Build Better with Anastasia Barnes

In episode 24 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talks with Daniel Stonecipher, senior director of innovation at PROCON, Inc., a design/build firm based in New Hampshire. Stonecipher talks about how companies can use technology to collect and transform data into usable insights, further streamlining operations and effectively developing an "end in mind" strategy. As the Senior Director of Inno...

In episode 23 of the Build Better podcast , Anastasia welcomes Jane Henry, founder of SeeHerWork , a safety consultancy and product manufacturing company that designs workwear, safety equipment, and other job-specific products sized to the unique body needs of both women and men. By introducing properly fitting clothing and equipment, Henry says employers can promote safety in the industry, create...

In episode 22 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia welcomes Alicia Washington, director of marketing at HRP Associates, and president-elect of the Society for Marketing Professionals Connecticut chapter (SMPS CT). Alicia talks about SMPS CT's new Diversity and Inclusion Initiative and shares her own journey as a person of color in the AEC industry. She also shares how leaders can have those ofte...

In episode 21 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talks with Matt Reiniger and Ben Callaghan, associate partners at Fathom , a future design firm helping manufacturers, architects, builders, and engineers go beneath the surface to reconnect people with what gives their work meaning and drives unprecedented performance. Reiniger and Callaghan share how their recent deep dive into their own compa...

In our 20th episode of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talks with Jay Calnan, CEO of J. Calnan and Associates , about Team IMPACT , a nonprofit whose mission is to connect and cultivate meaningful relationships between college athletic teams and children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. Calnan shares how the nonprofit he started in 2011 has grown, now working with over 650 campuses i...

In episode 19 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia welcomes Rob DiNinni, founding member of StageCoach Improv . Rob talks about some of the major challenges facing leaders and sales professionals today, and how they can overcome those, fostering growth and productivity. By building connections through humor and focusing on soft skills, teams can cultivate relationships, empower collaboration, an...

In episode 18 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia welcomes Elizabeth Skidmore, business representative with the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC) , and co-founder of the Policy Group on Tradeswomen's Issues (PGTI) .  Skidmore talks about the achievements that have been made in recruiting and hiring women in the trades. She also shares how she and many others are work...

In Episode 17 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia welcomes Mark Reed and Stephanie Goldberg, founding principals of the Boston-based architecture and design firm, LAB/LSA . They talk about the threat climate change poses to the city of Boston, and their proposal for a permanent solution to rising sea levels, titled The Blue Necklace . Listen to hear more about their project, which includes incr...

In episode 16 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia talks with Antonia Ciaverella, architectural designer with  Tecton Architects , about  WELL , the first rating system to focus exclusively on the impacts of buildings on human health and wellness.   Ciaverella talks about the specific ways a company or organization can achieve the WELL certification or make positive changes in their own spaces t...

In episode 15 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia sits down with Brian Anderson, founding partner of Anderson Porter Design , to talk about the unique challenges associated with designing and building cannabis cultivation facilities and retail dispensaries. Listen to hear more about how Anderson and his team are leading the charge in this exciting new industry with innovative technologies and d...

A Passive House building "comprises a set of design principles used to attain a quantifiable and rigorous level of energy efficiency within a specific quantifiable comfort level". As we progress through the 21st century, it is clear that employee health and well-being has emerged at the forefront of workplace culture and as a primary component of a successful, happy lifestyle; Kathy MacNeil's work...

In Episode 13 of Build Better, Anastasia sits down with Kyle Reagan, Managing Partner, and Paul Rocha, General Manager of Fabrication of DECCO, Inc. to discuss the industry's shortage of trained workers and how DECCO's unique recruiting program is working to address the issue. 

In Episode 12 of Build Better, Anastasia sits down with Bridget Akinc, CEO of Building Impact,  to discuss how the organization is transforming corporate volunteering by partnering with civic, business and nonprofit leaders in addressing complex social issues through volunteering.

A living building is built to mimic natural processes with the intent of improving the surrounding environment. A building that achieves Living   Certification must meet the performance requirements of seven "Petals" or categories: Place, Water, Energy, Health & Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty. In Episode #11 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia chats with Sam Batchelor of designLAB Arc...

When we hear the word crisis, we most commonly think of an emergency situation; but a crisis can be any incident that is disruptive to business operations or that negatively impacts staff, customers or an individual's reputation. Crisis can refer to a computer network going down to an active shooter situation.   In Ep. #10 of the Build Better podcast, Anastasia sits down with Lisa Nickerson, the C...

In episode 9 of Build Better, Anastasia welcomes Mike  McDonagh , CEO of the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts (ASM),  for an update on the state of the construction industry in Massachusetts in 2019. McDonagh talks about the big issues facing Mass subcontractors this year and what the ASM is doing to address those - from current legislation affecting the industry to what employers can be...

This episode of Build Better podcast, Anastasia Barnes talks with Mary Vogel, executive director of Building Pathways (BP), an eastern Massachusetts organization that creates opportunities for low-income area residents to access and prepare for building trades apprenticeships and family-sustaining careers in the construction industry and Andrea Dunn, a sprinkler fitter apprentice at E.M. Duggan (a...

In the third and final installment of the focus on the Opioid Crisis in Construction, Anastasia Barnes chats with Tom S. Gunning, the director of labor relations at the Building Trades Employers's Association (BTEA). Tom was the organizer behind "Building Trades for Recovery Week", which happened between April 29 and May 3rd of 2019.  The week-long event was designed to increase awareness and unde...

On Episode 6 of Build Better, Anastasia welcomes Jeremy Gregory, executive director of MIT's Concrete Sustainability Hub and Jean Carroon, FAIA, principal of Goody Clancy, to learn more about embodied carbon and to discuss the challenges those in the A/E/C industry face in reducing their carbon footprint. Embodied carbon refers to the environmental impact associated with the construction of buildi...

Episode 5 of Build Better is Part 2 of a 3 Part Series on the opioid epidemic in the construction industry in New England. In this episode, Anastasia has a frank conversation with Jared Hesek and Pat Donovan, contractors at Karas & Karas Glass.  Both men have struggled with addiction in their lives and are now in recovery, living healthy sober lives.  They each share their journey to recovery and...

Episode 4 of Build Better is Part 1 of a 3 Part Series on the opioid epidemic in the construction industry in New England. In this episode, Anastasia has an intimate conversation with David Argus, director of operations at Argus & Argus, about his family member's struggle (and recovery) with drugs. Through his son's journey to recovery, Argus became more aware of the rehabilitation and counseling...

On Episode 3 of Build Better, Julia McFadden of Svigals + Partners discusses what productive playgrounds are, how biophilia design is connecting us back to nature and the unique role it played in the redesign of the Sandy Hook School Elementary School.  Julia also shares the current discourse surrounding school safety, including the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) federal clearing house of...

In this episode, Anastasia Barnes chats with Karrie Kratz, vice president of Gilbane Building Company , and operations manager of Gilbane's Connecticut office. Kratz talks about how, at Gilbane, those in leadership positions understand very well that employees don't just want to be identified by the job they do, but they are looking for someone to understand and communicate with them as a person,...

In High-Profile's inaugural podcast, Anastasia Barnes sits down with Luiza Mills, director of human resources and public relations at Interstate Electrical Services Corporation (IESC). Luiza discusses lean construction, the importance of solution-based thinking, challenges of recruiting new talent, and IESC's new apprentice program. Plus, Luiza and Anastasia call Michael Barnes, the founder of Hig...