BuilderCast Guest:  Adam Hoots | Lean Construction Shepherd, Author, Kidney Transplant Survivor, TedX Speaker, Graduate Student and Professor at Clemson University
BuilderCast Episode Host:  Dr. Caroline Brigmon | Director Education, Training, & Workforce
BuilderCast Host/Producer: Sharon Walters | Director of Digital Operations

“Everybody Matters. Share Kindness. We haven’t been taught to do that in our industry. We’ve been conditioned to be stone-faced… We all have something going on from a mental health perspective.”
-Adam Hoots

By now, we are all too aware of the reasons why those working in the construction industry are more likely to struggle with mental health issues. The pressures of feeling isolated, being “on an island”, as Adam Hoots discusses in this podcast, create significant mental and physical stress. The high-stress environment, coupled with job sites that may pose hazardous conditions and the physical demands placed on our workers, all contribute to this growing problem. Moreover, the traditional construction culture often encourages workers to "tough it out" or "leave your feelings at the gate," exacerbating the issue.

Adam Hoots finds power in vulnerability by sharing his personal story and connecting with his team on a relatable level. He firmly believes that listening to and inquiring about the well-being of our colleagues fosters the trust that can truly impact how they perceive their work and, consequently, can make  a real difference in our industry. To promote the welfare of both our industry and the individuals within it, we must actively work to transform our culture. We must nurture our teams by engaging in active listening, asking questions, expressing gratitude, and empowering them to harness their individual strengths and passions. By doing so, we can work more efficiently, boost the happiness and well-being of our teams, and also attract the much-needed interest from younger generations and those who may not be aware of the promising and fulfilling careers our construction industry has to offer.

Buildercast is created and produced by Carolinas AGC with a goal of reaching a wider audience and providing information that contributes to the success of our industry, and those working in the industry.

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BuilderCast Guests (in order of introduction):
Cathryn Poplin | Preconstruction Manager, Mashburn Construction Company
Liliana M. Paez Gallo | Field Engineer, Blythe Construction, Inc.| Zachry Construction, A Joint Venture
Jahmicah Miller | Apprentice Electrician, WB Moore Company

BuilderCast Series Host: Betsy Bailey, NC Government Relations & Building Div. Director
BuilderCast Series Production Planning: Katie Freseman,  Social Media & Content Manager
BuilderCast Co-Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations

Courage, confidence and knowledge. 

In this episode, it's all about what our guests encounter day to day, and what this careers gives back to us as women, and the futures ahead of them. CAGC continues the Women In Construction celebration with part II of our 2022 WIC Week podcast with Cathryn, Liliana and Jahmicah.

“Hopefully Women will go toward the trades because really we can do anything, we just have to have the drive for it.”

  -Cathryn Poplin

“You don’t have to be big or strong physically to be out there working. You can learn how to use heavy equipment; you can learn to drive. I love this... I’ve seen a lot of women out there driving huge trucks…and that’s amazing you can see them moving the stick inside the truck…it’s amazing.”

  -Liliana Paez

“Trade has taught me the courage to go be adventurous and that’s something... you don’t have a class on developing courage to try new things and career exploration. So that’s probably one of the biggest changes I’ve seen in myself.”

  -Jahmicah Miller

Our deepest gratitude for the thoughtful stories and advice over WIC Week from our guests. Special mentions that were discussed during the interview and after that bring young people into our industry:

• CAGC Scholarship Programs
• The ROC: (Rebuilding Opportunities in Construction) Mission is to recruite, educate and mentor high school students in Charlotte, NC for Career and Technical Education (CTE) and employment opportunities in the construction industry.

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Buildercast is created and produced by Carolinas AGC with a goal of reaching a wider audience and providing information that contributes to the success of our industry, and those working in the industry.

View all episodes of this series and others.
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BuilderCast Guests (in order of introduction):
Cathryn Poplin | Preconstruction Manager, Mashburn Construction Company
Liliana M. Paez Gallo | Field Engineer, Blythe Construction, Inc.| Zachry Construction, A Joint Venture
Jahmicah Miller | Apprentice Electrician, WB Moore Company

BuilderCast Series Host: Betsy Bailey, NC Government Relations & Building Div. Director
BuilderCast Series Production Planning: Katie Freseman,  Social Media & Content Manager
BuilderCast Co-Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations

CAGC Celebrates WIC Week 2022 by getting to know 3 women making the best of the  opportunities presented by a career in construction.
 
While all 3 of our guests are performing quite different jobs, had different paths and motivations,  they all saw the potential for growth and a lucrative, interesting career working in the field and specifically on the jobsite.

Cathryn Poplin is a Preconstruction Manager with Mashburn who loves to work both sides of the project, in office planning and preparation, and in the field project management.

Liliana Paez Gallo came from a family of engineers, loved the idea of working on and being a part of creating large projects/facilities and has been involved with both the vertical and horizontal fields and even got to build at Disney!

Jahmicah Miller came to construction through a desire to give back. Her passion for disaster relief led her to the field so that she can help those in need in the future. She is the youngest of our very young panel and displays wisdom beyond her years.

Learn more about all three of these inspiring women working in the field.

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Buildercast is created and produced by Carolinas AGC with a goal of reaching a wider audience and providing information that contributes to the success of our industry, and those working in the industry.

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Series Guest Speaker: Joe Priestner, PE, PLS. Emerging Technology Manager at Duncan-Parnell Inc.
BuilderCast Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations
BuilderCast Guest Co-Host: Dr. Joseph M. Burgett, PhD, Associate Professor at Clemson University; Applied Drone Technology Instructor
BuilderCast Series Co-Host: Bill Stricker, Director Utility Division & NCCER Administration

LiDAR is a ranging or detection technology that uses light to measure distance to a surface or an object. In the mid-1990's the first laser scanner was developed. This technology was stable and stationary and very large in size. Over time, the technology progressed and became smaller and more mobile and eventually became small enough to mount to a drone.
 
 "As soon as they got this technology on a drone, construction was interested."
 --Joe Priestner, PE,  PLS, Duncan-Parnell, Inc.
 
In BuilderCast's 4th episode in the Drone series we find out about the origins of LiDAR technology, and its use on drones to measure and create terrain models.  The advantage of LiDAR lies mainly in mapping/modeling through vegetation, so we also asked about levels of accuracy and for clarification on the differences between photogrammetry models and LiDAR-generated models.
 
 Finally, we asked for recommendations on the technology implementation models contractors should consider, how much it might cost, and how to get started using LiDAR technology for construction projects. 

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Buildercast is created and produced by Carolinas AGC with a goal of reaching a wider audience and providing information that contributes to the success of our industry, and those working in the industry.

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Series Guest Speaker: Dr. Joseph M. Burgett, PhD, Associate Professor at Clemson University; Teaches the 5 Week Drone Course for Contractors and Surveyors  
BuilderCast Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations
BuilderCast Series Co-Host: Bill Stricker, Director Utility Division & NCCER Administration

Drones have been used commercially since 2016, when the FAA introduced Part 107 Federal Regulatory guidelines. Since then, the industry and use cases for drones in construction has grown significantly. Drones are far more than just a cool technology for our industry techies to play around with, they offer relatively low cost, and high yield, practical applications that accomplish tasks such as record keeping, marketing material, jobsite security. They additionally make it possible to keep our workforce out of high risk areas and can provide a company competitive advantages in producing models through photogrammetry and mapping.

In this first episode of the series, we asked our friend Dr. Joe Burgett from Clemson University to give us information on the basics of why, how, when and how much to get started with Drones. Joe teaches a 5 Week Drone Course for Contractors and Surveyors and has a background as a licensed General Contractor.

“Drones are a surprisingly simple tool for contractors to improve communication, provide a better product to their clients and increase the bottom line.”

--Dr. Joe Burgett, Clemson University

We enjoyed learning about the equipment, including types and costs, the steps to obtaining a license, training opportunities, the practical applications of drones as a flying camera for recording progression of work, providing internal marketing material and client quality control and transparency and even security of the jobsite. In the next episodes, we'll find out more about advanced uses including Photogrammetry, overlay of images and mapping and LIDAR.

Find out more about Clemson's Drone Education Program at www.clemsondrone.com.

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"Under Pressure" partial intro downloaded from iTunes.
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Buildercast is created and produced by Carolinas AGC with a goal of reaching a wider audience and providing information that contributes to the success of our industry, and those working in the industry.

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For our finale episode of the Women in Construction series, we asked Carolinas AGC staff members to pick their favorite moments from our extraordinary guests interviewed during our “We Were Built for This” and “Diversity and Inclusion” series of  our Buildercast podcast.
 
In order of appearance:  
- Pat Rodgers, Rodgers - We Were Built For This, Episode 3, Part I & II
- Patrice Gilmore - Diversity & Inclusion, DPR Construction - Episode 3
- Lasenta Lewis-Ellis, LLE Construction Group, LLC - Diversity & Inclusion, Episode 1 
- Susie Lewis, Beam Construction - We Were Built For This, Episode 2
- Nish Evans, Lennox and Grae Construction, Inc & Charlie Wilson, C. T. Wilson Construction Company, Inc. - We Were Built For This, Episode 4
- Nora Spencer, Hope Renovations - We Were Built For This, Episode 1
 
Throughout these episodes, words like opportunity, creativity, hard work, passion, drive, tenacity, conviction and integrity are staples. You’ll also hear about receiving help from others in the community, appreciating some of the good luck that led to successful careers, and the importance of giving back and telling more young people about the vast opportunities in our industry. With leaders like this, our industry has a bright future.

We sure hope you enjoy this mash up of “best of” moments much as we did!

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"Under Pressure" partial intro downloaded from iTunes.
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Buildercast is created and produced by Carolinas AGC with a goal of reaching a wider audience and providing information that contributes to the success of our industry, and those working in the industry.

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Guest Speaker: Nish Evans, President & CEO Lennox and Grae Construction, Inc.
Guest Speaker: Charlie Wilson, President C. T.  Wilson Construction Company, Inc.
BuilderCast Host: Betsy Bailey, NC Government Relations & Building Div. Director
BuilderCast Co-Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations

Nish Evans had spent 12 years in corporate finance roles when  she decided she wanted to build a legacy for herself. After some self-reflection and research, she found the construction industry and she went after a career. She tells us about that journey, the construction industry advisors that were critical to her success, and what we can do now to attract more women into the industry.

 "Something I often share with youth as well is that it's not just what we tend to think of in terms of laboring or some of those different roles... There's project management and estimating. This is all about if you can solve problems and you are attracted to that - this is one of the best industries to be in."

-- Nish Evans, Lennox and Grae Construction, Inc.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Charlie Wilson got a call about someone that eagerly wanted to get into the industry. He was blown away by her determination and drive to get started. C. T. Wilson believes that bringing in  smart people is beneficial for the whole industry and wanted to be a part of that journey. Charlie tells us what he learned while Nish was with the team and how we can continue to encourage those with vision to pursue a career in construction.

"We need more people of all types in this industry....Broaden your horizons and look beyond just the degree and experience and really look at the person. Is this person driven and care about what they want to do? In the end I think somebody who wants to work hard to learn is more valuable then someone who maybe halfway learned it before and thinks they are done."

-- Charlie Wilson, C. T. Wilson Construction Company, Inc.

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Guest Speaker: Pat Rodgers, Rodgers
BuilderCast Series Host: Betsy Bailey, NC Government Relations & Building Div. Director
BuilderCast Co-Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations

“The key is that I never underestimated myself. I knew I had a lot to learn, was anxious to learn as much as I could and I just didn’t dwell on it. You know, If you dwell on possibly being underestimated, you won’t have enough energy to do what you need to do to be successful.”

 “One of my favorite quotes is from Nelson Mandela. “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up”. So never give up if your doing something your are passionate about.”

 -- Pat Rodgers, Rodgers

 In Part 2 of this episode, Pat Rodgers discusses how proud she feels being a part of such important projects in our communities. She also focuses on the importance of giving back, her experiences and opportunities available to women in the industry. Most importantly, we discussed having a passion for this industry and running your own business in general. Having passion and never giving up are keys to success. 

 We want to thank Pat for her time, her willingness to share her story, her thoughtful advice and outlook, and certainly her dedication and generosity to this industry.

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Guest Speaker: Pat Rodgers, Rodgers
BuilderCast Series Host: Betsy Bailey, NC Government Relations & Building Div. Director
BuilderCast Co-Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations

"Running a business is not for the faint of heart. And you do have to have that passion for it you have to really care about it. Years ago I read a book by Paul Hawkin (Smith & Hawkin) wrote...and one of the things I remember reading that book... is that if the only reason you go into business is to make money, then you probably won't".

"...So I think you have to care passionately about what you do and you have to give back. It's really important to all of us at Rodgers to give back whether our time, talents or financial support, that we give back to our industry and our communities where our people live and work."

--Pat Rodgers, Rodgers

Pat Rodgers never thought she would land in the construction industry. She found a 2-day part time commitment when she moved to Charlotte and needed a job. That job was with Rodgers Builders. She was asked to stay on and help with some other positions and she decided she would. Over the years, she was offered, and took advantage of every opportunity to grow and learn the business.

Pat discusses the wide open opportunities our industry offers to anyone willing to work hard, and learn the business. She also identifies technology as one reason our industry can and is attracting more young people.

She closes part 1 of this 2 part episode by talking about how important it is for business to give back to the community. Rodgers really has a passion for building beautiful facilities. In fact, their tagline is "Building is our Passion." In this interview, you learn that they are just as passionate about giving back and they show it.

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Guest Speaker: Susie Lewis, Beam Construction
BuilderCast Series Host: Betsy Bailey, NC Government Relations & Building Div. Director
BuilderCast Co-Host and Producer: Sharon Walters, Director of Digital Operations

"You know, one of the things that I still get charged up about and love about construction is that there is a great sense of pride in driving down the road and being able to point to a building that you were a part of building -whether I personally had any involvement or not, but that Beam Construction built that."

--Susie Lewis, President of Beam Construction, Cherryville, NC

Susie Lewis personifies a life in construction. Her Dad, Tom Brown, owned Beam Construction and there were 6 children in the family. In their house, there was no discrimination - boys and girls all helped with projects around the house. They also all gained much exposure to construction during family vacation stops to check on jobsites. Susie interest in how things were built, led her to pursue an engineering degree and first job out of college before taking over operations at Beam Construction in 1994. Susie has continued to build on her success through education and experience.

We talked with her about being in the industry and a multi-generational family business. We also get her outlook on the vast opportunities for women in construction, and thoughts about the natural instincts and talents women have that are so well suited for this industry.

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Buildercast is created and produced by Carolinas AGC with a goal of reaching a wider audience and providing information that contributes to the success of our industry, and those working in the industry.

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