Building PA Podcast

February marks career and technical education (CTE) month. There's no better podcast replay to share than our recording with the President of the National ACE Mentor Program, Diana Eidenshink. This program is a fantastic opportunity for students and businesses. Students benefit and learn from mentors and mentors help educate young adults about architecture, construction, and engineering.

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Are you a professional in the field of architecture, construction, or engineering and feel like you have experience and knowledge to share?  

Do you have the desire to provide insight into your profession and help mentor students? The ACE Mentor program may be the right fit for you. Diana Eidenshink, national president of the ACE Mentor program talks with Chris and Jon about all aspects of the ACE program and how industry professionals can become volunteer mentors for future generations. 

There are benefits to being a mentor and a mentee. The ACE Mentor program is a free, award-winning after-school program unified across 37 states. Experienced industry leaders share their insight and time with students who are considering a profession in the construction industry related to contractors, architects and engineers. In addition to insight and experience, mentors discuss best practices and how to excel in the industry. “We utilize technology to address mentees' needs. In addition, we focus on green projects because that is a big ask of the students,” said Eidenshink. She shares examples of projects that students work on and how to become a mentee. Learn more at acementor.org.

Our guest on this episode of the Building PA Podcast is David Callahan, president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition® (MSC).

The MSCs mission is to work with exploration and production, midstream, and supply chain partners in the Appalachian Basin and across the country to address issues regarding the production of clean, job-creating American natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays.

The MSC wants to provide as much information to the public, policymakers, regulators, and other public stakeholders about the positive effects responsible natural gas production is having on families, businesses, and communities in the region.

This episode is sure to get you thinking about natural gas extraction differently.

Visit Marcellus Shale Coalition for more information. 

Sarah Knehr, senior project manager at Quandel Construction group, is one of those professionals in the construction industry with so much drive and energy it's contagious. She's involved with the KCA's emerging leaders initiative and is a resource for anyone looking to get into the construction profession.

There's a reason she was nominated as the top young leader by the KCA in 2021. She's so inspiring to young professionals we felt that her podcast was worth a replay.

If you know a high school student or young professional interested in construction, share this episode.

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In today's podcast, co-hosts, Jon and Chris are joined by a special guest, senior project manager for Quandel Construction Group, Sarah Knehr—KCA’s 2021 Top Young Leader Award winner. 

Knehr was chosen as the winner because of her outstanding performance on the job and in the community. 

You'll hear Knehr's insight on the importance of embracing young students, both high school and college-aged, and exposing them to the construction profession. She shares the value of job shadowing and learning about “the day in the life,” of an architect, project manager, or engineer. It’s hard for students to answer the question, “what do you want to be or do with your life,” if they aren’t given examples or exposure to different occupations.  

Knehr supports and volunteers with the ACE Mentor Program and is dedicated to the education of young adults considering a profession in construction. 

A senior project manager at Quandel Construction Group, Inc. Knehr has been with the company for almost a decade. Knehr started her career early in the construction industry as a co-op student in high school splitting her days between school at work at Quandel.

Knehr is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and holds a Bachelor of Science in architecture.

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I am passionate about my career and this industry. It shows in my work, in my leadership, and how I'm trying to be more active in the community. 

- Sarah Knehr

The saying "jack of all trades, master of none" does not apply to this podcast guest and the company he represents.

Greg Heddaeus, vice president of Carl Walker Construction, shares the company's focus and area of expertise — building parking garages.

We wanted to learn and share with our listeners how specializing benefits their business goals and mission. Heddaeus notes, "we know the importance of staying in our lane. Our main focus is building parking garages, but we recognize the economic climate in construction is always changing, which is why we have two additional divisions that provide complimentary work to help support our team through tough economic times."

Listen to hear more about how Carl Walker Construction approached workforce development and how they maintain low employee turnover.

To connect with Carl Walker Construction, visit their website or email [email protected].

In 2023 the Building PA Podcast will be bringing our listeners some podcasts worth a replay. Enjoy the October 2021 podcast with Kevin Trout on the benefits of a strong company culture.

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Join the Building PA Podcast to listen to Kevin Trout share his insights into the benefits a strong culture will have on your company.  Kevin joins us as a former owner and CEO of a medical supply company and current Vistage chair and facilitator for CEO groups.

In the discussion, Trout emphasizes the importance of establishing a strong culture as part of the hiring, onboarding, and operations process.  Trout said the process of creating a strong culture begins when companies “think of their company values as nouns with the second step focusing on creating verbs to support the nouns.”  This two-step process defines the behaviors you expect and encourages team members to focus on action toward those behaviors.

Listen in as Trout shares his four stages of growth.  Within these stages lies the secret to a strong and robust culture, which includes:

• First gear – owner wears all the hats and begins acquiring clients
• Second gear – employees are hired and all report to the owner.  Profits in this stage are high.
• Third gear – owner begins investing in the company and hires professional managers.  Profits in this stage shrink due to additional employees.
• Fourth gear – owner becomes the face of the company and profits grow exponentially as the company grows.

This podcast replay was recorded in January 2022 with President, Pedro Rivera of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. The podcast remains relevant in our current state of workforce development. Take another listen.

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Listen as President Rivera shares insight into industry trends related to workforce development beyond traditional construction-related skills such as career counseling, heavy equipment training, and professional career paths that will have significant impact. It's vital to the success of any workforce development programs they rely on training to address the entire student to ensure that future workforces are prepared to positively address future needs.  Rivera shares several stories of his experiences.

President Rivera discusses future programs necessary to support the state’s future needs, such as civil engineering specific to water treatment and sewage related to planned infrastructure investments.

Thaddeus Stevens College has various programs to include contractors and owners in meeting industry needs such as advisory panels, internships,  externships, and soft skills counseling.  If interested in learning more about opportunities, visit Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.

More about President Pedro Rivera:

•Rivera is the former Secretary of Education. 

•Appointed by Governor Wolf to that position in 2015. 

•Previously served as superintendent to the School District of Lancaster.

•Served in the Philadelphia school district for 13 years

•Undergraduate degree from Penn State University

•M.A. from Cheyney University of PA

•Rivera became President of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, in October 2021

Read more about this topic in the interview that President Rivera gave for the upcoming January 2022 issue of the Keystone Contractor Magazine.

The Building PA Podcast continues its quest in 2023, tackling some of the industry's most talked-about topics. In 2022, much of the construction industry was focused on worker shortage. In 2023, the conversation will likely continue to be a high-priority topic.

In our continued effort to bring answers and solutions to our listeners, we reconnected with one of the nation's most popular high school programs, the ACE Mentor Program of America.

Our guest, Northeast Regional Director, Darius Johnson,  shares more about the program's growth, how businesses can get involved with the program, and how high school students benefit from working one-on-one with professional mentors.

The businesses that partner with the ACE Mentor Program agree they get more out of the program than they could have imagined. It's an investment in the future - our workforce's future.

To learn more about the ACE Mentor Program visit https://www.acementor.org/.

During 2022 the Building PA Podcast has had the pleasure to interview some extraordinary individuals. Architects, engineers, economists, construction professionals, attorneys, legislators, state and local authorities, authors, insurance agents, CEOs, construction specialists and mental health and wellness experts, and association presidents.

Of the 50-plus individuals we've interviewed, we want to recognize each one of them for their expertise and willingness to share their industry knowledge with our podcast audience.

While we would love to call out all of the special moments, one-liners, and quotes from each podcast we went through the difficult task of narrowing it down to a few standouts.

Take a listen and let us know what your favorite podcast episode was from 2022. 

Happy New Year!

Earlier this year, we asked Dr. Anirban Basu to join us on the podcast to share his economic forecast for 2022 and some insights related to the construction market.

Undoubtedly, 2022 has been filled with its share of ups and downs and challenges for the construction industry. Workforce and supply chain issues continue to plague some parts of the market, and the economic climate as a whole remains in turmoil with talks of inflation and a looming recession.

No one has a crystal ball, but we think you will find it interesting to hear the predictions, forecasts, and accuracy behind this podcast, recorded in January 2022. 

Enjoy this podcast rewind!

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, shares his HOPE for PA initiative and how this 100-million-dollar one-time budget allotment will help serve individuals suffering from mental health issues. 

Schlossberg openly shares his battles with mental health and comments that he believes this money will go a long way in developing programs to give fellow Pennsylvanians a helping hand.

Hope for PA is a collaborative proposal with input from mental health leaders, stakeholders, and staff.

This plan builds upon existing operations and proposals. It does not replace them.

Throughout 2023, the Building PA Podcast will continue to bring our listeners updates on the Hope for PA initiative. 

If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Help is there to answer your call or text 24 hours a day.