Introduction
Today we welcome Joe Purtle, who is here to talk to us about concrete forms. Joe has been in construction for well over two decades, and he’s currently the COO of Doka, which specializes in forming and shoring.

Eddie shares a bit about his experience in construction back in the 2x4 and plywood days. He shares how cool it’s been to see the complexity of forms increase over time and to see how those forms have become woven into BIM software.

We discuss how designers and other stakeholders view concrete forms. Joe explains that the placement of concrete drives the schedule on many large projects. And the placement of concrete is largely dependent on the completion of formwork.

Cycling of formwork and big dadgum messes
Eddie asks Joe to explain the cycling (reuse) of forms on large projects. Doka’s job is to understand the complicated aspects of forming and pouring and how these complexities can affect a schedule. We discuss the benefits of modular approaches and cycling of forms.

Joe discusses the importance of knowledgeable planning and the unfortunate results when things to wrong and a form gets trapped. It’s what the bros and their Georgia buddies would call a “dadgum mess.”

Joe shares about how he has seen companies process decisions related to renting vs. buying. He also discusses sustainability issues and equipment that measures temperature and pressure to optimize the curing process. We get into the optimization of pouring and the incorporation of reusable sensors that give designers and project managers the ability to know things they would have previously not known without expensive, messy tests.

Prefab of formwork
Eddie asks Joe to share about prefab work such as cast-in-place parking garages. Joe explains that Doka can build and ship complete beam forms that are pretty much ready to plug and play when they arrive at the job site. They have CNC machines that can put curves into forms with highly detailed specs when the customer wants it.  

Tyler connects these abilities to the overall increase in complexity of structures. Joe shares about the pride we’ve discussed in previous episodes that comes with seeing a really cool building and being able to say you had something to do with that. 

BIM Modeling
Eddie asks Joe to explain how Doka’s work integrates with the BIM process. He explains that they’re already working within Revit and Tekla but that they are quickly extending their integration even further. We discuss how AI is streamline design. Then there are the AI features that simply increase the team’s everyday operations.

Joe shares some thoughts about “real BIM” vs. “Hollywood BIM” and how these differences affect scheduling. Eddie shares some thoughts from a designer’s perspective as well as thoughts about storing huge form components that are not easy to move.

We spend some time discussing the design rules being used to form AI and how significantly this process will likely change design work in the future. Then we discuss the role that human insight and finesse play in this process.

Megaphone Message 
Joe’s message to the industry is this: The industry needs to come together and stop working in silos. The sooner we can create true collaboration through the available technologies, the sooner we’ll progress to a future we can’t even imagine at this point. 

Find Joe on LinkedIn

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00:00 - Ennui and another Tyler
We know that you come here for philosophical insight and existential explanations, so today we’re discussion ennui. Tyler shares… tries to share about this state of listlss… listsles… listlessness and dissatisfaction.

After this fun, we welcome our new vocal presence, Tyler Cook. Tyler shares about the secret to connecting with Zoomers. It’s all about tier lists and brackets. So today we’re going to do a tourney bracket.

05:23 - The bracket
Today we’re exploring niches. We don’t want to share any spoilers here in the notes, but here are some opinions that are shared as we process this competition. 

• Concrete is tough.
• Drywall corners are hard.
• Flooring is not comfortable work.
• Spending your day staring upward will do a number on your neck.
• We don’t want to fall off a roof.
• Dooky’s not fun.
• OSHA keeps telling us not to touch a live wire.
• Demolition is fun for 30 minutes.
• Eddie is confident that he’s done with roofing.
• Welding sometimes happens in really dangerous places.

If you're interested in jumping straight to some specific first-round debates:

6:06 - Carpentry vs. masonry
7:40 - Drywall vs. concrete 
10:20 - Ceiling vs. flooring
16:01 - Roofing vs. HVAC
23:37 - Landscaping vs. painting
24:48 - Electrical vs. excavation 
30:44 - Glass installation vs. demolition
33:21 - Semifinals
39:15 - Finals

The takeaway from this process? Man, tradespeople do some tough stuff. 

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Tyler's going to regret opening his mouth during this episode.
Please consider subscribing! SUBSCRIBE!Like us on LinkedIn!Like us on Facebook!Follow us on Instagram!Eddie's LinkedInTyler's LinkedIn(Our day job)

If you're interested in learning more about the construction of Hoover Dam, scroll to the end of the show notes for links.

00:00 - A Quick Dam Joke, the Consortium, and Some Stats

We question our ability to keep our puns in check. Sorry, Mom.

Then we move on to the contractors. We discuss the consortium called Six Companies Inc. that won the bid at nearly $49 million, approximately $860 million in today’s dollars.

Eddie makes a conveniently timed comparison to the Washington Monument. The Hoover Dam is 726 feet tall–almost 200 feet taller than the Washington Monument. Only 6 buildings in the US were taller than the dam when it was built.

We discuss some stats:
-4.4 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the project. That is enough to pave a two-lane road from Seattle to Miami or a four-foot-wide sidewalk around the Earth at the Equator or enough to pave a two-lane road from Seattle to Miami.
-Its base is as thick as the length of 2 football end-to-end
-It has 4 intake towers (30’ diameter each) that can carry enough water to fill 900 bathtubs in only one second. That means 1,448,100 “bathtubfuls” of water will have passed through the dam in the time it takes you to listen to this episode.

07:15 - Construction Costs and Power Output
Tyler mentions that the cost of the initial construction, which finished in 1936, wasn't paid off until 1987. Eddie discusses the way that we handle financing for capital projects, spending not just tomorrow’s money–but money that won’t come in for decades.

We compare these expenses to the absolutely monumental amount of economic impact that the electricity from the dam has had. Here’s where the 4 billion kilowatt-hours each year goes:

• 19% to Arizona
• 23% to Nevada
• 58% percent goes to California (15% to LA, which is 270 miles away)

10:46 - Hoovervilles and Fatalities
Eddie fills the gaps in Tyler’s history education with an explanation of the Hoovervilles from the Great Depression. Hoover didn’t get much positive PR aside from this dam.

We discuss the desperation of the Great Depression is shown by the fact that the ability to line up workers for a job to do this. Tyler shares the troubling coincidence is the fact that the first and last men to die on this project were father and son.

Thinking about these human costs leads us into a discussion about the structure of incentives and penalties that drove the owners of Six Companies to push the pace of construction.

19:53 - Takeaways: Big Projects, Green Energy, Old-school Drafting
We discuss the fact that bold projects lead to emboldened people who move on to even bolder projects. Sometimes biting off more than you can chew leads to growth.

Tyler makes the point that this dam was a green-energy project long before the term “green energy” was coined. He also expresses awe at the thought that all of the drafting for this massive project would have been done by hand.

Eddie stops short of calling himself a history buff, but he expresses a deep respect for the teams of designers and workers who accomplished massive projects like this with so little help from what we consider advanced technologies.

Tyler invites you to submit your ideas for future research-based projects.

If you’re interested in additional details about the Hoover Dam, explore these sources:

• EIA.gov
• USBR.gov
• B1M video: compares the world’s largest dams to other structures
• Lake Mead historical water-level chart
• NPS.gov
• Bechtel’s page about construction of the dam
• Old publicity/education video
• Library of Congress Photos
• Video of the physics and engineering involved

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 Thanks for listening

This week, Eddie shares a leadership insight straight from the baseball diamond: how paying attention to the players who struggle most can transform your entire team. Whether you're building a lineup or running a job site, it’s a powerful reminder that every role matters—and investing in overlooked contributors could be the key to winning.

Go build something awesome!

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Today we’re in conversation with Siddhant Mehta, Project Manager at Skanska, to explore how AI is transforming construction. From choosing the right tools to critiquing SaaS pricing models, Sid shares insights on tech adoption, AI coding, and the future of project management.

00:46 – Sid’s Journey Abroad
Sid Mehta shares his story from Mumbai to the U.S., managing multimillion-dollar projects and finding his place in construction management.

02:03 – Building Tech Networks
How Skanska leverages emerging tech groups, vendor evaluations, and peer networks to spread innovation across teams.

03:55 – Tech Adoption Realities
Sid challenges perceptions of slow adoption in construction, highlighting why pilot projects need time to show results.

05:14 – The Feedback Gap
Why construction tech tools often miss the mark, and how missing field feedback hurts tool development.

06:43 – Choosing the Right Tool
Sid explains why not every tech solution fits every project, stressing the importance of aligning tools with project type and phase.

09:06 – SaaS Pricing Rant
A frank critique of SaaS pricing in construction, questioning project-based fees versus simpler subscriptions.

12:00 – Naming Names (Kinda) A playful yet pointed critique of familiar industry pricing models—without naming names (but we all know who).

17:05 – Rise of AI Coding
Exploring tools like Replit, Claude, and Cursor, and the rise of “vibe coding” in construction tech and software development.

23:02 – AI’s Development Impact
How AI coding shifts the role of developers, and why front-end engineering faces more disruption than back-end.

28:00 – Data Centers & Demand
How AI’s growth drives demand for data centers, reshaping infrastructure needs for GPUs, power, and cooling.

35:00 – Environmental Impacts
A look at the ecological consequences of data center expansion, from water usage to energy demands.

40:48 – AI Saves the Day
Real-world examples of AI replacing executive assistants, saving hours on email, scheduling, and admin tasks in construction.

45:00 – Skanska’s Internal AI
How Skanska built internal chatbots to automate project schedules, saving schedulers hours every week.

47:26 – Ripple Effect of AI
Sid reflects on how AI’s time savings can scale across thousands of employees, transforming workflows organization-wide.

50:00 – Marketing’s AI Shift
Why SEO strategies are changing in an AI world, and how creative content is being reshaped by generative tools.

54:00 – AI’s Rapid Acceleration
Closing thoughts on how quickly AI is evolving, and why getting on board now is key for construction leaders.

Go build something awesome!

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Eddie’s going deep for today’s quote–all the way back to Sun Tzu’s Art of War (which you can hear for free on Youtube if you can spare 72 minutes.)

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Sometimes people will use these two words interchangeably. Here’s the difference:
Strategy is the long-term plan. What you plan to achieve in the distance.

Tactics are the thoughtfully crafted short-term methods for working out that strategy. 
In exploring Sun Tzu’s words, we discuss Tyler’s business and bodies on Everest.
We acknowledge that tactics may vary as you work backward from the strategy.

Go build something awesome!

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Today we are in conversation with Clint Padgett, CEO / President at Project Success, Inc. From managing Olympic-scale projects for Coca-Cola to coaching project managers around the world, Clint dives deep into what makes planning work — and why most teams don’t worry soon enough. We cover why bad bids ruin trust, how to lead without authority, and the mindset shift young PMs need most.

Chapters:
From the Navy to Global Projects (00:00)
Our guest shares how his time as a Navy electrician led to a career managing Olympic activations — starting with a leap of faith during the 1996 Games.

How You Plan a World Cup (04:04)
Planning a FIFA event is surprisingly similar to planning a giant party. It’s all about logistics, timing, and making sure the Coke is cold.

Rookie Mistakes in Project Management (08:10)
New PMs often rush to execution without planning. But skipping those first few days of structure creates weeks of rework.

Leading Without Power (10:43)
When you don’t have authority, you lead through planning and trust. Without buy-in, you’re just another task competing for attention.

Planning Across Projects (14:08)
When team members are split across five jobs, smart scheduling avoids overload. It all comes down to float, flexibility, and clarity.

What People Get Wrong About Planning (17:02)
Overly optimistic timelines and ignoring outsourced work are two of the biggest killers in project schedules. Time elapsed is what matters.

Ask Dumb Questions, Early (20:10)
Even “stupid” questions can catch unrealistic expectations. Collaborative planning gives teams space to challenge assumptions safely.

People Over Process (24:13)
Project success depends on human connection — not just task dependencies. Why real conversations still matter more than Slack threads.

Plans Must Adapt (34:07)
When the situation changes, great teams pivot. Don’t let emotional attachment to a project cost another 6 months of effort.

Sales Promises vs. Reality (40:01)
When bids are made without planners, projects start on the wrong foot. Being the honest vendor might cost more — but builds lasting trust.

Reliability Wins Over Price (46:11)
The 2% more expensive team that delivers on time is always worth it. Clients don’t just want cheap — they want confidence.

The Worry Curve (48:58)
His favorite concept: teams usually worry too late. Good planning moves the worry to the start — where it can still change outcomes.

Go build something awesome!

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This week we’re talking "Hour of Power"—how we plan our weeks, avoid the Monday chaos, and yes, why stress cleaning might be your biggest productivity killer. Grab a pen (or a mop) and let’s set the week up right.

Go build something awesome!

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FIND US ONLINE: 
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-Eddie on LinkedIn:   / eddie-c-057b3b11   
-Tyler on LinkedIn:   / tylerscottcampbell  

If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!