Join us as Dr. Barry Miller, Director of Outreach and Business Development at the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab discusses cutting-edge research on protective headwear for the construction industry. Learn about the Helmet Lab's innovations, helmet rating processes, and how they aim to enhance worker safety. 
 
You’ll hear the fascinating origin story of the lab, starting from its groundbreaking 2007 initiative to quantify football helmet safety, to the development of their revolutionary star rating system. Dr. Miller explores the essential role of headgear in sports like soccer and flag football, especially for youth leagues, explaining how even minimal padding can significantly reduce head impact severity. We also dive into the lab's upcoming study on worksite safety helmets, aiming to replicate real-world accident scenarios to create more effective safety ratings. By understanding specific impact conditions, Virginia Tech Helmet Lab is striving to develop superior protection and reduce concussion risks across sports and workplaces alike. 

Barry Miller, PhD, is the Director of Outreach and Business Development at the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab. With a PhD in Biomechanics and experience in health and wellness, Dr. Miller is dedicated to advancing research on head protection and injury prevention. 
 

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects.  

 
Discussion points: 

Resources: 

Barry Miller LinkedIn 

Virginia Tech Helmet Lab 

TAUC Construction Leadership Conference May 2024 

Kirk Westwood TAUC 

TAUC Website 

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn 

The Construction User Magazine back issues 

Milwaukee Tool 

In this episode, Kirk speaks with Nicole Schwartz, Executive Director of TradesFutures, exploring her career journey and the organization's mission to bolster the trades. They delve into strategies for enhancing recruitment and retention, addressing labor challenges within the construction industry. 
 
Nicole shares her unique career journey, transitioning from a Spanish teacher and pastry chef to her current role in workforce development. We delve into the mission and initiatives of Trades Futures, including apprenticeship readiness programs, childcare pilots, and partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Nicole's diverse background provides valuable insights into how her varied experiences influence her work in promoting inclusivity and opportunity within the construction industry. 

In another segment, we discuss the multifaceted aspects of workforce development and apprenticeship programs. We highlight the importance of local connections with building trades councils to align training with regional job opportunities, ensuring a robust job pipeline.  
 
Nicole Schwartz, Executive Director of TradesFutures, brings extensive experience in education and workforce development to the position. Formerly NABTU’s Apprenticeship Readiness Program Coordinator, she oversaw 200 ARP programs nationwide. Prior to that, Schwartz taught Social Studies and Spanish in Milwaukee Public Schools and led initiatives in Restorative Practices and Positive Behavior Interventions. She holds a BA in International Affairs and Spanish for the Professions from Marquette University and a Master’s in Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Schwartz transitioned to workforce development in 2015, focusing on creating pathways to sustainable careers. 
 

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects.  

 
Discussion points: 

Resources: 

Nicole Schwartz 

Trades Futures 

TAUC Construction Leadership Conference May 2024 

Kirk Westwood TAUC 

TAUC Website 

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn 

The Construction User Magazine back issues 

Milwaukee Tool 

Do you know what AI can do for your construction business right now? 

In today’s episode, host Kirk Westwood welcomes Document Crunch team members Kyle Dungca, Head of Industry Solutions; Maegan Spivey, Construction Contracts Specialist; and Chad Waite, Sr. Channel Manager. Document Crunch is a software program designed specifically for the construction industry that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify complex contracts.

You’ll hear how Document Crunch (founded by attorneys in the industry) aims to make contracts understandable by anyone involved in a project, from legal professionals to field crew. Unlike other software that adds on AI features, Document Crunch is built on AI from the ground up, allowing for functionalities like a new chat feature, AI-powered annotations on contracts, and time-saving features. This focus on AI allows Document Crunch to transform contracts with complex legal jargon into accessible information, saving time and money. 

Kyle Dungca is Head of Industry Solutions, and mainly responsible for developing and implementing strategies to address industry-specific challenges and opportunities for the company. His team works closely with other departments (Engineering, Product, Marketing, and Sales) to identify customer needs, develop solutions, promote them to target markets, and track KPIs.

Maegan Spivey is a Contract Specialist and serves the teams at Document Crunch to connect the work they do to the construction industry. This can include testing, prompt engineering or providing content and context to help the team provide the best experience for customers.

Chad Waite is not just a Sr. Channel Manager at Document Crunch; he's a visionary leader with a track record of driving growth in the tech industry. With extensive experience in business growth, channel strategy, and performance marketing, Chad has played integral roles in scaling startups and driving successful acquisitions. As a husband, father, and avid biker, Chad brings a unique blend of passion, creativity, and strategic thinking to every endeavor he undertakes.

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. 

Discussion points:

Resources:

Document Crunch

Kyle Dungca

Maegan Spivey

Chad Waite LinkedIn

TAUC Construction Leadership Conference May 2024

Kirk Westwood TAUC

TAUC Website

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn

The Construction User Magazine back issues

Milwaukee Tool

In this episode, we delve into the secrets to thriving as a woman in the construction industry with the inspiring insights of Joelle Salerno and Danielle Harshman. Together, we uncover the layers of support provided by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), illustrating the varied paths women navigate within this male-dominated field. 

You’ll hear about the pressing need for personal protective equipment tailored to women in the construction industry and the creative solutions being implemented. We discuss the impact of new OSHA regulations on PPE fit and how they are shaping a safer and more comfortable work environment for women. From the idea of a helmet designed with a ponytail slot to the broader issues of job site attire and childcare availability, we tackle the nuances that make a significant difference in the daily lives of women in construction. This episode is an eye-opener on the challenges women face, the growth opportunities that NAWIC provides, and how each of us can contribute to advancing women in this dynamic industry.

Joelle Salerno is the Assistant Executive Director for Chapter Innovation & Legislative Policy at Western Pennsylvania NECA chapter, as well as current vice president for the NAWIC Pittsburgh, PA Chapter.

Danielle Harshman is Executive Director at Ironworker Employers Association of Western Pennsylvania, and a Board Member at NAWIC Pitttsburgh, PA Chapter, showcasing her commitment to community impact.

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. 

Discussion points:

Resources:

NAWIC

NAWIC Pittsburgh

Joelle Salerno LinkedIn

TAUC Construction Leadership Conference May 2024

Kirk Westwood TAUC

TAUC Website

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn

The Construction User Magazine back issues

Milwaukee Tool

In this episode, host Kirk Westwood speaks with Carey Peters, Executive Director of the CLRC (The Construction Labor Research Council). The CLRC provides comprehensive consulting and research services to national associations and their regional chapters, contractors, owners, unions, labor-management cooperatives, and others in the construction industry. Carey and Kirk discuss variables within the construction industry’s union labor costs, contracts, workforce demographics, and related information. CLRC’s work is objective, accurate, and credible.

Carey has extensive experience in a wide variety of research, consulting and data analysis projects. While enhancing CLRC’s existing products and services, he has developed numerous new products that convey unique perspectives on labor costs and workforce needs. This includes the Market Share, Union-Nonunion Wage & Fringe Benefits Comparison, Benchmark Analysis, and Contract Costing reports available from CLRC. Carey has also grown the CLRC settlements database from a few hundred contracts to over 1,500. Organizations are often interested in CLRC’s research, so Carey presents the results at numerous conferences and seminars each year.

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. 

Discussion points:

Resources:

Carey Peters

CLRC Reports

TAUC Construction Leadership Conference May 2024

Kirk Westwood TAUC

TAUC Website

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn

The Construction User Magazine back issues

Milwaukee Tool

Ever wondered how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the brick-and-mortar of the construction industry? Buckle up as we navigate through this dynamic transformation with Junaid Ahmed, a maven of video production and tech solutions. With a foundation firmly rooted in computer science and engineering, Junaid unveils his trailblazing strategies for streamlining workspaces, helping entrepreneurs and creators harness the immense power of AI. His tale is one of innovation, sharing how these digital experts on demand are reshaping tasks from user design to empowering budding entrepreneurs. And because we're not all work and no play, discover the catchy beat that recently hijacked Junaid's playlist, adding a human touch to our high-tech discourse.

Junaid Ahmed is a Tech Geek who loves helping people set up their Home Studios. He is also the host of the Hacks And Hobbies podcast where he invites like-minded entrepreneurs, speakers, writers, authors, actors, and producers and learns about their journey. The inspiration he got from Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Crush It! & Crushing It!” books led him to have 3 seasons of his podcast.

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. 

Discussion points:

Resources:

Junaid Ahmed

Kirk Westwood TAUC

TAUC Website

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn

The Construction User Magazine back issues

Milwaukee Tool

In this episode, host Kirk Westwood speaks with Brianne Stewart, Group Product Manager at Milwaukee Tool, and Matt Hedke, Director VDC Solutions at Barton Malow Company. The conversation covers the challenges and workarounds for connectivity at job sites, how the tech committee enables connections to industry people, companies, and resources, and what innovations the industry is working on for the future. 

Brianne Stewart is trusted industry voice and University of Iowa-trained mechanical engineer. She started her career in manufacturing as a process engineer at Procter & Gamble before shifting into new product development (NPD) at John Deere, working in diesel engines. As a trusted industry voice, she was featured on BuiltWorld’s coveted Adoption Leaders 50 List for the past two years (in 2022 and in 2021), has been profiled by the same organization, and recently spoke at their E&C tech adoption leaders forum.  

Matt Hedke, has been with Barton Marlow for 18 years, and serves as the Senior Virtual Design and Construction Manager. Matt is focused on how Barton Malow leverages technology to improve quality, safety, work flow efficiency and field productivity for all the trades Barton Malow self performs. (I.E. Civil earthwork, concrete, reinforcing steel, interiors, structural steel, boilermaker, Equipment setting). 

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects.  

Discussion points: 

Resources: 

Brianne Stewart 

Matt Hedke LinkedIn 

Kirk Westwood TAUC 

TAUC Website 

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn 

The Construction User Magazine back issues 

Milwaukee Tool 

In this episode, host Kirk Westwood speaks with Carey Peters, Executive Director of the CLRC (The Construction Labor Research Council). The CLRC provides comprehensive consulting and research services to national associations and their regional chapters, contractors, owners, unions, labor-management cooperatives, and others in the construction industry. Carey and Kirk discuss variables within the construction industry’s union labor costs, contracts, workforce demographics, and related information. CLRC’s work is objective, accurate, and credible.

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects.

Discussion points:

Resources:

Carey Peters

Kirk Westwood TAUC

TAUC Website

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn

The Construction User Magazine back issues

Milwaukee Tool

In this episode, Carole House, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center, joins Kirk to discuss cybersecurity basics, the ways that cybercriminals target companies to extort, and some simple basic protections that you can implement to make your company less attractive.

Carole House previously served as the Director for Cybersecurity and Secure Digital Innovation at the White House National Security Council, and spent time at the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), where she led policy efforts on cybersecurity, virtual currency, and emerging technology. She is a former Army Captain, having served in chemical defense and military intelligence until November 2014. During her service, she undertook a deployment to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, from 2012 to 2013 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. She is a respected figure in the fields of cybersecurity and technology policy.

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. 

Discussion points:

Resources:

Carole House Money 2020

Carole House Profile

Carole House Crypto Article

Kirk Westwood TAUC

TAUC Website

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn

The Construction User Magazine back issues

Milwaukee Tool

In this episode we chat with John Burke, Vice President at The State Group Inc. We explore his insights and dive deep into The State Group Inc.'s award-winning safety culture, recognized as the 2021 Zero Injury Safety Awards (ZISA) Top Gold Star winner, achieving a remarkable 1,219,776 craft hours without a single recordable injury on-site.

Larry Bradley worked with the Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter, NECA for 27 years in virtually every capacity of association management, serving as Executive Director for 18 years. His work positively impacted the lives of thousands of IBEW members and their families. He was inducted into the Academy of Electrical Contractors, NECA’s highest honor to recognize exceptional and outstanding service to the electrical contracting industry. Bradley has worked to ensure that funds are wisely managed, ensuring that the benefits offered to workers are available to them throughout their lives.

The Construction User 2.0 podcast is brought to you by The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC). Your host, Kirk Westwood, is Director of Marketing for TAUC. Kirk has helped many organizations tell their stories as a photographer, blogger, web-streamer, and consultant. In each episode, we’ll explore the latest labor trends, industry insights, and important issues in the world of construction. Our guests are industry leaders, subject matter experts, and innovative visionaries discussing how we are building the ‘world of tomorrow.’ TAUC is made up of more than 1,800 contractor companies that utilize union labor for their projects, as well as local contractor associations and vendors in the industrial maintenance and construction fields. TAUC’s mission is to act as an advocate for union contractors and enhance cooperation between all parties to achieve the successful completion of construction projects. 

Discussion points:

Resources:

John Burke LinkedIn

The State Group

ZISA Safety Awards October 26

Kirk Westwood TAUC

TAUC Website

Kirk Westwood LinkedIn

The Construction User Magazine back issues

Milwaukee Tool