Construction Brothers

Today Tyler shares about a specific moment that sticks in his memory. Numerous tasks and deadlines were bearing down on him, and the pressure culminated in a mysterious leakage from his eyes.    Nobody’s immune to being overwhelmed. What matters is how you decide to cope. Tyler’s advice: Talk to someone. Acknowledge the weight you’re feeling. List the parts of the load that’s creating the overwhel...

Dan Wies is the president of Wies Drywall and Construction, a St. Louis company that has been in his family for three generations. He also enjoys contributing to the community–by providing quality service customers as well as training and growth opportunities to employees.   Dan sees it as his job to make the general contractor the hero. “My name should never be in your mouth in a bad way,” he say...

Well. It’s debatable.  What is the best day for project deadlines? Eddie thinks it’s Tuesday. For a long time, he thought it should be Friday, which makes sense in your head. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t usually operate in accordance with the vision in your head. Monday (according to Eddie’s work rhythm) is a very productive day, but it’s also a day that is overweighted with managerial duties....

It feels like this episode should come with an image of Max Headroom in a hard hat. (If you’re younger than 40, we’ll let you research that reference.)    Our guest today is Marty Beard, founder of alwaysAI, a company that uses AI to expand the functionality of basic video cameras. To see a more detailed overview of alwaysAI technology, see this article , which includes a video with Marty. He and...

You’ve seen the title. What would you guess we’re going to say? The planning? The signing of the deal? The groundbreaking? Well, we believe that the most important part of most (if not all) projects is the finish line. At the beginning of a project, it’s usually relatively easy to be optimistic.  The during part certainly has its frustrations. Deadlines loom, though. And people–especially owners–c...

So… Sometimes we get going and we just can’t stop. This episode was supposed to be a Five-Minute Friday. Oh, well. It’s important stuff.    We recently posted on LinkedIn about how difficult detailing is. Clearly, we tapped into a deep reservoir of discontent. Dozens of people shared about the results of stress they experienced as a detailer.     Employees are human. Humans make mistakes. Even the...

Yup, it’s another baseball analogy.  Catchers are seen as the capital–almost a quarterback–because they have the whole infield in front of them. They’ll tell the pitcher things he already knows.  More than anything, this extra communication is intended to train the players’ brains to be able to respond without thinking. It’s a group rehearsal of what needs to happen reflexively.   In business, del...

(Scroll to see loads of links to videos of the tech mentioned in this episode.)   Tyler Williams is an innovation man. Within the first couple decades of his career, he worked as a union carpenter, estimator, project manager, and superintendent. Then he reached the point where he felt like he was losing passion for his work. He wanted to make an impact.   This drive to make a difference prompted h...

We could have called this episode “Leave me the heck alone!”    If you’ve ever… Well, if you’ve ever had a job, you’ve probably gotten tired of a manager breathing down your neck. Nobody wants to work for a helicopter manager.    Then again, if you’ve ever worked as a manager, you’ve probably dealt with employees who don’t know what they’re doing–at least at first.   The secret is to provide guida...

“When one door closes, another one… Well, it doesn’t necessarily open unless you have it programmed that way.” This is the kind of portal-related wisdom that Benji Bolick and Mia Merrel bring to the table, and it’s why we asked them to join us today.   People don’t generally think about doors unless they fail to function properly. Doors are just 1-3% of the construction cost, but they cause a huge...

JFK knew the importance of alignment and clarity. When he set a vision for how the US would beat the Soviet Union in the space race: put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Not all leaders are so clear. It’s easy to assume that your team has the same clarity you do about your goals. It’s essential to communicate clearly and often about your vision and the goal.  Tyler shares the Belgian dr...

Millions of tons of lumber goes to landfills every year. Eric Law is out to change that. Eric and his team at Urban Machine have designed a machine that automates the removal of nails and screws from reclaimed lumber, making that lumber usable again.      Eric explains how he settled into this niche. He spent 20 years working in various parts of the technology and construction industries. He was l...

Today we welcome you to join us as we revisit some family drama. Tyler shares about reaching the point in the family company where he felt like he had no more room for growth. This resulted in him losing a sense of purpose.   This experience is not an unusual one. In fact, it’s almost universal. If you’re a leader, it’s important to recognize this reality and figure out how you’re going to address...

For several years now, the shift toward a design-build approach has been gaining momentum. Today we talk to Brian Skripac, the director of virtual design and construction at the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).   Brian’s training is in architecture, but he has worked as a BIM leader for almost 20 years now. He enjoys the opportunities to collaborate and share with the goal of increasing e...

It’s critical in any organization. And it doesn’t come naturally for everyone. All it takes is just a few words. Just take a few seconds to speak up when you see someone do something well. Whether you’re an employer or an employee, your acknowledgement of others' contributions can make a world of difference in workplace dynamics. Let it be simple and organic: a sticky note here, an affirmative hea...

Today we talk to Ben Patton of TreeCycle , a Vancouver-based company focused on helping construction companies use more repurposed wood.    While working as an arborist, Ben noticed that 90% of the wood he dealt with was either turned into firewood or wood chips or just thrown in a pile. He found himself wondering why more of this wood wasn’t being used as lumber. One day he dragged a log behind h...

“In my day, you could get a candy bar for a nickel!”    Different generations have different reference points when it comes to money in general and compensation in particular. And those perceptions play a big role in recruitment and retention of employees.     It’s wise to be aware of your own bias when it comes to matters of compensation. This is true whether you’re in a position to set pay rates...

Today we start out with a little chat about the way that our generational media tastes have influenced us. We touch on Seinfeld (who had a thing or two to say about construction) and radio-recorded cassettes of Frogstomp . Tyler shares what song smashes him emotionally when it interrupts his Hank.   In our 149 episodes, we’ve talked to specialists from just about every step in the commercial const...

It sounds so abstract. It is.    Yet it’s so important.   Atmosphere is one of the things that employees look for in a place of employment…   It’s not just about having bean bags and ping-pong tables in the office.    It’s about a sense of comradery and trust. It’s about a healthy workplace culture. Does it feel good to be at this workplace?    It’s not about whether the employer says their compan...

We have finally cleaned out our podcast studio, which had been converted into a company-Christmas-party venue. We start out today with some post-Christmas chit-chat about the challenges of Lego (or Legos if you’re an amateur), dog fur, and brotherly Christmas-gift arms race. Then we get down to business.    As we kick off our conversation about construction docs, we start with some thoughts about...

When we chatted with Bob Goff for a recent episode, he mentioned in passing that he had never lost a case in his work as a construction lawyer. Although he acknowledged that he was a good lawyer, he said the real key to his winning record was that he knew which cases to take.  So often, the key is choosing the right project to pursue. The money is made on the job pick, just as profit in real estat...

If you’re looking to hire military veterans, you’ll come away from this episode with some solid action items.   Today we talk to Jay Snyder. Jay is a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force Reserve and has served six years of active duty. He is also the president of Big Blue Innovations, a construction consulting firm. Jay has been in the private construction industry for more than 20 years, and he...

Today we are re-airing a 5 Minute Friday from this past April. Even if you’re not a particularly religious person, you’ve probably heard the Bible verse that inspires today’s episode: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." The best leaders are those who give themselves up for the good of others. People respond to that sort of leadership.  If your primary mot...

Our guest this week is someone we've wanted to interview for a really long time.    Bob Goff is the author of two New York Times best-sellers- Love Does and Everybody Always - He's also a recovering construction lawyer after practicing for 25 years. He is now a writer, speaker and founder of the non-profit "Love Does" dedicated to helping kids in conflict areas.    Bob has been a massive inspirati...

In this week's five minute Friday, Tyler and Eddie have the 4th annual reading of the Christmas Story.  We hope that everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!     Find Us Online: BrosPodcast.com - LinkedIn - Youtube - Instagram - Facebook - Eddie's LinkedIn - Tyler's LinkedIn If you enjoy the podcast, please rate us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us! Thanks for lis...