The Construction Life

In our last show from Montreal, we dive deep into the custom world of manufacturing and fabrication where every idea begins on a napkin. We have Pino Pirillo, business development and Giuliano Tarantini a prototype on the show and sharing the 60 plus years of this incredible business.

With a facility at a size of 260,000 square feet IVC can handle any project and on today’s show we will discuss the entire process. A lot of respect goes out to IVC and how they never stopped when Covid hit, they were producing 10’s of thousands of acrylic guards for retail stores across Canada and the USA. At the beginning of the pandemic, IVC was concerned and made the decision to lay staff off but in a slight twist of faith an order came in as the owners were making their way to inform staff and they were lucky enough not to lay anyone off.

This show quickly shifts gears into the wonderful world of clients, clients’ expectations, budgets, sales, communications, and it is all relevant to construction, a must listen. Pino walks us through the entire process of production from napkin to final mock-up, what an interesting chat. Pino shares a lot of the science behind the fabrication and the why things are fabricated the way they are. Pino shares some great insight into cold calling and sales pitching for all of you younger business owners, don’t want to miss this chat.

Yes, we discussed expectations of new employees, hiring and firing, why this generations expects validation for a job they were tasked with. Again, we are not trying to speak negatively, we are trying to understand and educate.

Thank you so much to IVC International Visual Company for being a guest and hosting these 5 shows in Montreal. Reach out to Pino Pirillo at the following info. www.weareivc.com and his email [email protected] And Giuliano at [email protected]

Want to reach out to Manny, text him on his mobile, 416 433-5737 and or email him at [email protected] or [email protected] Please let him know who you are and then ask away.

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

My co-host for the Detour a Montreal [email protected] and on IG @dannydosca

The show opens with one of the best show tunes ever! Then the guys assess the grappa and realize we need more grappa because both Manny and Danny are feeling cockatail. Filippo was kind enough to bring one of the OG Hardcore Renos t-shirt, one of 1000’s that have been given away over the years, so nice to finally meet a follower and someone that received a HCR T. Thank you Filippo.

Coming from a family background of trades, he didn’t begin in construction until 27, in his younger years he pursued a career in playing professional football, European football, by the way, they most watched sport in the entire world, followed by the number two most watch sport if Formula 1. Just a bit of facts on TCL. The guys discuss traveling, getting to Vegas, the hatred towards the quality of the structure in Vegas, heading to European trade shows, and Danny has not been to Vegas, he wants the full experience and is waiting to plan that one day.

The constant topic of material shortages and affecting the completion of projects and in turn final payments. Filippo has a few things to say about this. Clients, we discuss clients and how to handle them and the many pitfalls they bring to the construction project. Extras, how to handle them, when to handle them, don’t be shy about them and be upfront with your clients and don’t let the client navigate around the extras because of the schedule. We even discuss the wonderful world of going to court, something that every tradesperson will experience at least once in their career. That’s a fact and you will do yourself a service by speaking to others that have gone down that route. It’s always about budget, never lower your price, reduce the scope, never lower your price, get your clients to eliminate scope of work and that is how you magically reduce the budget.

A 36-year-old, a 43 year old and a 50 year old share construction war wounds with certain pains and hearing issues and just PPE, everyone please please take care of your bodies now, don’t over lift, don’t ignore hearing, respirator, safety goggles protection, this is extremely important. This is the last show of our Montreal visit and so the good old CCQ must be discussed and it is discussed at length including the pension side of it, it’s not good. We would love to have the CCQ on the show. We close out the show discussing mental health, and should it be a part of our health and safety fees?

Share and Discussed Links

https://www.ccq.org

https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en

https://www.mapei.com

Thank you so much Filippo for taking the time to speak with us and sharing your stories we wish you all the best and hope to speak to you soon. Reach out to Filippo for your next project or for any questions at [email protected] and on IG @cr3ative_construction

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

My co-host for the Detour a Montreal [email protected] and on IG @dannydosca

Thank you so much to IVC International Visual Company for being a guest and hosting these 5 shows in Montreal. Reach out to Pino Pirillo at the following info. www.weareivc.com and his email [email protected] And Giuliano at [email protected]

1 year on his own after 6 years of working with others Philippe has a lot of questions for us and the industry, he is so passionate about. Incredibly refreshing to have a tradesperson that loves construction but wants to learn more on how best to navigate through the construction world.

This is going to be one amazing show.

The show opens with a classic Quebec song. Just to set up a construction business you will spend $4-5K just in paperwork, no jobs, no income, nothing and right out of the gate you need t spend that money and that doesn’t even factor in your insurances, your vehicle, your office, your tools, that is just the amount you need to pay the useless cash grab government. The truth is if government establishes a division, in the public’s eye it’s all about safety but all this division is doing is handing out fines and not even discussing safety then it’s a cash grab. There is always 3 perceptions, the publics, the job sites and then the truth and this government needs to understand what they are doing wrong, because there is wrong going on here. Let’s talk about it.

The conversation of cash is shared and discussed and explained through the eyes of the working tradesperson. An interesting proposition is presented, Danny and Manny want to break down all the expenses and income of an average construction business and present those findings to the government, the group feels that the business will be in the red every time and makes you think what is the point of operating a business legally? Even a kid like Philippe is considering leaving the province and setting up somewhere else, that’s the reality the government is either ignoring or simply doesn’t care.

During the show we discover Philippe invested into a property in Nicaragua, catches us off guard but makes for an amazing conversation, he had plans to build a hotel there and then Covid BS hits. Danny brings up a great point when the talk shifts to designers, they should also have to get a CCQ card, right now they don’t have too. Let’s piss off some more people in construction, welcome to The Construction Life.

The grappa continues to flow and we end up polishing off a full bottle on this show. Towards the end of the show we find out that Philippe was a part of the mechanical team behind the nose of fighter jets, formally studied mechanical engineering, then marketing, then bar tending, bought and sold a restaurant and now construction….wow. He has so much more to share and left it all for the end. We wrap up this show with a chat about social media and influencing, how it has changed over the years and seriously lost its way when it comes to construction content.

Share and Discussed Links

https://www.ccq.org

https://www.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/en

https://www.instagram.com/thesocialclub.design/

https://agencesocialclub.com

Thank you so much Philippe for taking the time to speak with us and sharing your stories and so many career options, we wish you all the best and hope to speak to you soon. Reach out to Philippe for your next project or for any questions at [email protected] and on IG @construction.anorak

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

My co-host for the Detour a Montreal [email protected] and on IG @dannydosca

This is going to be one for the podcast books, we have 3 of the best masons on the show, Tony, Mario and the OG Ermete and the young men taking over the empire they built, Danny and Mike from Construction Dosca Inc. Sit back, pull out some paper, listen to the three wise Italian masons share their stories in Italian and English, trust us, you will understand the passion, family, love, and drive for the construction industry throughout the show.

A massive shout out to Pizzayolo Montreal for providing lunch for everyone, what amazing pizzas, thank you so much. Follow them on IG @pizzayolo.mtl and on TikTok pizzayolo_mtl and their email is [email protected]

On with the third show from Montreal.

We have the best masons from Montreal on the show and as Tony shares, Dosca walls don’t fall. The talk begins and it begins as far back at the late 60’s when Ermete arrived in Canada and then Tony arrived in the late 70’s followed by Mario in the early 80’s and they just went to work, Ermete was here for 4 days and already found work, Tony worked for free for 6 months so he could learn, the drive and passion behind these men is incredible and as Danny says, Mario is like Rain Man, he knows the dates of everything and he loves prosciutto slices, code for cash money.

On this show Ermete pays Mike not one but two compliments and these are the first two compliments that Mike has ever heard come from him, ever, Mike gets a little emotional. The environment that the Dosca Family creates on site is second to none, they make sure they work, they love the work, they are happy, always happy at the end of the hard workday, that’s important to all of them and that happiness is the reason why they have each other’s back. Danny is fully responsible for that happiness these days and Mike throws him flowers for that effort.

The group discusses the many and continuous hurdles the CCQ places on hardworking skilled trades and business owners, arrive on a rainy site, you still have to pay the minimum 4-hour rate, starting off with a crew you have to pay the minimum 150 hours regardless if they are good or crap. It’s not right and it needs to change. We discuss every tradesperson exit plan, with the OG’s close to retiring, Danny and Mike must figure out what’s next? They feel they will have to restructure the business, don’t ever end your brand, your business, don’t end it, find a way to hand it off to the next generation.

Family is construction, this family loves construction, construction has given this family so many possibilities, construction has added friends into this family, construction is love and the Dosca crew has a lot of love for you if you want to learn how to love this industry.

Share and Discussed Links

https://ecole-metiers-construction.cssdm.gouv.qc.ca/programme/masonry-bricklaying/

https://www.ccq.org

Thank you so much to three of the greatest mentors of construction, Ermete, Tony, Mario and to Mike and Danny for making this a reality.

Want to reach out to Manny, text him on his mobile, 416 433-5737 and or email him at [email protected] or [email protected] Please let him know who you are and then ask away.

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

My co-host for the Detour a Montreal [email protected] and on IG @dannydosca

Welcome to Detour a Montreal – Danny from @dannydosca suggested I come to Montreal and record a few shows, He reached out and had so many wanting to be on the show, 5 were selected and Manny was off to Montreal to get the Quebec Tradespersons perspective.

1962 and Pat’s dad is the one that started the construction business for the family, Pat started Aldev Construction in 1997 and now David has been working there for 10 years and he’s 26 years old. We have a lot of great stories to share on this show. Pat opens the conversation gates with CCQ, in my opinion, an outsider looking in, this is basically a mafia, a shakedown, this has nothing to do with construction and everything to do with taking money from hardworking tradespeople. I have an open invitation to anyone from CCQ to come on the show and tell me different.

This show is a lot about mentors and having those connections to others that have come before you, who have handled issues on and off site and as Pat expresses it, 50% of the job is figuring it out before you do it, the thinking of the task outweighs any certification you might have, again as Pat shares, show me what your mileage is. It is so true.

Pride is huge for us, Pat and David share a few stories about current jobs that are being designed and managed by the sons of people that Pat and his Dad worked for back in the day. They have built these relationships over decades, not years, decades and Pat and David can even go as far as saying they know the buildings even better than the engineers because they have worked on them so many times. Take pride in your business and your skills and understand the seeds that need to be planted today for your business to thrive tomorrow.

The group discusses generations and how things were and how they are now and how we need to take the time to teach these new kids, but the new kids need to be willing to learn. All of the Quebec rules and cards and tests and inspectors that add to more problems than solutions. Pat ends the show by answering two great questions from Danny, is he proud of his son? What advice would you give your son for the next 30 years of his career?

Shared and Discussed Links

https://www.instagram.com/cafeciociaro/?hl=en

https://www.ccq.org

https://www.instagram.com/heavenly_taste_biscotti/?hl=en

https://www.rbq.gouv.qc.ca/en.html

Sam the Semi Automatic Mason https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVWayhNpHr0

Thank you so much David and Pat for being on the show and sharing your construction life. Reach out to them for your next project at www.aldevinc.com [email protected] and on social @aldevconstruction

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

My co-host for the Detour a Montreal [email protected] and on IG @dannydosca

Thank you so much to IVC International Visual Company for hosting these 5 shows in Montreal. Reach out to Pino Pirillo at the following info. www.weareivc.com and his email [email protected]

15 years in the industry with the last 4 being a teacher, Derek wasn’t the best kid in school but in his high school years he found his passion through the woodworking class. Finished school and went right into the union and began working right away. After a few years of doing commercial construction, he got into the carpenters union, followed by the opportunity to work for the school board taking care of things that fall a part or damaged by the students, faculty or age. 4 years ago, he was offered a teaching position by a teacher, the same teacher that taught him who at the time was planning his retirement, Derek never looked back and looks like will be there teaching for a while.

Derek has built his teaching on a simple principle, there is knowledge and there is wisdom, the bridge that connects the two is experience. He’s working on making his class more about a preparation for experience into the real construction life. Derek shares some valuable info when it comes to where the resistance is, parents can be difficult when it comes to allowing their children to follow a career in construction, specifically the moms.

The number one question asked by students to Derek, which trade makes the most money? At an early age these students are focused on money, it’s a double edge because you really should focus on your passion and the money will follow. The way Derek replies, the trade that works the hardest earns the most, well said. We discuss a few ideas about field trips for the student on active jobs sites, they have tried it but things didn’t go too well, Derek further explains.

Of course, we discuss tools, power and hand and Derek has always had great ideas to expand the programs and get more opportunities for the students but everything is pending on school board approval and as he states, it’s about managing pennies. Budgets are tight and that makes things tough for teachers that care, like Derek to continue to add to the course.

Derek ends things by educating all of his kids with the 4 key words in construction, how can I help?

Shared and Discussed Links

https://www.bosshammerco.com

https://floorplanner.com/login

Thank you so much Derek for being on the show and sharing your construction life. Find Derek on IG @augustineconstruction

Want to reach out to Manny, text him on his mobile, 416 433-5737 and or email him at [email protected] or [email protected] Please let him know who you are and then ask away.

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

Reach out to Joe and Trevor at the following info. www.venturesxcanada.ca find them on Social Media @venturesxoakville reach them at 289 644-2393 and email [email protected]

Welcome back!!! Nice to have a bit of a break after such an amazing 5 months of pushing the show to new heights and crossing that 500,000-download mark. First show back and we are geared to reach over 300 shows and 1 million downloads this year, stay tuned because it will all happen, and more.

On with the first show of 2022.

Alex Maggiacomo, manager of Universal Aluminum Products, 41 years in business is on the show and we have a lot to discuss the wonderful world of window, door, trim, soffit, and more and UAP is the mom-and-pop shop that you want to purchase from, if you haven’t already.

The show begins by discussing the massive increases in suppliers and materials. It’s not just wood. The talk quickly shifts to regulating the window and door industry into a trained trade but we ultimately discover how can this be possible without BS government intervention. We discuss the “Green” rebates that the government set up, well set up is a loose definition, they approached retailers and asked them to set it all up and it just became a mess.

Jason and Alex share installer tips and tricks and how the industry has changed over the decades and why. Construction is shared, way too many colors offered in windows and doors but then you need to match that color for caulking and other trim details, so many options isn’t always the best way to go. We do need training programs to educate trades in all fields but anyone that has been awarded any money from any deals is automatically not allowed to be a part of any training programs, it’s a conflict of interest.

Jason and Alex get right into the costs associated with the actual units and install costs and how plenty of clients will play the product only or install only pricing to try to get as low a price as possible, at TCL we disagree with these games. Jason takes over for History and we learn so much about caulking and where it began and who invented it.

Alex shares some hard information when it comes to why the supply chains are insane these days, raw aluminum, to glass and how Cardinal glass continues to refuse delivery to Canada. All of this talk brings us to our so-called leaders and how they sold out and shipped out everything we had here and made our nation dependant on Asia and the USA when we could have built a strong and self-sufficient nation. It’s bad out there and only getting worse because we do not have any leadership for the people.

Shared and Discussed Links

http://sawdac.com

https://adfastcorp.com/en/insulating-foam/

https://todol.com/gun-foam/ipf-foam-2/

https://www.hilti.ca/c/CLS_CONSTRCUT_CHEM_7132/CLS_FOAMS_7132

https://www.lepagemillwork.com/en-ca/

https://macmetalarchitectural.com/en/

Thank you so much Alex for joining the show and sharing your mom and pop story. Reach out to Alex at www.universalaluminumproducts.ca and his email at [email protected] and his IG @universalaluminumproducts

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

In our last show of 2021, we end things with a lot of great information about where to spend your hard-earned money with pre construction condos. Matthew opens the show with a few reasons why tradespeople are the perfect candidate for real estate investing. Matthew takes us back to his humble beginnings, immigrant old school parents, he started working in service jobs and that led him studying 2 degrees in university. During his hustling days and making 25K per year and working and studying every waking hour he had a light bulb moment, make money work for you, he looked at stocks and real estate. At 19 years old he purchased his first 617 square foot preconstruction condo with a payment structure plan he proposed to the builder and it worked. He had 2 years to pay off 60K and it began with 15K part of which was taken from his student loan, and that is how simple and easy it was for Matthew to begin.

Be aware of your financial situation, don’t ignore missed payments, address everything, one miss payment raises red flags for lenders and questions what type of person you are, they want to know and don’t let the past dictate who you are, set up automatic payments, pay the balance off, apply for good credit like a line of credit, hit banks all the same morning and apply for the same amount, you may not get all, but you may get half and that right there is enough for you to begin a passive revenue stream.

Be aware that lenders will look at your business website, your social media, CRA, the Tax Man will look at your social media to see if what you have been filing lines up with your lifestyle, these are details to be aware of. You can get audited based on your perceived lifestyle on social media. The best time to invest, buy, secure your future was yesterday, the next best day to do the same is today, don’t wait for life to be perfect, you will figure out how to manage.

Matthew opens the conversation to Digital Real Estate, NFT’s and Block Chain. Crypto portfolios are a real thing and they will be used as leverage for making actual and digital real estate purchases. Matthew shares some insight into what he has learned and when you understand that A lenders are getting into the crypto business you as an investor should be doing your own homework into it. We continue with the numbers and begin to share the monthly subscriptions, Netflix, Amazon, YouTube Premium, Uber, Uber Eats and more, credit card annual fees and more, assess your expenses and ask yourself some hard questions and you will quickly realize a lot of money is being wasted when it should be invested.

Shared and Discussed Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4c8eyDwMRY

Thank you so much Matthew for joining the show and sharing your construction, I look forward to being on your show to continue the conversation. Reach out to Matthew at www.millennialschoice.com and his email at [email protected] and his IG @matthewablakan and his YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMillennialsChoiceChannel

Want to reach out to Manny, text him on his mobile, 416 433-5737 and or email him at [email protected] or [email protected] Please let him know who you are and then ask away.

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

I have known Ty for over 11 years, with his Irish background his name comes from the county Tyrone in Ireland. He’s been in construction since 1987, right out of college, always loved working with his hands, went through 2 recessions, shut down his Canadian business in 2004 to move to the USA and work there, he has dual citizenship, so you know he has seen a lot so you don’t want to miss this show. Now Ty began as a summer job with his first business, Deck Masters working in the Toronto downtown core. On his way to becoming a Police officer, life has a way changing course and Ty decided to stay with construction.

Ty is hungry, he is driven, he is always on the lookout to help and find work for himself and or for others without any kickbacks. He has 18 jobs on the go right now and he loves it, wouldn’t have it any other way. Ty has always led by example, and he keeps his jobsites all the same, job box, safety stations, note in the bathroom, wipe the seat otherwise you’re gone, he wants a tidy, organized, respectful jobsite for all trades and clients to appreciate.

The conversation shifts into all those little things that make you part of the best of GC’s out their vs being a part of the worst GC’s. Keeping your site clean, safe, extra hardhats for clients when they do arrive, there is always someone watching and that someone could be your next potential client, be aware and that will make you profitable. That extra bit of effort may save you from a fine from the local safety inspector, that’s a fact.

HGTV comes up, yes that HGTV, back in the early days of the network Ty was on a few shows, we are talking back in 1995 for 3 years and he loved it, he loved the marketing exposure he got from being on the show, I ask him, would you do it again today? Ty says no because the shows are all the same, they offer no value to the industry.

Ty shares a lot about next year and bookings and how the year is turning out for him and most, he has a saying, “don’t sweat it if you don’t get it”. One golden rule to remember during the paper process of the any project, if you give anything away for free, acknowledge it on paper, describe it in detail and add a No Charge to that line extra item, let your client know you did that for free. We wrap up the show discussing Ty’s days in commercial work and the many lessons he learned from those years of work.

Shared and Discussed Links

https://buildertrend.com

https://www.mississaugahardware.com

https://www.bmp-group.com

https://bonestructure.ca/en/

http://www.oliverlumber.com

Thank you so much Ty for joining the show and sharing your construction. Reach out to Ty at www.builtbyngc.com and his email at [email protected] and his IG @nickel_general

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.

Reach out to Joe and Trevor at the following info. www.venturesxcanada.ca find them on Social Media @venturesxoakville reach them at 289 644-2393 and email [email protected]

We have a full house on the show today, no less than 8 members of the Frontiers Design Build team, from the 3 owners, James Savoie, Doug Taylor, and Adam Taylor and then we have 5 of their employees, Jeremy Muzzell, Mac Myers, Patt Davis, Jesse Ranch and Graeme Fraser.

We have quite the show for you today, we will be discussing the partnership, hiring, project planning, expanding the business, taking things from hardscape and landscape to full builds to high performance building. With 17 employees, the business started with Doug and 3 of his classmates from the University of Guelph. A lot of tradespeople get stuck working in their business and not on their business, with 3 very different owners they can approach the business from a few different vantage points.

Everyone shares their thoughts on pricing, figuring out your price, based on scope of work and not square footage, and avoiding the rat race to the bottom just to get the job. The owners have found quarterly company meetings with all 17 employees has really improved the business where they encourage the company to speak up and be a part of the bigger picture. During these meetings they will look at Profit and Loss, different KPI, Key Performance Indicators, then they will wrap up the meetings with what they call Parking Lot issues, current topics and how to streamline them, achieve better from everyone.

High Performance building comes up as the team has embraced it and will always try to sell certain details to all of their projects. This show has been a lot about what Frontiers calls Pre Construction Agreement, where it allows the client to commit to the project and allow access to Frontiers to take things to the next stage, Concept, Design and Budget Planning. The owners, James, Doug and Adam have created a business that encourages new hires to step up, learn new skills, and take the business to new heights.

Shared and Discussed Links

https://www.coconstruct.com

@fastidioustileandstone

https://alliancegator.com/canada/gator-base/

https://www.manulift.ca/en/

https://www.siga.swiss/ca_en

https://jeffreyscott.biz

Thank you so much James, Doug, Adam, Jeremy, Mac, Patt, Jesse and Graemefor joining the show and sharing so much. Reach out to James at [email protected] and find them on IG @frontiersdesignbuild for some great posts and videos that will teach and entertain you and at their website www.frontiersdesignbuild.com

Want to reach out to Manny, text him on his mobile, 416 433-5737 and or email him at [email protected] or [email protected] Please let him know who you are and then ask away.

TCL has and always will be about giving back to the construction industry.