Under Your Roof and In Your Backyard

Stone design has many facets including interior and exterior. You will have a hard time finding someone who has worked on more signature interior design projects than this weeks guest. Dawn Carroll has been involved in stone design for many years. She has has travelled the world finding some of the most exclusive and uniques stones for her customers. Her specialty is in all types of interior projects along with her new idea of bringing the outdoors in. Dawn has such a vast knowledge of all kinds of stone materials along with being a passionate Philanthropist. There is not enough time on our show to touch on all she brings to the table, but we will give it a shot.

Recycled products and green products are very popular in interior and exterior design. The problem is that some of these products are not very appealing and functional. This week we have you covered. Our guest is Julie Rizzo. She is an American success story. Julie had an idea on taking reclaimed cut off countertop material that got thrown into landfills and turn it into some of the most beautiful tiles, pavers, fire pits, and more. Her company is franchising all over the country and she hires some incredible associates who fabricate and manufacture all of her materials. If you are looking at remodeling a kitchen, bathroom, fireplace, or any kind of outdoor design you will want to educate yourself about Recycled Granite.

Pools are a very hot commodity in today’s outdoor living world. Consumers today want more than just a pool. Most designs include all the extras like cooking, outdoor lighting, high end furniture and some kind of fire element. Our guest this week is Howard Roberts owner of Liquidscape located in New Jersey. Howard has been in the business for over forty years and is one of the top installers and designers in the business. He has designed and installed numerous projects for some of the leaders in the business and the entertainment world over the years and we are very excited to have him share some of his knowledge with us on what to look for and what to expect when you decide to build an outdoor living area with a pool.

Michael Buechel is the owner of Buechel Stone out of Wisconsin and North Carolina. They are a family run business that fabricates all kinds of stone products including full bed veneer and thin veneer. We have talked about how thin veneer has changed the masonry and hardscape business over the past fifteen years and Michael will educate us on some of his products and give us some great stories about how his Grandparents literally mortgaged the farm to start Buechel Stone. A great American success story!

If you are designing any kind of outdoor room, kitchen, pool area, or something in between, outdoor lighting is a must. Today there are so many choices in companies that sell and install outdoor lighting, it can get a bit confusing and sometimes overwhelming. Patrick Harders the owner of Enlightened Lighting and President of Sterling Lighting Products is our guest on this weeks show. Patrick helps educate us on what to look for when purchasing lights, hiring a contractor, and teaching us how to use outdoor lighting to create atmosphere in our outdoor living designs. The secret is to make it invisible to the eye.

This week our guest is Sarah Sladek. Sarah is the CEO of XYZ University. Sarah helps major companies, communities, and groups build a bridge to the next generation. We live in a time where we make a lot of generalizations about the next generation based on a few examples. Sarah helps open our eyes to truly see who they are, how they grew up in a completely different world from the previous generations, and how we can get them on our team working toward the future in our organizations and businesses. After our talk with Sarah our eyes have been opened to the huge possibilities and potential the next generations offer!

Curt Dahl is the co-owner of Joseph and Curtis Custom Wine Cellars in the New York City area. He specializes in both residential and commercial high end wine cellar designs and installation. If you are interested in having your own personal wine cellar Curt is your guy. He has built some of the most creative and custom wine cellars in the U.S. and abroad. Curt and his partner Joseph are not only experts in design but are on the cutting edge with the technology side of temperature control, controlling the environment, and high tech inventory control. If you are into wine you are going to be a big fan of this weeks episode.

What is the real state of our construction economy? This week we will talk to John Kemp. President of one of that largest supply and manufacturing companies in the building and construction world . John is on the front lines and we will talk about the heath of our business and how things will be changing now that large companies like Amazon are entering our space. We also touch base on the issues of non skilled and skilled labor shortages and how CRH hopes to help and inspire the next generation of Tradesmen and Tradeswomen. A must listen to anyone in the building and construction business.

There is nothing like adding a water feature when designing an outdoor room, home or office space. This week we are joined by the owner of one of the leaders in the water feature market, Kip Northrup from Blue Thumb.

One of Dean and Derek’s passions is helping to train and mentor the next generation of Tradesmen and Tradeswomen. This weeks guest is Tom Hart who is teaching the Horticulture and Landscape Construction class at the school. There is a pressing need for more workers in the trades and Tom is on the ground floor of helping to train the next generation.