Bridging the Gap: Insights & Innovations in Construction

What’s the best way to coordinate between different backgrounds and experience levels in the field? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Cliff Cole as they discuss managing your time and effort as a leader, balancing your interests and priorities, staying proactive through change, how credibility and emotional intelligence fit together, and the impact that the younger generation will have on the construction industry. 

As Director of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) at The PENTA Building Group, Cliff leads all building information modeling implementation and management. Cliff has over 17 years of experience in the construction industry and is an innovative technology industry leader. Cliff is responsible for monitoring the coordination and execution of all projects that incorporate VDC processes. In addition to his role as Director of VDC, he is responsible for strategic technology initiatives for the operations and preconstruction groups. Cliff also leads PENTA's corporate lean group and is passionate about reducing and eliminate waste in our industry.

Are you setting your company up for an innovation superpower? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Tauhira Ali as they talk about how everyone’s looking for a way to get connected, the impact diversity and inclusion has on construction innovation, how to live up to our values, and how to approach perceived differences in one another with kindness. 

Tauhira Ali is a highly skilled technology strategist with more than 16 years of R&D and product design experience. As NECA’s Executive Director of Industry Innovation, she gathers insights from end users, industry experts, and tech providers to deliver awareness, education, and implementation strategies to specialty contractors. These efforts serve to empower contractors to strategically leverage technical innovations and industry trends to drive process and productivity to increase market share.

What’s on your construction “bucket list”? Is there anything in the industry you’d like to see changed? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Hugh Seaton as they discuss the ups and downs of the creative process, getting people more comfortable with technology, Hugh’s book “The Construction Technology Handbook,” the growth of artificial intelligence, and how to prepare for where we’re headed. 

Hugh Seaton is the Head of Product for Crosswalk by CSI, where he leads development of an API connecting MasterFormat, Uniformat and Omniclass to the industry's premiere construction software. Prior to this, Hugh was the GM at Adept Reality, a VR/AR company. Hugh has been involved in construction technology for over a decade, including the AEC hackathon, and he is currently publishing the Construction Technology Quarterly, hosting bi-weekly Clubhouse rooms, and recording his own podcast, Constructed Futures.

In recent times, how has preconstruction changed? Precon is being put center stage as bids are increasing and more projects are coming back online. Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Zac Hays as they discuss the exciting new Autodesk Takeoff, the undergoing journey from 2D to 3D, the biggest hurdles facing preconstruction this year, and the effects that the pandemic will have on the construction industry as a whole. 

Zac Hays is the Director of Research & Development of Preconstruction Products for Autodesk Construction Solutions. Zac leads product design and development for Autodesk’s construction bidding, risk, & intelligence products. As a member of the Construction Solutions R&D Board, he also helps with the strategy and development of the entire Autodesk Construction Cloud portfolio. Zac came to Autodesk through the 2019 acquisition of BuildingConnected, where he spent four years as VP of Product. Zac has over 15 years of experience in product development at startups and large tech companies including Microsoft, Nokia, and TiVo. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from UC San Diego and gets to enjoy living and working in San Francisco with his wife and two young daughters.

Bridging the Gap Website

Bridging the Gap LinkedIn

Bridging the Gap Instagram

Todd’s LinkedIn

Thank you to our sponsors!

Applied Software

Applied Software LinkedIn

Other Relevant Links:

Zac Hays’ Linkedin

Autodesk Website

What role does trust play in the everyday success of construction? Can you really measure the ROI and improve productivity with an intentional focus on trust? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Eric Thomas of Autodesk as they talk about the state and definition of trust in construction, how to face interpersonal challenges in the industry, creating a space where ideas can flourish, taking the stigma out of failing, and maintaining good work relationships. 

Eric Thomas is a Manager of Construction Thought Leadership at Autodesk and host of the Digital Builder podcast. In addition to developing Autodesk’s content strategy for construction, he is passionate about helping the AEC industry make impactful decisions when leveraging construction technology. Prior to joining Autodesk, he worked for Gilbane Building Co. and Truebeck Construction. Eric has nearly a decade of marketing experience and a bachelor’s degree in Scientific and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University.

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Bridging the Gap Website

Bridging the Gap LinkedIn

Bridging the Gap Instagram

Todd’s LinkedIn

Thank you to our sponsors!

Applied Software

Applied Software LinkedIn

Other Relevant Links:

Eric Thomas’s Linkedin

The Digital Builder Podcast

Autodesk Website

Are you telling your story or allowing others to fill in the gap with potentially inaccurate information? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Mike Merrill as they continue with the second part of their conversation and how to overcome the marketing problem in construction. Todd and Mike get into some ways to better share the innovations happening and some ways to get the message out. Make sure to listen to the first part of the conversation from the Mobile Workforce Podcast. 

With 10 years as a construction and real estate entrepreneur and 18 years as a technology executive, Mike Merrill, co-founder of WorkMax by AboutTime Technologies, brings strong leadership and expert knowledge. In addition, he’s the host of The Mobile Workforce Podcast where gathers industry experts to inspire change and finds out what it takes to profitability manage mobile workforces. With Mike’s depth of knowledge of the construction industry and mobile workforce technology, he’s a highly sought after author by leading industry trade publications and speaker at industry conferences. When he isn’t working, Mike is an athletic outdoorsman and is spending time with his wife and four kids.

What are the foundational building blocks of success with digital transformation? How do you know you’re moving in the right direction? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Jason Saunders as they discuss the different ways the MEP industry is handling operational efficiency, how to achieve long-term success, what it means to really leverage your data, and how to properly communicate your vision from the office to the field. 

Jason Saunders is a Solutions Engineer at eSub Construction Software. He grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland Ohio and went to college at Purdue University. After graduating from Purdue, Jason took a position managing a territory for a building materials manufacturer in the roofing industry. Working with contractors, distributors, architects, and owners, he gained pre-con and construction experience. After extensive work with hundreds of trade contractors, Jason decided to leave his current position to pursue starting his own trade contracting business.

How relevant is your company moving into the next decade of construction? Are you prepared to make the innovations necessary to thrive? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Jim Tavernelli as they discuss the industry-wide adoption of industrialized construction, challenging your team to innovate, utilizing consistency to see what your company is capable of, creating an open and trusting work environment, sharing best practices, and much more. 

Jim Tavernelli serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of KLH Engineers, a traditional MEP Engineering Consulting Firm in the AEC Industry. KLH has transformed into a distinctively different engineering firm that leverages technology and software to provide more tangible value to the true consumer of its services – contractors. Jim has led KLH’s reinvention into an innovation-centric practice by executing its “technical strategy” which has fundamentally changed the way KLH views and completes its work. Jim graduated with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton and is a registered Professional Engineer in 17 states. He also holds a Master in Business Administration from Xavier University.

Are you ensuring the wisdom of the field in your technology? How can you know? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Troy DeGroot as they talk about the need for consistent workflow standards across teams, foundational building blocks for technology adoption, how it’s possible to increase both efficiency and accuracy, and utilizing Bluebeam as a genuine game-changer. 

What is your instinctive reaction to technology? How does that impact your work in construction? Join host Todd Weyandt and guest Peyton Kringlie as they discuss a recent article Peyton wrote around the different approaches to technology in construction, encouraging those who need a confidence boost in technology, staying humble while you’re trying out something new, and what innovation looks like real-time. 

Peyton Kringlie, Business Analyst from LS Black Constructors has experience in several domains. Peyton grew up in a family owned, Construction/Building Material Supply company located in the Dakotas. He then received degrees in Business and Construction Management from the University of Minnesota. After pursuing traditional Project Engineer route, he then transitioned to Business Analyst, where he leads his company, LS Black, in all its efforts with Technology and Innovation. He recently wrote an article, highlighting the difficulties of technology adoption, specifically in the Construction Industry, but provides takeaway insight from Psychology research to help.