Beyond the Belt

Send us Fan Mail Ben Strout is a licenced Architect and the founder of Another Story. As I mention in the episode, building an additional floor on an existing dwelling has many challenges. Ben explains his invention of brackets used while framming in order to keep the existing roof on until the new structure is water tight.https://youtu.be/tcrtPoZIQY4 Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen182...

Send us Fan Mail Great convesation with a legend in my opinion. To personally see the craftmanship and the art of plaster is beyond words. The years of dedicaton and perfecting a very difficult skill is rare to see these days. Spending some time talking to Virgil and his willingness to share his knowlege was a true pleasure. Hope you enjoy! Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawb...

Send us Fan Mail Clay DeKorne is the Chief Editor of the JLC Group, which includes The Journal of Light Construction, Remodeling, Tools of the Trade and Professional Deck Builder. He was the founding editor of Tools of the Trade (1993) and Coastal Contractor (2004), and the founding educational director for JLC Live (1995). Before venturing into writing and education for the building industry, he...

Send us Fan Mail Brian Altmann started his building career 40 years ago in 1986 just fresh out of SUNY Cortland. Fast forward to the present date in 2026, He's the owner of an award winning Design Build Residential Remodeling company with almost 30 employees. We talk about how it all started and lessons learned along the way. I can attest to the dedication and passion Brian has for those who...

Send us Fan Mail Great conversation with Travis. Creator of "The Forged Father". A program I became a part of about 6 months ago. Challenging fathers to become uncommon through Faith, Fitness, Family and Finance. Travis has put together an amazing program for men who need and want to do better. I wanted to bring this to the trades because we need to focus on our health so we don't e...

Send us Fan Mail When it comes to bathroom remodels, we've used Wedi shower pans, panels and accessories for over a decade with amazing success. I have a great conversation with Regional Sales Manager David LaFleur who we've known for years. David has been in the trades himself for many years and with Wedi for about 8 now. Check out Wedi online to see who your local rep is and they'...

Send us Fan Mail We can't always control what happens on the jobsite when it comes to delays, mis-orders or mistakes, but we can control how we react and the best way to handle the situation for the client. Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawblade74@hotmail.com

Nick MacKay is a Technical Sales Representative at LATICRETE International. LATICRETE is a world-wide manufacturer and marketer of globally proven construction solutions used in residential, commercial and industrial applications. It was great to talk to Nick about some of the products that we use from LATICRETE for many years now installing floor and wall tile in our residential remodeling projec...

Great conversation with Rick Mills. A senior project manager with Jacksonandrewsbuilding.com. We discuss the challenges and decisions that need to be made on a daily basis when running some detailed projects. Rick will be speaking this year at JLC Live 2026 on Thursday March 26th from 1:00-4:00 on "High level Project Management & Execution" Check out thier projects @Jackson Andrews B...

Ryan is a framing carpenter of 25+ years with an expertise in roof framing. A husband, father of 3 who is a business owner in upstate NY. Ryan has a passion for his craft and it shows with his online accounts and his teaching @JLCLIVE in Rhode Island each year. This was a great conversation with a humble master of our trade! I hope everone enjoys the talk as much as I did!  Thanks for tuning in. Y...

Great discussion with Luke about how he got into the trades and the start of his very successful pod cast "Tile Money" Being in the trades myself, Its been very helpful listening to Luke and his guests over the years and was very excited to have a chat with him one on one!  Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawblade74@hotmail.com

Paul started Method, an entirely customizable platform for small businesses that want to simplify their unique way of working. Method is best known for its flagship product, Method:CRM. Paul believes that building small business software with one-size-fits-all mentality is lazy and outdated. This firm belief, paired with his experience as a self-taught coder and entrepreneur, resulted in Paul&apos...

Second part of the impact great customer service can have in any business and how it can impact your clients! Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawblade74@hotmail.com

One of the most important skills we need to have when doing a remodeling project in someone's home is providing exceptional customer service! We can have great technical skills in the trade, but if the client is having a terrible experience, then it's not a success.   Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawblade74@hotmail.com

With having my own business years ago and now working with an award winning remodeling company, I've appreciated what it takes to be successful. It's knowing and managing your numbers on a regular basis. Jason's and his team at Signature Analytics can improve accounting and financial information by  getting accurate, relevant, and timely financial insights to help you make smart bus...

Jeremy is the owner operator of Kassel Construction with a passion for the industry, contributing as a writer for the Journal of Light Construction and Fine Home Building. You can also find Jeremy on the floor of JLC Live in Providence Rhode Island or teaching a class in one of the conference rooms at the event. Great conversation with a humble expert! Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen18...

EKB is a cabinetry company whose craftsmanship, American values, and design skills are a testament to their love of quality kitchens. EKB has proudly offered homeowners, home builders, and contractors a variety of high quality cabinetry, finr installations options, and American made products for over a decade. They maintain a well apointed showroom conveniently located in New Windsor, NY. Beyond t...

Jackie and Matt are co-founders of Dzinly, a virtual exterior home design company that streamlines the design and build process and is particularly useful for builders, contractors and others in the industry.  We had a great conversation about all the services that the Dzinly software offers for anyone looking to have professional renderings created  for an exterior  home project. Beyond the Belt...

Stephen is the owner of Whalen Architecture in Lagrangeville, NY. We discuss Steve's journey throughout his career, from  his first interest in the industry in a grade school career day, all the way up to where his is today. It's a challenging career with many ups and downs, but many rewards along the way that makes it all worth it! Thanks Bro! Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen...

Ben is a production manager with BPC Green Builders in Ridgefield Connecticut. Ben is a third generation builder with over 20 years experience. We talk about some of the process and challenges with building high performance homes, managing projects and what will be required  by code across the board. Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawblade74@hotmail.com

Paola is a seasoned event management professional, working with Informa Markets as the Conference educational Manager for the JLC LIVE event in Providence Rhode Island. JLC LIVE is an annual educational event for builders and remodelers. This years event that is scheduled on March 21-23  could be on track to host 10 thousand attendees. One of the biggest shows in our industry, I had the privilege...

There is a lot of prep to take care of and many things to take into consideration before we even begin to install tile. In this episode i discuss some of the steps I take to prepare for different tile situations. Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawblade74@hotmail.com

Great chat with Jeff from LDR Group talking building science. It's interesting to learn what is involved when building a passive homes and what it could take to get it certified. It's challenging enough to meet all the demands of building and remodeling with schedules, selections and budgets, but add to it the higher demands of keeping the build air tight and functioning correctly, and i...

Coordinating subs to come together at the end of a job in a timely manor. There is plenty to do with "Bags on" the job, but just as much or even more when managing other trades as a Lead Carpenter. Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG) Sawblade74@hotmail.com

Tom Skean has been the Construction Trades teacher at BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) for the last 7 years. Tom comes from a trade background and found that he had developed a passion for teaching. I've had the privilege to visit Toms classes over the years, and talk to the students about the opportunities in our industry. Tonight was a great conversation about how things ar...