• The progression of environmental protection advancements in building materials
• What is LEEDS
• The 3 nodes U.S. Green Building Council looks for in an environmentally sound building product
• How LEEDS can help your building product
• The U.S. Green Building Council Better Materials program and how it benefits you

In the latest episode of GWP’s Constructing Brands podcast, we speak with Wes Sullens, LEED Fellow at the US Green Building Council, discussing green initiatives in the building materials industry.

Wes Sullens, LEED Fellow, leads Materials & Resources activities at the U.S. Green Building Council. Wes is responsible for the materials credits in the LEED Rating System and guides leadership criteria related to construction waste, product manufacturing, material transparency, circular economy, and embodied carbon. He has worked in the public, private and nonprofit sectors for 20 years on broad topics including energy efficiency, building codes, supply chain sustainability, and chemicals transparency.

• Website: www.usgbc.org
• Youtube: www.youtube.com
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/wessullens
• Facebook: facebook.com/USGBC

• How important your website is
• What information should be on your website
• Packaging pitfalls
• How to present yourself at tradeshows

As the daughter of a Foreign Service Officer and an artist, Tracey grew up mostly in Europe where her parents assembled a museum quality art and antiques collection. She developed a strong appreciation for world cultures, art, design and travel early in life. After early careers in social work (honing listening skills and couples negotiating) and public relations, she found her true passion in interior design and started her interior design business in 1991 while still a student at Parsons School of Design. For the last decade she’s focused primarily on kitchen and bath design.

When not working, I enjoy kayaking, live music, walking in Brookdale Park and yoga. One of her favorite bands is Pinegrove and not only because it is her son’s band (Evan Stephens Hall)!

For her list of awards and certifications, please visit her website www.traceystephens.com.

• Website: www.traceystephens.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TraceyStephensInteriorDesignInc
• Houzz: www.houzz.com/professionals/kitchen-and-bath-designers/tracey-stephens-interior-design-inc-pfvwus-pf~92347229
• Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/traceyrstephens

• Affordable ways to bring energy solutions to your business
• Looking at your energy solutions strategically
• How an energy broker gets paid
• How to vet an energy specialist

In the latest episode of GWP’s Constructing Brands podcast, Jim Mumm, CEO of Sunlight Energy Group, discusses the money-saving benefits and process of bringing big company energy solutions to small to midsize companies.

Jim, a Certified Energy Procurement Professional and a Certified Energy Manager, has spent his 37-year career either leading companies or helping senior executives improve their bottom line results. He started in business by working his way up through a variety of positions with a large grocery chain over a 12-year period, where he served as store director of 3 incrementally larger stores before becoming an executive at the chain’s headquarters.

He went on to lead the national and private brand sales efforts for a major division of Sara Lee with key account responsibilities for Walmart, Food Lion, and Stop & Shop, he served as Director of Sales for electronic solutions at News American Marketing specializing in loyalty marketing and stored value systems. Jim then became Director of Sales for a technology firm, Vice President of Sales for a firm providing electronic marketing solutions, and SVP of Sales and Marketing for the leading provider of e-Marketing and e-Commerce solutions to the grocery industry. In 2006, he created 1st Wave Sales & Marketing, an IT sales and marketing firm.

Jim holds a BBA in Marketing, an MBA in Management, and a Masters of Science in Business Computer Information Systems. He is also a CEP (Certified Energy Procurement Professional) and a CEM (Certified Energy Manager), two of the highest designations in the energy industry. Jim loves mentoring and teaching people to reach their full potential, and is a devout Christian.

• 3 ways to create a customer for life
• Avoid looking at results and look at the systems
• Right to left thinking instead of left to right thinking
• Avoiding chaos in the construction business

In the latest episode of the Constructing Brands podcast, we speak with Todd Dawalt, host of The Construction Leading Edge. Todd’s years of experience consulting for construction companies has awarded him vital insights and knowledge on how the most successful businesses should operate, what to focus on, and what mistakes to avoid. This information combined with strategic customer service can help you develop customers for life.

• What makes a decision maker consider your product.

In the latest episode of Constructing Brands podcast, Eric Lanel speaks with Kyle Bushoven, Marketing Manager of Wayne Tile, New Jersey’s premier tile supplier and retailer. Kyle began his career in sales at Wayne Tile and currently heads up the marketing department. As marketing manager, he is involved with product selection and understands what manufacturers are doing right to get the attention their product needs. Tune in to learn the most effective tips for your product.

Kyle Bushoven began his career at Wayne Tile Company, in 2006, while studying for his MBA at William Paterson University. Today, he is the Marketing Manager and one of the product decision makers for Wayne Tile’s 6 locations; Ramsey, Rockaway, Manasquan, Sussex, Wayne, and Wayne Outlet Store.

• Website: waynetile.com
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kyle-bushoven-958ba711/
• Facebook: facebook.com/WayneTile
• Instagram: instagram.com/wayne_tile_company

• What a seasoned expert looks for in a building product and manufacturer

In the latest episode of GWP’s Constructing Brands podcast, we speak with Matt Risinger, host of The Build Show and Founder of Risinger Build. Matt offers us insights in how he’s selected certain building materials and the process by which he tests and vets them for use on his project. Matt’s goal is to elevate the standards of the building industry. Learn what he looks for in his relationship with building manufacturers.

Matt Risinger received his Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Management from Grove City College. He worked for one of the National Production Builders (NVR Ryan Homes) after college where he met his Texan wife in Washington, DC. His 7-year experience with National Production Builders was fun, but didn’t satisfy his desire for “Craftsmanship”. In 2002, he and his family moved to Portland, OR in 2002 during the national mold crisis which led him down the path of Building Science. He wanted to understand why these homes were failing. This helped him learn about the science behind the construction and it’s been his passion ever since. After moving to Texas in 2005, he worked exclusively with architects to build the very best in home craftsmanship using products and skills he can stand behind.

• Website: buildshownetwork.com
• Website: risingerbuild.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/user/MattRisinger
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/matt-risinger-b704b33
• Facebook: facebook.com/matt.risinger

What You Will Learn:

• How to connect with the right people to reach your expansion goals faster

In the latest episode of GWP’s Constructing Brands podcast, we speak with Jeffrey Greif, Executive Vice President at First American Title Insurance Company. If you are looking for real estate opportunities to expand your business, you don’t have to bear the risk on your own. Jeffrey shares his experience helping leaders in the building industry with networking, and finding partners with like minded interests to reach their expansion goals faster, without enduring the risk on their own. In this podcast we discuss the importance of networking, ways to accelerate expansion, and how we can help you get in front of your target audience.

About Jeffrey Greif

Jeffrey Greif is the Executive Vice President at First American Title Insurance Company.

As a professional salesman in the real estate title insurance industry since 1987, Jeffrey assists his clients and friends in building their businesses, with less liability. First American Title Insurance Company provides full service commercial and residential real estate title services regionally, nationally, internationally. Jeffrey’s specialty is helping his clients network with one another in order to facilitate real estate transactions.

Resources:

• Website: https://www.firstam.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreygreif/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/First.American.Financial

• Key questions to ask yourself for developing your ideal target audience.

In the latest episode of GWP’s Constructing Brands podcast, we reflect on conversations with previous guests sharing insights and answering an important question for manufacturers: Who is your real target and what are you doing to get in front of your end-end user? In this episode, we provide tips to help assess your business, identify your real target, and develop a digital strategy to educate, engage, and inform your end-end user.

Eric Lanel was born on January 26, 1968, in Queens, New York. LANEL an only child and son of Julius a psychotherapist and Barbara a social worker spent many a dinner conversation discussing human behavior. LANEL worked through high school as a mason and started a residential painting company that continued through college. Upon graduating with a degree in marketing from University of Hartford, Eric worked at CBS Television, Walt Disney Company, and Doubleclick before taking the role of President of GWP Inc., a strategy agency. Today Eric lives in Livingston, New Jersey with his wife Francine and daughter Zoe. Eric has two adult sons, Adam who works in advertising and Griffin in the building industry. When not working with companies on strategy and developing content he can be found on a golf course or fly fishing in a stream.

• Website: gwpinc.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/eric-lanel
• Facebook: facebook.com/GWPinc
• Instagram: @gwp_inc

• How to pivot your message in changing times to speak directly to the consumer
• How to position your product in front of an architect 
• The importance of product availability, lead times, and pricing 
• Why it is important to invest in a user-friendly, well-designed website

In the latest episode of GWP’s Constructing Brands podcast, we speak with Scott Hoffman, Director of Architecture/Product Development for CSA Group. The world is changing quickly, and in this episode, Scott stresses how important it is for architects to embrace these changes and evolve along with them. COVID-19 has presented the building world with many challenges, and Scott discusses some of the ways both residential and commercial building projects have been impacted, and what changes he has seen. This podcast highlights many of the ways manufacturers can get their product in front of an architect and what aspects of their business they should focus on to become a preferred choice to both architects and consumers.

Scott Hoffman is the Director of Architecture/Product Development for CSA Group. Scott organizes and directs a team of architectural designers and engineering professionals. Scott and his team execute projects across many market sectors; from Corporate Interiors, Banking/Investment, Law Firms, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Industrial, Medical and Campus Planning as well as Residential projects.

• Website: www.csagroup.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scott-hoffman-aia-leed-ap-237163b