The Construction Corner

In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, host Dillon dives into the rapidly shifting energy landscape — starting with a fresh FERC press release that brings new regulatory guidance on how data centers and large power users connect to the grid. From there, the conversation covers the growing consumer rejection of electric vehicles (outside of Tesla), why hybrid technology is winning, and the infrastructure challenges holding EVs back. Dillon also weighs in on the gas vs. electric appliance debate, California's push to mandate all-electric new construction, and whether that policy actually makes sense in a city like San Francisco where you barely need AC. The episode wraps with a look at where U.S. power actually comes from — natural gas, nuclear, coal, hydro — and why Dillon thinks the resilience of fossil fuel infrastructure gets unfairly overlooked in the rush to electrify everything.

In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, host Dillon sits down to discuss the big firm vs. small firm debate in engineering — breaking down what each type of company actually offers early-career professionals, how culture and company values shape your experience more than size alone, and why smaller firms often push you to do real work faster. Dillon also shares VS Engineering's ambitious goal of becoming a top 20 electrical engineering firm nationally, breaks down revenue numbers from the industry's biggest players, and talks about how they're building a flat, efficient org structure designed to serve electrical contractors at scale.

In this episode, Dillon traces his path to electrical engineering back to an unusual origin: growing up off the grid on 38 acres in rural Oregon. He walks through the real-world mechanics of running a homestead on wind, solar, hydro, and propane — and why the math on green energy rarely pencils out without government subsidies. From windmill blades that shatter at 100 mph to abandoned turbine graveyards outside Palm Springs, he makes the case that most people advocating for renewable energy have never actually had to live with it. The conversation also touches on the surging demand for electrical engineers and electricians in the data center industry, the spotted owl controversy that gutted Pacific Northwest logging towns, and why CO2 limits don't make sense to someone who learned the carbon cycle in third grade.

In this episode, the host digs into a LinkedIn argument that got under his skin — people applying Midwest logic to Western water problems. He breaks down why water rights in the West are a completely different beast: from California's century-old water accords and LA's dependence on Lake Mead, to Oregon refusing to pull from the Columbia River while Idaho and Washington farm the same banks. He also tackles the data center water debate, explains why almonds are a valid water concern but hay isn't, and shares firsthand experience with the contradictory demands of California's air board and irrigation districts. If you've never had to think about water rights, this episode will change that.

Dillon makes the case that the economy you should care most about isn't the one on the news — it's your own. Whether the market is up or down, your personal trajectory is determined by what you're doing, who you're selling to, how you're spending, and what you're building. He draws the parallel to personal fitness: the national obesity rate doesn't matter if you're putting in the work. Then he shifts into something a little different — the power of language. Drawing from a military memoir and a management consulting book, Dillon talks about how the words you choose, the names you give your teams, and the details you pay attention to signal everything about who you are and how you operate. Small things — a well-chosen phrase, a care package, trash you pick up in the parking lot — add up more than people realize.

Dillon gives a preview of what's coming at the next Vertical Design Build Summit — speakers covering workforce development, prefab, design-build, and leadership — before diving into a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a career in the trades. He breaks down the reality behind the "make $300K as an electrician" headlines, what attracts and retains apprentices, and why glorifying the paycheck without explaining the grind does more harm than good. He also talks about career growth from the employer and employee side — how companies can create real learning opportunities, and how individuals can take ownership of their own development. Plus, a great story about a guy who went from painting parking lot stripes to CIO of a $150 billion company.

Dillon connects the dots between the aging power grid, the AI boom, and what it all means for construction. He traces the arc from EV adoption to data center explosion — and why today's power demands from AI infrastructure dwarf anything the grid has faced before. He also gets into the Anthropic-xAI compute deal, SpaceX's looming IPO, and the SaaS valuation collapse, before bringing it back to a grounded point: AI is a powerful tool, but it still can't replace the contextual knowledge, code expertise, and real-world judgment that construction professionals bring every day.

Recorded live at the Vertical Design Build Summit 2025, Dillon Mitchell delivers a presentation on AI, BIM automation, and the future of construction. He shares how his firm built automation tools that can place thousands of devices in a 320,000 sq ft building in minutes instead of months, why the labor shortage means technology adoption is no longer optional, and how to actually implement AI and automation without waiting for perfection. Dillon also breaks down a simple three-step system for training your team — record, watch, review — and makes the case that the real competitive advantage in construction isn't just the tools you use, but teaching your people how to think.

With AI reshaping every industry, a lot of engineers and construction professionals are wondering if their jobs are at risk. Dillon breaks down why the answer is no — and why careers in construction and engineering are more secure than ever. From the legal and licensing frameworks that require human professionals to sign off on projects, to the fragmented software and data systems that AI simply can't navigate yet, the built environment still needs skilled people to design, coordinate, and build it. Plus, Dillon draws a bigger picture: AI isn't eliminating jobs — it's amplifying what individuals can do and creating entirely new industries in the process.

In this episode of Construction Corner, host Dillon breaks down the massive infrastructure transformation sweeping America — and what it means for the construction industry.

Dillon covers:

The power grid under pressure — Why the surge in data centers and reshoring of manufacturing is driving unprecedented investment in utility infrastructure, and how FERC regulates rate increases tied to capital spending.

Data center geography — Which states are winning the data center race (Northern Virginia, Texas, Eastern Oregon, Nevada, Arizona) and why California keeps losing out to regulation and permitting challenges.

The $700 billion AI buildout — How the four hyperscalers (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta) are committing historic CapEx, what a gigawatt-scale facility actually costs, and why supply chain — not concrete — is the real bottleneck.

Behind-the-meter power — Why major data center operators aren't waiting on utilities and are standing up their own generation (gas turbines, solar, and even small modular nuclear reactors) to turn on racks faster.

Battery energy storage at scale — How megawatt-hour battery systems are being deployed at data centers to smooth load swings, support the grid, and reduce utility dependency — and why this is very different from a home Powerwall.

The AI compute race — Why demand for GPUs shows no signs of slowing, how Anthropic's revenue explosion illustrates real consumption, and why this infrastructure build likely runs for at least five more years.

Construction is hyper-local — A reminder that no matter how big the macro trends are, your personal economy in construction is defined by the geography and relationships where you operate.

Whether you're in the trades, engineering, or just trying to understand where the industry is headed, this episode gives you a ground-level view of the biggest construction wave in a generation.