This week’s episode is an exciting ride in product innovation with Joe Altieri, a window industry professional who went from struggling with sales to winning Shark Tank.

Joe Altieri is the inventor and founder of FlexScreen, a product featured on Shark Tank. He’s one of the best in the business when it comes to disrupting a building product category, and we talked with him about the road to his success.

Introducing a new product to the market isn’t just about launch day and social media announcements. How can you help guarantee you’ll get traction when you reveal new product lines to customers? This week’s guest gave us a few insights and insider ideas. Amanda Sizemore is the Business Development and Marketing Director for AmeriCote, which launched a successful new product line — right before the pandemic. We talked about how her team navigated such a challenging project and how manufacturers can guarantee a successful launch when it’s their time to shine.

This week’s episode comes to you from the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) trade show floor. We wanted to hear from contractors and manufacturers who are dealing with the challenges of today’s industry — so we chatted with someone who’s both and has seen all of it. 

Dan Wies from Wies Drywall is an experienced contractor who talked with Zach about his family’s business and how they’ve pivoted to help more customers and grow their business. We met up with him at the AWCI trade show to talk shop.

The harsh reality of the labor shortage is that professionals are overwhelmed and overworked. Product manufacturers have a growing opportunity to help builders and installers, many of whom are learning to install products on the fly. It’s a challenge that all of us in the industry, especially manufacturers, have to overcome.

On this episode, we bring on Nate Henderson, Founder and CEO of BILT Incorporated, who shares insights into how manufacturers can better support and educate their customers, and how that can pay off big in today’s labor-strapped construction industry. 

There are plenty of ways to get in touch with your customers and potential partners, but staying in front of them (and ahead of your competition) can be challenging. The guest on this week’s episode walks us through how manufacturers can map out a smart strategy to reach their customers.

This episode’s topic is a big one in building materials, and our guest Travis Hilldore was happy to tackle it with us head-on. Travis works in marketing and sales for an equipment and product manufacturer, and we learned how his team builds trust with their customers in some surprising ways.

We talk quite a bit about the online experience for your customers, but what if you want to ensure a pleasant in-store purchase of your product? This episode is all about creating a positive and frictionless customer journey, and you’ll want to take notes on each step.

Vinnie Circosta is the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Raskin Industries, and he shared a few tips on how this successful flooring brand makes its customers a part of the purchasing experience, from digital to physical.

Construction industry issues like labor and supply shortages have been a serious burden on today’s builders. This week’s episode features an experienced residential and commercial builder who fills us in on how manufacturers and the rest of the industry can offer support so everyone stays in business. 

Caleb Williams is a North Carolina builder who’s worked in both residential and commercial construction. He talked with Zach and Beth about the biggest challenges builders are facing in the industry and a few possible solutions that support the future of construction.

Is it time to reevaluate your business strategy this year? The ever-changing construction industry has required today’s manufacturers to stay agile, and in this week’s episode, we talked with one manufacturer who revealed the big decisions they made to adapt, grow and stay ahead in building materials.

Jeremiah Hershberger is Product Manager for Key-Link Fencing & Railing, and he talked earnestly and openly with us about the value that building products need to deliver to customers today. We learned about the (difficult) decisions and strategies his own team at Key-Link undertook to ensure that kind of value.

Consumers everywhere feel the impact of inflation in their daily lives. So this episode is about how manufacturers can support growth in their business amidst a turbulent — but very exciting — time in today’s building industry. 

We talk with building materials research expert Grant Farnsworth about the trends we’ve seen over the last two years, along with what manufacturers can do to sustain their business by planning ahead instead of just surviving in the now. 

Our guests on this week’s episode are spearheading an important solution: the construction industry’s labor shortage problem. It's a fascinating episode about partnerships, skilled trades and the future of labor in the construction industry.

This week, Spencer Brown, Director of Sales for Pfister Faucets, and Kevin Johnson, President of CHS Plumbing, talked with Zach and Beth about what manufacturers and their customers (the contractors they work with) can do to support each other in today’s building industry. The strategies we discussed help ensure the future of construction and labor in the industry.