I’m dreading having to sit here on my own. So I’m thinking about, “Okay, I have to get out there. I have to meet people.” So I’m recording video on this one. Last question. Well, penultimate question to you is, what do you think is the most important question that an entrepreneur should be asking themselves? I’m going to come back to kind of this AI conversation. I think every CEO needs to be using ai. And I think every CEO needs to be considering how their teams can use it and not put your head in sand. I think there’s a lot of impact, positive impact that can be had by just some basic productivity improvements, which is kind of how 95% of AI is being used today. There’s nothing wrong with that. And then from there can lead us to coming up with ways to enhance our business. I have one client that’s using it for proposal development. It’s been a dramatic improvement in quality and time, and that’s just one case study example, but there’s so many others. Following’s. Okay. You don’t have to be a leader. And just being recognizing that AI is going to touch so many aspects of our business and personal lives. And then the other thing is like, don’t stop hiring people because of AI either. There’s a lot of doomsday articles coming out now about the economy and impact of AI. There may be some scary truth to some of those things. And then I’m seeing articles from folks saying, “Look, AI shouldn’t take over your entire business. You’re still going to need smart people. You just want to give them the tools.” As an example, there’s a friend of mine who runs a digital marketing agency, and you might think, “Oh, that’s the kind of business that’s shrinking.” Well, they’re over 200 people, and they’re using AI in very efficient and effective ways. So it’s not a recipe to just dial back your human capital. It’s a recipe to do the unlock and do the think about how you can best use this information to create a scalable practice. Yeah, I think so. Also, this has been seen in history that since the Industrial Revolution, everyone was afraid of losing jobs. And the more technology there is, the more ideas there are for further services, the more demand there is because all the value is being created, and we want to spend that value on more stuff, right? And yeah, I agree that AI is just raising the bar. So every company has to now be AI-empowered and do a lot more. We can’t just deliver what we were delivering a year ago. We have to deliver more, which means that those people who are AI-enabled, they’ll just have to raise their standard. Yeah, I agree with you. So if people would like to learn more about let’s say they have an AEC-type of company—architectural, engineering, construction. Did I get it right?  Yes.  And they are thinking about the future and the transition and build the blueprint for a great company that has more enterprise value, et cetera, or they read your book and they realize that this is exactly what they need. How can they find you and how can they connect to you? Well, my website’s probably a great place to go, which is btsherpa.com. And if people are interested in that succession assessment that I mentioned earlier, just put slash succession—so btsherpa.com/succession—and you’ll get access to the assessment. You can take it multiple times for different people in mind as well. And so my book is on there, my podcast, and I really do hope that people follow up with me. If you have any questions at all about anything we talked about today. Fantastic. So do check out Laurie Barkman via btsherpa.com/succession if you want to read the materials and download stuff. Thank you, Laurie, for sharing all your great ideas and insights. If you enjoyed the conversation, then stay tuned because every week I bring an exciting entrepreneur, thought leader to the show who will share with you about frameworks about growing your business and making it more valuable. So thanks, Laurie, for coming, and thanks for listening. Important Links: Laurie's LinkedIn Laurie's website

Replay!On today's episode of Architectette we are branching out from the AEC industry to welcome our friend Tigress Osborn!Tigress is the Board Chair of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. NAAFA is a non-profit, volunteer, fat rights organization dedicated to protecting the rights and improving the quality of life for fat people. We talk about:- Tigress' leadership at NAAFA and the goals of the organization- The challenges people of larger body sizes face in the built environment- The language to use during these conversations, accessibility laws, and the burden of literally not being able to fit in some public spaces- We also talk about the specifics of furniture, layouts, restaurants, bathrooms, and even parking spaces! - I hope designers will leave this conversation being a bit more mindful about ways that they can design spaces to be more inclusive>>>Connect with Architectette:- Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Learn more)- Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (See more)- Newsletter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.architectette.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Architectette Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Page and/or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Caitlin Brady⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>>>Support Architectette by leaving us a rating and review!>>>Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Send a textWhat if the fastest route to a meaningful life is slowing down for the people at home?  Today, we welcome the founder and CEO of Arena Staffing, Dave Kooiman.In our conversation, Dave opens up about small-town roots, a painful college cut, getting fired, and the surprising breakthroughs that followed. The result isn't a hustle story; it's a playbook for building a family culture with clear values, humble leadership, and daily presence.We start with gratitude and the simple joy of being together—church, school, coaches, and late-night game watching. Dave introduces us to his family's world: a long love story with his wife and three kids on different paths—golf, cheer, flag football, and baseball. When his daughter lost the spark for club soccer, he didn't double down. He listened. That choice reframed attitude and effort at home and became the seed for the “Kooiman Compass,” a visible set of family values—Kindness, Obedience, Opportunity, Initiative, Mission, Appreciation, Non-judgment—posted in the kitchen to guide everyday behavior.From there, we head into the hard stuff. Dave relives getting cut from college soccer for being “not all-in,” a lesson in commitment that stung for a year but forged resilience. Later, a corporate firing pushed him to launch Arena, a skilled trades staffing and headhunting firm in the AEC space. We unpack risk, personal guarantees, and the early years of living lean. The quiet hero is his wife—steady belief, tightened budgets, and a simple charge: “I've got the kids. Figure out what's next.” Her support didn't just save a business; it safeguarded a family.The throughline is presence. We talk about guarding evenings, coaching golf, and choosing a family Scotland-Ireland dream over a buddies-only trip. We confront ego, set boundaries, and remember that happy homes make better teammates at work. If you care about faith-driven leadership, parenting with purpose, or practical ways to build character at home, you'll find tools you can use tonight—questions to ask your kids, values to post on the wall, and a calendar that finally reflects what matters most.If this conversation nudged you to put family first, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review. Your support helps more dads find the courage to lead at home.Support the showPlease don't forget to leave us a review wherever you consume your podcasts! Please help us get more dads to listen weekly and become the ultimate leader of their homes!

Success isn't always linear and sometimes the bravest move is walking away from something you worked incredibly hard to build. In this episode, Bryce sits down with Sharla Toller, J.D., Senior Vice President and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at CannonDesign, to talk about courage, career pivots, and redefining what success really means. Sharla's journey to executive leadership in the AEC industry didn't follow a straight path. A former practicing attorney with a J.D. from Howard University School of Law, she made the bold decision to leave litigation behind to pursue work aligned with her passion: building inclusive, people-centered workplaces. Since joining CannonDesign in 2021, she has: Led implementation of the firm's DEI Strategic Framework Directed the DEI Council and Employee Resource Groups Launched firmwide training programs Deepened partnerships with organizations like National Organization of Minority Architects Co-authored the children's book Deja the Dynamo Been named one of the Top 50 DEI Professionals in the OnCon Icon Awards (2025) She also holds a Master of Professional Studies in HR Management/Diversity & Inclusion from Georgetown University and is a single mother who has intentionally shaped a career aligned with both passion and parenthood. In this episode, we discuss: Leaving a prestigious profession to follow purpose How DEI work impacts retention, talent acquisition, and engagement in AEC What real executive leadership looks like Building a career that supports your life — not competes with it The courage required to pivot This conversation is about alignment, authenticity, and redefining success on your own terms.

Business development (BD) can feel like a job reserved for firm leaders or dedicated rainmakers, but in reality, it touches everyone in the AEC industry. In this conversation, Wendy Simmons sits down with Middle of Six Senior Marketing Strategist, Katy Byers, to break down how BD intersects with everyone's role.Katy, a natural-born networker and connector, unpacks common barriers—lack of permission, time, or confidence—and shares practical ways to make BD more accessible and less intimidating. With the right mindset and tools like a CRM, marketers can stop reacting to RFP "opportunities" and start pre-positioning for the next win. The big takeaway? BD isn't about selling. It's about consistency, curiosity, practice (because "practice makes progress"), and making space to develop genuine relationships with your firm's clients and project partners. CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 3

What does it take to lead a 70-year engineering firm into its next chapter of growth without losing the culture that built it?Katie Cash sits down with Carrie Stokes, President and CEO of Barge Design Solutions, and Erika Booker, Chief Marketing Officer of Barge Design Solutions, to unpack how leadership vision, marketing alignment, and data-driven strategy fuel sustainable growth in today's competitive AEC market. From intentional CEO transition planning to integrating communications and sales enablement, they share how employee ownership, disciplined client selection, and CRM-backed business development decisions protect both culture and profitability.If you lead an engineering firm or support one through marketing and business development, this conversation offers a clear look at how alignment across the C-suite and marketing team drives measurable impact and long-term brand strength.Topics discussed in this episode:Engineering firm leadershipAEC marketing strategyStrategic growth planningEmployee-owned firm modelCRM implementation in AECBusiness development analyticsConnect with Erika and Carrie, BARGE:https://bargedesign.comConnect with Katie:  https://smartegies.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:We hope you're finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals.  Your feedback is important to us and we'd love to hear from you. Here's how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!  And if you haven't done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

Steve Kuhn shares his journey and the founding of ShareBuilt, highlighting the differences between nonprofit and for-profit sectors in the AEC industry. He discusses the unique compliance and regulatory challenges faced by nonprofits and the importance of involving AEC partners early in projects. The conversation delves into the impact of purpose-driven work and addresses misconceptions about nonprofit construction. Steve emphasizes proactive strategies and how to measure success and ROI in nonprofit endeavors. Client stories illustrate ShareBuilt's impact, and Steve offers key advice and best practices for nonprofits.

The AEC industry is overdue for an upgrade. My guest Hacia Atherton explains why continuing to operate on a model rooted in the industrial revolution is undermining our firms, our culture, and our value — especially for women. Learn what it's really costing to operate inside a system that was never designed for the complexity of today's work. Effective leaders know that everyone at every experience level has value to add. They also know that they don't know everything We need to switch from a competitive model to a co-creative model where every stakeholder has a role in informing and improving culture and process. Most DEI programs get is wrong by not focusing on the pillars of psychological well being are autonomy, confidence and sense of belonging. Every interaction should be seen as a value exchange where the power dynamics are level. Reframe failures to find the growth opportunity. Trying to prove yourself or perform only erodes trust and authenticity When a firm is clear on its values, you can have a different conversation with clients about your worth. CONTACT HACIA: https://www.haciaatherton.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/haciaatherton/  

In this special keynote spotlight episode of Problem Solved, IISE's Frank Reddy sits down with Dr. Mark Benden, researcher, inventor of nearly 30 patents, and longtime leader in ergonomics innovation. With more than four decades of experience across military service, industry, and academia, Dr. Benden has helped generate over $2.5 billion in economic impact through human-centered design and workplace innovation.In this conversation, he shares:How everyday frustration becomes inventionWhy “nuisance is the father of invention”How AI, motion capture, and wearables are transforming worker healthThe shift from injury response to real-time preventionAnd how to take ergonomic improvements from idea, to protection, to commercializationJoin us for this inside look at one of AEC's keynote voices. And don't miss Problem Solved LIVE on-site at AEC, where we'll be capturing insights from innovators shaping the future of ergonomics.Applied Ergonomics Conference sponsored by Applied Ergonomics SocietyLearn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)Problem Solved on LinkedInProblem Solved on YouTubeProblem Solved on InstagramProblem Solved on TikTokProblem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth GrimesInterested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org

End chaos in your firm—300+ peers use this framework. Free video here: https://www.businessofarchitecture.com/framework What happens when AI meets the business of architecture? In this episode, Rion sits down with Dr. Sam Zolfagharian—co-founder of YegaTech—to explore how AI is reshaping the AEC industry. Sam shares insights from years of experience in structural engineering, construction tech, and leading-edge AI. But this isn't just about tools and tech. It's about mindset, risk, and what happens when firms approach AI the wrong way. Sam unpacks how small firms can gain a huge edge—without chasing every shiny new tool. You'll also hear why AI isn't here to replace architects—but it will change who thrives and who gets left behind. In this episode, you'll discover: The most dangerous question firms ask when starting their AI journey How one engineer cloned herself—and why your next hire might not be human The quiet revolution happening inside clients' minds (and how it could change your fee structure forever) To learn more about Sam, visit her website: https://yegatech.com/

To commemorate Women's History Month, in this episode of I Hear Design, host Robert Nieminen speaks with Studio RYS principals Lisa Haude and Bhavini Hardev about what women's leadership looks like in today's AEC industry—and what still needs to change. Lisa and Bhavini discuss progress worth celebrating, including more women stepping into leadership and reshaping collaboration, while also naming persistent gaps: credibility and visibility challenges, mentorship access, toxic “always-on” expectations, and the stark reality of pay inequity. The conversation explores what “principal-level leadership” means beyond hierarchy, such as showing up with empathy, building psychological safety, mentoring with intention, and learning through real project context. The guests also share how their complementary backgrounds in interior design and architecture help break down discipline silos, and how Studio RYS's recent rebrand reflects an evolution toward a fully integrated practice rooted in storytelling through design. The episode closes with practical advice for emerging and mid-career women aiming for leadership roles in the next phase of their careers.

If contractors get 50% more efficient with AI, who captures the margin improvement?In this episode of KP Unpacked, KP Reddy and Nick tackle a question that went viral in construction circles: with all these AI companies raising capital to serve contractors, will owners and developers actually see lower costs? Or will GCs pocket the efficiency gains and maintain pricing power? The conversation spirals into economic theory, prisoner's dilemma dynamics, and why the WebMD playbook might predict construction's AI future.But the deeper thread is about what happens when an entire conservative industry, one built on stability, 401Ks, and predictable careers, gets blindsided by deflationary technology moving too fast to adapt. KP shares observations from an M&A conference where 200 AEC executives think AI is "ChatGPT helping me pack for trips," while tracking former firm owners coming off PE non-competes who could launch AI-native competitors overnight. Nick introduces a viral economic report painting a bleak 2028 scenario where AI delivers on all its promises but unemployment hits 10.2% and the S&P drops 40%.Key topics covered:Why construction AI companies target contractors, not owners, and who captures the ROI when margins improveThe prisoner's dilemma: will a mid-market GC defect and pass savings to clients to win volume?How one multifamily GC is guaranteeing outcomes by controlling supply chains and offering territory exclusivityThe WebMD precedent: doctors used it first, then consumers took control, will owners do the same with AI?Why 200 M&A conference executives had no idea what's happening in AI beyond trip-planning with ChatGPTThe 2028 economic doomsday scenario: AI succeeds, unemployment hits 10.2%, S&P drops 40%, software companies collapseWhy the rate of AI advancement is too fast for human adaptation, six Claude updates since January 12thHow KP is tracking former AEC firm owners coming off PE non-competes using Claude Cowork 24/7Why IT departments are the biggest barrier to AI adoption in conservative firmsThe "Friday AI Day" thesis: carve out four hours every Friday to tinker instead of leaving earlyWhy KP's 70-year-old brother-in-law (retired physician) wants to learn coding to pre-screen insurance denialsThe opposite of Y Combinator: an incubator in Costa Rica for retired people who want to build AI startupsThought experiment: 60-year-old contractor with hand tools vs. 35-year-old with power tools at identical pricingWhy experience + AI tools is the winning combination and what it means for next-generation knowledge workersThe impossible prediction: what jobs will exist for kids born in 2020?If you're a contractor wondering whether to pass AI savings to clients, an owner trying to figure out when pricing pressure arrives, or a knowledge worker in a conservative industry watching the future unfold too fast, this episode will challenge every assumption about who wins when technology moves faster than adaptation cycles allow.Listen now.BuildingWorks & Brookwood Sponsors

Join us as we breakdown the disqualifications of several winter Olympians at the 2026 games, due to PFAS. We'll talk about where the PFAS came from, the rules around it, and the testing conducted to determine its source. You can find links to the articles discussed on HRP's PFAS Pulse. Listen to learn more and subscribe to The Pulse for all the details.

This episode is an Ask Me Anything with Rachel Charlton of Sticky Communications, and the questions go straight to the stuff AEC marketers deal with in real rooms.   We talk about what buy-in actually is, why it rarely shows up "as a stage" in the pursuit process, and how marketers build credibility with technical teams before the fire drill starts. From interview prep and slide strategy to role clarity and change management, we break down what it looks like to lead with the client's perspective, build a coalition inside the firm, and move ideas forward without turning every meeting into a fight.   You'll hear practical guidance for marketers working in both consultant and in-house roles, plus the mindset shifts that help you stay steady under pressure, create momentum, and increase influence long before the room fills up.   In this episode, we cover:   Why buy-in is a cultural condition, not a pursuit phase How to build a coalition (and why champions matter) The difference between being a producer and being a partner What to do when your message isn't landing in the room Interview prep realities: storytelling first, slides second Role clarity, decision rights, and why chaos shows up Why "voice of the client" is the most powerful seat in the room Three takeaways: influence, environment, and clarity     Guest: Rachel Charlton, Founder, Sticky Communications

“We keep iterating on an old construct—let's stop and start over. How do we want to do things differently? Let's get back to first principles.”KP ReddyEpisode Summary:In this special ElevateAEC 2025 edition of The Zweig Letter Podcast, we're sharing KP Reddy's keynote from the main stage—a straight-talk session about where innovation in AEC is actually heading. Drawing from real conversations with major owners, hands-on research, and his own experience as an engineer and investor, KP breaks down why the industry's current approach to innovation isn't cutting it—and what needs to change.He tackles the questions that matter: What do owners actually want? How can AI and agentic systems make a real difference? And what would a new master builder mindset look like today? This keynote delivers practical insights and honest challenges for AEC leaders ready to rethink how they approach business, technology, and client value.Key Takeaways:Owners Want Real Innovation, Not Lip Service: True innovation means solving problems in significantly better ways—not just adopting new technology for technology's sake. Owners are craving AEC partners who listen and deliver true value.Communication Gaps Hurt Everyone: Clients frequently feel like outsiders in the process, with their feedback often ignored. Successful firms will prioritize transparency, owner-centric approaches, and collaborative requirement gathering.Tech Is a Tool—Not the Solution: Despite years of BIM and other advancements, core challenges with cost, schedule, and quality persist. The next leap forward will come from integrating AI, agentic design, and robotics as part of service delivery—and from business models, not software alone.Business Model Reinvention Is Essential: Shifting away from headcount-driven metrics, AEC firms should explore skin-in-the-game approaches—like bonuses for outcomes, equity stakes, and public-private partnerships.Client and Product Manufacturers Must Both Change: Building-product innovators report frustration as AEC professionals and owners often resist new solutions. KP encourages the industry to break the cycle of “the way we've always done it” and fully explore prefabrication, modularity, and automation.All this and more on this episode of the Zweig Letter podcast.KP Reddy is the founder and CEO of Shadow Ventures and a recognized voice on innovation in architecture, engineering, and construction. With expertise spanning AI, robotics, and automation—plus his role as a lecturer at Georgia Tech—KP brings practical strategies that push the AEC industry forward.Links referenced in this episode:Shadow VenturesKP Reddy on LinkedIn"Creating the Intangible Enterprise" by KP ReddyZweig Group & ElevateAEC ConferenceLearn about the Zweig Letter and subscribe: https://thezweigletter.com/Connect with Randy Wilburn on LinkedInGet your FREE Subscription to the Zweig Letter Newsletter.Stay tuned for more enlightening content from the Zweig Letter podcast, and make sure to subscribe for regular updates!Other episodes you'll enjoy:Architecture with Heart - Carley ChastainFrom Specs to Stories with Cherise LakesideBridging Design and Construction with Dan CristAI Transforming AEC with KP ReddyConnect with Zweig Group:Instagram: Zweig GroupFacebook: Zweig GroupTwitter: Zweig GroupLinkedIn: Zweig GroupWebsite: Zweig Group

For this hilarious episode of The Short(er) List, we let AI take the driver's seat. We had it write the script, so we figured—why stop there? Here is the episode summary, pasted straight from the robot:Here you go — a fun, friendly, slightly irreverent two‑paragraph summary that captures the vibe of the episode and makes people want to listen:In this delightfully chaotic episode of The Short(er) List, host Becky Ellison, along with Producer/Guest, Kyle Davis, fully surrender to the robot overlords … at least for seven minutes. We handed the mic (and the script) to AI and agreed to perform whatever it wrote for us—jokes, segues, propaganda‑level coffee endorsements and all. Along the way, we break down the pros and cons of AI in AEC marketing, riff on the weird accuracy of the script (how did it know Becky's job title?), and loudly reaffirm that robots may be speedy, but they are NOT funny. Yet. Together, we explore the promise, pitfalls, and pure absurdity of AI‑generated content while trying very hard not to become AI slop ourselves.But it's not all chaos and robot teasing—we actually cover some helpful stuff too. We dig into how AI can speed up repetitive marketing tasks, brainstorm ideas, and save coordinators' sanity. We keep it real, we keep it human, and we may panic a little about how good AI is getting. If you've ever wondered whether AI is a friend, a frenemy, or just that coworker you politely nod at from across the room, this episode is your snack‑sized deep dive. Tune in, laugh with us, and decide for yourself whether the future of AI is brilliant, terrifying, or both.

In this episode of the CADDle Call Podcast, Eric DeLeon, President of AUGI, shares what's new for 2026 - including updates to the AUGI community, AUGIWORLD magazine, the podcast, and AUGI CON.If you're in the AEC industry this is your inside look at where the industry's leading user community is headed next.

Do you know the biggest mistake AEC firm owners make?

What does it really take to get a major urban infrastructure project funded, approved, and built?Jack Cebe, President & CEO of The Stitch at the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, shares how his team is working to transform three-quarters of a mile of interstate highway into a 17-acre urban park with the potential to generate $9 billion in economic value. The Stitch is designed to reconnect downtown Atlanta, unlock development opportunities, and create a new community asset above the Connector.With a background in landscape architecture and civil engineering, Jack breaks down how infrastructure capping projects come together, from funding strategies and approvals to design, engineering coordination, and project delivery. He also shares practical guidance for AEC professionals on building authentic networks and developing the communication and project management skills needed to lead complex, multi-stakeholder urban initiatives. Topics discussed in this episode:Infrastructure projectsAtlanta Downtown Improvement DistrictPark developmentLandscape architectureGrant fundingProfessional NetworkingConnect with Jack Cebe, President & CEO of The Stitch:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackcebe/https://thestitchatl.com/Connect with Katie:  https://smartegies.com/ Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:We hope you're finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals.  Your feedback is important to us and we'd love to hear from you. Here's how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!  And if you haven't done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

Ready to catapult into the future? Join us as we navigate the enthralling realm of Extended Reality (XR) and Metaverse Tech with our esteemed guest, Vishal Shah, GM of XR and Metaverse at Lenovo. We're peeling back the layers of this cutting-edge technology, tracing its roots back to the simple but seismic shift of transition to color TV up to the riveting development of 3D movie experiences. We explore how the convergence of digital transformation, 3D technology, 5G, and AI is brewing a perfect storm for the surge of AR VR tech and the metaverse. Plus, we delve into how Lenovo is making it less complex for customers to harness these technologies.Switching gears, we take a deep dive into the profound impact of technologies such as workstations, 3D tech, and AR/VR glasses on the architecture and engineering sectors. It's not just about crafting impressive 3D models; these innovations are revolutionizing worker productivity, safety, and even transforming marketing and sales strategies. We also shed light on the concept of digital twins and how companies are leveraging them to optimize operations. In the final segment, we grapple with the complex issue of consumer versus enterprise AR VR technology. Vishal shares his insights on how to make these applications more engaging, and how a device-as-a-service strategy can mitigate initial investment risks while offering an upgrade program for the latest technology. We wrap up by considering the potential role of technology in connecting us with loved ones and its contribution to mental health. Come along and glimpse the future through a fresh lens with us!Contact the Future Construct Podcast Produced by BIM Designs, Inc! BIM Designs, Inc.: minority-owned, US-based, union-signatory preconstruction technology firm, offering turnkey BIM modeling, laser scanning, coordination management, and other VDC solutions to the AEC industry. Schedule a free consultation: sales@bimdesigns.net. Subscribe to our weekly blog and our Future Construct Podcast Suggest a podcast guest

What does it take to run a successful business? In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons and Melissa Richey unpack one of their most-referenced books: Traction by Gino Wickman.They explore how the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) provides a practical framework for clarity, accountability, and growth, specifically for AEC leaders and small to mid-sized firms.In this episode, we dive into the six key components of the system—Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction—alongside essential tools like the VTO, Rocks, the Accountability Chart, and Level 10 Meetings. We also explore the specific marketing impact of this framework, discussing how EOS helps teams shift from reactive task management to proactive, quarterly priorities.Whether you fully adopt the system or just borrow a few tools, this conversation offers tangible ways to align your team and gain real momentum.CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 6

You can find more information about Derek Webb, PharmD, and Dennis Williams, PharmD, BCPS, AEC, below:Derek Webb on LinkedInDennis Williams on LinkedInDennis Williams Faculty Page - UNC Eshelman School of PharmacyThis content was independently developed by Pharmacy Times. While we acknowledge the support of our sponsor, all editorial decisions and opinions remain solely those of Pharmacy Times. Any reference to brands is for informational purposes only and not an endorsement.

“I hope you continue to be extremely intentional in choosing to be exactly where your feet are every moment that you are.”Lynn WongEpisode Summary:In this keynote episode from Zweig Group's ElevateAEC2025 Conference, Lynn Wong delivers a powerful talk on what it takes to thrive—both personally and collectively—in the architecture, engineering, and construction world. Drawing from her global leadership experience and some transformative moments along the way, Lynn explores where well-being, conscious leadership, and innovation meet.She opens up about her own story: climbing the ladder across three continents, hitting burnout hard, then finding her way back through slowing down and living with intention. Lynn connects the dots between wellness science and team dynamics, the importance of unlearning old patterns, and how to navigate the disruptions reshaping the AEC industry. Her message is clear: make conscious choices, take care of yourself, and build resilience—in your own life and across the profession.Key Takeaways:Intentional Leadership: Being fully present, knowing oneself deeply, and making conscious choices are foundational to thriving as a leader—especially amid rapid industry change.Slowing Down to Speed Up: Sustainable progress in AEC comes not from relentless pace but from mindful “slowing down”—pausing for clarity, reflection, and purposeful action.Personal Well-Being Fuels Teams: Core habits like breathing deeply, moving joyfully, mindful eating, and sleeping gratefully are essential for personal health, which in turn impacts collective performance and creativity.Embrace Unlearning for Innovation: Growth and transformation in organizations and individuals require an openness to “unlearning” old habits and perspectives and a willingness to navigate discomfort.Celebrate Team Strengths: Success in the AEC industry is rooted in collaboration, recognizing individual and team strengths, and honoring human potential in every project.All this and more on this episode of the Zweig Letter podcast.Links referenced in this episode:Connect with Lynn Wong on LinkedInLearn about the Zweig Letter and subscribe: https://thezweigletter.com/Connect with Randy Wilburn on LinkedInGet your FREE Subscription to the Zweig Letter Newsletter.Stay tuned for more

When the world feels heavy, polished stories stop working. The ones that land are the honest ones — the ones that start with trouble.   In this episode of The PSM Show, hosts Damion Morris and Deirdre Booth sit down with writer and strategist Joel Hoekstra for a "pull up a chair" conversation about why the best AEC stories don't begin with brilliance or technical expertise — they begin with friction, uncertainty, and what wasn't working. Joel shares how he helps marketers draw human-centered narratives out of highly technical subject matter experts, why empathy consistently beats perfection, and how the stories a firm tells (or avoids) reveal its values, culture, and client experience.   You'll hear practical ways to get past "it's just what we do," including a simple interviewing move that unlocks better detail, better clarity, and better trust: "Tell me more." Joel also breaks down why headlines matter more than most firms think, how scannable structure (subheads, bullets, formatting) increases impact, and how to build reusable story "toolkits" that support proposals without relying on boilerplate.   Plus, Joel introduces his START Story Formula — a clear framework marketers can use to shape case studies, Q&A prep, and project profiles: Situation → Trouble → Action → Result → Transformation Because the ribbon-cutting is a result — but what changes six months later is the transformation people actually remember.   Guest bio: Joel Hoekstra Joel is a Minnesota-based content-marketing strategist and writer who helps design firms tell client-centric stories that win work. He has held marketing-communications roles at several architecture firms in Minneapolis and has written extensively about design and architecture for such publications as Metropolis, This Old House, RIBA Journal, ARCHITECT, BUILDER, and American Craft. Learn more about Joel and sign up for his monthly newsletter at joelhoekstra.net. Follow him on Linked in at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelchoekstra/

You can find more information about Derek Webb, PharmD, and Dennis Williams, PharmD, BCPS, AEC, below:Derek Webb on LinkedInDennis Williams Faculty Page - UNC Eshelman School of PharmacyThis content was independently developed by Pharmacy Times. While we acknowledge the support of our sponsor, all editorial decisions and opinions remain solely those of Pharmacy Times. Any reference to brands is for informational purposes only and not an endorsement.

In this delightfully chaotic, laugh-filled bonus episode of The Short(er) List, we dive deeper into a hot topic in proposal document creation: InDesign Books. Designers Becky Ellison and Lauren Jane Peterson unpack when and why to use them, share tips to keep you sane, confess the joys and terrors of page numbering, and honor the sacred role of the all‑powerful ‘Keeper of the Book'. They also share real‑world war stories from huge AEC proposals, swap workflow hacks, and do their best to make sense of managing multiple people editing multiple files.And because this is The Short(er) List, expect tangents including reading recommendations, animals, Lauren Jane's incredible hair, and whether InDesign files have souls. (JK… kind of). It's nerdy, it's fun, and there's something for everyone, whether you're trying to stay up on InDesign best practices or just have a laugh with MO6's graphic designers. And it makes a great companion to Episode 76: InDesign Rumble (Part 2)!

Powerful PivotsToday's episode is one of my favorite formats—because we're hosting a roundtable conversation with powerful voices who've each taken their message and turned it into impact in their own unique way.Our Panelists:Bryce Batts — Co-CEO of Career Collective, AEC talent strategist, and host of the Wine After Work podcast and best selling Author of the Career Architect. With nearly two decades of experience placing and advising thousands of professionals, she now works directly with architecture, engineering, and construction firms design smarter hiring and retention systems so they can scale without burning out their teams or leaders.www.BryceBatts.co, www.MyCareerCollective.comMichelle Passoff is the author of LIGHTEN UP! Free Yourself From Clutter -- a book about how cleaning 'conventional clutter' like papers,, clothes and other stuff is a little known and underused life management tool to get obstructions out of the way or reaching your dreams and desires. Now she is addressing 'next level' clutter in her latest book for Baby Boomers called "Decluttering 55+: Wisdoms to create a legacy, not a mess." www.Decluttering55plus.comDr. Drina Fried - She has almost 3 decades in a private practice in educational psychology and marriage, family, child counseling. In 2023, at the age of 80, after publishing the 2nd edition of the Amazon Bestseller,, “End Suicide And Homicide, AND The Harm In Between” she became an authority on the prevention of suicide AND homicide, now speaking and as a licensed abundance and resilience coach. www.TheBraveProgram.comYour HostAngel Tuccy helps entrepreneurs and authors turn their stories into ongoing publicity, leads, and business growth through publishing and leveraging podcast interviews. www.MakeYourBigImpact.com

In this episode of The CADDle Call Podcast, Jim and Rocco break down the free construction and AEC technology resources ZenTek Consultants has built to help firms work smarter, not harder.They explore ZenTek's Resource Center, industry blog, software tips & tricks, training events, and extensive YouTube library, all designed to help construction, engineering, and design-build teams improve workflows without adding more software or cost.If you're looking to strengthen CAD management, estimating, project management, or overall construction technology adoption, this episode highlights where to find practical, real-world guidance that supports better decision-making and long-term growth.Perfect for owners, executives, and operations leaders in construction and AEC firms who want clarity, efficiency, and better use of the tools they already have.Check out all the Resources at https://zentekconsultants.net/ and click on "Resource Center".

Buckle up, Geoholics… this one's for the builders, the dreamers, and the tech rebels. This week we sit down with Marc Goldman — part storyteller, part pilot, part GIS evangelist, and 100% believer that location intelligence is the secret sauce behind the future of the built environment. Marc didn't follow the “safe” path. He walked away from architecture and engineering school at 21 to start his first AEC-tech company — betting on himself before “startup culture” was even a thing. Thirty years later, after navigating startups, global orgs, and everything in between, he's still pushing the industry forward… helping architects, engineers, and surveyors finally see how GIS connects all the dots. And trust us… this isn't just a “software talk”...this is mindset stuff. We get into: Taking big risks early and why failure is the best professor The real difference between startups and enterprise culture Bridging the gap between CAD, BIM, and spatial thinking Where GIS actually delivers value (not just buzzwords) Digital twins, reality capture, and what's practical vs hype Leading teams through change without losing your people Inspiring early-career pros to find their lane in AEC tech And what's next… AI, interoperability, and the data-driven future of our industry Marc's passion is contagious — especially when he talks about helping the next generation “take flight” (literally and figuratively). His analogies from flying airplanes to flying careers hit home in true Geoholics fashion. If you've ever wondered how survey, GIS, BIM, and reality capture finally come together into one ecosystem, this episode connects the dots. Big energy. Big perspective. Big future. So whether you're in the field, the office, or cruising at 30,000 feet...hit play and let's map it out. As always — Add value. Make friends. TITS OUT & CHIN UP! Music by Pink Floyd!

Are you ready to celebrate? A well-executed anniversary campaign isn't just about looking back, it's about celebrating your success and reinforcing your relevance in the present. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons, Lauren Jane Peterson, and Grace Takehara dive into how AEC firms can leverage anniversary campaigns with intention and foresight.This episode explores the strategic value of commemorating firm milestones—whether it's 5 or 50 years—and transforming celebrations into high-visibility marketing engines. The MO6 team breaks down the entire process, from early-stage strategy and messaging to best practices for asset creation and thoughtful execution.Whether you're planning the announcement of exciting new leadership or kicking off a centennial celebration, this episode will inspire fresh ways to make your firm's story resonate. Listen in and turn your next milestone into a marketing advantage.CPSM CEU Credits: 0.5 | Domain: 5

Matt Cooper, CEO of BQE, discusses the company's leadership transition and the critical role of customer feedback in driving improvements. He addresses common challenges faced by small to mid-sized AEC firms and how BQE's solutions help manage chaos and streamline processes. The conversation highlights the importance of technology in enhancing efficiency, particularly in invoicing and project management. Matt shares insights on integrating systems, catering to firms of varying sizes, and preparing for AI advancements. He also covers strategies for change management during tech implementation and managing feature requests, with a focus on cybersecurity in cloud software. Matt concludes with advice for the industry and provides his contact information.

Brock Storrusten and Dennis Boone join ACEC's Engineering Influence to explore how AI and large language models are rapidly transforming the AEC industry—and what engineering firms can do right now to adopt these tools responsibly. In this episode, they break down the real-world opportunities AI presents, from streamlining marketing automation to leveraging existing tools for everyday workflows. They also dive into the critical safeguards firms need in place, including data classification, governance frameworks, risk management strategies, and vendor vetting to ensure sensitive information stays protected. Listeners will walk away with clear, actionable guidance on how to get started: develop practical AI usage policies, begin with small-scale pilots using public or enterprise tools, and gradually integrate internal data in a secure, structured way to unlock long-term productivity and innovation across the engineering profession.

In this special crossover episode with Ayo Abbas from the Built Environment Marketing Show, we're diving into the fascinating differences between AEC marketing in the US and UK. From the clichés that hold firms back to the bold moves marketers should embrace, this episode is packed with laughs and actionable advice. Plus, we play a few fun games to decode the quirks of the AEC industry and share some behind-the-scenes stories from our careers. This is Part 1 of the episode where I interview Ayo, and if you want to check out Part 2 where Ayo interviews me on her show, head to The Built Environment Marketing Show. Link to that episode is here: https://www.abbasmarketing.com/marketing-podcast/uk-us-aec-marketing-ai Ayo's Website: https://www.abbasmarketing.com

In this episode of the Engineering Influence podcast, we sit down with Betsy Bond from Prosci to discuss the importance of good change management in the AEC industry. In today's rapidly evolving engineering landscape, even the best technical solutions can fall short if organizations struggle to adopt and sustain change. Leaders need the skills to guide teams through transitions, reduce resistance, and ensure new processes, technologies, and strategies deliver their intended value. ACEC is excited to partner with Prosci to offer their Change Management Certification Program, a world-class, immersive learning experience designed to equip engineering professionals with the tools, expertise, and ongoing support needed to lead successful organizational change. Learn More & Register Now: https://www.acec.org/education-events/education/online-education/prosci-change-management-certification/

Danica Mason is an ENR Northwest 2024 Top Young Professional and Principal of Red Team Go. She has over 19 years leading A/E/C clients in winning proposals, DBE/inclusion strategies, and civil rights management for 15B dollar plus projects. Top 3 Value Bombs 1. Scaling as a woman -or BIPOC- owned AEC firm is hard but specializing and delivering exceptional work creates real paths to the top. 2. True equity isn't a box to check, it shows up when small and diverse firms gain cash flow, capacity, and repeat work. 3. The fastest-growing firms aren't afraid to outgrow "small business" status, they embrace competing with the big players. Check out Danica's website to learn more about her work in AEC, equity, and major infrastructure projects - Red Team Go Sponsors HighLevel - The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies. Learn more at HighLevelFire.com. Cape - Cape is a privacy-first mobile carrier, built from the ground up with security as the priority. Visit Cape.co/fire to sign up today.

How can technology, innovation, and sustainable practices transform the architecture, engineering, and construction industry?On this episode of Practice Disrupted, I chat with Dave Lemont, the past CEO of Revit and the Executive Chairman of Acelab with over 30 years of experience in high-tech startup companies. In our conversation, Dave shares his invaluable insights on scaling software companies, revolutionizing the architecture industry, and the massive potential in the future of digital tools.First, Dave discusses how his passion for photography and architecture influenced his career path. He also highlights how his entrepreneurial mindset and desire to innovate the industry immensely helped him grow and lead his companies. Dave's expertise lies in identifying product-market fit and creating solutions that address broader market needs rather than niche segments.As the executive chairman of Acelab, Dave is dedicated to revolutionizing material management in the AEC space, allowing architects to access sustainable building materials efficiently. He touches on the potential of these digital tools in architecture and explains why architects need to be engaged in the evolution of AI.Architecture is an opportunity to do something for people in the world. Not all the software that I've managed or sold in my life had that potential impact. How this room feels affects me all day. Where you go to school, the efficiency of that building, and how our museums look or how we feel when we walk in – all of those things affect our lives. It's a privilege to be involved in technology that can make that more efficient. - Dave LemontTo wrap up the episode, Dave shares his recommendations on building your pipeline and adjusting workflow to keep your business afloat amidst the ever-changing and often confusing landscape architects operate within. Dave also shares his perspective on bridging the gap between traditional architectural practices and digital innovation while advising young architects to use a grassroots approach to incorporate new technology into their companies.Tune in next week for an episode about using people analytics to improve employee engagement.Guest:David LemontDavid Lemont is an accomplished business leader, go-to-market strategist, and advisor with over 30 years of experience in high-tech startup companies. David has extensive experience in SaaS business applications with keen expertise in construction tech. Helped five companies to successful exits to high-tech leaders such as Autodesk, Trimble, HP, Oracle, etc.He is best known for his role as CEO of Revit; the predominant way buildings are designed in 3D today. Dave is currently the Executive Chairman of Acelab.

What happens when technical excellence is no longer enough to lead? This week on Wine After Work, Bryce is joined by Kirby Lee, Professional Engineer, third-generation HVAC construction professional, and AEC leadership expert, for a candid conversation about what leadership really requires in today's AEC industry. With more than 23 years of experience spanning consulting engineering, owner's representation, HVAC construction, and equipment sales, Kirby brings a rare, holistic perspective on the pressures facing AEC leaders today. He shares how his engineering background — combined with decades in the field — led him to recognize a critical gap in traditional leadership development programs. In this episode, Bryce and Kirby discuss: Why most leadership training fails AEC professionals The transition from technical expert to people leader How emotional intelligence shows up on real projects What resilient leadership looks like in an evolving AEC workforce Why the industry needs leadership systems designed for AEC, not borrowed from elsewhere Kirby also shares insights from his work with ASHRAE and how service, mentorship, and intentional leadership shape stronger teams and better outcomes. If you're an AEC professional navigating leadership, growth, or transition — this episode will resonate.  

We are starting 2026 with predictions from several of HRP Associates, top thought leaders. We want to know what they predict for 2026! Once we hear what everyone's predictions are, Brooke, Carly, and Ally join together to talk new year resolution ideas in bingo form!  A reminder that our Play Hard segment is also available in video form! Watch that on our YouTube Channel. Make sure you subscribe, give us a review & check us out on social media!YouTubeLinkedInInstagramTwitterFacebookWebsite

Welcome to the very first minisode of The Short(er) List, our new spinoff series where Shortlist favorite Becky Ellison takes all the too‑silly, too‑real, too-extra conversations that don't fit in the regular Shortlist episodes, and serves them up in bite-sized podcast treats. In this introductory minisode, Becky chats with Wendy Simmons, Middle of Six founder and host of The Shortlist (plus our modest but heroic producer Kyle Davis) about everything from TV confessions, to podcast addictions and soothing end of day affirmations. We also manage to reflect on creativity, leadership, trust, and what it means to work with a team full of “weird little pirates” sailing a surprisingly successful ship. If you want to laugh, feel seen, or just hang out with your favorite Middle of Sixers for a few minutes, tune in – you'll feel like you're sitting at the lunch table with the chillest and funnest AEC marketers in the game.

The future of the AEC industry is being shaped long before professionals step onto a jobsite, and it starts in the classroom.Dr. Georg Reichard shares how Georgia Tech's School of Building Construction is reimagining construction education to better align with industry needs. From hands-on, real-world projects to a renewed focus on communication, leadership, and emerging technologies, the program is designed to prepare students who are ready to contribute on day one. The conversation explores how academia and industry can work together to strengthen the talent pipeline, adapt to rapid technological change, and ensure the next generation of construction professionals is equipped for long-term success.As the demand for skilled AEC professionals continues to grow, collaboration between educators and industry leaders has never been more important. This discussion highlights why investing in education today is essential to building a stronger, more innovative built environment tomorrow.Topics discussed in this episode:AEC educationConstruction workforce shortageGeorgia Tech building constructionConstruction leadership developmentIndustry-academia collaborationConstruction technology innovationConnect with Katie:  https://smartegies.com/Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts:We hope you're finding value in our AEC Marketing For Principals.  Your feedback is important to us and we'd love to hear from you. Here's how you can help.  Scroll to the bottom, rate our podcast with five stars, and select “Write a Review.”  Let us know what you found most helpful from this episode!  And if you haven't done so already, give the podcast a follow, and you'll be notified when new episodes come out.

Replay!On today's episode of Architectette we welcome Thuy Fontelera, P.E., S.E., LEED AP. Thuy is the founding principal of woman and minority-owned Element Structural Engineers. Their impressive work spans commercial and residential sectors, but what makes this company unlike any of their competitors is Thuy's commitment to transforming what leadership and workplace culture looks like in the AEC industry.We talk about: - What it feels like to not match the stereotype of a structural engineer and how Thuy has faced and overcome discouragement.- Wellness and workplace culture. Thuy encourages her employees to be open and honest with the team, take mental health days, and utilize wellness perks in the office- we joke that Thuy leads by example when she takes an occasional mid-day nap in Element's wellness room! - Empathy is another important topic we cover. Thuy shares what tools and methods she uses to create a workplace environment where people feel supported and encouraged.- The realities of running a business like dealing with layoffs, nervousness during performance reviews, and having tough conversations. - The hiring process and how adaptability and humility are the most important qualities that Thuy looks for in candidates. - We end with a few book suggestions from Thuy's library!>>>Connect with Architectette:- Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.architectette.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Learn more)- Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @architectette⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (See more)- Newsletter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ www.architectette.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Behind the Scenes Content)- LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Architectette Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Page and/or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Caitlin Brady⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠>>>Support Architectette by leaving us a rating and review!>>>Music by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AlexGrohl⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Being proactive in AEC has always been the goal but until now, it's been hard to achieve at scale. In this episode of Bridging the Gap, host Todd Weyandt is joined by David Spergel of Graitec to explore how AI is reshaping workflows to help project teams anticipate risk, surface intent earlier, and make better decisions across the project lifecycle. The conversation dives into how shared project artifacts, like drawings and PDFs, are evolving into intelligent layers that connect design teams, project managers, and the field. Rather than reacting to issues after they appear, AI-powered workflows help teams reduce ambiguity, improve communication, and move work forward with greater clarity and confidence. This episode offers a hopeful, practical look at how AI supports people, not by replacing expertise, but by enabling more proactive, aligned, and predictable project delivery. You'll Learn: How AI workflows are helping project teams shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive decision-making Why shared project artifacts like drawings and PDFs are evolving into intelligent layers that connect design, construction, and the field How surfacing intent and context earlier reduces coordination gaps, RFIs, and late-stage surprises Ways AI improves communication and collaboration without replacing human expertise or forcing new workflows What proactive, AI-enabled project delivery looks like and why it leads to more predictable outcomes   MEET OUR GUEST David Spergel is an AEC technology leader with deep experience helping design and construction teams improve how they collaborate, communicate, and execute projects using digital tools. His background spans software enablement, workflow optimization, and customer-facing strategy, with a strong focus on how platforms like Bluebeam support real-world project delivery. David brings a practical, people-first perspective to emerging technologies, translating AI and data-driven workflows into clear, adoptable processes that help teams reduce risk, break down silos, and make better decisions across the project lifecycle. TODD TAKES AI isn't a threat. It's a force multiplier for people. In AEC, AI isn't replacing expertise. It's removing the tedious, time-consuming work that pulls teams away from judgment, creativity, and problem-solving. When the noise is reduced, people can focus on decisions that actually move projects forward. The industry's real opportunity is turning shared artifacts into shared understanding. Drawings, markups, and documents already hold enormous intent and context. When that information becomes easier to interpret and act on, teams spend less time searching for answers and more time aligning across design, construction, and the field. Better data leads to better conversations and better outcomes. When information is surfaced proactively instead of reactively, collaboration improves. Fewer misunderstandings, fewer late surprises, and clearer accountability create momentum toward predictability, trust, and stronger project delivery.   Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts. Bridging the Gap Website Bridging the Gap LinkedIn Bridging the Gap Instagram Bridging the Gap YouTube Todd's LinkedIn   Thank you to our sponsors! Graitec North America Graitec North America LinkedIn Autodesk's Website   Other Relevant Links: David Spergel's LinkedIn

“First we shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us.” - Winston Churchill (attributed)The natural world is humanity's original habitat. This habitat supports our physiological energy efficiency and is an important health intervention for the AEC industry. These are core perspectives that Helena van Vliet shares in this joint PHA-Building Science Podcast interview. Helena makes the clear case that we are “open systems” - we take in our environments, both physically and with our perceptions. Whether outdoors or indoors, our physical selves have their own experience of each environment we inhabit. This experience first informs our bodies, which have their own reactions of ease or dis-ease; and next, seemingly at the same time, this experience then informs our minds and our psychological reality comes to life. This interview is yet another beacon guiding us to deeply rethink how we deliver indoor spaces to ourselves. Enjoy the nourishing feast of ideas here!Helena van VlietHelena van Vliet Dipl.-Ing. AIA is an internationally recognized expert in Biophilic Design. She is a registered Architect, Consultant, Researcher, Educator, and Speaker focusing on the direct connections between human and bio-habitat resilience in built environments. In her designs, consulting work and teaching, she integrates insights from her 40 years of practice, as well as data from her ongoing research in evolutionary biology, cognitive neuroscience, biopsychology, and chronobiology. Helenais the Principal at Helena van Vliet LLC, as well as a founding member of BioPhilly. Since 2013, she has served as a Steering Committee Member for the International Biophilic Cities Network.Since 2018, Helena has taught her interdisciplinary seminar “Environments for Well-Being” at Thomas Jefferson University, bringing together design and health science students to explore the building blocks - and underlying science - of spaces that support well-being. She is a frequent lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Widener, the Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany, and the Politecnico di Milano, Italy.Ilka CassidyIlka Cassidy, Dipl.-Ing. Architecture, CPHC, is the co-founder of C2 Architecture and Holzraum System, with a deep passion for Passive House envelope design and building science. She focuses on the benefits of using natural building materials and specializes in offsite construction.With extensive experience in Passive House consulting and energy modeling, Ilka has a strong understanding of energy efficiency strategies. As a co-founder of C2 Architecture, she brought a sustainable design perspective to the firm from its inception. Through Holzraum System, she has worked to merge the precision and scalability of prefabrication with the use of healthy, low-carbon materials, all while optimizing energy efficiency with Passive House principles.Ilka is also committed to expanding knowledge in the industry, serving as co-host of the Passive House Accelerator Podcast and Construction Tech Live events. She is a frequent conference speaker and an active member of Green Building United in Philadelphia. She is a proud mom for her three girls and a visiting educator and McGill University. TeamHosted by Kristof IrwinEdited by Nico MignardiProduced by M. Walker

Jeff Falls from Haley Construction joins the show and shares his personal journey as well as the company's evolution in the AEC industry. He shares insights into Haley's company culture, highlighting hiring challenges and the importance of building the right team. Jeff emphasizes continuous learning and the impact of technology in construction, discussing unique processes and the balance between cost and value. The discussion extends to competing in the construction market, exploring delivery methods, and outlining Haley's future goals. Mentorship and the role of AI in construction are also focal points. Jeff concludes with advice for the industry and provides his contact information.