Deliberate Words

Are you on a Lean Journey? Are you familiar with what a Lean Journey is? Conspectus has been attending COPs (community of practice) events across the country. We have been learning about Lean principles, and striving to understanding the tenants. We know it is a powerful practice, that drives project success, but we want to know how the Conspectus approach aligns with Lean.  So we sat down with one of the most knowledgeable folks in the industry - John Zachara. 

Lean has become a way of constructing, and even a way of life, for many teams across the country and even the world. It is a practice that is rooted in respecting people, reducing waste, increasing efficiency, and many other principles that directly align with how Conspectus approaches our projects.  We are very curious how to make the connection between the two. John Zachara, vice president at Integrated Facility Solutions in Chicago, is an consultant, practitioner, educator, and active member of LCI, Lean Construction Institute. In this episode we take a journey with him into the world of Lean, and it felt like we just scratched the surface. We will definitely be continuing the conversation with John, but right now we invite you to listen in on him chatting with our hosts, David Stutzman and Steve Gantner, along with special guest, our executive VP in Chicago, Elias Saltz, who has worked with John on past projects.  Welcome to our intro to a Lean Journey.  

Courage is a powerful characteristic in a female architect, and is exercised in a number of ways, inspiring many along her journey. 

In honor of Women In Construction month, we welcome Marissa Iamello, a New Jersey architect and the 2021 AIA-NJ Young Architect Award recipient. As she shares her story, we learn how she has shown a tremendous amount of courage throughout her entire career. She is continuously challenged to re-evaluate priorities as she navigates being an ardent female architect.  She shows that there is more than just surviving what life gives you, it is celebrating and enjoying every moment.  Now here are your hosts of Deliberate Words David Stutzman and Steve Gantner chatting with Marissa Iamello about her courageous journey as a female architect.  

Live from the annual CURT Conference in San Antonio, TX!  We chat with Taylor Boileau of Ryan Companies and Karen Hager, incoming president of NAWIC.

Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Tina Montone attended the Construction Users Round Table conference early this month.  The event provided rich experiences of giving a presentation, tremendous education, incredible networking, and growth of friendships. A highlight was our conversation with Taylor and Karen, and listening to what is means to be a woman in construction.  Trust me when I tell you, their angle and story is NOT what you typically hear.  We hope you enjoy this onsite and uncut episode of Deliberate Words. 

One may consider construction managers miracle workers, and in this episode we chat with an owner and a contractor to learn the depth of what it means in their lives and positions on the project team.

PMs, CMs, Superintendents - Whatever issues, problems, or situations that arise on the job site - it will land on their desk for resolution. Our guests in January add another level to the word miracle in medical situations they have overcome. Despite their close encounter with death, they continue to construct and work towards improving the industry.  And they have A LOT of wisdom to bestow.  

We welcome Cy Rangel, lead project manager at Purdue University, and Jim Rechenmacher, superintendent at Boldt Construction, long time industry friends, and comrade therapists talk about having knowledge, experience, ambition, initiative, and investment in the team and industry; sprinkled with some prayers to make miracles happen!

We have officially wrapped up 30 years of producing awesome specifications, and one whole year of podcast episodes.  All of the Conspectus Specifiers hopped in the recording booth in December to reflect on how the firm as evolved over the past 3 decades, share their journey to specifications, and provide an inside of what it is like to work for the largest specification firm in the country. Our team of 14 split up into 3 groups to chat with one another.  How did Conspectus develop the technical knowledge, talent, and positive team energy that is known far and wide in the industry?  Perhaps you'll hear some secrets revealed.  From our team to yours: Happy Holidays 2022!

Group 1: Joe Minarik, Jay Bethel, Emelyn Adoremos, Basiru Carew, Dave Stutzman, Tina Montone

Group 2: Steve Gantner, Marlon Hollis, Chris Ricke, Hugo Nava, Dave Stutzman, Tina Montone

Group 3: Elias Saltz, Alejandro Rodriguez, Melody Fontenot, Terumi Woods, Dave Stutzman, Tina Montone

Music by Dream Theatre

Have you been to a DBIA conference? Ever wonder what it is about and what you can experience as an attendee?  In this episode we welcome back Brian Skripac, the director of Virtual Design and Construction for the DBIA, to provide a recap on the most recent conference that took place last month in November.  The association added VDC as a new track, and it is quite interesting to get the behind-the-scenes knowledge to understand how they structure sessions for ultimate benefit to the attendees.  Our St. Louis senior specifier and executive vice president, Steve Gantner also attend the conference, and together they cover the highlights and awesome nuggets they gathered from the event.  

We welcome Brian Skripac the director of VDC for the DBIA. In non-acronym terms: he is the Virtual Design & Construction guru for the Design Build Institute of America.  Technology is everywhere in the industry, but how and why it's applied contributes to success. Brian explains that if we can look at technology in a thoughtful and innovative way, across the entire project life cycle, we can achieve design excellence, increase productivity and quality, and reduce life-cycle costs for owners.  People must thoughtfully integrated it into the entire approach, to truly improve the process.  These are very exciting times for technology in the construction industry, so listen in as David Stutzman and Steve Gantner, your hosts of Deliberate Words chat with Brian Skripac on how the importance of the order of People, Process, Technology = VDC Success. 

Logic refocused elevates people's abilities, knowledge and experience; it leverages  technology; and it builds confidence in the predictability of success.  In this episode of Deliberate Words, we welcome Daniel Canning - Vice President of Project Assurance and Delivery at Teknobuilt, and he is very much in agreeance and support of how relationships transform the industry.  Dan is captivating, entertaining and brilliant in his discussions, that actually become a story about his experiences over the course of his career, and how they have influenced his current position in improving the industry.  He distills it down to the correct placement of technology, people and process, which he proves has impact on success probability.  He explains how the correct framework in a project recognizes constraints, removes the constraints, and has a LOGIC that makes sense to everyone and allows everyone to do their part, having technology as a strong and supportive role. 

Eyes on the Prize - sometimes easier said than done.  We discover that is what is behind the success at Studio Libeskind when we chat with Neil Cook. 

What's in a relationship, and how does it contribute to the success of the end goal as well as the journey that takes you there? Our Topeka, KS senior specifier Chris Ricke, had the pleasure of working on a Studio Libeskind project with architect Neil Cook.  Chris noticed something unique in the how they work with the entire project team during each phase.  Here is a hint: consult the contractor BEFORE drawings are complete!  Let them influence design decisions.  Neil takes a deep dive into their practices that encourages "Eyes on the prize" for ultimate success.  

In this episode we are very excited to welcome Charlie Dunn from DPR. As per his usual, Charlie provides many wonderful nuggets to improving the future of the construction industry through the art of storytelling, and distills the solutions down to two ideas: empathy and scientific thinking. Charlie has a unique and captivating way of looking at projects, identifying the challenges, and guiding members of the project team to efficiently and successfully provide solutions. He is able to do this at a high level applying solutions to areas of the industry as a whole, down to a project specific challenge. He also talks about his debut on TED Talk: https://youtu.be/W8Jg8BG8szcand the journey that lead him there.  The added twist to this podcast is the situation he found himself in Switzerland, which is providing additional reflection opportunities, development, and personal healing. Intrigued? Tune in and listen to your hosts of Deliberate Words - Dave Stutzman and Steve Gantner chatting with Charlie Dunn learning about Empathy and Construction.