Construction Brothers

If you work with concrete, you’ve probably dreamed of having the machines made by today’s guest.    Danielle Proctor is President and CEO of Construction Robotics, which makes two large and impressive rebar-related machines: IronBOT, which places rebar, and TyBOT, which ties that rebar.     Countless construction workers have put in their time tying rebar before moving on to other less backbreaking  and repetitive work. Eddie opens with a bit of nostalgia for his rebar-tying days and mentions this Dirty Jobs episode on tying rebar.   We move on to a discussion about the main challenge that comes with huge new tools like these: pre-purchase logistics. It seems like it would be incredibly hard to do a trial run with one of these things.    Danielle explains that the objections from rebar-tying crews is not as great as you might think. It’s really tough work, and many of the people who are doing it are more than ready to move on to a different set of duties. Due to labor shortages, that would often be helpful to a crew and a project.    We discuss the pride issues associated with the generational legacy of the old-school rod-busters and how they adjusted when the tie gun came along.     IronBOT can handle 5,000 pounds of rebar while executing its work. Handled by hand, Danielle says that a bundle of five 60’ bars requires “One bar for each man and one for the company.”    Danielle makes the case that these machines don’t eliminate the need for a crew of humans. You still need…

• A robot supervisor (just to watch the robot and provide a couple instructions)
• A rodbuster feeding the bar into the robot
• 4-6 people behind tying the few pieces that the robot can’t tie
• 1 guy frame-tying 

  Once the crew sees the robot as part of the team, the mindset changes. Danielle says she enjoys seeing companies move through the adjustment process and adopt the machine as part of the culture of the company. Then company leaders really begin to see the benefits. They start estimating jobs with the machine’s efficiencies in mind.   Tyler mentions this video about the toll that physically demanding jobs have on the body.   At first we laugh about the tool envy factor, but then Eddie raises the fact that it really is a thing among contractors and that it’s part of what moves innovation along.    We discuss capabilities and setup time. Danielle explains that the TyBOT comes in on a 40’ trailer. The crew assembles it on its rails, choosing gantries that can handle widths from 9’ to 107’. This process takes about an hour. Then you simply turn it on and let it do its thing. It looks for intersections and ties them. There’s no programming, no BIM. It carries 15-pound spools.    IronBOT, on the other hand, takes 6-8 hours to get it in place. Then you load the specs (spacing, etc.) and it does its thing.   “Certified innovators” look at the project plans and try to configure optimized “bundle plans.”  These people are also the ones who work with contractors during the estimating process.     We discuss the comparisons between human team speeds and machine speeds. Danielle says that a project isn’t a good fit for these machines unless it would be a 1-week job manually for TyBOT or 2 weeks manually for an IronBOT/TyBOT project.     Danielle explains that her company’s focus is optimization for productivity to free up human crews to make better use of their time.    Danielle’s Megaphone Message: We are in the middle of a robotic renaissance. Take the blinders off and have some fun. Go see what’s out there. Ask yourself where automation can help. Support the companies that are innovating with technology that’s here to help.    Find Danielle Online: LinkedIn -  Advanced Construction Robotics Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ah yes, freshman year.    Today we’re talking about things we remember learning in our first year on the job.    Eddie starts us off:  His first lessons were about pacing. When you’re tying rebar, you don’t want to be starting at a sprint.    He discusses the home-life manifestation of this principle with the phenomenon of The Lowe’s Trip. When he enters a project slowly and deliberately, he avoids the four-trip day.   Measure twice, cut once. Think it through. Think about the long game.    (Here’s the Daniel Labelle video Eddie references.)    Then Tyler shares: His early discoveries had to do with complaining.    Pretty simply, he came around the understanding that he had to complain less.    Now you share:  We would love to hear about lessons you learned either in your first year or within the last year (even if it wasn’t your last-last year. Give us a call at 512-THE-BROS and let us know what wisdom you’ve gained.   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody’s talking about it, so today we are too. In this episode, we’re exploring the implications of AI for construction. (And yes, we know it's not Friday.)   (We touched on this topic in our conversation with Norine Bagate a couple weeks ago. Check out that episode if you missed it.)   Tyler shares what he’s read and seen about AI virtual assistants that can identify potential candidate (for podcast guests, for instance) and then write emails customized to each of them. He goes on to discuss some interesting insights from the Marketing Against the Grain podcast.    Eddie shares about a dismal experience with Shopify’s AI DJ, which acted confusingly on his love of the Interstellar soundtrack and also gave him some wonderfully mellow Jon Foreman tunes right as he was ready to work out.    As we shift to construction, Tyler asks Eddie where he thinks the greatest amount of disruption will occur. He suspects that the first significant impact will be on research-based tasks, such as those involved in architecture and engineering.   Tyler predicts that the changes will be huge but that it may also be a bit slower than expected. He’s guessing that today’s kids will expect AI. They’ll integrate it intuitively into their daily activities.   With this in mind, we discuss the “generational” difference even between the two of us (who are only 13 years apart): 

• Eddie’s knee-jerk reaction is not to use technology. His first instinct is to figure it out with his own two hands and with books. If he has a question, he goes for the manual.
• Tyler is likely to just Google it. That will likely bring him back to digital versions of the same source, but the way a person engages with it is different.

  We compare AI/ChatGPT with Google search as far as how they may affect our approach to questions, problems, and solutions.    We discuss exclamation points as a generational identifier.    Eddie discusses the hesitations he continues to feel in the shift toward paperless documentation. Tyler entered the industry when that shift had already taken place.    Is it all doom and gloom? Tyler hopes not. He’s hopeful that AI will speed up processes that are currently unnecessarily slow.   Eddie’s prediction is that the first big change will involve crawling models for codified deficiencies as well as code compliance. As municipalities come on board, the movement will grow.     Tyler speculates that insurance companies may soon require that plans go through an AI check.   Today’s 10-year-olds, such as Eddie’s daughter, can design entire homes on their tablets. They’re deeply immersed in technology that even some architects are still struggling to adopt.    Design, Tyler thinks, will become less intense. The collection of options and modules available to meet a specific use will be much greater.    We don’t want to quit having ideas. We want buildings to continue to have a personality. We want people to continue to have to solve problems.    This won’t be easy. It won’t be quick. There’s an intuition that comes with being human. We hope it will enhance and facilitate imagination rather than    You’ve likely heard about the AI-generated song that was originally claimed to be by Drake and The Weeknd.     We close by pondering: Is there any chance that this will all go the way of 80s synth? Ten years from now, might there be nostalgia for long-form blog posts?   Our request: If you have some thoughts or if you have seen anything in the field regarding AI, we’d love to hear from you on our phone line: 512-THE-BROS.    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re different.  Okay, that’s not news. Today we explore the differences in our routines, but then we talk about the value of routine--and the ways in which routines can go too far. Eddie shares about his effort to stay in routine despite the craziness of life. He’ll just get a routine going, and then something throws it off.  We talk about emotional/relational withdrawals and deposits. Tyler’s weeks away on work are withdrawals from the family energy levels, so he makes an effort to be truly present when he is home. Eddie mentions that he’s oddly encouraged to hear that things don’t go perfectly smoothly when he’s not home. We discuss the value of trying and trying and trying some more even if the outcomes are not consistent.  Life happens.  Don’t beat yourself up. Listen to our Balance is a Myth episode from a couple years ago.  Sometimes it’s okay to sleep in. Sometimes it’s okay to get a big ol’ bowl of ice cream.  Be purposeful about adjusting to your current demands. Break routines that are keeping you from flourishing in your current situation.  It’s okay to let go of a routine that isn’t working.  At the same time, look out for routines that begin to work their way in without intention.  Routines are good. Routines can be good.  If you have some thoughts to share about routines, call us at 512-THE-BROS.    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not quite what it sounds like, but it's just as cool.   Angie Simon, former CEO of Western Allied Mechanical, joined us last year to talk about baseball analogies that can strengthen your construction game. Today she’s here to talk about an exciting youth-oriented construction-recruiting program that came up in that conversation: the Heavy Metal Summer Experience.    (Before we get to the substance of Angie’s visit, we discuss one of the best recent construction-related movies, Lego Movie. If you haven’t seen it, you really, really should regardless of your age.)    Right out of the gate, Angie shares with us some amazing growth numbers about the HMSE program:

• First year: 1 location and 28 kids 
• Second year : 11 locations and 170
• Third year: 22 locations and 400 kids

  This program is designed for kids who are approaching high school graduation and don’t want to go to college. Angie explains that the 30 hours of hands-on experience that this program beats the pants off of a simple booth at a career fair.    She sees kids quickly become excited about sheet metal work, welding, and more.    Angie outlines the elements of the of the program in the order:

• A discussion about the importance of safety
• A tour of the shop
• Discussion about construction models (BIM, etc.)  
• Hands-on work with sheet metal, pipe fitting, soldering
• Programming of a sheet metal laser
• Hands-on work with electrical (new this year)

  Tyler shares about his visit to the Allied Mechanical shop and mentions that construction is the new Silicon Valley.    Angie talks about the significance of word-of-mouth in the recruiting game. She shares about a pair of brothers and a friend who all came for mock interviews.    Eddie asks Angie to talk about her HMSE playbook. This book dramatically reduces the load for hosts by compiling all kinds of useful information: 

• Forms (permission slips, content-release forms, etc.)
• Permits
• Instructions for several projects
• Lessons learned from past sessions
• A detailed schedule

  Angie shares that several students have been hired by contractors directly from these summer programs. She shares a story about a student who had been dealing with depression before starting the HMSE program. That student is now in her second year of apprenticeship.    Eddie talks about the value of this sort of training opportunity for the trainers–increased pride and purpose. Angie talks about the challenges of growing the program with a combination of paid people and volunteers.    Angie’s megaphone message: It’s not about your butt-crack plumber anymore. No, actually that’s not her megaphone message, but it is something she said. Here’s what she really said: It’s our industry. We made the industry, so we need to take responsibility for it. Get the word out there about how great the trades can be. We need to share our stories about the secret of a great life in the trades.    Find Angie Online: LinkedIn -  Heavy Metal Summer Experience   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today Tyler shares with us about his routine. Well, Tyler has a four-year-old and a two-year-old, so "routine" might not be quite the right word. Still, there are some patterns.    Two-year-old Hank is an early riser, but Dad needs his coffee, which means that Hank often starts his day with some TV.   Then there might be some reading (social media posts count as reading, right?) before helping his wife get the kids out the door.   Then it’s time to run–usually a mile or two. Or it could be a longer trip but at a walking pace with the dog. Whether it’s a run or a dog-walk, he’ll likely be consuming some podcasts before returning home to consume some oatmeal and peanut butter.    The work day starts up around 9, and then it’s quite simply a matter of tackling whichever tasks pop up.    The coffee keeps flowing all day long, to the tune of probably 3 or 4 cups a day.    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Scott Peper is not being overwhelmed with the duties of parenting three daughters, he’s focused on his work as CEO of Mobilization Funding. He also wrote The Big Book of Cash Flow, which aims to help commercial subcontractors and general contractors to navigate the financial aspect of successful projects.    Cash flow in the construction world is not like it is in most other businesses. Scott’s focus is helping clients get a grip on the math of it all–capital, expenses, margins, contingencies.   He says it’s all about knowing how much money you have in your pile of cash. But some of that pile might not be just profit from a given project. Among other things, it might be…

• a line of credit
• cash you’re infusing from your own pocket
• long-term debt
• short-term debt

  Scott explains that traditional financing institutions sometimes fail to understand the dynamics that are unique to construction.    Tyler asks Scott to list cash-flow mistakes. He lists a few:  

• people living out of their checkbook rather than thinking ahead.
• not having accurate financial statements
• failure to consider forecasted expenses

  Eddie points out that “cash flow can eat you.” Plenty of businesses go bankrupt due to a lack of attention to cash flow. Scott builds on that insight and says that cash flow is also key to positioning your company for growth. Scott suggests focusing on a 13-week cash-flow forecast, and he talks us through some hypothetical scenarios.   We discuss a variety of considerations that must be made before bidding on upcoming projects.    Eddie asks how big a cash pile should be in order to keep a business in a good place. Scott talks through an example scenario of a contractor facing growth opportunities. He says that most contractors are solid on the bidding process and executing over a work schedule. What many of them don’t know is how to invest in the job at the beginning of a project vs. the point where they’re cash-flow positive.    Tyler shares that he has recently experienced a version of this disconnect when he neglected to familiarize himself with the payment terms before signing a contract with a client. Luckily he has a buffer that has been sufficient.    Scott follows up by suggesting the idea of pricing a job a few percentage points higher to take financing costs into consideration. Your bid must take cash-flow and financing costs into consideration.    We discuss the trickle-down effects of failures to consider cash flow. A sub won’t order materials when they should if they don’t have the money to pay for them. Then, if the contract considered such contingencies, extra fees may worsen the situation for that sub.  As we shift our attention to solutions, Scott lists these things:

• Have a good finance mind somewhere in your business–a readily available person with meaningful insights. 
• Have a cash-flow tool for each project, and examine reports daily to keep tabs on the small and big pictures.
• Communicate proactively with the other parties as circumstances change.

  Just getting started? Scott suggests that you learn to leverage–leverage your experience, your expertise, your credit cards, and more.    Scott’s megaphone message: Performance is the one thing that will separate you from the competition. It will bring you a variety of rewards. Make yourself so undeniably great that contractors won’t want to work with anyone other than you. Don’t sell yourself short. Do not sacrifice the price that you need in order to perform well.   Here is a link to the free resources that Scott mentioned toward the end of the episode.    Find Scott Online: LinkedIn - Mobilization Funding - The Big Book of Cash Flow   Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, in the first of a very short series (if two episodes can be called a series), Eddie talks us through the daily pattern that keeps him going.  Eddie is a man of routine. You’ll hear about a day that kicks off with a 5:30 alarm and includes a healthy supply of coffee among other things. There are some smoothies in there, as well as some ice cream. (Of course there’s also a collection of thoughtful leadership practices.)    We discuss how routines provide momentum and structure for our day–as well as which elements have the most harmful effect when they’re forgotten. Here is the David Goggins on Mars video we mention (in somewhat censored form). Enjoy! Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today’s episode includes a visual demonstration, so you may want to consider watching the Youtube version.   After a short story about deadly dumpling shenanigans, we shift to today’s guest, John Fay.   John is the founder and CEO of Låda Cube (pronounced Lauda Cube). Låda Cube produces pre-fab cassettes that are used in the place of conventional stud-and-drywall walls. John starts out with a review of how the cassettes function and the benefits they offer.     The refinement of production efficiencies has enabled Låda Cube to explore the benefits of standardization. This standardization yields multiple benefits:

• Final assembly is more consistent.
• Assembly can be handled by minimally skilled workers
• Entire walls can be disassembled and their parts reused–either when it’s time to reconfigure a space or in the case of a more complete demolition.

  Låda Cube modules are small enough to be easily handled, and they fit together with a cam-lock system that each has 750 lbs of carrying power. The cassette-built wall can then be covered with a variety of finish surfaces that can be switched out when it’s time for a change of decor.    John explains that specialized cassettes can serve customized purposes:

• Increased load-bearing capacity
• Plug-and-play electrical systems
• Space for plumbing access

  The goal is to have a system that never goes obsolete–that will be reverse compatible long into the future.   John shares about one of Låda Cube’s large recent projects, a series of WalMart vision centers. If the work on these centers would have been done using conventional methods, it would have taken 16 days per center. With the modules, each center was finished in 3 days.   We explore the topic of cost. As you might expect, this type of product is currently a premium product. Låda Cube is currently priced at $4.50/linear foot. John believes digitization and production improvements will eventually bring that number below $2.    The trickle-down benefits of standardization include faster estimates and reduced errors. John said his crew can generally give a phase-one drawing within just a few hours.   The Låda Cube team is now working on software integrations that will populate modules in the design phase so that estimates and invoices can be almost immediate and also transparent.    We discuss both cost and quality. John explains that the ½” MDF that is their current main skin finish material. He says that they’re occasionally using Avonite and, in the long run, would like to pursue partnerships with gypsum manufacturers to integrate small panels with easy seam solutions.    Tyler asks John to share some of the specific costs related to the Walmart vision center projects, including a large refund that the accountants struggled to process.     John anticipates the development of a third-party market for exchanging components of this sort of system. He explains that there is no reason for any of their products to ever end up in a landfill.   We hear about door integration when John explains that representatives from MillerKnoll contacted them to say that they’ve never hung a door on a truer wall. This is due to the fact that the Låda Cube cassettes are built to tolerances of 15/100”.   Eddie addresses some of the mindset shifts that owners, contractors, and municipalities will need to consider in transitioning to this sort of construction.    John’s Megaphone Message: The Låda Cube team sees themselves as changers of environments. When they approach a worksite, they try to remove the fear and tension that might be there. They want to show compassion and to champion people well.
Find John Online: LinkedIn - Låda Cube    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, we talked to Dr. Michael Bottlang about the rotational force that causes the majority of severe head injuries.   This got Eddie thinking about an earlier experience where we purchased hard hats for a demo and ended up with Type I hard hats when we’d intended to get a Type II.   Many contractors have chosen to shift to newer styles of helmets without looking at the protection data. They might be making these decisions to look like they’re cutting-edge or, frankly, because those wearing the helmets think they look better. The Type II helmets look a bit better, but Dr. Bottlang’s research suggests that the Type I helmets might actually provide greater protection.    Perhaps we (the larger, collective “we”) should examine the decisions we’ve made. Perhaps we should have the humility to admit that it’s time to turn back.    Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for listening!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.