Today Brad speaks with the team at AFT Construction, including Senior Construction Manager Adam Cade, Project Managers Spencer Nield and Paul Lundgren, and Superintendent Andrew Clark.

The team share their individual experiences so far in their careers at AFT, from their specific roles, to their approach to solving project or client-related challenges, to their biggest lessons learned, to company culture best practices.

Topics Discussed:

• 03:34 What makes a project successful?
• 07:41 What sets apart a good architect from others?
• 11:56 How Andrew deals with difficult clients
• 16:07 What makes a good superintendent?
• 19:25 What makes a valuable trade partner?
• 21:46 How Spencer and Paul manage their schedule, especially with multiple projects
• 24:03 How often should a superintendent communicate with their client?
• 27:17 Adam’s typical schedule as a Senior Construction Manager
• 29:57 The process a project goes through, from coordination to completion
• 31:41 What Spencer and Paul learned from Adam and Brad during their time at AFT
• 36:26 The biggest lesson Andrew learned at AFT
• 41:25 The biggest lesson Adam learned at AFT
• 46:46 The biggest lesson Paul learned at AFT
• 48:19 Andrew’s role at AFT and how that role expanded
• 52:36 How Adam’s mindset evolved over time at AFT
• 54:35 Skillsets that Spencer brought to AFT
• 56:36 One thing Paul didn’t know about Brad that still surprises him
• 58:33 What Andrew pushes himself to do better at
• 59:50 What Adam looks at when hiring someone
• 1:01:04 Advice Spencer would give to someone who wants to work at AFT
• 1:02:22 Paul on the culture of AFT and his advice to someone who want to be part of it
• 1:02:54 How AFT forced Andrew to change his views on prioritizing and organization
• 1:04:56 What got Spencer into the trades?
• 1:07:28 Who inspires Paul on IG?
• 1:08:08 What Andrew has tried to emulate from Brad or others at AFT
• 1:09:17 How Adam trains others to understand and implement what he’s communicating
• 1:10:39 How a company can better handle change orders
• 1:12:20 What makes for great company culture?
• 1:12:54 What helped Andrew get to where he is today at AFT?
• 1:15:23 What systems and tools should be in place as AFT continues to scale
• 1:16:20 How involved Paul is when communicating with a client throughout a project
• 1:17:07 How many projects should each superintendent and manager get at a time?
• 1:17:31 What the team is excited about going into 2021
• 1:20:55 Two features that any custom home should have
• 1:21:38 Who’s the best golfer?

Connect with Brad Leavitt: 

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Houzz
• Pinterest
• YouTube

Resources & People Mentioned: 

• Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Showroom
• Bluebeam
• Buildertrend
• ECS Homes Instagram 
• Matt Risinger of Risinger Build Instagram 
• Builders of Insta 
• John Merrit 

Key Quotes:

• A successful project starts with communication.
• Be tenacious. Things just don’t come easy by mistake.
• The number one thing we look at when we’re hiring is personality, and number two is work ethic.
• Come to AFT knowing that you’re going to learn something, and have that desire to learn.
• A lot of confidence emanates from knowledge.