17Twenty

In this week's episode, we're live from the ABA's Forum on Construction Law 2025 Annual Meeting with special guest Luis Spinola, founder of the Azteca Omega Group a leading construction services organization he has grown over 40 years.  Born in Mexico City and trained as an engineer, Mr. Spinola immigrated to the U.S. in 1983 and built AOG’s three companies to serve municipal and fe...

This week we have the honor of sitting down with Randy Humphrey, a stalwart in the commercial construction industry, as he opens up about living a life grounded in biblical principles. From the joys and challenges of raising four boys to maintaining a rich relationship with his 84-year-old father, Randy shares heartfelt reflections on fatherhood, continuous self-improvement, and making the right c...

Join us this week as we celebrate the illustrious career and retirement of Richard Cavnar, a stalwart in the construction industry. Richard shares his excitement about his new chapter with humor and heart, revealing plans to finally get that coveted Costco card and indulge in hobbies like cooking and bourbon collecting.  We journey through Richard's family history and faith, uncovering the ri...

This week Kevin and Stewart have the great privilege of sitting down with Matt Terry, President at TDIndustries, Inc.   In an episode full of shout-outs to those who were integral to his story, you quickly see how Matt exemplifies servant leadership with an episode packed with wisdom on nurturing a thriving organizational culture.  We reflect on nostalgic traditions that foster connections, explor...

Julie Strong, CEO at C1S Group, Inc., joins Kevin and Stewart in the studio this week put on wax an amazing episode that includes topics like growing up in Dallas, lessons learned through sport, mental health awareness, backpacking through Europe, a career in construction, and the journeys of life along the way. You're really going to want to grab something to jot down notes this week as Juli...

In the midst of an insanely busy season for both Kevin and Stewart, this week we take you back to April 26, 2021 with a reprise of an excellent episode with Eric Aasen [E037], who is now the Executive Editor at Connecticut Public Broadcasting.  In this episode, we talk about the power of radio, interviews with an astronaut, his journeys through journalism, the value of story telling, leadership in...

This week Matt Shelton,  joins Kevin and Stewart to share his story and talk about the enormous, life-changing impact of Freed People. Freed People has a vision that impacts children in our own backyard through comprehensive, data-driven solution that centralizes recovery teams, community, technology, and expertise to bring freedom to victims of human sex trafficking in the US. This week, be prepa...

Herb Sargent is the President/CEO at Sargent Corporation, an employee owned earthwork construction company that traces its start to his grandfather's beginnings in 1926 in Alton, Maine.  At Sargent, Herb is leading the charge to build great people with great lives who build GREAT projects ... and this week's podcast is a blueprint study on why and how to put people first in your organiza...

This week Kevin and Stewart sit down with David Garrett, President at SteelFab Texas Inc. who tells stories from from the smallest home-town of any guest (Dudley, GA, pop. 593) to the largest platform for the construction industry (2025 Chairman of the Board for TEXO), and those of travel, people, leadership, sprinkled all throughout.  We hope you love getting to know David more this week, and pic...

This week on the 17Twenty Podcast, Kevin and Stewart start with a little levity by recapping some of the "best" April Fools' pranks of all time, but then pivot to something serious with talk about what the market is looking like in terms of job-starts and some practical "what-if" exercises to keep your teams in problem solving mode.  There are some smooth wisdom nuggets in...

After taking off last week for spring break, Kevin and Stewart come together to chat about the short break and talk through a few lessons learned from the places visited and the time spent with family, including a quick revisit of some of the thoughts and ideas from E114 when they recapped a fall visit to Disneyworld. Keep moving mountains!  We'd love to hear from you! Send us a text message h...

This week we have the honor of sitting down with Damian Lee, the General Manager for the Texas Operations of H. J. Russell & Company, a vertically integrated service provider specializing in real estate development, construction, program management, and property management. Naturally, we talk with Damian about the lasting impact of growing up in a then-small community of Tomball, Texas and his...

This week we are privileged to sit down with Steve Bruszer, the President of Spring Valley Construction Company.  Part of what makes the podcast so special is hearing people's stories, and do we have a few stories to tell this week . From growing up in a "three flat" in Chicago to finding construction, Steve weaves a narrative that speaks to his roots and what made him the success t...

This week Kevin and Stewart invite back Tim Rothberg [E005] for a special episode that we've been teasing for a few weeks ... the official roll out of Rothberg Shurtleff Dang PLLC. Kevin, Stewart, and Tim talk briefly about the journey that leads to Stewart's return to the private practice of law.  But more importantly, the guys discuss the excitement and anticipation of this new adventu...

This week we have a special guest and a guest host, something that we haven't done since 2021 with Daniel Harris [E025] and David Fults [E026] when Preston Pressley and Meloni Raney filled in for Stewart while he was tied up in a large, multi-week trial. This week's guest host is Kent Rabalais [E096] of Kent Studios; this week's guest is none other than Dave Reichert of Reichert Woo...

Time has a funny way of slipping by.  Sometimes it's just a week or a month; sometimes it's entire years.  On today's episode, we grapple with this feeling, acknowledging that it's the rich blend of our experiences, not just the ticking clock, that molds us into who we are. The enduring wisdom of Dale Payne [E087] becomes an anchor for us as we talk through various seasons of l...

This week we revisit Episode 30 from March 8, 2021 with Brent Gleeson.    Brent Gleason, a former SEAL turned leadership consultant, joins us with gripping tales and actionable insights. We laugh and learn through Brent's stories, including the unforgettable 'Brad and the donkey' anecdote. His book, "Embrace the Suck," is not only a guide through the grueling world of SEAL...

This week's guest is Nakia Douglas, Executive Director for the Transition Resource Action Center. Hailing from South Dallas, Nakia tells a story that resonates with the heartbeat of a community poised on the brink of transformation. Interwoven with the unwavering strength of his mother and the life-altering embrace of education, his story promises to stir souls and awaken minds to the power o...

Last week we had some tech troubles with the episode ... but we fixed it!  We worked with tech support for our podcasting provider to find lower-quality backup files and took those files to remix the episode for this week.  Most of the back-half of the episode made it on the air last week; but the first part, which we thought was LOST, has been found. 28ish for the open clip. You may recall that w...

It's a new year!  ... but we had some of the same tech troubles this week.  Kevin and Stewart tried out a new "on the road" format and the recording dipped pretty significantly, cutting short the episode.  However, what remained is classic first-of-the-year 17Twenty content about goal setting and accountability as the guys challenge each of you to make 2024 the best year ever! Keep...

Welcome to Season Five of the 17Twenty Podcast!  This year we kick off the new season with Scott Kimpland of FMI.  As a seasoned industry expert with 37 years of experience, Scott offers a wealth of knowledge on essential aspects of construction such as labor cost estimation, project selection, and fostering a robust company culture.  Scott shares valuable wisdom nuggets on successful contracting,...

This week Kevin and Stewart sit down, reflect a little bit on the year, and reminisce on some of the funniest, reoccurring bits that have graced the podcast airwaves.  We hope you enjoy a light hearted episode as we head into the Christmas season!  And remember, if there's a bit that we forgot to mention, please mention it in the comments! As we sign off for the season, we want to remind you...

What if you could confidently navigate the labyrinth of risk management in the construction industry? Imagine being able to understand and manage your insurance coverage without the fear of unseen gaps or assumptions.  That's what this episode with our guest Drew Boyd, an accomplished risk management consultant, is all about! Tune in as we unravel the complexities, misconceptions, and critica...

In this second part of the live podcast recording, Kevin and Stewart discuss practical "wisdom nuggets" related to managing burnout and exhaustion.  We talk about the power of regular exercise and rest, share our insights on prioritizing tasks, discuss the necessity of protecting your time and energy by being selective about what you say yes and no to, and the conversation certainly does...

Burnout and exhaustion are terms that most of us have become all too acquainted with, especially after the trials of 2020. We know the signs too well; irritability, sleeplessness, loss of vision - but do we know how to effectively address them? And more importantly, do we know when we need to pause and seek help?  This episode is a candid exploration of these questions, with insights from our spec...