To Build is Human

In this season finale, TonicDM co-founders Deb Johnston and Reg Prentice unpack a timely question: if AI can draft drawings and generate images, what value do architects uniquely create? Using Reg’s recent university panel as a springboard, they explore the gap between deliverables and meaning—why built work isn’t just models and sheets, but narrative, negotiation, and leadership across messy huma...

Terracon’s Head of Business Transformation, David Harwood, makes a clear case: before AI, fix data and process. He outlines how Terracon audited ERP/CRM issues (synonyms, homonyms, duplicates), moved project files from office servers to a SharePoint backbone with auto-tagging and taxonomy, and now governs intranet content to curb “old vs. new” confusion. David shares his “data lake districts” meta...

Utility infrastructure has to work every hour of every day—yet the drawings, data, and tools behind it often lag reality. Shawn Weekly, Software Developer at POWER Engineers, joins Deb and Reg to explain why as-builts frequently diverge from what’s on the ground, how that breaks downstream processes, and what practical fixes look like. We dig into LiDAR as-builts, why a 3D model isn’t a “digital t...

CannonDesign’s Dorinda Shabazz, SVP, Director of Information Technology, blends technical rigor with human-centered change. She traces a path from early programming to enterprise leadership, then shares what’s working now: moving fully out of the data center; using SharePoint for documents and Autodesk Construction Cloud for production; and rolling out an internal AI chat (for proposals, org knowl...

Brent Mauti, Chief Technology Officer at Turner Fleischer makes a straightforward case for modern practice: stop re-typing and start binding. He explains why “single source of truth” often misleads teams, and how a “single source of entry” plus stable project and person IDs lets ERP, BIM, and everyday tools share the same information without duplication. Brent walks through concrete wins—replacing...

Nora Swanson, Director of Innovation & Knowledge Management at JB&B, shares how a six-person innovation team partners with—but operates parallel to—IT to protect security while moving faster. She distinguishes “little-I” innovations (workflow improvements) from “big-I” disruptions (changing how work is delivered) and explains their vision of AI moving from assistant to collaborator—eventua...

To Build Is Human is a podcast from TonicDM where co-founders Reg Prentice and Deb Johnston talk with architects, engineers, and technologists about how work actually gets built—through data, process, communication, and people. Each episode is grounded in real practice: messy handoffs, disconnected systems, outdated documentation, and the cultural friction of change. You’ll hear practical playbook...