Construction Genius

Mark Bley has worked in the Construction Industry for over 30 years. He has been on Dome Construction 's staff since 1981 and has been President & CEO since 2008. Before becoming President & CEO, Mark acted as Project Manager on Dome Construction's staff for 24 years. His work experience prior to joining Dome includes heavy construction and electrical utility construction and design. To keep young...

3 Ways to Prepare for An Effective Problem-Solving Meeting Accurately Identify Problems Pick the Team Make the Rules   Highlights Include The source of problems Product   Process People Using metrics to surface problems Lagging indicators Leading indicators Get your facts straight prior to a meeting Get diverse voices in the room Limit the number of participants to between 6-10 Make the ground rul...

Action Items from the Interview: Three ways a contractor can ensure a successful partnering project: Understand the expectation of the client Understand the project risks and how to mitigate them Establish yourself as a trusted business advisor Three action steps when passing a construction business to multiple siblings in the next generation Build healthy relationships between siblings Help each...

" A real leader is somebody who can help us overcome the limitations of our own individual laziness and selfishness and weakness and fear and get us to do better things than we can get ourselves to do on our own. " David Foster Wallace Accountability is h olding people responsible for their actions (and outcomes) appropriate to their competency, authority and within their realm of responsibility....

Alecia Wilmeth is the V.P. and General Manager of Alston Construction Company in Northern California. Alston is an ENR top 100 contractor, corporately based in Atlanta, GA. Alecia started her thirty-year career shoveling dirt on the job site. She has been a foreman, Superintendent, Project Engineer, Project Manager, and now VP and General Manager. Highlights of our interview include: 00:01:04  Ale...

In this episode, we cover three things. Causes of problems on construction projects The Road to recovery from failure The benefit of taking complete responsibility The inspiration for this episode comes from "Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALS Lead and Win",  by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin .   Highlights: [00:02:06] Definition of Extreme Ownership [00:03:52] The Cause of Problems on Construct...

Peter Tateishi, CEO of Associated General Contractors of California (AGC of California) joins Eric for a fascinating exploration of the mission of his organization. Founded in 1920, the  Associated General Contractors of California  is the premier organization of choice for both experienced and next generation construction and contracting professionals.  Peter has been the CEO of the AGC of Califo...

In this episode of Construction Genius, Eric sits down with Tim Murphy, CEO of the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange. Their conversation focuses on how to solve the construction industry's talent shortage by shifting society's often-misplaced emphasis on a four-year college degree as the only barometer of success, and by emphasizing the opportunities in the trades now available to young people...

What is the most important responsibility of a leader? It is to communicate. The complex, challenging and risky nature of the business requires leaders to constantly communicate up, down, across and outside of the organization, and it is critical that leaders understand and consistently emphasize three specific messages to those they lead. These three messages make up the three pillars of powerful...

According to the United States Department of Commerce; only about 30% of family businesses survive into the second generation, 12% are still viable into the third generation, and only about 3% of all family businesses operate into the fourth generation or beyond. My interview this week is with Justin White CEO of K&D Landscaping out of Watsonville, CA. His parents started the business in 1986 Now:...

We often find construction executives and leaders doing minor issues that lead to overwhelm and stress.  In this episode we cover practical tips and insights in using time blocks to help you become more effective leaders.  We cover 3 things about time blocks in this episode: benefits, hindrance, and types of blocks. In this episode we cover: Definition of a time block. The 4 benefits of time block...

How do you grow your general construction company into a thriving multi-billion dollar business using a unique sales strategy? In this episode we are joined by Jeff Hoopes, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Swinerton Builders as we talk about his approach to selling, thinking like a service provider, business development, business diversification, simple strategic planning, business acquisitions, a...

How do you approach construction sales in a more strategic way? In this solo episode, I will walk you through steps on how to grow your business and build long-term business relationships with your potential customers by having them know, trust and like you. This is a first in a series of episodes that I'll do over the next few months on a strategic approach to construction sales. Start running hi...

How do you hone the skills of millennials in a fast-paced and high-stress environment such as construction? In this episode we are joined Peter Worhunsky VP of Disney Construction as we discuss an interesting, unique and self-directed process for talent development used in their company which other construction leaders can learn from. This episode is brought to you by The Construction Leaders Dash...

How can you achieve high-performance in your construction company? High-performance comes from concentrating on the few tasks that if done with excellence will really make a difference in the results of your job and in the performance of your company. In this episode, we dive into a simple three-step framework that you can use to identify your most important outcome, the most important task that l...

Charles Antis, Founder and CEO of Antis Roofing and Waterproofing and also "cheerleader for good," joins us today as we talk about the importance of purpose and values in running a successful business. We dive into the unique beginnings of his company in 1989; how his passion for helping others drives his business, and how clarifying the Antis Roofing's purpose and values have helped him create a...

In this solo episode, Eric talks about building relationships by having difficult conversations. This podcast was inspired by a book he read years ago entitled Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott. He discusses 7 principles that we can use when having difficult conversations and resolving conflict to allow us to focus on building quality and profitable projects. We are reminded that in the midst of...

Angie Simon, President of Western Allied Mechanical, Inc. and incoming President of Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA), joins us today to talk about her thirty-year journey of working for and going up the ranks in the male-dominated industry of construction. Western Allied Mechanical, Inc. is an $85 million dollar mechanical contractor in the Silicon Valley o...