Built With Purpose

In this Between the Builds episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay reflects on leadership, culture, and growth as the year comes to a close. Drawing from recent conversations — including insights from Wes Palmisano of Renegade Construction — Chris explores what it truly takes to scale a business without sacrificing culture. From promoting leaders from within to empowering teams through clear...

In this episode, we sit down with Wes Palmisano, founder of Renegade, to break down how he’s building one of the most forward-thinking construction companies in the industry. Wes shares how Renegade scaled by challenging traditional construction norms, prioritizing culture and leadership, and embracing technology and innovation in an industry known for doing things “the old way.” From hiring and r...

In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fey returns with a powerful Between the Builds reflection—breaking down one of the most important leadership lessons from his recent conversation with Burton Hackney, President & CEO of JORIS General Contractors, one of Texas’s most admired construction companies. Rather than chasing size, geography, or market dominance, JORIS made a bold and c...

Episode Summary In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Burton Hackney, President of JORIS, one of Texas’s most respected and long-standing construction companies. Across a candid, energizing conversation, Chris and Burton explore what it really takes to lead a 700-person organization through growth, uncertainty, and generational change—without losing sight of culture,...

In this Between the Builds episode of Built With Purpose, Chris Fay reflects on his recent conversation with Landon Messal, Founder & CEO of SiteMarker, and digs into one big theme: the people closest to the problem are usually the best equipped to solve it. Chris expands on what this means for leaders who aren’t always in the field or on every customer call—and how to build systems that surfa...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Landon Messal, Founder & CEO of Site Marker, for a deep, forward-looking conversation about technology, process, and purpose inside the AEC industry. From the origins of Site Marker, born directly from real pain in the civil engineering field, to the rapid acceleration of AI, automation, and internal innovati...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Between the Builds, host Chris Fay reflects on last week’s conversation with Al Petrangeli, diving deeper into one of the most foundational principles of effective leadership: servant leadership. Chris breaks down what servant leadership really means, how to distinguish it from simply “being a servant,” and why the difference can shape the trajectory of your tea...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Al Petrangeli, COO at Carroll Daniel Construction and former CEO of Balfour Beatty’s Southeast Region, to explore what it takes to lead with humility while driving massive growth. From growing up in an Italian family restaurant to leading billion-dollar construction businesses, Al shares his story of servant lead...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Between the Builds, host Chris Fay reflects on his conversation with Tony Iannessa, Founder and CEO of BIG Construction, to explore one of the hardest truths in leadership. Sometimes the thing holding your company back is you. Using Tony’s shift from “BIG 1.0” to “BIG 2.0" as a framework, Chris breaks down what it really means to stop being the system and start...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Tony Iannessa, Founder and CEO of BIG Construction, to explore what it takes to build a high-performing, values-driven company from the ground up. From the early “Big 1.0” days of grit and long hours to the evolution into “Big 2.0,” Tony shares how he learned to scale through people, process, and purpose. They di...

Episode Summary: In this Between the Builds reflection, host Chris Fay reflects on his recent conversation with Chris Dornfeld, co-founder of Whistle Rewards which was acquired by One10 where he now serves as Executive Vice President of Product Strategy. Fay dives into the science of immediate recognition, exploring how micro-rewards can reshape workplace motivation and culture. He breaks down how...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Chris Dornfeld. At the time of recording Dornfield was the President and Co-Founder of Whistle Rewards, which has since been acquired by One10 where he now serves as the Executive Vice President of Product Strategy. Together they explore how behavioral science, neuroscience, and real-time recognition are transfor...

Episode Summary: In this Between the Builds reflection, host Chris Fay looks back on his conversation with Maor Farid, founder and CEO of Leo AI, and unpacks a powerful theme: the way our lived experiences, both triumphs and setbacks, shape who we are as leaders and builders. From Maor’s time in the Israeli military and at MIT to Chris’s own story of rejection from the University of Georgia leadin...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Maor Farid, co-founder of Leo AI, to explore how artificial intelligence, military discipline, and heart-centered leadership are reshaping the future of engineering and innovation. From his journey through Israel’s elite defense units and MIT to building a startup transforming mechanical design, Maor shares how p...

Summary: In this second installment of Between the Builds, host Chris Fay digs deeper into a theme that resonated in a recent conversation with Ryan Suydam and Tim Asimos from Client Savvy; the power of listening. Drawing from industry data, personal practice, and practical tools, Chris explores why so many leaders miss the mark on client and employee feedback, and what it really takes to bridge t...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Ryan Suydam, co-founder of Client Savvy and now CX Architect at ClearlyRated, and Tim Asimos, Head of Growth at Client Savvy, to unpack how listening, empathy, and purposeful leadership can transform client relationships and fuel organizational growth. From Ryan’s journey starting in architecture to building one...

Episode Summary: In this first Between the Builds segment, host Chris Fay reflects on key lessons from his conversation with Chad Cousins, CEO of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, and shares his own insights from stepping into leadership roles. Chris explores the critical moments of transition—how new leaders can honor legacy while steering toward innovation, why first impressions shape long-ter...

SUMMARY:   In this kickoff episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Chad Cousins, CEO of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, to explore how purposeful leadership can transform an organization from a respected regional firm into a high-impact, growth-oriented platform. Chad shares his unconventional path from the tech and consulting world to leading a design firm, the strategic...

Built With Purpose is the new podcast for the leaders shaping the built world. Those rethinking how we design, manufacture, construct, and innovate. The first episode launches on September 2nd! Follow us so you don’t miss out.