Creating Structure

Just in time to ring in the new year I welcome Oliver Stepe, President, YKK AP America Inc., to the program. This inspiring and informative interview covers Oliver's path from growing up in Long Island, to college, to glazing sub contractor, to US Aluminum, to YKK, and his ascension from regional technical  sales professional to President of the business. Oliver has great insights into team-building, adding value, consultative sales, approaching work, analytics, new ideas, marketing, thought leadership, manufacturing, and current trends. I found it very informative to listen back prior to final posting and production.

From his LinkedIn bio, "(He) oversees the North American architectural products business including commercial, residential, and related operating units, building loyal customers, engaged employees, and trying to making a positive difference in the lives of our employees and the industries and communities in which we work. We call it The Cycle of Goodness

I find Oliver to be a thoughtful executive leader. Enjoy the show. Leave a comment. Engage with the community.

Guest:
Oliver Stepe, President YKK AP
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliverstepe/

YKK
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ykk-ap-america-inc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YKKAPAmerica
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ykkapamerica
Website: https://www.ykkap.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/YKKAPvideo

Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton & Sprague Engineering, Inc., & Affiliates
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

Rens F Hayes, IV, PE, is a Co-founder and Principal of H+O Structural Engineering.  A 2010 graduate from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with a BSCE, and obtaining also a MSCE from WPI in 2012, Rens has fast-tracked his professional growth. With a personal and family history in business, Rens co-founded H + O in 2016.  Rens is progressive, mature, and experienced beyond his years, and is inspiring. He is quite prolific in his writing, influencer posts on LinkedIn, and participation in the PSMJ Executive Forum where he and I first met via email. We found ourselves liking what the other had to say on certain issues which led to our connecting, and then to this Podcast.

Rens's firm specializes in mid- and high-rise building design. They serve Architects and Real Estate Developers primarily. Their mission is  "A Better Experience - for our team and for our clients." They are focused on real results and protecting their client's investments. We talk about some of these things and more in this podcast. Their website banner says it; "Structural Engineers actually focused on your results."

We cover business, life, growing up in construction and business, value propositions, remote and hybrid workforce, Boston area growth, building typology, people, brand, social media contexts, physiology and more. You'll know when we recorded as I make a reference to the Cleveland Browns vs. New England Patriots game that was about to be played. We all know how that turned out!

Enjoy the podcast. See the show notes and links below. Thanks for engaging.


Guest:
Rens Hayes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renshayes/
Rens talks about #leadership, #realestate, #engineering, #architecture, and #construction

H + O Engineering:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/hayes-&-o'neill-structural-engineering/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hayes_oneill
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HayesONeill/
Website: https://www.hayesoneill.com/

Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton & Sprague Engineering, Inc., & Affiliates
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

In this episode I welcome Diana Darling to the podcast. Entrepreneur, publisher, co-founder, founder, idea generator,  president, influencer, event developer, and more can be used to describe Diana professionally. Like many of our guests, her path is interesting. From Texas to London to New York, and points between, Diana has a unique path. You'll hear about it in the podcast.

I met Diana through one of the first Facades + events, one of her education and networking venues. I have enjoyed getting to know her over the years.  Diana, with her husband and business partner, William "Bill" Menking (1947-2020,) founded the AN Media Group and The Architect's Newspaper. There are other businesses within the AN Media umbrella including CE Strong, AN Interior and TECH +.

Diana says on her LinkedIn profile, "The best part of being a business owner is networking with other AEC business owners." She and AN are providing critical thinking in architecture, buildings, and planning, art, urban design, and more, along with bringing together "communities" through the publishing and the event venues. Diana's energy is a big draw and her influence is measurable. As typically is the case, we discuss quite a few things and romp through various topics. There's substantive resources below in the links to her companies and venues.

Enjoy, comment, join the conversation

And thanks for engaging!


Guest:
Diana Darling
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-darling/

AN Media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/architect's-newspaper/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpaper/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/archpaper
Architect newspaper: https://www.archpaper.com/
CE Strong:https://www.cestrong.com/
AN Interior: https://aninteriormag.com/
TECH + :https://techplus.co/
Facades +: https://facadesplus.com/

Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton & Sprague Engineering, Inc., & Affiliates
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

Welcome Barbara Kotsos to the show. I met Barb in 2014 just after she joined Giroux Glass. If you want to understand more about marketing, what marketer's do, and what a professional marketer is doing in the specialty subcontracting field, this is a "must listen." It's like a short course on the value of marketing in any business, but the application to subcontracting is compelling. Whether you employ a marketer or not, or if you've thought about it, you'll be thinking even more after listening.

Barb has worked in consumer goods, B2C, B2B, new technologies, retail, and now construction.  How she got to this point is interesting. She tells the story in our discussion. We talk about Branding, Visibility and Awareness, the differences between marketing, business development, and sales, and more.

She attended Claremont Graduate University - Peter F Drucker and Matoshi Ito Graduate School of Management. Her Steele Foundation Fellowship enabled her acting as a teaching assistant/research assistant, including to the late Peter F. Drucker. We "geek out" a bit on the marketing topic. The content is applicable to marketers, business developers, sales people, executives, owners, and others aspiring to become marketers.

Barb is also heavily involved with NAWIC, the National Association of Women in Construction https://www.nawic.org/nawic/default.asp. We discuss the male-female gender balance/imbalance in construction as well. 

Guest:
Barbara Kotsos
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarakotsos/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BKotsos

Giroux:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giroux-glass-inc-/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirouxGlassInc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girouxglass/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/girouxglass
Website: https://girouxglass.com/

Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton & Sprague Engineering, Inc., & Affiliates
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

Step into the mind of master architect, artist, author, poet, speaker, & business owner, John Marx of Form4 Architects . John is a co-founding partner/Chief Artistic Office at Form4. The firm is best known for shaping the all-amenity tech campus concept in the Silicon Valley. John also designed the area’s first all electric net positive office building.

Philosophically, John is a proponent of Second Century Modernism. He paints, writes poetry, serves on the board of the San Francisco Art Institute, & designs Burning Man installations. He advocates for inclusion of Philosophy, Art, and Poetry in the thoughtful making of place. Keenly aware that architecture is a balancing act between self expression & collaboration, he uses the compelling power of form to create emotionally resonant architecture. He lectures widely, has been published in over 100 publications, and is the recipient of over 160 design awards. 
John and I discuss how artistry drive his expression of buildings, the absurdity of beauty, emotional resonance in buildings. We touch on how the facade typology helps differentiate the building expression. John works to remove barriers in the "art and creative world," encouraging people to utilize creative forms of expression. He communicates this through his definition of art as, "The act of sharing your humanity with others through an expressive medium."

John on Sustainability, “The most sustainable things in life are those things you will not throw away because you love them too much”.

I think you'll find listening to this to be an excellent learning experience. Enjoy!

The Guest:
John Marx, Chief Artistic Officer, Form4 Architects
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-marx-aia-047a1a/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/johnmarx58?lang=en
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/johnmarx22/?hl=en

Form4:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/form4-architecture-inc./
Website: https://form4inc.com/

Public Relations- Tom Morr
Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-morr/

Host:
John Wheaton, CEO WSE Inc.
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague & Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Social media:
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

Welcome to the Creating Structure Podcast #24. My guest is Mr. Mike Russo, Owner, President and CEO of SPS Corporation. In addition to a lot of "who's who" in the curtain wall and cladding industry world, we cover a lot of ground here on history, current realities, SPS's work, trends, future, and more. We've got Mike's inspiring story of overcoming adversity as a young man, and becoming the 1st person in his family to go to and graduate from college. After graduating from Lycoming College, Mike drove his 1974 Nova to New York City with the goal of working in the advertising industry. It was in NYC that his career in curtain wall started and accelerated quickly. We cover history of different branches from the curtain wall 'tree', and we name drop a lot of folks, some of whom were involved with Mike along the way, some directly, some indirectly; Oscar Drucker, John Stephens, Jeff Heymann (prior guest), Mike Haber (prior guest-Mike get your golf clubs ready), Juan Speck, John Juba, Russell Gardner, and many more mentioned in the talk.

We get into current realities, trends, building typologies, and more; changes in construction document content from past to present, building financial strength, employing great people, the power of connecting, the evolution of the curtain wall industry, and more. Hearing Mike's perspective and gleaning from his experiences are valuable. Enjoy, share, leave a comment, engage!


The Guest:
Mike Russo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-russo-654b2512/

SPS Corporation:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sps-corp/
Website: https://spscorporation.com/

The Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton & Sprague Engineering, Inc., & Affiliates
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Custom Jingle, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

Sunday is an appropriate day to post this conversation with Marshall Brandon. This is the first Creating Structure Podcast of it's type to share a "human interest" story outside of the context of building, architecture, facade, but inside the context of everyone, every human life, personally, or professionally.

It is a story of hope, renewal, redemption, recovery, deliverance; that with God all things are possible. From Alabama to Youngstown, to Vietnam,  to Akron,  to prison, prison to restoration, renewal, redemption. It's a story of overcoming abuse, abandonment, anger, addiction, racism, divorce, and more. It's really God's story in Marshall's life. How to be a great employee, how to leave a legacy, from nothing to everything. From hopelessness to hope.

Many people know Marshall Brandon, as "Pastor B" or "Pastor Brandon." It didn't start that way. Far from it. Marshall has worked as a ballistics specialist in the military, worked in a steel mill,  for a water department, and for 17 years as a stationary engineer. Then more years than that in homeless ministry and then as a pastor. It's not your normal path, but it's his path, Marshall's story; but it's really God's story in Marshall's life.

Marshall has a new book coming out in February of 2022, "Someplace to be Somebody: God's Story in the Life of Marshall Brandon," by Lisa Loraine Baker, and published by End Game Press. The book is available for pre-order now. Regardless of your faith platform, or not, the story is real. It's gripping. It's inspiring. Please listen, share, leave a comment.

The Guest:
Marshall Brandon
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshall-brandon-1a64571a/
Instagram:https://instagram.com/nyehmah
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/marshall.brandon.3


The Book: https://www.endgamepress.com/store/p/pre-order-someplace-to-be-somebody

End Game Press:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/end-game-press/about/
Website:https://www.endgamepress.com/

The Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton Sprague
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Custom Jingle, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

Welcome to another episode of the Creating Structure Podcast. In this session I talk with Syndi Sim, Vice President of Marketing, Diamon-Fusion International. Coming from a family of lawyers, and those in the legal field, Syndi received degrees in criminal justice, criminology, and intended to be an attorney. After working in the court system for a time, Syndi, realized she needed to make a change and decided to move in a different path. You'll hear how she got from  criminal justice work, to marketing, and then marketing specifically in the glass industry. It is an inspiring story that shows, for one, that when we follow our unique ability, good things happen. Syndi exudes energy, curiosity, passion for life, people and the products she represents. You'll hear it in the interview. We discuss everything from covalent bonding on silica surfaces, to marketing, product development, and autism. I was energized and inspired after the interview, and listening to it again prior to production. 

What is Diamon-Fusion, what are it's benefits? You'll hear it at depth in the podcast. Who is Syndi Sim? You'll hear that too. 

Some topic discussed:

• Glass Surfaces
• Silica based surfaces and products
• Covalent bonds
• Voice of the customer
• Product development
• Fuse Cube vs. Fuse Cube Express
• Branding, personally and as a company
• A key decision that drove great results in 2020
• Co-Branding and Co-Marketing with clients
• Sales
• Mindsets
• and more

Thanks for listening!

The Guest:
Syndi Sim, VP Marketing and Business Development, DFI
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/syndisim/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SyndiSim
Website: http://businessdevelopmentinsights.blogspot.com/

DFI:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/diamon-fusion-international-inc./
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiamonFusion/
Website: http://www.dfisolutions.com/

The Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton & Sprague Engineering, Inc., & Affiliates
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Custom Jingle, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

Welcome to Episode #21 of the Creating Structure Podcast where I interview Thomas Cornellier, Chief Strategy Officer of TSI Corporations. The moment I listened to the the final pre-screen version my first thought was "this is a discussion that needs to be heard." Thomas gives us a window into TSI's culture, core values, generational transference of ownership and responsibility, and much more. Thomas has a lot of energy, is insightful, thinks fast, and has much to share. This episode moves very quickly and there's parts that the listener's may want to bookmark or listen to again when finished.

Whether you are a contract glazier, supplier, privately held company, 2nd or 3rd generation company, company moving through transition, a business owner, start-up founder, constructor, manager, and more, this has something for everyone.

Some topics discussed:

• What's your "why"
• How TSI people "love to build"
• Identifying and curating core values
• Integrating software stacks
• Developing custom internal training programs
• Respecting legacy while moving forward
• Building teamwork
• Identifying your "BHAG"
• Extreme Ownership
• Importance of Union workers
• DC Construction markets
• Niche subcontracting work
• Making hard decisions
• Lacrosse
• Podcasting
• and more

Listen, engage, leave some feedback, and get to know Thomas!

The Guest:
Thomas Cornellier, CSO, TSI Corporations
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-cornellier-65365814
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcornellier?lang=en

TSI Corporations:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/tsi-corporations/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/tsiwalls
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tsicorporations/
Website: https://tsicorporations.com/

The Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton Sprague
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague and Affiliates:
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Custom Jingle, Production
Joshua Wheaton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluenotejosh/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/

In this Creating Structure Podcast, our 20th Episode, I welcome none other than Mark Zweig.

Mark is well known in the AEC industry with Mark Zweig Inc., and having been Founder and Chairman of Zweig Group.  Mark is now an "Entrepreneur in Residence" and full-time professor in Entrepreneurial studies in the business college at the University of Arkansas. He also writes blogs and articles regularly, which can be found online and in his social media feeds.

Taking a pay cut from his bicycle business to get his first job after MBA school, Mark jumped into the AEC industry in a number of escalating positions involving marketing, HR, and recruiting, prior to starting one of the preeminent AEC Consulting firms at Zweig Group.

We "go to school" in this session talking about Mark's path forward, the AEC industry,  A/E vs. C differences, buying and selling businesses, balance sheets, achieving 30% year over year growth, changes in staffing and people since COVID19, Mergers and Acquisitions, return on equity, the value of communication, learning how to sell, and more.

Mark has been an avid collector of cars, bikes, and motorcycles, which we talk about as well.

Also, don't miss Mark's take on "the value of cutting the grass" (literally.)

There's much more to glean in this discussion from the past, the present, and the future. Enjoy, share, subscribe, listen, and please share your comments with the Creating Structure Podcast community. Thank you so much for listening!

Guest:
Mark Zweig
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-zweig-76529219a/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkZweig?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Blogs:
 https://thezweigletter.com/tag/mark-zweig/
https://walton.uark.edu/insights/

University of Arkansas: https://t.co/BuPSrga4GG?amp=1
Zweig Group: http://www.zweiggroup.com/

Host:
John L Wheaton, PE, CEO, Wheaton Sprague
Blog: https://johnlwheaton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-wheaton-pe-leed-ap-0694886
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnLWheaton1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlwheaton1/

Wheaton Sprague
Company: https://www.wheatonsprague.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wheatonsprague
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/wheatonsprague/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wheatonsprague/    

Audio Production, Mixing, Engineering, Custom Jingle
https://www.instagram.com/rustbeltmoneyprod/