The ConTech Exec

Construction is entering the Age of AI.

Trillions are being invested in data centers, energy infrastructure, and digital transformation.

Yet construction productivity is still 30% lower than 1990.

In this episode of ConTech Exec, Robert Zimmerman sits down with Todd Zabelle, Founder of Strategic Project Solutions and the Project Production Institute, to break down:

• Why projects are production systems — but aren’t managed like them
• The real difference between activity and flow
• How Taylorism still shapes modern project delivery
• Why maximizing trade utilization actually hurts performance
• What AI can’t fix in construction
• Why megaprojects keep failing despite better software

If you care about:
AI in construction
Construction productivity
Project management
Lean construction
Data center construction
Capital project delivery

This conversation is foundational.

Construction doesn’t have a labor problem.

It has a flow problem.

And AI won’t fix what leadership won’t face.

Construction doesn’t have a technology shortage.
It has a fit problem.

In this episode, Robert Zimmerman talks with Emma Nazim and Molly Abbott, founders of Constructable, about why mid-market construction firms are underserved by today’s project management software.

They break down:
• What “mid-market” actually means in construction
• Why enterprise tools fail smaller operators
• How user experience impacts adoption and productivity
• The growing gap between modern software expectations and construction reality
• What builders should demand from their tech stack moving forward

Tech isn’t the savior.
It’s the amplifier.

And right now, most systems are amplifying friction.

Join host Robert Zimmerman for candid conversations with the builders, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of the construction industry.

We go beyond the blueprints to discuss the real-world challenges, the leadership lessons, and the cutting-edge technology that is finally solving construction's toughest problems—from minimizing risk and liability to connecting field work and digital documentation.

If you're an Executive, project manager, or a trade professional looking to grow your business, improve project flow, and build a more efficient team, you're in the right place.

Subscribe now to connect with the execs and get the institutional knowledge you need to stay ahead

This weeks Episode

Construction Meets Hardline

Karly Heffernan & Alena Tuttle

Host Robert Zimmerman sits down with Karly Heffernan and Alena Tuttle, founders of Hardline, to discuss their journey from finance and family construction business to launching a game-changing construction tech company.

They reveal the painful $150,000 loss that sparked the idea for Hardline, and how their AI agent is tackling the industry's pervasive problem of undocumented verbal conversations and "selective amnesia."

Learn how they are focusing on building a tool that simplifies the daily work of field teams, takes "something off their plate," and is evolving into a "reasoning model" to anticipate risk before it happens.

Key Discussion Points & Timestamps

• [05:50] The Hardline Origin Story: Karly shares the catastrophic project change that resulted in a $150,000 loss and why it proved the need for better documentation.
• [08:20] The Problem with Verbal Agreements: Why "selective amnesia" and a reliance on trust make construction sites vulnerable to disputes, and how Hardline acts as a solution without requiring extra effort.
• [12:30] Hardline's Product in Action: Details on how the tool passively takes construction-specific notes from phone calls and site walkthroughs, and integrates with systems like Procore, ACC, and Fieldwire.
• [18:00] Technology vs. The Builder: Discussing the "dissonance" between software design and the hands-on nature of field work, and why many existing tools fail to meet workers where they are.
• [25:35] The Liability Waterfall: A breakdown of how risk is pushed down the chain of command in construction, and why digital documentation is crucial for small- to medium-sized contractors to qualify for future bids.
• [35:20] Anticipating Risk with AI: The vision for Hardline to evolve past simple documentation into a "reasoning model" that can flag potential issues, like scheduling roofers during a predicted weather delay.

In this essential episode of the ConTech Exec Podcast, host Robert Zimmerman sits down with Jeffrey Nesbitt from Slate AI to dissect the reality of Artificial Intelligence in the construction industry.

They dive deep into the four-year journey of building a construction-specific AI that focuses on more than just data—it's programmed to understand human intent and the complex workflows that govern your job site.

Discover how this new layer of project intelligence is finally solving some of construction's most persistent and expensive problems, including:

• The Rework Crisis: Why rework costs the industry over $60 billion globally and how AI can prevent mistakes that are often repeated across multiple projects.

• The Power of Lessons Learned: How to pull historical job data out of disparate silos and transform it into a "shrinking database" of actionable insights that actually improve efficiency and safety.

• Data Governance & Process: The crucial difference between an estimating model and an operational model, and why fixing your people and processes is the only way to successfully leverage new technology.

If you're a contractor hesitant about AI, or a firm looking to seamlessly integrate intelligence without disrupting your tech stack, this is a must-listen on how the future of construction management is non-invasive, intent-driven, and centered on eliminating costly errors before they happen.

Guest: Eliot Wagonheim, Construction Attorney and Founder of First Rule Contract Training. In this essential episode of the ConTech Exec Podcast, host Robert Zimmerman sits down with construction legal veteran Eliot Wagonheim to break down the biggest hurdle in the construction industry: contracts and legal risk. Eliot explains why broad "legalese" is a lawyer's defense against future lawsuits, clashing with a contractor's need for precise performance. They dive deep into:

• The Contractor’s Nightmare: Why it’s not if you deal with a legal issue, but when, and how to avoid the "flowers at a funeral" scenario where lawyers arrive too late.
• Managing Expectations: The critical art of aligning an owner's "Taj Mahal" vision with a realistic budget to ensure a happy client.
• The AI Revolution in Contracts: Learn about Eliot’s "First Rule Contract Training" and how it combines AI to decode contracts with the human element of training and negotiation.
• The Drunken Cheerleader: A candid discussion on why relying solely on large language models like ChatGPT without human critical thinking and experience (the Star Trek's Kirk and Spock analogy) is a recipe for disaster and negligence.

"The digitization of the information is going to become table stakes. You have to understand it."—Eliot Wagonheim Don't let a one-sided contract sink your business.

Tune in to understand how education, technology, and old-school mentorship will define the next generation of construction professionals.

Most construction mistakes don’t happen in the field.
They happen upstream — long before anyone picks up a tool.

In this episode of The ConTech Exec Podcast, Robert Zimmerman sits down with Christopher Mouflard, founder of Marked Up AI, to talk about a problem the industry has quietly normalized: incomplete drawings.

This isn’t a discussion about software features or faster workflows.
It’s a conversation about decision risk, governance breakdowns, and why responsibility keeps sliding to the least experienced person on the project.

We cover:

• Why rework has become “acceptable”

• How incomplete drawings create executive-level exposure

• What happens when teams are stretched thin and oversight disappears

• Why more tools don’t fix sequencing problems

• Where technology actually should be applied — and where it shouldn’t

If you’re accountable for outcomes, margin, and risk — this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.

If you’re looking for tools, tactics, or implementation advice, this is not for you.

Most construction executives think their back office is “fine.”

It’s not.
It’s quietly bleeding money — and AI is only exposing the damage.

In this episode, I sit down with Rishi Srivastava, founder of Being Human, to talk about why accounts payable is where financial control starts breaking down long before anyone notices.

We cover:

• How redundant AP work compounds cash risk

• Why unstructured invoices and approvals destroy visibility

• Why AI doesn’t fix broken workflows — it exposes them

• Why governance failures show up in finance first

• And why chasing tools instead of control makes things worse.

This is not about automating invoices faster.
It’s about leaders losing control without realizing it.

If you’re responsible for cash flow, risk, or outcomes — this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.

🎧 Listen if you own the decision.
🚫 Skip it if you’re looking for tools or tactics.

Connect with Rishi:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishi-srivastava-automation/

Website: https://beiinghuman.com/

It’s 2026. Trillions are being poured into data centers, power grids, and infrastructure.
AI is everywhere.
But somehow, we’re still 30% less productive than we were in 1990.

The problem isn’t labor. It’s not technology.
It’s the system.

In this kickoff episode, I sit down with Todd Zabelle, founder of Strategic Project Solutions and the Project Production Institute, to unpack the truth behind construction’s productivity flatline — and why we’ve been managing projects with 1916 playbooks in a 2026 world.

We cover:
🔹 The 3 eras of project delivery — from Taylorism to today
🔹 Why “working harder” kills flow
🔹 The real cost of WIP (work in process)
🔹 Bottlenecks, variability, and how to control them
🔹 Why AI can’t fix chaos — it just measures it faster

Construction isn’t broken. It’s mismanaged.

👉 Follow the series: The Flow Problem | Part 2: The Hidden Factory on Every Jobsite drops next month.

🎙️ Hosted by Robert Zimmerman, ConTech Exec.

Check Out

PPI - Project Production Institute: https://projectproduction.org

SPS - Strategic Project Solutions: https://www.strategicprojectsolutions.com/index.html

#ConTechExec #FlowProblem #ToddZabelle #Construction #Leadership #AI #ProjectProduction

Most construction CRMs don’t fail because of software.
They fail because they weren’t built for construction.

In this episode of The ConTech Exec Podcast, host Robert Zimmerman sits down with Tom Deane, Co-Founder & CEO of Project Mark, to break down why traditional CRMs like Salesforce struggle in the construction industry—and what a construction-specific CRM should actually do.

We cover:

• Why generic CRMs fail contractors, GCs, and subcontractors

• How construction CRM software should handle preconstruction, operations, and closeout data

• The role of business development, relationship management, and project data

• How AI fits into construction CRMs (and where it doesn’t)

• Why culture, process, and accountability matter more than tools

• How to get visibility into backlog, forecasting, and revenue without Excel

If you’re a:

• General contractor

• Specialty contractor

• Construction executive

• Preconstruction or BD leader

…and your CRM lives in spreadsheets, silos, or nobody actually uses it—this episode will hit home.

Key takeaway:
Construction technology should support how builders work—not force them to work like sales reps.