Construction Genius

What if the thing holding your construction company back isn't lack of effort — it's lack of deep thinking? In this episode, I sit down with Steven Puri, former EVP at DreamWorks, former VP at 20th Century Fox, and CEO of The Sukha Company — to talk about flow state: what it is, why the best leaders in the world use it, and how construction company owners can harness it to make better decisions an...

What happens when outworking everyone stops working? In Episode 379, Justin Ricklefs — founder of Guild Collective and author of Give a Damn — gets honest about the moment things broke down: his business, his relationships, and himself. He shares the framework that rebuilt everything, why constraint became his competitive advantage, and what it actually costs to build something while keeping your...

Only 2.5% of construction firms consistently complete projects on time and on budget. Not because their people lack skills. Because discipline breaks down under pressure. In this solo episode, Eric Anderton breaks down FMI's 2026 project management study (Part 2) and shows how your Project Executive drives execution discipline in three areas that directly hit your bottom line.   Key takeaways: • F...

If your indirect costs aren't tracked—they're hiding. And what they're hiding is your true profit margin.   In this episode of Construction Genius, Eric sits down with Kathe Barrington, CPA and fractional Controller/CFO with 20 years of construction experience, to break down one of the most misunderstood areas of construction accounting: indirect cost allocations, equipment costing, and overhead s...

Most construction companies treat pre-construction as an estimating department. That mindset is costing them projects. In this episode, Eric sits down with Sam Potts, Director of Pre-Construction at JP Cullen—a $900M family-owned, self-performing GC out of Wisconsin. Sam explains why pre-con managers should be treated like project managers, how to align budgets around what actually matters to the...

Only 2.5% of contractors finish on time and on budget. Here's what they do before the job starts. In this episode, Eric Anderton breaks down Part 1 of FMI's 2025 Project Management Study — 243 executives, 84 PMs, real contractors, real numbers. What they found isn't revolutionary. It's the same truth Vince Lombardi was teaching in 1959. Preparation before the work starts. Accountability to a consi...

Construction companies don't go out of business because they lack work. They go out of business because they take on too much work and lose discipline. In this episode, Eric Anderton talks with DPR Construction leaders Camilo Garcia and Mike Humphrey about how DPR built the discipline that carried the company through multiple boom-bust cycles—from early hypergrowth to market volatility in the 2000...

The Inflation Reduction Act is driving massive investment into construction—but the registered apprenticeship requirements tied to those tax credits are creating confusion and risk for many contractors. In this episode, Eric Anderton talks with Andy Seth, founder of Apprentix, about a smarter approach to complying with Inflation Reduction Act apprenticeship requirements—one that reduces risk, prot...

Doug Ransom began his construction career at 18 as a union carpenter apprentice. Thirty years later, he serves as General Superintendent at JP Cullen & Sons, a fifth-generation commercial construction company. Learn more: https://jpcullen.com/ In this episode, we discuss: Transitioning from foreman to superintendent Managing construction field teams Leadership development in commercial constructio...

What does it really take to become a high-performing construction leader? In this episode of Construction Genius, Eric Anderton talks with Katharine Hamer, Project Manager at DPR Construction (San Diego), about leadership development, accountability, and culture in the field. From her background as a Division I lacrosse athlete to managing complex projects across higher education, healthcare, data...

Estimating isn't just math—it's how contractors decide which risks they're willing to own. In this episode of the Construction Genius Podcast, Eric Anderton talks with Chris Clausing, Director of Program and Curriculum Innovation for Construction at Colibri Group, about why estimating is still more art than science—and why contractors consistently miss the risk margin that protects profit. Drawing...

Can you really deliver speed, quality, and cost in construction—without tradeoffs? In this episode of Construction Genius, Eric Anderton sits down with Ryan Teicher, CEO of REDCOM Design & Construction, to unpack how a fully integrated design-build model eliminates silos, accelerates delivery, and aligns teams around client outcomes. Ryan explains how bringing architecture, engineering, estimating...

Kathe Barrington is a CPA specializing in construction. Before finding her true passion in cost accounting and then the construction industry, Kathe worked in different industries, including software, hardware, real estate, retail, and non-profits. Working directly with owners, banks, bonding agents, and CPA firms, Kathe helps bringing the entire team together so that they can make the best manage...

The hardest transition in construction isn't technical—it's moving from building projects to leading people. In this episode, Eric Anderton talks with leadership expert Joel M. Hilchey about why so many construction leaders struggle once their hands come off the tools. They explore career development conversations, micro-feedback, why high performers leave first, and the subtle leadership habits t...

Bonding is one of the biggest bottlenecks in construction growth—and most contractors misunderstand it. In this episode, Eric Anderton talks with Gary Eastman, President of Swift Bonds and Access Surety, about what sureties really look for when deciding whether to bond a contractor. They break down the Three C's—Character, Capacity, and Capital—why character matters more than most owners realize,...

Construction doesn't solely rely on blueprints and hard hats; it also relies on curiosity, hands-on learning, and people who make the buildings come to life. For those who step into job sites, success is measured by attitude, adaptability, and willingness to ask questions. From building psychological safety to leveraging technology like robotics, the modern superintendent is constantly learning ho...

The field says the job is further along. Accounting says it's not. In this episode, Eric Anderton and Kathe Barrington, CPA explain why that disconnect exists—and why both sides are right. The field measures physical progress. Accounting measures financial reporting. When those systems fall out of sync, WIP becomes unreliable, billing lags, and cash flow suffers. This episode is Part 3 of the Cons...

Dan Lester returns to Construction Genius for Episode 2 — and the numbers are getting louder. Clayco's latest Combating Stigma findings show 64% of construction workers report anxiety or depression in the last 12 months, up from 54% the year prior.  Eric and Dan go upstream: schedules, client expectations, leadership culture, and why "awareness" isn't the same as support. You'll hear practical way...

Construction sales feel like a grind because the root problem isn't sales — it's the business infrastructure underneath. In this episode, we unpack the 10 structural roadblocks that make selling construction work under $100M so difficult. These issues include unclear vision, missing strategy, weak financial visibility, poor org structure, broken incentive systems, no management rhythm, and outdate...

Most contractors wait too long to prepare their business for a sale—and lose millions because of it. In this episode, I talk with Cameron Bishop, Managing Director at Raincatcher, about what it really takes to make your construction company buyer-ready in the next 12 months. Cam brings 40+ years of executive and M&A experience and has completed more than 70 transactions worth over $500M. He breaks...

Most leadership discussions avoid the most uncomfortable question: 👉 What actually makes a leader good? In this episode, I sit down with Father Daniel Brandenburg, author of Leader Like No Other: What Secular Leadership Models Reveal About Jesus, a book that flips the usual leadership conversation on its head. After completing a doctorate in leadership, Daniel realized something startling: Jesus,...

In Part 2 of our WIP Mastery Series, CPA Kathe Barrington returns to show contractors how to use the WIP as a strategic decision-making tool. We dig into the three numbers every owner must check first, how underbilling reveals deeper project or client issues, and how the WIP exposes PM discipline long before problems hit the P&L. Kathe also walks through backlog planning, bid strategy, indirect co...

Construction BD expert Ken Harms joins me to break down the rise of the Doer–Seller model — a relationship-driven approach where project managers and superintendents help win work by serving clients, asking better questions, and building long-term trust. We unpack how owners' expectations have shifted, why the rainmaker era is over, how to train introverted technical pros to engage confidently, an...

Most contractors think they understand their WIP reports—but few actually use them to stop hidden job losses. CPA Kathe Barrington joins Eric Anderton to explain how to simplify your WIP, prevent fake profits, and keep your cash and bonding capacity intact. You'll discover: • Why bad budgets destroy profits • How percent-complete accounting really works • How PMs and accountants can finally get on...

Hero culture caps growth. Eric and process-improvement pro George Pesansky show you how to trade capes for systems using a no-BS What–Why–How framework. Define the what (outcome), clarify the why (priority), then let your people own the how. We unpack faster bad-news communication, direct vs. root vs. latent causes, the Golden Hour for standardizing wins, and the Four M's (Man, Machine, Material,...