Change orders have long been a necessary evil plaguing every construction project, but they often cause mountains of paperwork, hours of lost productivity, and millions in lost revenue. Cameron Page, Founder & CEO at Clearstory, believes that change orders may not be going anywhere, but the chaos around them can be fixed.  

We sat down with Cameron in San Francisco to learn about his unconventional career journey, his perspective on innovation in the AEC space, advice to would-be founders, and how Clearstory is evolving the narrative around change orders. 

We discuss: 

• Common misconceptions with change orders 
• How innovation is affecting change order frequency 
• Types of change orders and where they go wrong 
• How better change order processes strengthen subcontractor relationships 
• The need for new approaches to change orders 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

Without a strong data management workflow bolstered by clean data, quick assessment and good decision making can quickly become a game of chance.This means potentially losing millions of dollars through inaccurate records, inconsistent data management, and data lost across multiple platforms.  

That’s why we sat down with Tom Reno, the co-founder of Agave, a customizable platform helping AEC contractors integrate their project management data and accounting data. 

 We discuss: 

• Misconceptions about integrations 
• Best practices for cleaning data 
• The risks of keeping unreliable data 
• What to look for in data integrations vendors 
• How to create a strong vendor partnership 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

Construction changes lives. It impacts the way we live, the way we interact with our peers, influences our education, and defines our personal relationships. Perhaps few have a more integral understanding than Ron Arana, Managing Partner at Arana Group, who we sat down with in San Francisco to explore how he has intentionally sought local partnerships and projects and those efforts transform not only his community, but his own life, too.  

Arana Group is a San Francisco-based general building contractor specializing in public works, tenant improvements, and building upgrades that works with public agencies, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations across the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Here's what we cover: 

• The importance of local partnerships for workforce development 
• Protecting and preserving purpose-built, local projects once they’re complete 
• Vetting and sourcing subcontractors to meet regulatory requirements 
• The personal impact of a strong community-driven approach 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

From acquiring enough capital to finding the right customer, AEC startups have a number of obstacles standing in their way, but with an industry-wide explosion of new technology, there has also never been so much opportunity for those companies to flourish. 

In this episode, we are talking all things VC funding in the AEC industry with Alice Leung, Principal at Brick & Mortar Ventures. With career experience in construction, Alice brings a fresh, blended perspective to the conversation to explore what VC firms look for in potential startups to invest in, how startups can differentiate themselves, and how to get involved yourself and help build the future of construction. 

We discuss: 

• The relationship between tech adoption and the culture of construction 
• Current challenges facing AEC startups  
• How to connect startups with the right potential customers 
• How angel investing is impacting startups 
• Where AEC startups should put their focus right now 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

This episode was originally published on March 26, 2024.

The rise of Gen AI has put organizations in a race to remain competitive. Those who are successfully integrating AI into their processes are seeing improvements in efficiency and output quality, but that rush to adopt AI carries some significant risks, ones that can spell disaster for companies if they are not careful about their approach to using AI.  

We've invited May Winfield, Global Director of Commercial, Legal and Digital Risks, at Buro Happold, to reveal what some of the biggest risks are when using Gen AI, what questions organizations should be asking as they adopt AI, and why sometimes the best way to move quickly is to slow down. 

We discuss: 

• Identifying AI’s five biggest risk categories in AEC: reliance, confidentiality, copyright, personal data, and ethics 
• Why copyright and content attribution are such tricky issues with AI 
• The limitations of using in-house AI models trained on proprietary data 
• Why client requests are becoming more informed and specific (and why this is good!) 

Assets Mentioned: 

• Joint Study from the Harvard Business School & Boston Consulting Group 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

This episode was originally released on March 5, 2024.

Content warning – this episode and description has some heavy conversation topics including a discussion on suicidal feelings and mental health struggles. 

Construction has a mental health crisis. According to research from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC, the rate of suicide among US construction professionals is five times higher than the number deaths caused by workplace and safety-related accidents. Across the industry, companies cannot afford to talk about safety, innovation, and growth without also addressing the need for real, practical, and immediate solutions to the mental health crisis facing our people.  

Mark Dyke, Licensed Professional Counselor and Tenured Associate Professor at Ferris State University, joins Eric Thomas during Autodesk University for an intensely practical conversation about the mental health crisis, burnout, and how addressing the mental health crisis can help secure a bright future for the AEC industry. We will share not just why mental health needs to be addressed, but we will also give specific, practical advice for workers to identify and address mental health issues early and effectively. 

We discuss: 

• How to identify internal and external symptoms of burnout 
• How the leadership culture sets the tone for organization-wide mental health 
• How managers at all levels of an organization can support their team members 
• How Millennials have changed the way we talk about mental health 
• Why mental health and emotional wellbeing need to be top priorities to convince the upcoming generation to join Construction. 

If you or someone you know are having trouble coping with work-related stress, talk with someone who can help: In the United States, call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Hotline or visit https://988lifeline.org/.

For those living outside the United States, you can find local resources here: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/.  

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

After 28 incredible years with Autodesk, including 6 years as the SVP & General Manager for Autodesk Construction Solutions, Jim Lynch is retiring. We couldn't let him go without one last opportunity to sit down with him to celebrate his incredible career and glean as much insight as we can. 

So we met with Jim and Amy Bunszel, Autodesk’s EVP of Architecture, Engineering, & Construction, at the Autodesk Technology Center in Boston, MA.We dive into theconcept of legacy in construction and how Jim’s work has helped his team thrive, what Amy's next steps are as she prepares for the next era of Autodesk in construction, and what Jim’s the most excited about after his departure from Autodesk. 

We discuss: 

• Career highlights, including the ribbon cutting for the Bostin Technology Center and the acquisition of Revit and PlanGrid 
• The history behind the creation of Autodesk Construction Solutions Amy’s work to develop and integrate advanced technologies in AEC and how a future-oriented mindset drives her decision-making  

 Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

We sat down with Benjamin Cohen, Principal at James G. Davis Construction, to dive into two key topics: sustainability and the fast-paced world of interiors construction. We look closely at how Ben’s perspective on buildings as living organisms pushes him to put an innovative sustainability mindset at the forefront of every project he works on, from benchmarking carbon impacts to designing new projects with material reuse front and center. 

We recorded this episode live at the National Building Museum, so make sure to check it out on our YouTube channel. 

 We discuss: 

• The circular economy and high-performing buildings 
• Regional differences in sustainability practices 
• Material reusability considerations for interiors construction 
• Thorough benchmarking practices to measure total carbon impact 
• The challenges of renovating historic buildings with modern technology and materials 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

As a historical preservationist and a construction technologist, what might make Judd Fuoto a walking contradiction could actually be his greatest strength. As the Senior Manager of Construction Operations Technologies at Southland Industries, Judd uses his experience in historical preservation to drive his approach to innovation and leadership, constantly helping his team balance new processes with the demand of the job in front of them. 

We sat down with Judd to explore the state of construction technology roles today, his journey through his career, and what job candidates need to know to successfully enter the field.  

We recorded this episode live at the National Building Museum, so make sure to check it out on our YouTube channel. 

 We discuss: 

• How Judd balances being a construction technologist and a historical preservationist 
• What’s driving the increasing opportunities for construction technologists 
• How to make the most of the tools and resources available industry-wide 
• What traits make a successful construction technologistst today 
• How to secure a construction technology role in today’s job market 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

When we think of powerhouse firms, DPR Construction is one of the first that comes to mind, which is why we were thrilled to sit down with Alison Tripp, DPR’s National Talent Acquisition Leader, to break down her team’s transformational approach to talent acquisition and how it can make your company more attractive while improving employee experience across the board.  

We recorded this episode live at the National Building Museum, so make sure to check it out on our YouTube channel! 

We discuss: 

• Building and leading an internal recruitment team 
• The challenges of staffing for specialized roles 
• Learning to see recruiting and hiring teams as partners of the business 
• Effective employee retention strategies and building an Employee Value Proposition 
• How candidates can stand out in a competitive hiring market 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.