What does it take to go from selling modular homes online to building your own state-approved components from the ground up?

In this episode of Builder Buzz by Home Nation, host Quinton Comino sits down with Albert Bou Fadel, the CEO of SmartBarrel, who helps run the family-owned business and is spearheading its next phase of growth. From navigating regulations to launching a podcast series, Albert shares how Home Nation is evolving beyond dealership into full-scale modular construction—and what it means to stay grounded in a family-run operation while scaling up.

Albert also unpacks how content marketing and digital tools are reshaping customer engagement in housing, plus why his team believes podcasting is more than just a trend—it’s a direct line to trust, visibility, and long-term brand equity.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why Home Nation is betting on in-house modular components and what’s holding them back
• How Albert is turning podcasts into SEO gold and customer connection tools
• The balance of legacy and innovation in a multi-sibling family business
• What COVID taught the team about supply chains, tariffs, and adaptability
• Why building relationships with manufacturers across the U.S. is core to scaling smart

Connect with Albert and SmartBarrel:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/albert-boufadel
• Website: https://smartbarrel.io/demo/

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you liked this episode, share it with someone in homebuilding, real estate, or modular housing—and don’t forget to leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

What happens when you go bankrupt, rebuild from scratch, and turn your biggest failure into your greatest strength?

In this episode of Builder Buzz by Home Nation, host Quinton Comino sits down with seasoned entrepreneur Scott Berman to talk about the real cost of mistakes, the power of resilience, and what it means to build something that lasts. Scott opens up about filing for bankruptcy, mentoring struggling contractors, and the invaluable lessons he learned working for and with his father.

Quinton also shares how his team is using tech to bring e-commerce to the mobile home industry, selling over 300 homes last year and proving that even legacy industries can be disrupted with the right mindset.

What You'll Learn:

• Why Scott says bankruptcy was the best thing that ever happened to him
• The hard truths about family businesses—and why he wouldn’t trade it for anything
• How mentorship can rescue smart business owners from their own blind spots
• The challenge of shipping homes like t-shirts—and what it takes to make it work
• How humility, honesty, and hustle lay the foundation for long-term success

Connect with Scott at Florida Window and Door 

Website: floridawindowanddoor.com 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scott-berman-aa129052

Servicing in Different areas: https://www.floridawindowanddoor.com/contact/

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

What does it take to build trust and innovation in Miami’s luxury real estate market? In this episode, we dive into how MIK Architecture is transforming high-end residential development by combining cultural connection, quality craftsmanship, and tech-driven investor access.

Matthias, founder of MIK Architecture, shares how his firm grew by focusing exclusively on new luxury construction and building deep relationships with South American investors. He also unveils MIK’s new platform that lowers investment minimums and makes luxury real estate more accessible.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why MIK focuses only on new construction, avoiding flips
• How cultural ties build trust with Latin American investors
• The tech platform democratizing luxury real estate investing
• How MIK’s team culture drives quality and growth
• Market trends shaping Miami’s luxury residential scene

Connect with Matias:

Matias Daroch Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/matiasdaroch

MIK Architecture: https://mikarchitecture.com/

Service Area: Miami, FL

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

Can we build homes that are affordable, off-grid, and immune to hurricanes—all in under a week?

In this episode of Builder Buzz by Home Nation, host Quinton Comino interviews David Pressler, founder of SafeDomes.com, to explore the potential of Quonset huts—a WWII-era design making a comeback in disaster-prone regions. David shares why Quonset-style homes could be the solution to housing affordability, off-grid living, and natural disaster resilience, and why most builders don’t want you to know they exist.

What You'll Learn:

• What Quonset huts are and how they’ve never failed in a wind or flood event
• Why these steel-panel structures are ideal for hurricane, tornado, and fire zones
• How insulating the outside of a home can slash energy use by 70%
• Why big builders resist adopting faster, cheaper building methods
• The challenges and future of safe, affordable, and insurable housing

Connect with David & SafeDomes:

Website: safedomes.com

Based in Cocoa, Florida – now launching tornado-proof additions for mobile homes

LinkedIn: David Pressler

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

96% of contractors go out of business within 10 years — but it doesn’t have to be that way.

In this episode of Builder Buzz by Home Nation, we talk with Brad Huebner, founder of Hammer & Grind and a former remodeler turned full-time coach, about what’s really holding most tradespeople back from building sustainable, profitable businesses. (Hint: it’s not just pricing.)

Brad shares his journey from the Marine Corps to construction management to coaching contractors full time—and the hard lessons learned along the way.

What You'll Learn:

• The #1 reason most contractors fail (and how to fix it)
• Why niching down is the most profitable move a contractor can make
• The sales skills every builder needs—even if they hate “selling”
• What mindset shifts unlock pricing power and better clients
• Brad’s strategy for saving contractors 10–15 hours a week (and their sanity)

Connect with Brad & Hammer & Grind:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradhuebner/

Website: hammerandgrind.com

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

How do you grow a masonry business with zero experience—then turn it into a leadership engine that changes lives?

In this episode of Builder Buzz by Home Nation, host Quinton Comino talks with Jeremiah Campbell, the founder of Brickworks, about how a second chance in life turned into a multi-million dollar business. From rebuilding chimneys to rebuilding people, Jeremiah shares how curiosity, mentorship, and vision helped him scale his Detroit-based company to 60+ employees and thousands of jobs across residential and commercial restoration.

What You'll Learn:

• How Jeremiah started Brickworks with no formal training or capital
• The philosophies that shaped his leadership style and company culture
• Why Brickworks focuses solely on masonry and waterproofing—and how that’s helped them thrive
• The truth about scaling trades teams without losing quality
• What The Conscious Contractor podcast is doing differently for blue-collar leaders

Connect with Jeremiah & Brickworks:

Website: https://www.brickworksmi.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiahcampbellmi/

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

What happens when you buy a flooring company weeks before a global shutdown—then face a warehouse fire, a lawsuit, and a pandemic-driven boom?

In this episode of Builder Buzz by Home Nation, host Quinton Comino talks with Jeremy Johnston, owner of Creative Flooring Ohio and Nice Carpet One, about how he stepped into the trades with no experience, overcame major setbacks, and built relationships that landed him contracts with some of the nation’s biggest homebuilders. He shares what’s working in flooring today—from on-site tech tools to showroom reinvention—and how he's preparing his team for long-term growth in one of the fastest-growing metros in the U.S.

What You'll Learn:

• How Jeremy scaled two flooring brands without a background in construction
• The tech shifts making in-home and online flooring sales easier (and safer)
• Why commercial builders are choosing them over bigger firms
• How to win low-margin, high-volume contracts (and still profit)
• What the Intel “Silicon Heartland” project means for Ohio’s housing future

Connect with Jeremy & His Companies:

Website: creativeflooringohio.com

Locations: Newark & Columbus, Ohio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cxjjohnston/

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

What’s the real difference between a pole barn and a barn-dominium—and why are more people living in them full-time?

In this episode of Builder Buzz by Home Nation, we sit down with Marvin Miller, CEO of Milmar Buildings, to talk about how post-frame construction is changing the face of affordable housing and light commercial projects across the Midwest. From simplified foundations to scalable systems and company culture, Marvin shares what it takes to build lasting structures and a loyal team.

What You'll Learn:

• What post-frame (aka pole barn) construction really means
• Why barn-dominiums are growing in popularity—and how they're actually lived in
• How Milmar manages projects across 6+ states with high retention and low turnover
• The unique leadership model that keeps their crews aligned and scalable
• Why focusing on a single building method helped them grow without chaos

Connect with Marvin & Milmar Buildings:

Website: milmarbuildings.com

Serving: Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!

What does it take to install homes 10 feet in the air—safely, affordably, and legally? In this episode, we dive into the evolving world of mobile home setup and what it means to be a full-service provider in Florida’s high-demand housing market.

Mike Chaffee of American Mobile Home Services of Southwest Florida shares how his family-run business grew from basic mobile home repairs to offering end-to-end services—from land acquisition and permitting to setup, accessories, and even real estate.

What You'll Learn:

• How Mike and his team install homes on elevated permanent foundations
• Why they sometimes use cranes to set mobile homes
• How the company scaled post-Hurricane Ian
• What it means to be a true one-stop shop for mobile home buyers
• Trends in affordable home setup and site-built add-ons

Connect with Mike:

American Mobile Home Services of SW Florida

Service Area: Pinellas to Naples, FL

Connect with the Show:

Builder Buzz by Home Nation → https://homenation.com/

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.

If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone in the home-building or housing industry and leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!