October 15, 2025

Culture on the Bleeding Edge: How Satterfield & Pontikes Drives Change from the Field Up

31 minutes

What does it take to turn skeptics into champions of innovation?

Recorded live at Autodesk University 2025, this conversation with Mark Dinius of Satterfield & Pontikes dives into how one of Texas’s most forward-thinking builders is shaping a “bleeding-edge” culture where technology, trust, and field-first innovation thrive.

From leading a major Procore → ACC migration to redefining risk management with data-driven tools, Mark shares practical lessons in change management, intentional tech adoption, and empowering teams to see value in new ways.

Highlights from the Conversation

How culture turns skeptics into tech champions

Why new tools demand new processes—not old habits

Building trust through early wins and people-first support

Why interoperability beats tool overload every time

The future of AI and object-driven data in construction

MEET OUR GUEST

Mark Dinius is Vice President of Innovation & Technology at Satterfield & Pontikes, where he leads IT, VDC, systems integration, and analytics across commercial, industrial, K–12, and healthcare projects. A BIM pioneer and Purdue alum, Mark has evolved from virtual construction within academia into driving digital transformation in the field—advancing object-driven data, process modernization, and intentional tech adoption to help his teams work smarter, not harder.

TODD TAKES

Culture Turns Skeptics into Champions

SatPon’s “bleeding edge” mindset starts at the top and spreads by proving value on real jobs. Once teams see tech remove risk and save time, the boulder rolls downhill—your hardest skeptics become your loudest advocates. Trust is earned by solving their problems first.

Be Intentional: New Tech, New Process

Their Procore → ACC migration worked because they didn’t cram old habits into new tools. Clear ownership, phased rollout, and people-first support (training, ticketing, KPIs) kept overwhelm down and adoption up. The same discipline guides AI: avoid point-solution sprawl, prioritize impact.

Make the Field’s Job Easier (Object-Driven Data)

The win isn’t “more apps”—it’s faster answers where supers already live: the plans. An object-driven approach that ties RFIs, submittals, schedule, costs, and vendor info to the element on screen beats tool-switching every time. Interoperability (and smart tools) should serve that simple goal.

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