Building PA Podcast

Don Tracy of Quandel provides a safety stand down talk for construction workers. KCA encourages all construction companies to participate in an opioid stand down talk at least once a year and the 2020 Construction Opioid Awareness Week is an excellent opportunity. Held the last full week of July, this hot temperature time of year is considered the middle of the construction season and it's an ideal time to remind our workers about pain medication use/abuse.    

Rachael Cooper of the National Safety Council provides a safety stand down talk that addresses stigmas associated with drug addictions. Due to labels, fears, punishment, etc. that some feel may come with an addiction, those suffering from addiction may be slow to seek help, or not seek help at all. This mindset needs to change and our workforce needs to know that they can speak up and where to get the help that they need.

Carl Heinlein of American Contractors Insurance Group shares a story about a construction worker who did everything the right way, but then found himself addicted to pain medications and illegal drugs. It's a road that unfortunately one too many from our workforce have traveled down. It's a story that we need to share so that we can help the next Chris before it's too late.  

Many employers want to do the right thing and get help for their workers but the system is not always set up for employers to do the right thing. Listen as one construction contractor expresses his issues when he tries to help workers. The responses from Rachael Cooper of the National Safety Council and Carl Heinlein of the American Contractors Insurance Group are helpful, but also an indication that we have more work to do.

Heading into 2020, the construction industry was making strides in the battle against the opioid epidemic, but then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.   Major concerns became apparent and we started trending in the wrong direction. As an industry, let's all do our part to raise awareness and provide the education needed to help our people. Listen to this introduction on the 2020 Construction Opioid Awareness Week that features resources for employers.

Join Brian Fraley of Fraley Construction Marketing as he speaks with Chris Martin and Jon O'Brien about social media use among contractors.  Topics include how to allocate marketing dollars, use of social media to grow businesses and brands and how the industry has evolved with digital platforms.

As much as digital is being embraced across the industry, there are a variety of trends that reinforce digital as a useful resource.  In the discussion, Fraley reinforced the need to establish your objective before building a social following.  Additionally, he shares several tips for expanding your social presence by:

• Determine who your audience is
• Confirm that your audience is where you are
• Use the correct social platform
• Define the content you want to share and be known for
• Establish the correct standards for posting

Listen in as the Building PA Podcast lays the foundation for social media use for the construction industry.

Holly Lubart, Director of Government Affairs for the Pennsylvania News Media Association shares information about Pennsylvania's Right to Know laws on the Building PA Podcast.  The focus of the discussion centers on the value of right to know for contractors and how access to public information can be useful for proposals and other useful business development uses.

Co-hosts Jon O'Brien and Chris Martin ask questions relevant to the legislation to help listeners understand how to utilize these laws - Open Records Law and the Sunshine Law.  "The legislation was based on the public's distrust of the Pennsylvania legislature and the law helped promote a transparent government especially at the state and local level," said Lubart.  "Without access to government information there is no way to hold government officials accountable."

In today's business climate and managing the post COVID-19 world makes this law a valuable resource to the construction industry.  For example, contractors can use the law to gain an understanding on construction project documents.  Conversely, project documentation for public projects are accessible via this law allowing the general population and competitors to gain insight into your business.  The Building PA Podcast encourages all contractors to know and understand this law.

John Sebastian, director of Construction Management Program at the University of Pittsburgh joins co-hosts Chris Martin and Jon O'Brien to discuss how students are learning.  Sebastian shared how the program has evolved.  He also shares what students at the University of Pittsburgh are learning and engaging with industry professionals.

Sebastian adds, "the key is to get involved early and engage with our students and the program to learn more of the opportunities that these students bring from the program."  He is always looking for opportunities to engage with industry professionals, contractors, architects and engineers.  In fact, the university has announced two programs allowing personal development opportunities - certification program and a Master's degree.

Sebastian is leading and helping grow the future of the industry.

Join co-hosts Jon O'Brien and Chris Martin as we discuss succession planning for the construction industry with representatives from CLA.  "It's really about what your goals are and how to design a plan to make those goals a reality," said Emily Gunther of CLA.  Her definition of what succession planning is helps those preparing for the next step in business management.  Listen in as Emily and her colleague Nicole Shook share information that is helpful not only for the construction industry, but all businesses.

Some guidelines the CLA team provided in this episode include:

• Talk with your accountant, attorney and your bonding company
• Include all stakeholders to ensure your plan is well thought out
• Rely on an experienced team to guide the process
• Define the separation of emotions, especially for family members Nicole shared that "80-90% of an owners' personal assets are tied into the business."  Knowing that such wealth and personal assets are tied into a business requires planning so that the years of hard work pay off for everyone involved.  Listen to gain insight into the initial stages of succession planning.

The Building PA Podcast profiles one of the newest healthcare projects in the Central Pennsylvania region - The UPMC Pinnacle York Memorial Hospital.  Co-hosts Jon O'Brien and Chris Martin speak with Greg Quandel, President and CEO of Quandel Construction and Joe Chicora, Senior Project Manager at Quandel Construction.  The two Quandel leaders share insight into the award winning healthcare project and detail the efforts the company placed on safety and coordination to build this regional healthcare facility.

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