The Atomic Construction Podcast

In this episode of the Atomic Construction Podcast, Kevin Hohe sits down with Josh Vitale, construction executive and founder of Project Built, a 501(c)(3) on one clear mission: to improve the total wellbeing of those who carry the greatest weight.

Josh shares his resurrection story; from alcoholism, divorce, and waking up in solitary confinement in Wyoming, to leading large transmission and distribution teams and building the Built Standard: 3 pillars, 12 domains, 144 indicators for what it takes to have a holistically well workforce.

We dig into good blue-collar leadership in practice: how to support your team, spot struggle early, create psychological safety without going soft, and build from the inside so your company can actually scale. Josh also breaks down Recharge Rooms for first responders and how the same recovery model applies to crews in the trades.

If you're a contractor or trade owner who wants to grow beyond working in the field, this is how people-first leadership turns into retention, culture, and growth.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Josh's rock bottom to industry leader story
• Why high-stress, high-impact workers burn out
• What a holistically well workforce actually looks like
• The Built Standard framework for owners
• How supporting your staff helps you scale a blue collar business

🎙️ Atomic Construction is a weekly podcast for contractors and trade business owners about hiring, sales, culture, money, and ownership.

👉 Subscribe for new episodes every week with owners and operators in the trades.

Connect with Josh Vitale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-vitale-vitalchemy/?isSelfProfile=false

Checkout Project Built: https://getbuilt.org/

When a construction client stops paying, the whole company can go down with it. On this episode of the Atomic Construction Podcast, former Air Force B1 crew chief Corey [Last name] shares how one unpaid client led the owner of a utility scale solar startup to fire the entire company in one day. The VP, the project managers, the laborers. Everyone.

Corey was the director of construction at that company. Today he leads the self perform group at Sante Group, building utility scale and community solar projects, while growing his own construction photography business on the side.

 In this episode, we talk about

What happens to a construction company when a client stops paying
Why 10 of his guys follow him to every job
What leading from the front looks like when you're in the trench with your crew
His plan to go full time on his own business without betting the farm
Why most companies talk about culture but never live it
What the military got wrong about leadership

If you run crews, manage projects, or own a construction business, this one hits close to home.

Head to the YouTube episode and drop a comment: has a client ever stopped paying you? What did you do?

Connect with Corey:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-aspell-0127901a7/

https://www.sante-group.com/about-us

Kevin got hammered in a review for a job he did not even do. No way to fight it. Nobody to call.

That is the deal contractors are stuck with. You pay Google, you pay Home Advisor, you pay Facebook, and none of them actually help you reach the people who need your work. If you are big, the reviews barely matter. If you are small, one bad one can follow you for a year.

In this clip from a recent episode, Kevin says out loud what a lot of trade business owners have been thinking. Small businesses should not have to rent their reputation from companies that have never picked up a hammer. Then he lays out what he is building instead.

The Honest Builder is a community for the trades, run by the trades.

Topics covered: contractor lead generation, online reviews, Google reviews for contractors, Home Advisor, small business marketing, the skilled trades.

Listen to the full episode for the rest of the conversation.

In this episode, Kevin sits down with Adam of Builders of Authority, a St. Louis digital marketing agency with 44 employees and about 100 contracting clients across the country. Contractor marketing is where most home services businesses burn money they never get back. Adam built 200 lead generation websites, ranked them, rented the leads to trades businesses, then used one of those sites to start an auto glass company he sold in 2025. He has never replaced a windshield.

We get into SEO for contractors, Google Business Profile, paid ads, and the uncomfortable truth about branding versus craftsmanship. Adam also walks through the free stuff every solo operator should be doing before spending a dollar on an agency. If you are under $500K a year, that section alone is worth the watch.

Adam McChesney info:
🌐https://adammcchesney.com/
🎙️https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/builders-of-authority/id1610240971
◆ https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-mcchesney-b21b1256/
📲https://facebook.com/adam.mcchesney.3
✔️instagram.com/adamlmcchesney?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Complete Fence and everything else Kevin is building:
🎙️https://theatomicconstructionpodcast.buzzsprout.com
🌐https://ivoryimpact.com
📲https://www.instagram.com/khohe414/

If you are a contractor sitting on a phone that keeps ringing and going unanswered, or you are the guy who refuses to post, drop a comment and tell me which one you are. I read them and I answer them.

📩 Want to be a guest on the podcast? Email [email protected] 

Kevin talks to leadership coach and entrepreneur Darin Newbold about some of the best ways to help entrepreneurs who may be struggling to get to the next level!

Darin's earlier appearance on the Better Questions podcast - https://betterquestionspod.buzzsprout.com/2569355/episodes/18436393-can-you-find-yourself-as-you-break-yourself-with-darin-newbold

Darin's website - https://yourboldsolutions.com/

Atomic Construction website - https://www.ivoryimpact.com/atomic-construction

Find the Atomic Construction Podcast on your favorite streaming site - https://linktr.ee/AtomicConstructionPod

Kevin talks to industry legend Herb Sargent about a variety of topics, including AI, Millennials, and the legacy he hopes he's leaving!

Herb's website - https://sargent.us

Atomic Construction website - https://www.ivoryimpact.com/atomic-construction

Find the Atomic Construction Podcast on your favorite streaming site - https://linktr.ee/AtomicConstructionPod

Kevin talks to entrepreneur Jack Ziskind about his journey from college student to the merchandise industry.

Find out more about Jack's company - https://promoshopinc.com/

Atomic Construction website - https://www.ivoryimpact.com/atomic-construction

Find the Atomic Construction Podcast on your favorite streaming site - https://linktr.ee/AtomicConstructionPod

Kevin Hohe talks to Greg Horton from Lonewolf Workforce about his journey from real estate to his own business, recruiting for the trades, at Lonewolf Workforce.

Greg's website - https://lonewolfworkforce.com/

Atomic Construction website - https://www.ivoryimpact.com/atomic-construction

Host Kevin Hohe talks to Swedish entrepreneur Tomas about the meteoric rise of his company, and then they talk about what went wrong that ultimately forced him out of his own company! Finally, Tomas shares details about his next chapter, and how you can be a part of it!

Find out more about Tomas' new company - https://www.mountaingrit.com

Atomic Construction website - https://www.ivoryimpact.com/atomic-construction

Kevin Hohe sits down with Chuck Mazzanti to unpack one of the most misunderstood and least loved parts of running a construction business - insurance. They talk about risk, relationships, and why most contractors are unintentionally hurting themselves when it comes to insurance strategy. 

Atomic Construction website - https://www.ivoryimpact.com/atomic-construction